Lake Superior Provincial Park boasts one of the finest Brook Trout fisheries in North America. By knowing the local species and their habitat, you too can have fishing success. Trout are fussy fish; they like their water clean, well oxygenated and cold. Four kinds of trout are found in the park: Brook, Lake, Rainbow Trout and Splake.
SPECIES & FISHING TECHNIQUES
Brook Trout is the most common species, occurring naturally in remote lakes and rivers and is stocked on an annual basis in selected highway corridor lakes. Brook Trout are also found in Lake Superior, where they are referred to as “Coasters”.
Brook Trout feed on insects and crustaceans in cool, shallow waters with good cover for protection. In streams, they typically hide under logs, under-cut riverbanks or in rapids. In lakes they prefer water 3-5 metres (10-16 feet) deep and a lake bottom strewn with logs or boulders. Brook Trout move easily from shallow to deeper water depending on food, temperature, and the time of day or year. The best baits imitate these live foods. The most successful lures are small spoons or spinners, often garnished with a small worm. Casting is the preferred method of fishing.
Both Brook Trout and Lake Trout feed more voraciously in early mornings or late evenings and during insect hatches.
Lake Trout are found only in Lake Superior and in several of the park’s cold, deep lakes, including Mijinemungshing, Treeby, Old Woman, Belanger and Gamitagama.
Lake Trout usually inhabit cold waters 10-50 m (33-164 ft.) deep in the warm summer months and in cold waters 5-15 m (16-49 ft.) deep in the spring and fall. Since Lake Trout generally feed on small fish, the most successful angling techniques are deep water trolling with artificial lures, such as large, flashy spoons and wobblers or still fishing with dead minnows near the lake bottom. They will occasionally travel to warmer, shallow waters to feed, especially during the dusk to dawn period.
Splake, a fast-growing hybrid of Brook and Lake trout is stocked only in a few highway corridor lakes (Red Rock Lake and occasionally Rabbit Blanket Lake). They have similar habits to Brook Trout but can live in deeper waters.
Rainbow Trout occur in Lake Superior and for a few weeks every spring they travel up the rivers in the park to spawn. Some rainbows can also be caught in the fall in the larger park rivers and at river mouths in Lake Superior. They can also be caught in mid-summer below 12 m (39 ft.) by long-lining or trolling. Spawn sacs or red and silver spoons are suggested tackle.
Salmon (Chinook, Coho and Pink) travel from Lake Superior to spawn in larger streams during the fall.
Yellow Perch have been accidentally introduced into some of the parks watersheds. These aggressive little fish compete with native trout for food and habitat.
Northern Pike are found only in a few lakes in the north end of the park, including Fenton and Salter Lakes, and in Lake Superior. Pike are also found in the mouth of the Agawa River.
Walleye (Pickerel) can be found in isolated lakes.
The parks lakes and rivers are accessible only by traditional means; by foot and canoe in summer and by ski and snowshoe in winter. Motorboats are allowed only on Sand Lake (less than 10 horsepower) and on Lake Superior (unlimited horsepower). Inflatable watercraft are useful to access remote lakes where there are no maintained portages. Fishing from the shore is very difficult on most lakes due to the heavy growth of shoreline vegetation.
The general rule of thumb is: the further one fishes from access points, the better the fishing is. Easily accessible lakes are often heavily fished all season.
Ice-out usually occurs between the third week in April to the first week in May. River travel may be extremely hazardous during ice melt due to dangerous rapids and waterfalls, flooded portages and debris-laden river channels.
REGULATIONS & SPECIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS
The publication Fishing Ontario: Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary includes open seasons and catch and possession limits. Lake Superior Provincial Park is in Fisheries Management Zone 10 (inland lakes and rivers) and Lake Superior itself is in Zone 9. Some special regulations apply to the park.
There is a ban on the use and possession of live baitfish (live minnows and crayfish) in the park. Worms, dead minnows and artificial lures are allowed.
There is a special regulation for Brook Trout in Maquon Lake. Anglers may only keep two (2) Brook Trout caught in Maquon Lake, not more than one greater than 40 cms (15.7 in).
There are fish sanctuaries for all tributaries flowing into Lake Superior in the park from April 15 to June 15 inclusive except for the following streams which are open during the normal season: Old Woman River, Gargantua River, Buckshot Creek, Baldhead River, Coldwater River, Sand River, Barrett River, Agawa River and Speckled Trout Creek.
Ministry of Natural Resources fishing Web site.