Early salmon run....point me there?!

[Katman]

Will do guys. I will look for the saturn! Seems its going to be cold this weekend.

[Quickstrike]

that's too funny nate.

[Katman]

Anyone know if the runoff of the Temprence is holding fish right now? Seems like theres been a few reports of fishes from there and the Knife.

[Katman]

ON MY WAY OUT TO DULUTH. CALL ME IF I CANT FIND U BY NOON BLUE SATURN MAN! 612 877 2246

Linh

[matthothand]

I got nine kings and one splake to bite between yesterday and this morning. Had on and landed quite a few accidentals but they were truly accidental unlike the "hook-ups" most people get on these fish. Saw kings, coho, splake, brookies, little rainbows, pinks, and one nice steelhead. Kept a few silvers to smoke but the rest were put back quickly to hopefully make more before they die. Like magic the fish seemed to have disappeared between yesterday afternoon and this morning. Maybe the snaggers cleaned house after i left? Maybe some fish backed out? There were a few fish left but mostly skittish splake. I used light line and red yarn. Had action mostly from fresh fish but was able to get a reaction from a few big males. I think I'm gonna wait for some rain before I go again. It's too hard to fish them in such low clear water. Here's some pics anyways...

[matthothand]

Katman let us know how you did. And if anyone wants to know where I was it was LESTER RIVER

[Quickstrike]

Hey Matt, I know exactly where you were at. That looks more like the baptism. That's a pretty nice hole if you can get them to go downstream and keep them out of the wood.

[DEADhead]

those were some brutes Matt. nice going

[Katman]

The fish weren't as forth coming as we hoped! Made it to Duluth by just about 8. Got to our first river by 840 or so after a breakfast stop. Let me just comfirm....the rivers are ALL LOW. I thought maybe one or two will touch the lake.....NONE. Our morning was a bust. At the mouth of the Knife river I had a good run. Broke my 6lb line right off. That was our only run for the morning. Got our first trout by 12 on the Temprence. For some reason..there were no fly guys or other fishing fanatics like most times. I guess it was a slow Saturday. But we saw a flipped boat as we were having lunch at Bluefin Bay Grille. Some guys fishing just about 100 yards out flipped. Other then that...it was all small trouts. From brooks to browns......they were about 14 down to about 4-5 inch. We were using yarnflies, eggs, crawlers, spoons, you name it. The baptism was a bit better.....And I think I know where Matt was But it was pretty dry by the time I got there. Out last spot was at the mouth of what was to be the Baptism runoff. And of course....we ended out night quietly. I will be returning to catch my share of salmon...but this trip was a bust for us. Sat. was a slow day for everyone up there. If Matt or anyone would like to give us a few more pointers..that would be helpful. I am planning another trip.....maybe this weekend. Rain is due throughout the week. Thanks guys.

[Schurmo]

Man, I am so jealous matt! My brother and I were up there with a friend, but we were not finding places to catch Salmon. We looked at Brule, Cascade, Poplar, Cross and Temperance and all we saw was one sad little (10 lbs.) coho salmon swim back and forth in the Cascade looking like the one who showed up to the party too soon. We felt so bad, that we didn't want to catch him (someone took it a day or two later anyways). We did catch a bunch of trout in the cascade and the temperance, but nothing of size. And we heard of a pink caught in Cascade. I guess we will just have to do some more research before next year...man I wanted to find some kings and cohos!!

[Quickstrike]

Sorry guys, I was joking when i said i thought he was at the baptism. I got out yesterday and got 4 kings and a nice splake in the morning and then NOTHING in the afternoon.

[Schurmo]

Yeah, I figured you were kidding...I was talking more towards the fact that we seemed to be too far north for the salmon this weekend. But we had a blast anyways!

Maybe someone can help me out with this...I lost two fish to snapped lines. I had 6lb test on. Is it suggested to fish with braided line for trout and salmon for the strength? Can you catch trout and salmon of the same setup, or do you need to be dedicated to one or the other? Thanks!

[Katman]

Afternoons seem to quiet down the fish. Mornings and sundown seems to be the ticket. But like I said, my only run was in the morning. Can someone shine the light a bit on where to look for these fish? Locals were keeping to themselves for spots...and water was too low on every river to try at the mouths. Are there pools that us non locals don't know of? Should we ride upriver to find deep pools holding fish? What method of choice was used (fly or spin)? What tip was used with what fly? I'm no trout or salmon pro.....I would love some help to maybe catch my first coho!

[OUTDOORNUT]

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Man, I am so jealous matt! My brother and I were up there with a friend, but we were not finding places to catch Salmon. We looked at Brule, Cascade, Poplar, Cross and Temperance and all we saw was one sad little (10 lbs.) coho salmon swim back and forth in the Cascade looking like the one who showed up to the party too soon.

If it were a Coho, that is HUGE for MN standards! The record for MN is 10.6 lbs!!!

