The ice is out of the rivers, mostly, Lake Superior migratory steelhead rainbow trout are heading back up North Shore streams to spawn, and avid river anglers are already gathering to meet them.
Even last weekend, amid both high flow and the “stay at home” COVID-19 order, the Knife and Lester rivers attracted a good number of anglers.
Word is that the fishing is better than the catching so far, with high flows and cold water. The trout may bite a little better as water temperatures warm up. But that may be a slow process with colder-than-normal temperatures forecast for the coming week.
There’s still considerable snow on the ground around the North Shore tributaries in Lake and Cook counties, so those streams may warm, and drop, even later.