Welcome to my fishing web site. This is my twenty-sixth year of logging my Lake Superior Fishing adventures.  I synopsize most trips, generally describing my adventures, successes and other details out on the Big Pond.  My boat is appropriately named "Cooler By The Lake". I am just a plain fisherman who loves to fish Lake Superior, mostly for Lake Trout. I do not run a charter. I try to update my reports after each trip. I think of it as a log but some might say it's a BLOG, mox nix. Thank you for following us on our Lake Superior fishing journeys. Please if you have any questions or suggestions on my reports or narratives. Compliments are also welcomed. 

Click here to see last year's log - 2020  or click here choose prior year fishing reports

Fishing Synopsis for 2021

Sorry for delays in writing up my fishing report but medical issues, now resolved, had priority. My number of trips, trolling hours and fish per hour were the lowest in a long time, perhaps because of windy weather but it was just slow going early where we struggled to get into the Lakers. Still, It was an enjoyable season. I find time on the water almost always most enjoyable.. Fishing, well that's a great excuse to be on the water. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, good winter, and a healthy and prosperous New Year. I want to thank all you followers on my web site. BTW, next year hopefully will be better than 2021, the second year of Covid-19, Unfortunately, it's not over yet. IMHO, get vaccinated and boosted if you haven't already!

30 Sep 21    Another good forecast for winds from the south at 5 mph as Norm Dill and I set out in somewhat lumpy water that trim tabs smoothed out somewhat. We set lines at 125' noting tons of fish marks. It didn't take long to catch 4 nice Lakers with an average weight of 7#. But as we fished with the wind and waves, they both picked up and soon we were in 2-3' waves with some capping. It proved too difficult to fishing against so we bunched it after 1 hour and 15 minutes. It'll likely be the last trip of the season. I'll work up a summary later.

28 Sep 21   Finally after a windy week, Ron and I headed out with a forecast for south winds around 5 mph. That was true but it was s lumpy ride heading to our site. We ranged from 115' to 155' and found tons and tons of marks on the graph. But it's amazing to troll through these marks without a hit. But we did finally pick up 6 nice Lakers and a dink which we released. We had a triple with Ron having a single line double but mine got off, one of 3 we had rattle the riggers that got off. Winds slowly increased to 8-10 mph and some whitecaps but it still was very fishable. We finally bunched it after shy of 3 hours. Great day. Might be last trip of the season, might not!

18 Sep 21    You just get a few good forecasts in September (maybe other months too?) but today as Gary McDonnell and I left with a 5 mph forecasted south wind. In a calm harbor I said we'll know more when we the turn around the breakwater. Turning the corner I said Whoa, with 2'+ rollers coming, down went the trim tabs and back went the throttle. We went a little further than usual and started marking fish right away. First action was on Gary's rigger and voila, no lure or fish. Line broke midway so my guess there was a knot in the line. But we later caught 5 nice Lakers on the "out" leg in 1.5 hours.  Winds remained near calm but harmless rollers kept coming in. We then turned around to run the same route back. Well, one hour and 45 minutes passed and no hits. Slowly the winds picked up to 10 mph but were not a problem but we thought it was time so  we bunched it. Good catch between 9# and the smallest of 4#. I'm hoping this isn't the last trip of the season but who knows.

13 Sep 21    Ron Mattson and I headed out with a good wind forecast of 5 mph from the south. However, it was a lumpy ride to our fishing spot where we set lines at 135'. The first hour produced zero hits and few marks so we continued our route leg. Suddenly we started marking fish, and catching them too. They ran much bigger than usual. All the while the wind slowly increased to 12-14 mph and 1-2' waves. I'll have to see if there's a NWS wind forecast conversion app that would show a forecasted 5 mph really means 12-14 mph. 😉 Winds and waves were too difficult to fish into so we pulled lines and ran back to where we started hour two. In short, we caught 7 nice Lakers in the last two hours. Should have had two more but the captain (that would be me) knocked the hook out of one whilst netting. I'll think of an excuse later. I gave myself one demerit! 🐟 And Ron had a single line double where we got one in the box but the fish made such a tangled mess in the net that we couldn't net the other one and watched it swim away. Albeit a littly windy, it still was beautiful day and lots of fun.

