07/28/2025
Lake Shark Lures Takes on the Keweenaw Fish Fest!
Well, folks, Hol and I just got back from our annual pilgrimage to the Keweenaw Peninsula for the CLK Rotary Club's Keweenaw Fish Fest, and let me tell you, it was a trip for the books! This place is truly our old stomping grounds, and it always feels good to be back.
Kicking Off with Upgrades & Island Adventures!
The adventure started with a mad dash around the U.P., catching up with old friends and making some serious boat upgrades with the great guys at Superior Fishing Products! We're talking custom rod trees and their new, absolutely amazing ratcheting rod holders, which are game-changers. Seriously, if you don't have these, you're missing out.
Hol and I then set out to explore some new spots, including the backside of Manitou Island. Holy Mackerel, what a place! The scenery is breathtaking, and we were genuinely shocked at how deep it gets so close to the shore. We even snagged some epic photos with the lighthouse in the background – a true Instagram moment, even if the fish weren't exactly lining up for their close-ups. But hey, hot brats off the grill made up for any finicky fish! We eventually cruised back to Bete Grise for an awesome evening of fishing in front of Montreal Falls. It's safe to say, the Keweenaw never disappoints on the "views" front!
Stannard Rock Lighthouse, aka "The Rock": The Rock, the Roll, and the Rods!
Friday brought the man, the myth, the legend, my dad, into the mix, and the conditions looked ripe for a trip out to Stannard Rock Lighthouse, aka "The Rock." Now, jigging in the morning started a bit slow – seemed like the fish were still hitting the snooze button, with only a few fish being caught. But then, a stroke of genius (or perhaps just desperation) hit us: why not try trolling towards the lighthouse? And just like that, the fishing gods smiled upon us! This turned out to be a better decision. We started picking up fish regularly, with some great catches. No monsters, but these were those unbelievably vibrant, unique fish you only find way out at The Rock. Absolutely gorgeous!
Captains, Cash, and Chaos!
That night, we hit the captains' meeting at the stunning Hidden Pines Barn in Calumet. This place is awesome – we've even been to a couple of weddings there, and this place really is cool! At the meeting, we decided to throw in an extra $200 for the biggest Steelhead and were quickly matched by one of the great charter companies in the area, Keweenaw Charters: Lake Superior Trout and Salmon! Huge shout-out to Travis for immediately matching our donation! That's what we call community spirit! (Thanks again, Travis!)
Tournament Day: The Brown Trout Queen's Reign!
Saturday morning, we were the first boat in at Lac La Belle, buzzing with anticipation to get on the throttle out into the big lake. By 6:30 AM, we were on our spot, and within five minutes, we already had a feisty little Coho in the boat. Boom! While it wasn't the insane bite of last year (when we put 40-50 fish in the boat!), we could tell this was definitely not like last year. The fish were there but not very active. We still managed to boat 14, getting our best three for the length measurement. Yep, this tournament is all about length, not weight, which is one of the nuances about this tourney that we enjoy!
As the day wore on, we still hadn't landed a Brown Trout. Now, for those who know my wife, Hol, she is officially the Brown Trout Queen. Seriously, it's almost uncanny. Very few trips up there in the last 3-4 years has she not brought in a Brown or at least someone on the boat. We've even won some serious cash thanks to her Brown Trout prowess, including one not in a tournament that was just shy of 17 lbs landed by Ben Eskau– a true monster for Lake Superior!
Around 11:30 AM, I decided it was "fire sale" time. Everything came up, and out went the long-line lead cores, armed with our trusty Lake Shark Lures in reds, oranges, and chartreuses. Best decision EVER! Our 3-color ripped, and the fish shot out of the water! "STEELHEAD!" my dad yelled as it did its acrobatic flips into the air. Hol was on the rod, and the battle was ON. After a decent fight and some more flips, Hol had gotten the leader line to the boat, and it was net time.
As I got out onto the offshore bracket of the boat, I could see it was her nice brown, but I didn't say a word other than "it's a nice fish." As the fish went from starboard to port and back again, Hol murdered some words I won't repeat. Then, all of a sudden, it got into our downrigger line, and I panicked. I did what you should NEVER do: I punched the net at the fish. Oh, boy, did I hear about it from my wife! But wouldn't you know it, as soon as I did that, the fish got untangled, and I was able to make a nice swoop and got it in the net. We soon celebrated with the high-fives most fishermen/women do when a nice fish is landed. We even managed to pick up a nicer laker after this before calling it a day.
Good Times, Great Cause, and a Little Bit of Luck!
On the way in, we took a fantastic picture of the three of us in front of Bare Bluff. This is truly a special place to fish, with all the scenery, and we miss it dearly. While we had a good showing in most categories at the weigh-in, we did not place in the money. Hol's brown was beaten by an inch (the agony!), and our top three fish landed us 8th place in Laker categories and 5th in salmon. Lol, the funny thing is though, we walked away as the random lucky boat winner, scoring some cash, and a brand new set of rod trees from Superior Fishing Products! Talk about a sweet consolation prize!
What an incredible weekend of fishing and reconnecting with old friends. This is truly one of those tournaments that is a great time for us. The Keweenaw Fish Fest is truly one of those tournaments that's just pure fun for us. It all started as an effort to raise money for fish cleaning stations in the Keweenaw Peninsula, with the first one in Big Traverse set to break ground soon.
If you're looking for an awesome, well-run tournament, please come up to the tip of the Keweenaw for the Fish Fest! It is so much fun, and for a smaller tournament, there is $9500 in prizes up for grabs and a great cause to contribute to. We're already looking forward to next year!
A HUGE Thank You!
A massive thank you to all of the sponsors that have helped over the years – without them, this tourney and the cleaning stations would not be possible. And to the CLK Rotary Club and all the amazing volunteers who help make this happen, you guys are the backbone of this event! Most of all, a special shout-out to the Fish Fest Commissioner, Ethan for all the time and hard work you put into this. You make this tournament shine!
