Fishing Log: St. Louis River -- Munger Landing -- Duluth, MN

Currently, I am still at college in Duluth. Finals will be wrapping up here soon, and I'll be headed back down to the metro. For now though, I don't have my kayak. Shore fishing it is then.

I absolutely detest shore fishing. Hangups in the trees, casting far enough to deep water, and dealing with other anglers are among the many reasons I prefer being out on the water. Still, some type of fishing is better than no fishing. You can't catch them when you're not out there.

This past weekend was the walleye and pike opener here in Minnesota. Bass opener doesn't quite come around until Memorial day, but still, we're making progress! After a bit of research online, I found that the St. Louis river estuary in Duluth provides excellent walleye and pike fishing, more so the walleye. Half a dozen piers and docks are possible to fish from, but I knew I would have company. I chose the Munger Landing, on the far southern end of West Duluth. I figured getting farther out of town might help my chances to not be rubbing elbows with other fishermen.

A great pike lure, when there are pike present.

I greeted the sun on Saturday morning around 7, and reached the landing by 8:15 A.M. The lot was full of trucks with trailers already in the water, but luckily, the pier was empty. I was absolutely shocked. The previous week had been in the 40's and drizzly all week. Saturday morning brought with it clear skies and prospects of getting to the mid-60's. As to why people weren't up fishing wasn't clear to me. I gladly took the opportunity.

The water all around the fishing pier maximizes at about 6 feet deep. The constant rain from the week prior combined with the last of the melt water made the river as brown as Kahlua. I didn't focus too much on pike, instead opting for walleye presentations. 4 hours on the dock that morning didn't yield me any catch, but I wasn't expecting fast fishing that morning. I've never had a terrible amount of luck on docks. I think the fish start to get a routine going with how many people fish them, and the big fish quickly learn what to bite and what not to.

A couple hours in, a fellow college student came down and fished alongside me. He was fishing a Lindy rig. He claimed last spring he had good luck just letting a worm sit on the bottom, rigged up with a big sinker and a 3 foot leader. Two sturgeon and a rare blue catfish had been caught that way by him last spring, or so he told. Perhaps I'll have to try something similar. My tactics of swimbaits, spinners, Gulp on a hook and bobber, and cranks surely didn't get me anywhere. It was a fun time, none the less.

Saturday evening, I went back. A storm was supposed to move in just after dark, so I thought the high pressure might induce some feeding. The water turned absolutely glass-calm for the last hour or so. I fished mostly top-waters, hoping to excite a big nasty pike for a strike. No luck for me, but a big largemouth bass did jump up right near me in the shallows after a bug on the surface. I know there are fish there, perhaps the 4-inch Heddon Zara Spook that I was using was just a bit too big for the bass present. Besides, bass season isn't even open yet, right? I kid, but still, I think with a smaller topwater, maybe a 2 inch plug with a nice concave mouth, and increased water temps, that pier could be a fantastic largemouth spot.

If you live in the Duluth area and want to know how to get to some shore-fishing spots on the St. Louis, check out this great article by Sam Cook of the Duluth News Tribune, hosted by Northland Outdoors!

Tight lines!