Minnesota’s Oct. 1 Lake Superior report: lake trout steady, pink salmon still expanding

Minnesota DNR’s Lake Superior fishing report for Oct. 1, 2026, splits the shore in two. On the lower shore, Duluth to Two Harbors, surface water was 55–60°F. Lake trout of 18 to 29 inches were steady. Walleye of 15 to 19 inches were good near Duluth, and a few chinook of 20 to 23 inches showed. Near Duluth, anglers trolled spoons, stickbaits, and smelt in 70 to 160 feet. Farther north they jigged in 80 to 150 feet or trolled in 100 to 250 feet. The St. Louis estuary had walleye and a few muskies.

The upper shore, Twin Points to Hovland, was 52–54°F. Lake trout improved, especially at Taconite Harbor and Grand Marais, with fish of 23 to 30 inches on green and chartreuse spoons in 75 to 150 feet. A few coho and chinook of 20 to 22 inches were in the mix. Rivers were low and clear, with a few pink salmon in the Brule, Cascade, and Temperance.

The bulletin’s management note treats Great Lakes pink salmon as adaptable fish that can mature at ages 1 through 4 and feed as generalists. Expect pinks from September through mid-October. The note links a NOAA pink-salmon story. This is the Oct. 1 bulletin, not the Sept. 17 Lake Superior sheet already on the desk.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Minnesota DNR — Lake Superior Fishing Report, Oct. 1, 2026 (Oct. 1, 2026).