[biff]

Matt and qs are giving you guys a hard time...you gotta put the time in and learn. Do some research. Splake should be a big hint. Thanks for not being to specific guys. Nice report matt.

[Schurmo]

Quote:

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If it were a Coho, that is HUGE for MN standards! The record for MN is 10.6 lbs!!!

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Yeah, he was a big fish, but I still felt really bad. It wasn't even a sport at that point, all I had to do is walk into the water and trap it in a tight area and pick it up...but I felt it was better to let him go. I should have just picked it up and put it in Superior...that's what I wish I had done.

[thistlekicker]

I went to the upper shore Sat Sun and Mon. I wasn't sure about water levels but was heartened by report of 1.5 to 2 inch of rain late last week. I prepared for salmon fishing and brought all the essentail equipment. I got to the Kadunce and found the mouth blocked by a 2 foot tall (Contact Us Please) of rocks. fortunately I was prepared for such an ocurrance having brung my best long-handled potato shovel. after about a half hour of moderate effort I had cleared a good 4 foot wide canal and the river was flowing again. somewhat tired after my labors I layd down for a little while on the rocks and napped for a bit. when I woke up i went up stream to where the dnr had build some habitat structures a few years ago. sure enough there was a pod of splake trying to spawn. I got out my best egg fly (the one with the treble hook stinger) and after a few snagged fish finally hooked one right in the mouth. it was a short fight but i manag4ed to keep him from getting back out to the lake through the canal. it was a good 24 inch splake in full spawning dress. I fished there for another couple hours, landing 3 more splake and 1 atlantic salmon (hadn't seen one of those in a while!). It was getting dark and eventually the fish all turned around and headed back out to the lake so I went back and filled in the trench I had dug and went home. good day of fishing!

[monstermoose78]

i dont think they were splake

[thistlekicker]

[monstermoose78]

I caught a few nice coasters in the Kadunce in the fall but the season for them had closed. Still was a good time.

[DEADhead]

Quote:

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after about a half hour of moderate effort I had cleared a good 4 foot wide canal

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thistle, I'd be careful about moving any volume of rocks around in a river channel. There are people out there that frown upon that kind of thing (e.g. Division of Waters), even though it may allow for fish passage and benefit spawning fish.

Just trying to keep you out of trouble (and potential fine)...

Nice job landing those splake and the atlantic! That must have been a pleasant surprise.

[biff]

Yeah, that kadunce takes a nice run of splake, almost as good as the summer skamania run.

[monstermoose78]

the north shore of superior Kadunce ?

[matthothand]

I was fishing the Voight River...or so I call it. Sorry but I have sworn to myself to keep this one in my pocket. I believe Quick knows the location and possibly Biff but if we get some rain there could be fish everywhere (in addition to the Voight). 6lb or 8lb line should work great. I recommend maxima ultragreen and I use the 8lb because there's lots of places for the fish to get me wrapped up. If I had a bit more room for the fish to run I'd go to 6 but I don't so it's 8. I was landing fish up to 37 inches and only breaking off when they tied knots around debris. Most people like using red yarn flies because it's seems to anger salmon. Most salmon quit feeding on anything before they enter the rivers and it's frustrating to get them to eat a hook when they hardly have a stomach left. If you can get them fired up enough they'll take a swipe at your fly just because it bugs them. That is how I understand and percieve it to be anyways. So be persistent when you know there are fish in front of you. Bounce around looking for more active fish if you want but if you have faith you can make it happen. I laugh when I think about this but last year I worked a single fish, a 39 inch male, for about two hours and I he finally had enough and took a swipe at my red yarn. It's funny because I sat there like a fool trying to entice a bite for so long but I take extreme pride in hooking fall run salmon inside the mouth. So many "anglers" will readily snag or purposely foul hook these fish and it makes me sick. When you guys get on fish (which you will) Be a man, a patient man, and don't snag em. We just gotta keep hoping for that rain to come and bring in the fish. Keep checking the shores and giving reports. The fish will be going soon for everyone, I can smell it.

[biff]

Amen on the snagging. I really dont get the whole snagging thing; where is the sport/accomplishment of jerking a hook into the side of a fishes head? It may be frustrating at times but when you do finally get one to hit it is a feeling of accomplishment. Those kings can make you wanna pull your hair out at times and take up golf. But when you finally fair one it is worth it.

I was up that way friday. The water is really low and clear. Made fishing tough but was kinda cool just watching all the fish swim around. Looked at "the rock" refuge and saw a decent amount of browns in there. Didnt see any on another stream that I fished though. A few very disinterested kings around. Did get 3 fresh coho that were by far the more aggresive of anything. One aggresive steelhead. Lot of splake around but very finicky. They really like to chase and turn off at the last second. Anybody with good splake tactics? Some rain will really bust everything loose up and down the shore.

That was a good post matt. I think people should focus more on the how as opposed to mentioning specific spots.