Effective Immediately, Sucker River Access is CLOSED. As of September 19th, 2018, access downstream of scenic highway 61 on both sides of the river is no longer open for public use.  Signs have been posted marking the closure areas and a notice containing additional details has been posted at the parking lot. As many of the North Shore angling pubic know, this same access was on the verge of closure back in April of 2017.  To learn more about the history – click here. For many years, these land owners have graciously allowed visitors to utilize paths on their property to ac ..read more

Each fall, many of us make the pilgrimage back to the North Shore to wet a line after long a summer away.  Memories from past spring seasons often fill our thoughts while enjoying the beautiful drive, anticipating what the fall season will bring. Fall fishing on the North Shore typically consists of chasing pink salmon in low, clear water although there are days where steelhead and coho seem to magically appear. These lower water levels make getting around rivers much easier and are an ideal time to learn more about what makes your favorite high water holes so productive. Fall fishing ..read more

Flies from Afghanistan Part 3 The Teeny Nymph: Perhaps one of the most simple and durable patterns in my fly box is the Teeny Nymph. Pioneered by Jim Teeny of Gresham, OR., the Teeny Nymph combines easy to acquire materials with simplicity and durability. Mr. Teeny wanted to develop a fly for those very reasons and it has proven very effective in catching the anadromous fish of the west coast. In usual fashion, I figured that if this simple pattern caught fish out west why not in our neck of the woods? I bought a few as examples and hit the vise. The fly is adaptable to many variations ..read more

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Shore casting the North Shore of Lake Superior can at times appear to be a daunting task, it is, however, an enjoyable and very effective way to fish the big lake.  River mouths Most of us have seen the numerous fishermen lining the banks near the French or Lester rivers. Why? Because these are consistently good places to fish. A beginning shore caster would be smart to start their quest fishing river mouths, particularly early in the season when steelhead, Kamloops and lakers can be found in abundance. The river plumes provide warm water and a steady flow of bugs which fish like. Due t ..read more

 Latest North Shore Conditions: SHORE-WIDE BLOWOUT Cripes! There's no way to sugar-coat that and we were just flirting with our first major push of the 2022 season, at least on the Lower Shore. No question there are fish around and have been for a while. They are being caught in the rivers and at the trap, but May 1 flows across the shore are in ludicrous territory. 1800cfs at the Knife, 1580 and climbing at the Baptism, 1400+ at the Arrowhead Brule as of this writing. It's enough to make a steelheader cry but DON'T, one thing we don't need is more water right now! Which is crazy to think ..read more

2022 Trap Notes: Knife trap open as of 04/11, first steelhead captured 04/18. The French trap opening date as of 04/28/2022 is TBD. It is unclear whether the DNR reporting format will change to include clipped and un-clipped steelhead or if this will be an aggregate total under steelhead. MNST will make that update when we know. Kamloops continue to be reported in 2022 DATE: 4/28/22 Knife Flow: CFS Avg Temp: 34.7°F French River - SH - - KL - - BT - - Total - Knife River - SH - - KL - - BT - - Total - NOT YET OPEN 0 0 0 0 Number Captured 5 0 0 5 FOR TRAP/SEIN 0 0 0 0 Total Capt ..read more

  The 2021 report nearly didn't happen. MNST would like to thank those anglers who took the time to submit because those reports provided just enough data to work with. Just one or two fewer submissions to the creel project and MNST would not have had enough data to publish anything meaningful. It was that close, so thank you Reporting Anglers!     Each year, Minnesota Steelheader collects angler-submitted reports of fish caught through our Creel Project page. We’ve transitioned away from kamloop reporting with the cessation of stocking, and are now reporting clipped and ..read more

  It was a little disappointing to say the least waking up this morning to find a fresh blanket of white, wet snow on the ground. Even the turkeys stayed in bed late today. I spotted a dozen or so still up in the trees as I drove past one of their neighborhood roosting areas this morning. Even the toms, who had over the last few days been on the ground strutting and gobbling well before sunrise, were hunkered up, clinging to the branches of a spreading maple looking miserable and wet. Despite the snow, signs that spring is on the move are everywhere. The buds on maples are swelling red ..read more

Greetings from the Staff at Minnesota Steelheader, the season is CHANGING! In a sure sign of spring, an enormous tom turkey sporting a brilliant red, white, and blue head tried to kamikaze my car as I was driving to work this week. I slammed on the brakes and honked, he just puffed up and yelled at me from the middle of the road, well, triple-gobbled anyway, but it amounts to the same thing. The chickadees and cardinals are singing their spring songs and sandhill cranes recently made a first appearance.     Where I am we've had a couple of uncomfortably warm days though full of ..read more