Superior Surge - Fall Fishing Forecast for Duluth, MN (Sept 5, 2025)
Lake Superior out of Duluth is waking up fast to fall patterns as we turn the page to September 5th. Folks, you could feel the bite change this past week—water temps took a dip across the Upper Shore, holding steady right in the 50s, which has sparked some great late-season fishing. It’s a clear and crisp start today, following early-morning fog, with light winds out of the northwest. Expect highs around 63 degrees and lows touching the upper 40s, and keep a sharp eye on the sky late; there’s a chance of scattered rain this afternoon. Sunrise came at 6:34 a.m., and you’ll see sunset drop behind the bluffs at 7:44 p.m.Talking tides, well, Lake Superior doesn’t have much of that classic ocean tide, but she does have some minor seiche action. For practical purposes, you’ll want to track wind-driven water movement more than any lunar pull.Let’s talk fish: this past week, Lake trout fishing was excellent for boat anglers, with the best action in 80 to 180 feet of water right off the Duluth shoreline and up along the North Shore. Reports from the Minnesota DNR and local guides are all saying the same—trolling deep-diving spoons and big flashy crankbaits is pulling in trout in the 3 to 8 pound range, with a couple of true lunkers pushing double digits mixed in. Anglers jigging near wrecks and reefs, especially around the Lester River mouth and over the Bar at McQuade Safe Harbor, are doing just as well.Salmon are getting ready for their fall run, and we’re starting to hear about cohos staging in 80 to 120 feet—these fish are moving in from the open water, so watch for surface busts early and late in the day. Spoons in bright orange, pink, and silver have been the ticket.Smallmouth bass action has been getting hotter by the day, especially in the rocky shallows near Park Point and the shipping canal riprap. Locals are cleaning up on Ned rigs, tubes, and finesse jigs. Folks casting shallow with crankbaits and jerkbaits around structure have reported consistent 15–18 inch fish—solid slabs for Superior, with some bigger fish coming out of deeper breaks and boulder fields off Brighton Beach.Walleye are starting to slide into their fall routine, schooling up along current breaks and river mouths. At the St. Louis River estuary, jig-and-minnow combos and slow-trolled nightcrawler harnesses are working early morning and just before dark. A few incidental northern pike have shown up in the bays on big spinnerbaits.Best baits and lures right now: for trout and salmon, go with large trolling spoons in silver, chartreuse, and orange, or try deep-run crankbaits. Jigging white or glow soft plastics on a heavy head works for the lakers when you’re vertical. Smallies want tubes in green pumpkin or smoke fleck, and you can’t go wrong with a drop-shot rigged with a goby imitator. For walleye, stick with live minnows or bright-colored half-ounce jigs, and if you’re after pike, a silver or firetiger spoon gets attention.Favorite hot spots in the area: try the mouth of the Lester River for late-summer trout and salmon staging, and check the boulder-strewn shoreline near Brighton Beach for smallmouth. Up the shore a bit, McQuade Safe Harbor has been a sleeper for big bottom-hugging lake trout and the odd trophy fish. Don’t overlook Park Point’s ship canal for consistent bass and panfish.That’s the rundown for today, September 5th, 2025, here on the big lake. Thanks for tuning in with Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a bite. 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