Lake Superior Duluth Fishing Report: Trout, Salmon & More on Tap Near Lester River and Canal Park

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Superior Duluth fishing report for Wednesday, June 18th, 2025.Sunrise was at 5:15 this morning and sunset will be at 8:55 tonight. Winds are light out of the northeast, and surface temps are holding steady at 55°F near Duluth, making for an ideal day on the water. No tidal action to worry about on Superior—just those classic North Shore rollers and shifting wind-driven currents.The bite across Duluth’s waterfront and North Shore tributaries has been solid. According to the latest Minnesota DNR fisheries report, anglers have been consistently hauling in healthy numbers of 16–21 inch Lake Trout and 15–19 inch Coho Salmon. Brown trout in the 16–24 inch range are also showing strong, with a few bonus steelhead and chinook salmon showing up in deeper water. Spring creel surveys confirm those catches are widespread, especially near river mouths and along the breakwalls.Nearshore trolling is best early and late in the day, with stickbaits and spoons in firetiger, gold, and pink drawing the most strikes. Dodgers and flies have been top picks for Coho salmon, while Lake Trout are falling for deep-diving crankbaits and spoons bounced near the bottom in 60–100 feet. Some anglers are also doing well using smelt on jigs for burbot in 30–60 feet.Hot spots this week include the mouth of the Lester River and the classic Canal Park shoreline, where mixed bags of trout and salmon are coming from 10–40 feet. Out deeper by Houghton Point and Long Island, near the Apostle Islands, action remains good for browns, splake, and the occasional big chinook. Inside St. Louis Bay, late spring walleye are still being caught, but they’re starting to transition deeper as summer kicks in.For bait, stick with live shiners or smelt if you’re running rigs, but most folks are finding more luck with artificial lures right now. Color has been key—firetiger and gold during overcast spells, pink or white when the sun’s high.A couple quick reminders: sea lamprey wounds are still showing up on trout and salmon, a result of skipped treatments back in 2020, but the US Fish & Wildlife Service has ramped up efforts since then. And with lake trout numbers at record highs, as confirmed by DNR surveys, now’s the time to target that big one.If you’re setting out today, check out the Lester River mouth for mixed trout and salmon, and don’t overlook the stretch off Canal Park for consistent trolling action. For those chasing a limit, early and late are best, and keep those spoons and stickbaits at the ready.Thanks for tuning in to the Lake Superior Duluth fishing report. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI