“Grab it! Set it! Got him!?” yells Tommy Hicks across the ice.
“The current is so strong that my bait is moving 15 feet, from the hole,” said Hicks, a fishing guide and owner of Beyond the Catch Guide Service. He has four clients fishing on a balmy 35-degree late January day on the Chequamegon Bay along the south shore of Lake Superior.
It’s mid-morning and the fish are biting, but the challenge is landing the catch.
“I just caught a splake!” exclaims Hicks, “It’s a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout…they’re real good eating.”
For 11 years, Beyond the Catch has assisted visitors in achieving the catch of a lifetime on Lake Superior, specifically around the Bayfield Peninsula and the Apostle Islands. Lake trout, coho salmon, and brown trout are typically what sport angels are after. Enthusiastic guides like Hicks are looking forward to providing visitors with an exhilarating experience, anticipating excellent fishing opportunities in the coming years thanks to a flourishing lake herring (cisco) population.
“Baitfish numbers are really high right now, so fishing is going to be outstanding,” said Hicks, as another fish took a swipe at his line.
Fisheries experts with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources expect to see great fishing in the Apostle Islands and Lake Superior in 2024 and 2025 due to a large Lake Herring hatch in 2022. The hatch means bigger and better catches for those fishing recreationally.
“We’re in a great situation right now for commercial fishing and sport fishing because sometimes those two interests are competing, “ said Brad Ray, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lake Superior Fisheries team supervisor. “Both sport and commercial fishermen are going to see an 18 percent increase in the lake trout quota.” This means there is less chance of an early lake trout harvest season closure.” Ray says the DNR closed the lake trout harvest season early in 2021.
Charter fishing around the Apostle Islands has been on the rise year over year since 2017, and 2022 had the most recorded charter fishermen since 2000 in the Apostle Islands area. The DNR reports catches among charter services are also breaking records on the number fish harvested.
“I love seeing a kid bring in a big fish or teaching them the art of sport fishing,” said Will Pennings of Willigans Adventures. Charter a boat with Willigans and you can curate your own experience fit for everyone in your group.
Pennings says they will take people to see all the Apostle Islands, drop a line in hopes of landing a trout or salmon, or drop you off on an island to go hiking or camping. “We always keep kayaks on board so people can see the sea caves up close and personal,” Pennings said.
Visitors are often awestruck by the vastness of the Apostle Islands. The Gaylord Nelson Wilderness Area encompasses eighty percent of the land area in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore’s roughly 39,000 acres. The natural beauty is what draws people from near and far to see and explore the 22 islands year-round.
In the winter, Hicks will take people out as far as Outer Island, about 30 miles from the Bayfield Harbor. He has a Sherp to protect people from the harsh winter weather. This aquatic vehicle will keep everyone safe if there’s a run-in with thin ice.
“It’s to help keep everyone afloat out here where the currents are changing all the time,” Hicks said.
Whether in a boat, a Sherp, or casting a line off the dock, the evolving ecosystem of Lake Superior provides opportunities for adventure in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
