Lake Superior Fishing Report: Fall Bites, Walleye, Perch, Steelhead & Smallmouth

Artificial Lure here with your Lake Superior fishing report out of Duluth for Sunday, October 19, 2025.Sunrise was at 7:29 AM, with sunset coming up at 6:18 PM. We’re looking at a mostly sunny day—highs around 55°F—and that classic stiff northwest wind, 10 to 20 mph with gusts topping 35 mph this afternoon, according to WDIO’s Sabrina Ullman. If you’re launching out of the harbor or up the North Shore, keep an eye on those whitecaps—smaller boats best stay tucked into bays or protected points.As for tides, Lake Superior is non-tidal, but don’t overlook today’s solunar tables: major fish activity will be at midday between 12:23 and 2:23 PM, with minor action just after dawn, 6:06 to 7:06 AM. Right now, chill mornings have the bite picking up steady.Now to the fish. Recent reports from area bait shops and local anglers have walleye cruising river mouths and near rocky shores, especially with emerald shiners showing up in big numbers in the rivers. Running crankbaits across drop-offs or a jig tipped with shiner will do the trick—the cold water’s got the walleyes moving slow and eager for meat. Perch action is building too; most are found tight to weed beds and edge transitions, and minnow rigs are getting the bites. Bringing some raw shrimp as a backup is a pro move for finicky perch, says the Bait Man—just a pea-sized chunk on your hook flips neutral schools.Salmon are winding down but there’s still scattered coho and a few straggler steelheads hitting at river mouths and estuaries. Word is spawn bags and beads are good picks when swinging for steelhead. Browns are also being pulled from deeper holes by those drifting small shiners or twitched minnow plugs early and late.Smallmouth are still around rocky points and submerged structure in Chequamegon Bay and the St. Louis River mouth. Swimbaits, tubes, and suspending jerkbaits are working best during the day, but as things cool off, slow presentations win—think drop-shot rigs with plastics in the deeper breaks.Best bait shops are reporting good numbers: Walleye catches are solid—most trips landing 2–6 keepers per crew; perch buckets have been mixed, with top hauls of 20–40 fish, sizes running 8–12 inches. Not as hot for salmon now, but steelhead are building momentum with the drop in water temps, especially up the Knife and Lester rivers.If you’re picking lures for today, my go-tos are:- Fathead jigs and Lindy rigs with live shiners for walleye.- Perch Pounders or drop-shot rigs tipped with minnow or shrimp chunk for perch.- Orange spawn sacks and bead rigs for steelhead at river mouths.- Green-pumpkin tubes, white swimbaits, and suspending jerkbaits for smallmouth on rock and breaklines.Hot spots this week:- The shipping channel off the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge always holds fall walleye and perch.- Brighton Beach rocky points for smallmouth and browns just after sunrise.- The St. Louis River mouth for late coho, bonus steelhead, and walleye near current seams.- Knife River mouth for steelhead if you’re swinging spawn or beads.It’s been a classic October bite—fish are stacking up ahead of colder snaps, and boat pressure’s down, so now’s the time for steady action and big fall catches.Thanks for tuning in to your Lake Superior fishing report. If you found this useful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily updates and local advice. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1PnThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI