Fishing and Hunting

Fishing

Fishing the lakes in the greater Grand Marais area offers anglers choices that are simply not found anywhere else. First, of course, is the Big Lake – a rags-to-riches story since the 1960s. The combination of controlling the lamprey population, the cessation of commercial lake trout fishing, and a massive restocking program has resulted in a renewed population of lake trout and salmon. Lake trout begin to bite early in the spring, and good fishing continues into the fall. Coho and Chinook salmon are also caught beginning in early spring, usually by trolling within a few miles of shore.

Second, anglers on the North Shore have more than fifty streams to try. The stream steelhead fishing begins near Duluth usually around April 1 and about two weeks later, further up the shore. For the hardy types, stream fishing also includes Kamloops rainbow trout, from October into May.

Streams and inland lakes are abundant in Cook County, providing habitat for trout species including brown, brook, rainbow and Chinook salmon. Spring fishing finds the walleyes ready to feed after ice out, and night fishing is especially successful. May and early June are also prime time for lake trout, and mid-June brings unrivaled bass fishing. As summer warms the inland lake water, fishing for walleyes, panfish and even whitefish adds to the season, and the excitement.

Whether you’re fishing for dinner or practicing catch-and release, you’re in for a great time. You may prefer the challenge of casting from a canoe within the Boundary Waters, the ease of angling from a boat and motor, or use the services of a guide. In any case, you’ll find plenty of action – maybe you’ll be hooked enough to try ice fishing for trout!

Walleye opener is in May - for more information, please go to Minnesota DNR Fishing

Hunting

Bear
The black bear was originally found throughout Minnesota, but now occurs only in northern woodlands. Bears lead solitary lives except when females are rearing their young, or when they come together for concentrations of food. Before European settlement, grizzly bears also roamed what is now Minnesota, mainly the western prairies, but grizzlies have been extinct from Minnesota for more than 150 years. Adult black bears weigh between 250 and 300 pounds, and coat color may vary from light brown to deep black. They are primarily omnivorous; only about ten percent of their food is animal matter. They love the Cook County blueberries!

Grouse
Minnesota is the top ruffed grouse-producing state in the U.S. No other state harvests as many ruffed grouse each fall or provides as much public hunting land for them. Ruffed grouse are a native woodland bird about the size of a chicken. The bird is noted for its fan-shaped tail marked by a broad, dark band, and a concealed neck ruff, which males puff out during courtship displays. Males also produce the well-known drumming noise similar to a distant lawnmower engine by beating their wings in the air, starting slowly as a series of thumps. As the beating speeds up, the sound resembles a drum or engine. The drumming occurs on logs, boulders, tree roots or other elevated sites known as “drumming logs”.

Deer
The white-tailed deer is Minnesota’s most popular wildlife species. Each year, approximately 500,000 hunters harvest about 200,000. The adult female weighs about 145 pounds, and males are about 170…and the heaviest whitetail ever recorded in the U.S. was a 500-pound Minnesota buck. Deer are amazing creatures. They can run at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and leap over fences eight feet tall. Good luck to you!

Moose Hunting
Moose are Minnesota’s largest animal, weighing as much as four or five full-grown deer. The word “moose” is an Algonquin word meaning “twig-eater”, and indeed this mammal eats a massive amount of twigs and other browse. A Minnesota bull moose weighs around 800-900 pounds, which is small compared to an Alaskan bull moose, which can weigh up to 1,800 pounds. They have long legs and spreading hooves, which help them in marshes and deep snow. Moose have poor eyesight but great senses of smell and hearing. They are also excellent swimmers, known to cross lakes more than a mile wide.

For information about hunting seasons, deadlines for license applications and more, please go to Minnesota DNR

| DNR Lake Finder | Fishing Charters |

For additional information, call the Cook County Visitors Bureau Information Center:
1-888-922-5000 or 218-387-2524