10 Sep 21    Neighbor Norm Dill and I headed out on a calm and sunny day, and a great forecast. We set lines in 120' and before we got the lines down, there were fish hooks on the graph. Of the two route legs I run, the first didn't produce much but there were some nice marks on the graph. As we turned the route corner, the graph screen lite up like a Christmas tree. Then Norm's rigger produce a 5# Laker, then the Johnson rod did too. So with 3 Lakers in the box, my rigger took off whilst Norm was slugging it out on the Johnson rod. Well, it was goat rope city as my Laker got caught at the surface in the Johnson rod line. We struggled with that for 10 minutes but finally got it loose and it was a nice 7# Laker. It was a miracle to get it as usually another line pulls the hook out. So the Johnson rod now wasn't throbbing as hard but did produce a nice 4# Laker. We both agreed, there were two Lakers on before and one got off. But grateful we were and quit with 5 nice Lakers in 2 hours. We both remarked it couldn't have been a nicer day.

3 Sep 21    The forecast was good, indicating winds from the south at 5 mph so Gary and I headed to where we thought about going yesterday. For a light southerly wind it was a somewhat bumpy ride but OK at crusing speed. We set lines at 120' and after a while, Gary's port rigger produced a nice Laker. Slowly we picked up 4 more Lakers, ranging depths from 120' to 180' and we then  turned back into the slowly increasing southly winds. Finally, I looked at the anemometer and it registered 15 mph but already had found it hard to steer so we bunched it with 5 nice-sized Lakers in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Weather and forecasts this time of year are to be looked at with a cautious eye but just so you know, we're not complaining, well, maybe a little. 😁

2 Sep 21    Gary and I had plans to run to a spot we hadn't been to for a while. However, turning the corner around the breakwater, we found 2' rollers that would have slowed us down so we didn't go very far. With near-calm winds, we set lines and worked  160' - 220' water and slowly picked up 4 Lakers in just under 3 hours. We marked very few fish but that's not unusual. Great time on the Big Pond. 

24 Aug 21    My guests today were Ann and Ron Mattson, neighbors and friends. The seas and winds were calm as we set lines at 170' and of course worked various depths, even catching a Laker at 235'. There was a smokey haze in the air and with no air moving, it got hot for a while. Slowly we picked up 6 Lakers, and missed 3 that rattled the riggers, but that's fishing. So we wrapped it up shy of 3 hours and had a smooth ride to the marina launch. Great day!

19 Aug 21    Today Bill LaValley joined me on a calm but smokey/hazy, hot day. We set lines at 170' and worked 150' to 200. It was slow going but finally we got 3 Lakers in the box. It was near quitting time at 2 hours, 45 minutes and I mentioned we often caught our last fish just before wrapping it up. I didn't look like that was going to happen but then someone, not me 😁, said when he brought up his rigger, I've got a fish on. Of course, that Laker wasn't on before and it must have hit whilst the rigger was coming up. Yeah, right!  🦈 Great day on the Big Pond!

18 Aug 21    Neighbor Gary joined me to a spot that's been hit or miss, but usually more the former as the summer moves one. Well, not today for productivity as we boxed 5 Lakers in just under 3 hours, all under 3# but beautiful eaters. A little bumpy going there but it quickly settled once we got there. 

10 Aug 21    My guests today were neighbors Gary McDonnell and Janet Mihelich. We set out in calm winds and seas and in a smokey and hazy sky. We set lines at 145' and action was as slow as it gets. Finally caught two small Lakers so we continued to range around. Meanwhile, my friends fishing nearby had nothing but whilst talking to them on the radio, suddenly caught 3 big Lakers. We struggled to finally pick up a beautiful red-fin Laker and then another one. So we ended with 4 in the box and releasing a couple of dinks, That being said, we could not have had better waters and a great time.

