Welcome to our Lake Superior Fishing Home Page
Lake Superior is a huge, deep lake with lots of cold water compared to the other Great Lakes. Some say that Lake Superior holds 50% of the water of the Great Lakes and only 2% of the fish. While this may not be 100% true, it does give you an idea of this lake compared to the other Great Lakes. While Lake Superior may not be loaded with tons of fish at every boat launch along the lake, there are some very good places to fish on Lake Superior and some of these places do give you a shot at good numbers of big fish.
While most of these destinations are known more for lake trout than salmon, there are still some good opportunities to catch a variety of salmon and other trout to go along with lake trout. There are also some excellent opportunities to fish for huge smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike and perch.
Quick Links
Michigan
Grand Marais, MI
Grand Marais is an unincorporated community in Burt Township and it is located on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is the eastern gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and this area is known for its beauty along the lake. For those of you that like getting outdoors, there is plenty to do here around the lake.
Keeweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the most northern part of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. Here, you will find some great fishing from inland lakes to the waters of Lake Superior and Keweenaw Bay. Anglers target a variety of fish in this area. On inland lakes, they come here mostly for the walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and perch fishing. On the waters of Lake Superior, salmon and trout are priority, but other fish are available. On the spawning streams, steelhead provide exciting action.
Marquette, MI
Marquette is the county seat of Marquette County and it is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of the of Michigan. The city is located on the shores of Lake Superior and it is a major port city. The area is beautiful with some very scenic waterfalls and rock formations to go along with all the trees and crystal clear waters of Lake Superior. You can find plenty of accommodations and local amenities to make your trip a good one. There are also plenty of fishing charters available to get you out onto Lake Superior to fish for salmon and trout.
Munising, MI
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. With miles of scenic shoreline and trails located within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore area, this area is gorgeous and it offers plenty of outdoor recreation for its visitors.
Lake Superior is popular for targeting salmon and trout. You also have the option of going inland to fish the many area lakes for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and panfish.
Ontonagon, MI
Ontonagon is a small village in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Ontonagon County. Anglers have access to Lake Superior as well as the Ontonagon River. The river is home to walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike to go along with spring and fall runs of trout from Lake Superior. Out on Lake Superior, anglers usually troll for salmon and trout.
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie is a city that lies on the northeastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the Canadian border and it is separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River. The population was 14,144 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous city in the Upper Peninsula. This area has a diverse fishery with salmon, trout, walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass and other species available too.
Minnesota
Duluth, MN
Duluth, Minnesota is a port city on Lake Superior. This area is home to large, commercial ships to go along with many fishing charters, boaters and anglers. It is a popular area to fish as anglers fish the waters of Lake Superior as well as the Saint Louis River. Anglers catch salmon, trout, northern pike, walleye and more.
Grand Marais, MN
Anglers have access to the waters of Lake Superior from the Grand Marais Marina. In the spring and early summer, anglers usually target salmon, lake trout and rainbow trout in deeper water. As the water warms up, the charters usually fish higher up in the water column as they target the same species of fish. There are several fishing charters available here and the area is beautiful.
Silver Bay, MN
Silver Bay is a small city with a population around 2,000 people. It is located on Lake Superior and there is a state park and a lighthouse here, which helps attract plenty of people to this area during the spring through fall months. Some fishing charters operate out of Silver Bay and you can target salmon and trout in the area waters.
Two Harbors, MN
Two Harbors is a small city located on the shores of Lake Superior. With a population of close to 4,000 people, there are some amenities here in town. The big draw here is the access to Lake Superior as many anglers will come to this area to fish. There are also some fishing charters that operate out of Two Harbors, Minnesota. Anglers fish Lake Superior out of this area for chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and lake trout.
Ontario
Marathon, Ontario
Marathon is a town that is located in Thunder Bay District on the shores of Lake Superior. The town is located just north of Pukaskwa National Park. This area is very accessible since it is located just off of Highway 17. Fishing and hunting is very popular in this area, but you can also enjoy other outdoor activities such as canoeing, kayaking, hiking, golfing, skiing and snowmobiling. Anglers have lots of options with the protected bays off of Lake Superior. You can also venture offshore on the big lake or hit some of the smaller lakes inland and there is some good river fishing here as well. Anglers target salmon, trout, walleye, northern pike and more.
Nipigon Bay
Nipigon Bay is located at the northernmost point of Lake Superior. The bay offers good fishing for a variety of fish. Anglers target brook trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, coho salmon, pink salmon, northern pike, perch, whitefish and more.
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie is a city that lies on the northeastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the Canadian border and it is separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River. The population was 14,144 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous city in the Upper Peninsula. This area has a diverse fishery with salmon, trout, walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass and other species available too.
Terrace Bay, Ontario
Terrace Bay is a township in the Thunder Bay District of northern Ontario. It is located on the north shore of Lake Superior along Highway 17. This is not a big town, however, there is still a lot to do here if you enjoy being on the water. People enjoy canoeing and kayaking out on Lake Superior. Anglers enjoy fishing for salmon, trout, walleye and other fish too. There are a bunch of bays on the north shoreline of Lake Superior in this area, so as long as the winds aren’t blowing too hard, you have a lot of good waters to fish that give you some protection from the wind and rougher water.
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is located on Lake Superior, but in Ontario, Canada. The bay is known for its excellent fishing, but this is definitely big water fishing. In this area, many people will use Thunder Bay as their base camp as they get you enjoy all the amenities of this city, but still get away to experience some awesome fishing too. For others, they may stay at a fishing resort, but then come in for a day or part of a day in the Thunder Bay area. It’s a nice destination that mixes some some city life with some outdoors adventures.
Wawa, Ontario
Wawa is located 150 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie on the Trans-Canada Highway, so getting here is easy. People visit this area looking for a more remote fishing vacation without having to travel way farther up north. There isn’t a ton of fishing pressure here, however, plenty of people do enjoy fishing this area, so you will see other boaters out on the water targeting a variety of fish species.
Anglers fish the area waters on Lake Superior for a variety of salmon and trout. Inland, there are plenty of lakes to fish for walleye, northern pike, perch and trout. There are also some really good lakes to fish as you take highway 17 up to this area between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, Ontario.
Wisconsin
Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay is a popular fishing destination in Wisconsin, although, this area doesn’t draw nearly as many visitors as some of the other popular destinations in Wisconsin. The scenery is beautiful and the fishing is outstanding for a variety of different fish.
This area might have some of the best smallmouth bass fishing for big bass in the entire state of Wisconsin. You can also catch lake trout, walleye, salmon, brown trout, northern pike and perch.
Cornucopia, WI
Cornucopia is Wisconsin’s northernmost town and the Western Gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the famous sea cave at Meyers Beach. There is a harbor here that provides a safe port for commercial fishing vessels as well as recreational boaters.
Port Wing, WI
Port Wing is a solid jumping off point with Bayfield about 45 minutes away and Iron River less than 20 minutes away. Depending on what you are looking for on a trip here, Port Wing might be a nice option. Stay in the Port Wing area and fish Lake Superior or the Flag River, which is known for its steelhead fishery.
Superior, WI / Douglas County, WI
Superior, Wisconsin is the main port for going out onto Lake Superior in Douglas County. Anglers do well in the waters near the mouth of Superior Harbor in the spring. Many boats will troll along the South Shore early in the year as they target lake trout, coho salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead and brown trout. As the water warms through the summer, the boats will be chasing salmon and trout in much deeper waters and many of the charters will head into Minnesota waters as well. In the fall, salmon and trout will move back towards shore to spawn. Good numbers of fish will move into the harbor here as well as the tributaries found along the South Shore.