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My brother Ed, was out and about last weekend doing some walleye fishing and fishing the North Shore for Loopers [Kamloops Rainbow Trout].  Ed and his friends fished Boulder and Island Lake last weekend near Duluth.  The water in the reservoirs is still very cold. Some walleye’s caught still had running milt and eggs, so they are not finished spawning yet.  Fishing on these two reservoirs was good in the early mornings and late afternoons.  Minnows were best, along with trolling crawlers and using leeches.  Baits under a slip bobber produced best.  The fish were shallow.  Shore fishermen on Island Lake did better than some guy’s in boats who were fishing deeper areas.

I have fished these lakes since the sixty’s and still do.  I’m going up there in June.  The waters in these reservoirs are stained so there can be a good day bite with a slight walleye chop.  There are some jumbo perch being caught as well.  There is a good bait shop right on County 4 on the way to the reservoirs [Chalstroms].  

The smelt run is on in the rivers on the lower North Shore.  The Lester River, just outside of Duluth has been the popular place to dip for those tasty little fish for as long as I can remember.  Park Point results have been spoty, with some doing well and some poorly.  I would take the dip net to the rivers myself.  If your going to go, go now for it will be over soon.  They have been running good since last Thursday and it wont be much longer.

There are still loopers and steelhead to be caught [remember, all steelhead must be released].  My brother will be making his last run up the North Shore next Thursday and Friday.  Starting up on the Lower North Shore up to Grand Marais and staying the night there and then working the shore back down the next day.  Fish are spawning in the rivers still, but a few fresh runners are still making there way up the streams.  By next week the run should be all but over on the Lower North Shore and winding down on the Upper North Shore.  Spawn bags drifted along the bottom are always a good bet, but lately small jigs tipped with waxies have out-produced the spawn bags.  Reinhard