Lake Superior Early Summer: Trolling Spoons and River Jigs Around Duluth

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Lake Superior Duluth fishing report. We’re sitting on a cool, stable early‑summer pattern around the Head of the Lakes. Air temps today ride the mid‑50s near dawn, pushing into the mid‑60s by afternoon, with light northwest breeze on the lake and a bit more puff out of the harbor. Clouds are in and out, with a few light showers possible later, but no serious storms in the mix. Sunrise hits right around 5:15 a.m., sunset near 9 p.m., so you’ve got a long window to work prime light. Superior doesn’t have true tides, but we do see seiche‑driven level changes. Nothing dramatic on tap today, but pay attention if the wind swings; a stiff east or northeast can bump water levels and push bait around the Duluth Entry and up along Park Point. Water temps in the western arm are still cool, generally mid‑40s to low‑50s, warming a bit in the harbor and St. Louis River. That’s kept the nearshore bite decent. Anglers out recently have been doing well on **lake trout** and a few **coho** trolling along the North Shore breaks, with the better action inside of 80 feet. Mixed reports of **walleyes** and a few **pike** in the St. Louis River, plus **smallmouth bass** waking up on rock and rubble shorelines. Recent catches around Duluth include steady numbers of smaller lakers with occasional bigger fish sliding into the teens. A few scattered coho and steelhead are still being picked off by the more dedicated trollers, especially early and late in the day. In the river, folks are putting a handful of eater‑sized walleyes in the box on dragging rigs and jigs, while bass anglers are reporting decent numbers but lots of short strikes in that cool water. Best bite windows: dawn through mid‑morning and again from about 7 p.m. to dark. Midday is tougher unless you’re working deeper structure or running long, stealthy trolling passes. On **lures and bait**: - For lake trout and coho on the big lake, run **silver/blue and orange‑bellied spoons**, plus smaller **flasher‑fly combos** in green or chartreuse. A white or glow dodger with a green fly has been a quiet producer. - Inside 60 feet, long‑line or lead‑core spoons and shallow divers will get it done. Out deeper, downriggers and dipsy divers are still the tools. - In the St. Louis River, **jig and minnow**, **jig and half‑crawler**, or a **live‑bait rig with leeches** are putting walleyes in the net. Bright chartreuse, gold, or parrot‑style jig heads have been solid in the stained water. - For smallmouth, work **3–4 inch paddle‑tails**, **tubes**, and **Ned rigs** in natural goby or green pumpkin colors along riprap, bridge pilings, and rock points. A simple slip‑bobber and leech will still out‑fish plastic on tougher days. Couple of **hot spots** to put on your list: - **Duluth Entry and shipping channel edges**: troll spoons just outside the traffic lanes at first light, then slide deeper as the sun climbs. Watch your electronics for bait pods stacking on breaks. - **St. Louis River – around Barker’s Island and up toward the Oliver Bridge**: drift jigs or pull slow‑death rigs along channel edges and current seams for walleyes, then slide shallower and pitch plastics for smallmouth once the sun warms things up. Water’s still cold enough to be dangerous, so wear the life jacket and keep an eye on that Superior wind shift. She turns on you fast. Thanks for tuning in to this report from Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next bite update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn