Captain Jarrid Houston gives his latest Buzz Bite Report on the fishing and ice conditions in the Duluth Area on January 18th, 2024.
Duluth Area: 1-18-2024
Ice conditions are improving in the Duluth area, they still aren’t great. Right now there is very little safe ice on the St. Louis River, the Duluth Harbor, and Chequamegon Bay.
A lot of our inland lakes have safe ice, but you still need to check as you go.
For those anglers looking to get out there is a great shallow water panfish bite on most of our inland lakes in the area.
Target shallow water weed beds between five and fifteen feet of water.
Look for tall standing, green weeds. Anglers can except to find bluegills, crappies, northern pike, largemouth bass, and the occasional walleye in the weed beds.
Crappies and bluegills can be caught on small tungsten jigs paired with a wax worm or plastics. Dead sticks paired with crappie minnows are also working great.
Target northern pike and largemouth bass with tip ups and minnows. Medium sized sucker minnows, shiners, and large fathead minnows are all working.
Walleyes can be caught along the edges of the weed beds on set lines with minnows during lowlight periods early in the morning and late in the evening. It does seem like the evening bite is best, starting around four in the afternoon and ending about a half hour after sunset.
A Northland Buckshot spoon tipped with a minnow head is also a good option.
There is a decent trolling and casting bite on Lake Superior right now.
Anglers are trolling stickbaits and spoons and are catching coho salmon and lake trout. Pink, purple, and firetiger some of the better color options.
From shore most anglers are using long rods paired with heavy spoons.