2 Aug 21    Can't believe it's August already. But the forecast turned even better last evening and materialized as Ron Mattson and I set out to great seas, albeit, a little lumpy but we could maintain cruising speed. Headed to the haunt where we caught the big Laker a week ago. We set lines at 152' and within half an hour we got two small Lakers. Marked very few and were happy that the lumpy seas and breeze settled down. Finally, at 134', the Johnson rod went off. Ron wrestled that fish and when it was about halfway in, my rod we bananas and quickly a Steelhead was dancing across the water, clearly 5#+. I lightened my drag but after two minutes jumping, dead line. Bummer! But Ron still had the head-shaker on and he got the 9# Laker inio the  box, our fourth one. I suggested we wrap it up in ten minutes That's when we caught our fifth Laker. Lake settled - what a beautiful day. So, we got 5 Lakers in 2 hours, 45 min as a bonus and headed home. Here's a picture of Ron with his Laker. Click to enlarge, back key to return here.

28   Jul 21    Great plans to head back to where we had our last succesful trip. Forecast was for 5 mph from the south, clocking later SE. Well, we didn't go far before I made a command decision to make a much shorter run because of 1-2' waves and 8-10 mph winds. So guest Ron Mattson and I set lines circa 169' but knowing we'd range untill we found 'um. Managed 3 small Laker into the box but it was slow going. Surprisingly, we were able fish into 1-2' waves and a SE wind about 10-12 mph. We bunched it after 2 and a quarter hours. Oh, my lure and leader were missing from the Johnson rod when we pulled it in. The snap was open so maybe a fish did that - not! It was me, Dufus!

26 Jul 21    Beautiful day with no plans to fish until Bill LaValley called. We quickly got our act together and set out in smokey/hazy/calm winds and calm seas at 10am. We ran a ways before setting lines. It wasn't long before the first Laker came on the Johnson rod. We plied waters from 125' to 160' but had to be cautious of the rocky bottom in places. In two hours we had 5 Lakers in the box, albeit none of any size but all good eaters. Then the rigger rod went down and line started playing out. At first I thought we'd hung bottom but after struggling to get the rod out of the holder, I could feel a head shake and knew it was a big fish. I handed the rod to Bill who fought it for a long time until his shoulder needed a rest so I took the rod for a short time before giving it back to Bill. After nearly half an hour we finally got it to the boat and into the net which we could hardly lift. We thought of releasing it but it was completely exhausted (as were we). We wrapped it up in two and a half hours thinking we had 6 Lakers, only to find 7 in the box at home. Beautiful and exciting day! Oh, and we missed 8 Lakers, two of which were a single line double right behind the boat and they both got off. Here's a  picture of Bill holding the 28# Laker. Click to enlarge. It's a boat record.

16 Jul 21    Son-In-Law David R. Smith and I set out in beautifully calm waters and winds. We toyed with making a longer run but turned the corner on the breakwater and found gentle rollers coming in, just big enough to put air under the boat without a good shot of tabs. So we changed course and didn't go too far before setting lines at 170'. I call it the camel humps because the bottom varies from 160' to 260', several ups and downs. So, we caught 6 Lakers and missed 3 but it was just perfect on the water. Some most of the Lakers were pretty small but still, good eaters. Wrapped it up in under 3 hours with 6 Lakers and no goat-ropes.

13 Jul 21    My guests today were Gary McDonnell and his Grandson Brody Kreh (11). Another beautiful day, perhaps too nice as the action was slow but we managed 3 Lakers in a little over 2 hours. I let Brody drive the boat part way to the launch which seemed to be as big a thrill as fishing. Below is a picture of Brody with a couple of Lakers. Click to enlarge, back key to return here.

