Lake Superior Fishing Report: Salmon on the Move, Lure Trends, and Weather Outlook
Artificial Lure here with your Wednesday, September 3rd, Lake Superior fishing report, straight from around Duluth.Early September is prime transition on the big lake: cool, crisp mornings, shorter days, and fish on the move. Today’s sunrise was 6:35 am, with sunset at 7:45 pm—plenty of time left to get lines in the water before evening. The latest local forecast said clouds thickened this afternoon, with a chance of scattered storms rolling through—classic pre-fall pattern kicking up a mild southerly breeze and a high around 71. Expect choppier action on the surface, especially if you hit the lake late in the day. Tidal effects are basically nil on Superior, but that wind should drive a little more water movement near the points and river mouths.Now, to the fishing. Water temps have nudged down to the upper 60s along the Duluth shoreline, with some cooler currents off Park Point. This has been a reset button for the bite. Anglers trolling the shoreline just outside the shipping channels have reported strong numbers of coho and chinook salmon working their way in. The evening bite has been best, right before dusk, with most fish taken between 25 and 60 feet. While some boats are still picking up scattered lake trout deeper (80–120 feet), most success has been found a bit shallower as bait balls bunch up closer.According to Outdoor News and several recent radio call-ins, the salmon bite is heating up fast—multiple Duluth regulars weighed in coho ranging from 3 to 7 pounds over the holiday weekend, and I heard about two chinook tipping the scales north of 15. Lake trout over 10 pounds were caught from spots off Lester River and up near Knife Island. Trout fishing is reportedly excellent, and the last few days of cloud cover have sparked nearly “September run” like aggression.What to use? This week rides on glow spoons, Tomic plugs, and meat rigs—Sweet Water Trolling and guides up the shore still swear by these as top producers. For coho, size 3.5 orange/gold spoons and Sz #5 “Coho Teasers” from Steelhead Slammer Lure Co. have been hot. If you’re after bigger kings and lakers, run larger white and chartreuse flashers with orange or blue flies. For shore anglers, throwing heavy Little Cleos or casting pink and white squid spinners from Canal Park around dawn and dusk has pulled a few salmon. Don’t overlook spawn sacks at the river mouths—especially after the rain.Top live bait? It’s tough to beat emerald shiners or cut smelt under a slip bobber in the early mornings, especially for bonus steelhead and browns staging near incoming rivers.Looking for a hotspot? Try the hole at the mouth of the Lester River or work the mudline off the docks just outside Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge. Further up toward Knife River, the charter captains have been reporting some of the best numbers of the week, especially trolling the first drop-off about half a mile out.If you want to switch things up, the St. Louis River estuary is seeing a solid walleye and smallmouth bite as well—Minnesota Outdoor News says deep running crankbaits and crawler harnesses are pulling mixed bags in the late afternoon. Look for fish holding on inside weed edges or transitional rock piles.Remember, September on Superior is dynamic—don’t forget a light jacket, keep an eye on that radar, and always wear your PFD.Thanks for tuning in, fishing friends. Be sure to subscribe for more reports and fresh tips from your old pal Artificial Lure. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1PnThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI