Steelhead / Salmon

Our steelhead trips are walk/wade trips on either the Bois Brule River or a number of smaller tributaries running north to Lake Superior. There is both a spring and fall steelhead season on Lake Superior. The spring season opens in late March, and steelhead remain in the rivers until early May. Most of the Bayfield County tributaries receive the majority of their steelhead in the spring. However, on the Bois Brule, in nearby Douglas County, the majority of steelhead (about 80%) enter the river in the fall, with the remainder joining in the spring.

While the first fall steelhead enter the river as early as August, the most reliable fishing is from Mid September through the last day of the season in mid-November. Steelhead being rainbow trout, they all spawn in the spring. It is important to not disturb spawning fish, and we avoid fishing or walking in areas where spawning reds are present.  There are a couple of different ways of presenting flies to catch steelhead, namely a.) nymphing and b.) swinging. Each has its merits, and we utilize both depending on the fishing scenario and desires of the client. 

In addition to steelhead, nearly all Lake Superior tributaries receive runs of lake-run brown trout, coho salmon, and chinook salmon. From August through November, these fish add to the diversity of our anadromous fishery. Fly fishing tactics for brown trout and salmon are similar to those used for steelhead, with cohos and brown trout showing a particular interest in streamers.