12 Jul 21    Brined and smoked the big Laker from two days ago and OMG, so good. Anyway, my guest today was Norm Dill, a neighbor who fished with me last year. Conditions could not have been better as we set lines in 180', depths which I would vary greatly. About half an hour passed when Norm's rigger bell rang and he brought up two nice sized Laker which were a challenge to net but we did it. After that we picked up 4 more Lakers and wrapped it up in 2 1/2 hours to a silver smooth ride to the launch. What a beautiful day!

10 Jul 21    Today was a special day with Grandson Cooper and long-time friend Frank Lorsback who fished with me for years, especially during the fish tagging days. So an hour and a quarter passed and no runs, marks, hits, or errors and Frank commented you know we've never been skunked. No pressure there but we laughed and shortly thereafter, a sigh of relieve as the first Laker went into the box. Then two misses on the Johnson rod and finally another nice Laker. Well, we were nearing the end of our run when Cooper pulled in an 11# and 4# Laker one line. Well, whence wrapping it up, someone said I have a Laker on my line, and it wasn't me. So we wrapped it up in 2 1/2 hours with 5 nice Lakers. I see smoking Laketrout in our future. Great day!

9 Jul 21    Guest Garr McDonnell and I headed on one of the longer trips where we set lines, near, but not on the bottom in 135' of water, because of the rocky bottom.  Action was pretty steady with a mix of decent sized Lakers and some dinks.Not to mention it was a day of missing 9 solid, or not so solid hits. No netting errors, thank goodness. Seas were great and we wrapped it up a little early because of commitments at home. We both thought our catch of 8 was great, only to discover 9 in the box. Back to school eh! 🏫 Great day.

27 Jun 21    Grandson Spencer (25) and I headed to where we fished yesterday, again under near-perfect conditions. maybe too nice but we ended with 3 Lakers, one respectable, two legal but not the kind I like to keep unless they're badly hooked. Great time with Spencer who is now running the boat and learning all the little nuances and what I call "not to do" things. And I tell him I know a lot of "not to do" things and some I even repeat. So, 3 Lakers in under 3 hours. As we quit, the sprinkles started but not a heavy rain so timing was great.

26 Jun 21    OMG, finally a beautiful day sans winds. So Gary and I headed out under great clam seas and winds. It wasn't 2 minutes before our first Laker hit and was in the box. Premature thoughts were this was "the day". Ha, ha! Next hour nothing. Got a call from a friend that I tell every time we talk, I catch a fish. Hung up and then a double. Please don't think fishermen are superstitious! 🤡 Slowly, albeit great waters, we picked up some more Lakers. I suggested to Gary that after an hour of nothingness on a rigger, it might be a good idea to check it out. Well, voila, he pulled it up and there was a nice Laker on the line. I said I'll go along with your story that it just hit on the way up this time but if it happens again, I won't cover for you. 😄 So , we're winding up our run with 6 Lakers in the box and someone said I've a Laker on. I can't cover him as promised. Fun! Great day on the Big Pond.

16 Jun 21    Great forecast and great water as my guests today were Shaun Thunell and Cindy Drury. We set lines at 170' and worked 160' to 195'. An hour passed before our first hit, which proved a dink, which we released. Finally, after another hour a hit, only to have Laker get off right behind the boat. Another 15 minutes later a double that went into the box. I logged us quitting at 2 1/2 hours with 2 Lakers but when bring up one of the riggers, surprise, a third Laker. The water could not have been nicer and although the temperature was in the 60ºs, it was very pleasant, especially without any breeze. Great time on the water. Here's Shaun reeling in a Laker on the Johnson rod, with Cinty in the background. Click image to expand, back button to return here.

13 Jun 21    I was pleasantly surprised how calm the winds and seas were as my Grandson Spencer and I headed out to one of my favorite spots. We set lines at 120' and slowly worked towards 180'ish, even hitting 260' for a short time. Well, the first hour and a half we marked nothing and caught the same. Finally a hit and miss. So we turned and headed to where we started, but by a different route. After 2 hours and 45 minutes, I said we're going to wrap it up shortly, when the starboard rigger produced a nice 5# Laker. Then, when the port rigger was retrieved, a surprise Laker went into the box. Whew, a skunk avoided at the last minute, but it wasn't the good fishing I've had there in the past. On a  positive note, the Big Pond was beautifully calm and it was great to be out there.

