Today’s post comes from year-round multispecies angler and writer Ashley Rae of SheLovesToFish.com.
I’ve been fortunate to fish at many provincial parks over the years. After a recent trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park, this place quickly became one of my favourites yet.
The views alone are simply spectacular, but adding in the trout fishing opportunities here makes this a really fun fishing destination.
The park is situated on the western shore of Lake Superior with access to the big lake, along with many inland lakes and rivers within the park’s interior.
Accommodations
Lake Superior offers tent and RV camping, along with backcountry camping.
My significant other, Eric, joined me on this adventure and we brought along a camper van. Our site was nestled amongst the trees just a short walk from Rabbit Blanket Lake.
There were washrooms and showers conveniently located nearby.
What you’ll find
There are several inland lakes and rivers within the park, holding various fish species, including: Brook Trout, Lake Trout, and stocked splake (which is a hybrid between a Lake Trout and a Brook Trout).
Lake Superior and the coastal rivers offer Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, and salmon fishing opportunities.
Please note that the use of live baitfish (live minnows and crayfish) is banned on the interior lakes to prevent the introduction of non-native species.
Our first expedition
Upon arrival, we rented a canoe from the park office and set out right away on Rabbit Blanket Lake, located just steps away from our campsite.
With only a couple of hours before sunset, we were eager to take advantage of the remaining daylight. Conditions were overcast and the threat of rain loomed on the horizon. We shared the entire lake with only a pair of loons.
We saw some small baitfish disturbing the surface off a point adjacent to deeper water and immediately decided to focus our efforts on this promising-looking area.
Slowly moving our way in closer, we covered water, casting inline spinners tipped with crawlers. After a few casts, I had a good strike on my spinner, but didn’t get to set the hook.
We worked this area for a little longer and then moved on to cover more water in search of bites. At this point the rain started coming down pretty heavily, but we kept fishing until dark.
Attempt number two
The next morning, we were up bright and early and once again fishing in the rain, but this time around the bite was very productive!
Between Eric and myself, we landed over a dozen splake.
We started the morning off by casting inline spinners, but then began drifting and trolling our baits as the day progressed. Eric was the first to catch a fish, landing a beautiful little splake on a spinner.
I decided to try a different technique and tied on a 1/16 oz jig head rigged with a white 2” soft plastic minnow. As I hopped it along bottom while we drifted, I suddenly had a strike!
I was so excited to land my first splake of the trip.
Lures of choice
Realizing that covering water seemed to work best, we began trolling using jig heads tipped with white 2” curly tail grubs (as the tails have a good action when in motion). We picked up a few more fish this way.
Experimenting with some other techniques, we also tried lipless crank baits, and small spoons during the course of the day.
The jig and grub was the most successful presentation for the morning. Later in the day, the wind kicked up significantly, making it difficult to fish effectively.
We decided to head back to shore for a few hours to make some lunch, and try to wait out the wind.
The weather changed drastically in the afternoon as the gloomy rain clouds made their exit and were quickly replaced by bluebird skies.
The fishing slowed down quite a bit (likely as a result of the post-frontal conditions), but we still managed to land a couple more splake during the afternoon/evening including one of the biggest of the day.
We departed from the park the following morning with hopes of returning some day soon to explore some of the more remote interior lakes in search of big wild brook trout!
Although I just explored one little piece of Lake Superior Provincial Park, I cannot wait to get to know this park better!