Anyone know when or have connections to a north shore angler to figure out when the pink salmon are gonna be running? I really want to get a lifer before the ice comes and I figured I might have a good shot at one.

I think I got a pretty good idea of what kind of lures they will hit. Just need some info on good rivers to try. If anyone else is interested I would be willing to meet someone up there or share a ride. PM me if interested.

Ooh and anyone ever catch a Round whitefish from the north shore? Sounds like a pretty impossible feat but would be fun to give it a shot later in the year.

Check out http://www.minnesotasteelheader.com/ they talk about the Salmon this year. Sounds like it will be early, like starting now.

I talked to an old timer this spring who was catching many "Menominees" up there using a float and a waxie.

Round whitefish can be caught year-round in the harbors, you just have to put your time in.

Badfish, I am also hoping to get up and try for pinks this season.

typically the run starts on the south end of lake superrior rivers and as the run progresses it moves further north to rivers like the cascade, devils devils track, kimble, kadunce, and the brule. you can follow it on the dnr website.

Unfortunately my cousin who has a cabin in grand marais MN was up there last weekend, fished from duluth all the way up and he said that the rivers are SO low due to the lack of rain this year many of the rivers and creeks north of beaver bay and silver bay are cut off from the lake completely. especially the smaller ones like kimball, kadunce, the devils track and the brule. BUT if you fish the kadunce past the first set of waterfalls and trek your way around the left side of it, you can get some MONSTER brookies (and by monster i mean 12" plus on a stream). they may even be coasters.

If you do go, go early. if you are using a flyrod and you don't snag or get lightly hung up on the bottom every so often, you are not fishing deep enough. i have had very good luck with yellow and red powder painted kamlooper spoons, or plain stainless steel lastmaster spinners. if you are fishing with live bait on the bottom, use small hooks and small splitshots. be prepared to snag a lot because those streams and rivers are littered with rocks, and many distressed man-made fishing pools that can be clogged up pretty bad with tree debris.

Thanks for the advice. Do you think there out on the lake still within casting range of the river mouths?

Also a tackle question. I got a lot of Blue fox and mepps spinners in sizes 3 and 4 and a couple smaller ones. What size would you suggest? What size spoons too? I also got a 6 weight all ready to go, I think I got that part figured out since there is a lot of fly fishing info on the net.

its always possible they would be at the mouth, but i wouldnt count on it if the river doesnt have an open connection to the lake. your best bet is to find a river that is open to superrior.

as far as size of mepps spinners i would go 1 or two. maybe a three. for spoons i would go 1/2 oz and smaller. 3lbs is a pretty big pink out of superrior so i wouldn't go larger than that. most pink salmon live for two years, and a few live to three so they don't get very large.

Could be an interesting year up on the North Shore from the way it sounds. I plan to get up there myself either mid Sept or early October.

For me, a size #1 or #2 inline spinner with an orange blade casted through pools has been the best producer. Remember to swap the treble hook for a single hook when fishing in the rivers. I also have had success chuck and duck'n egg flies.

Pink salmon are tough to fish to. Just because you see them does not mean you'll catch them. I've read where they stop feeding something like two weeks before they enter the river, so catches are usually either just pure instinct, or an attack of aggression. I've told the story on here before about my favorite humpie catch - where I drifted yarn past one at least 20 times with no takes. I lightly snagged it a couple times, but would get the hook out with out too much of a battle and it would just take up position in the riffles again. Then, finally, all of a sudden, on one drift it shot to the side and grabbed my yarn fly! No particular reason why it choose that drift, it was no different than another dozen past it. Did I mention pink fishing can be frustrating?

Remember to keep an eye on the flows/weather reports. I've had fantastic fishing one day, only to get rain that night and the rivers blown out the next day. The NS tribs are greatly effected by rain.

Let me know before you head up and I'll see if I can get a first hand report from a buddy that lives up there.

A birdie says the rivers are full of them right now, just remember to release all the coaster brook trout you catch.

Best flies are small beadheads. I have had 50+ fish mornings and good old prince nymphs. If fishing egg patterns, the smaller the better. If you find the fish in frog water twitch a lightly weighted bugger can get some fun swipes. However, the most productive water are the fast ripples and the fly literally in the fishes face.

Jesse those are some great pics, that birds got skills!

I love chasing pinks in the fall, they fight great on light weight rods and they are cool looking. The scenery is fantastic and there is always the chance of tangling with chinook, coho, atlantics, or coasters.

They are photogenic fish, so ugly they are cool. They have to be the roughest of salmon, considering people pitchfork them out of the river for fertilizer.

Awesome Report Jesse, I may have to sneak out this weekend.

Great photos. They fill me with regret for not taking advantage when I lived there. What was I thinking....

Awesome pictures! I hope I can get up there soon.