8 Jun 21      Here we go again. Great forecast for calming winds,  later switching east around 5mph. Well, Gary and I headed out for the longest run in a while on beautifully calm, mirror-like seas. When we arrived, looking for a friend who was to be there first, we wasted probably half an hours looking for him in the fog that rolled in, but his marine radio wasn't working and cell connections were sporadic. OK, finally we ran the riggers down, not to close to the rocky bottom and within minutes, we put one in the box. then a double, then two more and a miss. Then, the winds came in from the north at 13-15 mph and we were blown away from where we wanted to go. Tough decision wjhether it will settle down or get worse. We stuck it out for a whle but finaly decided to head to port as the downriggers we dipping into the water - message received.  So we pulled up and headed home after 1 hour and 15 minutes. But we had 5 nice fish. So much for good forecasts. Addendum: Returning to the marina, at the entrance the water was rushing out to open water so fast that my boat stood still and I had to apply considerably more power to get inside the marina to the launch. It was obviously a seiche, probably caused by the front that rolled through and a sudden change in barometric pressure.

1 June 2021    Gary and I set out on a calm morning to try something different, that he's not seen before. Set up in 30' and gradually went to 50'. We could see a net flag ahead of us and thought we would easily clear the net. Well, Gary said there's a ball on the port side. Oh, oh I said ,explectives deleted,  then making an instantaneous 90º + turn to port. Whew, that couldn't have been any closer but fortunately we missed hanging gear in the net, which would have been ugly and costly. Contining on, we didn't do squat in shallow so we moved out to 160'+ where we picked up 4 Lakers whilst trolling towards home with a gentle but cold NE wind pushing us along.

30 May 21   Slowness continues as Grandson Spencer and I bumped our way in south winds and waves. Then it briefly calmed off so we backtracked whilst winds were down. Well, we picked up one Laker and called it quits after a little over 2 hours of trolling. Doffing and dawning coats was the order of the day but overall, I can't blame the weather. We fished from 120' to 190', marking very few. But, we're determined. Been through these droughts before.

29 May 21 Wind and more wind since the last trip. Cold I don't mind, even if 33º and 34º the past  two mornings respectively, but windy I can't don't want to deal with. Anyway, calm and cool was the forecast so out guest Ron Mattson and I went. With calm winds and a hazy sunshine it was most pleasant. Trolled nearly 3 hours, marked two fish and I said, it's time to wrap it up. OK, you guessed it. The Johnson rod hit and then Ron said I think there's one on mine, and there was. I refer to these as 11th-hour fish. It's not the first time. I've had slow starts seasons before but this is one of the worst. But it'll pick up. So whilst nothing is happening,  I lapse reminisce about all the times I came to the same place, same lures, same depths, same speed, and catch my limit in an hour. Get's one to thinking something has changed. On the other hand, every year is different. So the jury should ignore my rambling comments they don't like. BTW, I'm planning to go out again tomorrow. 😁

16 May 21    I hesitated to ask Grandson Spencer as fishing was so slow for me lately, but again the forecast was decent so out we went in calm seas and winds. The plan was to fish shallow for an hour so he could see my techniques (don't laugh), with a planner board and all. So we did that and got zip. We then powered out to deeper water to set lines whilst the SE breeze kicked up to a cold, 10 mph. Surface water was 39.5º, air 44º. We stuck it out and reversed course towards home and whilst marking quite a few fish, managed two nice Lakers. My hands were cold even placing them in my winter jacket. We didn't stay long and headed in. Better conditions ahead.

15 May 21    Gee, another good forecast as Grandson Cooper and I headed out to set lines around 150', working towards 180'. An hour passed, no hits, one mark and then a double. WTF! I took off my coat and it was decently warm enough. Then the NE breeze picked up and it got a little lumpy and cold and I put my winter coat back on. So we bunched it in under 3 hours, knowing there'll be warm and calm days ahead. Still, a nice day on the Big Pond.

13 May 21 Great forecast with near calm conditions as my guest Gary McDonnell and I headed out. We ranged in depth from 130' to 220'. After an hour passed, a cold breeze came up from the NE and on went the winter coat. After sticking it out for another hour in the cold with no hits, we pulled gear after 2 hours and headed in with a skunk. Had one last July so I hope that's it for the season and that it warms up.

12 May 21   Another beautiful day...for a boat ride. My guest was Bill LaValley, an experienced fisherman in his own right. In near calm seas we set lines at 170', worked to 150', down to 180', over 220'. I suspect you'll get the idea we were not putting anything in the box. We marked a few here and there but no runs, hits, or errors for 2 hours, and 15 minutes when finally a suicidal Laker hit the Johnson. Saved from a skunk so we wrapped it up at 2 1/2 hours with one Laker. But, we agreed it was so good to be on the water, but not quite as good catching Lakers.

8 May 21    Finally a settled day as guest Dan Webb and I headed out in near calm winds and 1' rollers. We started at 180' and worked to 150' where we got a nice 5# Laker on the Johnson rod. That was after an hour. We turned to troll back and after an hour and a half, Dan hit a single line double, just before we were getting ready to wrap it up. Then minutes later I though I hung bottom but the rigger struggled to bring up a big, waterlogged branch. Oh, during all this slowness, I thought I'd check out the marine radio. I looked at the display and it appeared some of the number elements were missing. Looking closer, I had installed the radio upside down. Duh! Anyway, we wrapped it up in under 3 hours with 3 fish, but we both agreed it was great to be on the water.

18 Apr 21 Second trip with a good forecast of rising into the 50s and winds 5 mph from the south. So, Jim Price and I headed out and indeed it was fairly calm but did require  some trim tabs for little rollers. In the first hour we boxed one Laker then a long time before the second. Missed one on the Johnson that we could see behind the boat. Finally, another Laker, followed by another miss of a Laker behind the boat, just as we were quitting. The first hour was pleasant until the wind picked up from the east at around 10 mph. Not only cold and bumpy, not fun. So we wrapped it up in under 3 hours trolling, few marks, few fish, but still appreciative to be on the Big Pond.

10Apr 21    Shakedown cruise. Grandson Cooper and his girlfriend Delaney joined me on a foggy, cool, but calm morning. Firing up equipment at the launch, two of the GPS were online and suddenly, went dead. WTF! So I got my cell phone out and fired up its  GPS and we were good to go. With the radar spinning, we headed not too far as it was a first trip. Well, for an hour and a half, whilst I fooled with the non-functioning GPS, we saw no marks and got not hits. Then within 10 minutes two off the rigger. Then after switching wires around like voodoo, I brought both GPSs on line. I hate intermittent things like this so now I'll try to figure out what does and doesn't work under what conditions. Grrrr! But on a positive note, it was dead calm and quite comfortable, and we caught a third Laker shortly before we were about to quit. We ranged from 160' to 260'. So all in all, it was great to be out again. BTW,  water 36.5º, air 46º. Love it!

Information on tagging. About 5 of us local fishermen participated in a Michigan DNR Lake Trout Hooking-Mortality 6-year study being conducted in Marquette (Lake Superior) beginning in 2010. This unique study determined hooking-mortality rates of lake trout to help DNR biologists evaluate whether certain size limits are having the desired management outcome. The tagging portion has ended in 2013 but data was collected on recaptured Lakers through 2015.  Click here for my highlights during the study. The study has been completed and published. I obtained a copy of the article that appeared in the Steelheader Magazine in 2018. Click here to see the article in PDF format.

Below is an extract from my 2000 log. Hopefully entertainment to help us through the winter.! My organizational skills have not improved much since then.