KONNIE LeMAY / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Jon stands ready for a cruise in his dock behind the William A. Irvin. The empty tubes are ready to hold fishing rods.
It was 5:15 a.m. on a June day, and Jon Dahl was commuting to his family business in downtown Duluth.
His destination?
Jon’s idea of the ideal office: a 32-foot, big-water fishing boat. Docked in the shadows of Canal Park buildings, his Happy Hooker Marinette aluminum yacht sits at a dock only minutes from Lake Superior.
“I don’t run into a lot of traffic at this time of the day,” Jon says with a wry smile. “That’s fine with me. When you’re fishing, you have to get out early.”
By the time others were showing up for work, Jon and his customers were so far out on Lake Superior that Duluth’s skyline was barely visible, bobbing in the waves as they trolled for the large lake trout that the Great Lake is known for.
For Jon, this amounted to just another work day in paradise. His family has been doing this for more than 40 years.
His father, Donald Dahl, was a pioneer on Lake Superior. He and his brother Raymond opened the first-ever charter fishing business in Duluth in 1976.
It was a modest venture at the time, with Raymond serving as the captain and taking out perhaps a dozen paying customers a year.
JOHN HEINO / COURTESY HAPPY HOOKER
JOHN HEINO / COURTESY HAPPY HOOKER
JOHN HEINO / COURTESY HAPPY HOOKER
But look at it now. On any given day during the spring and summer, the Dahl family has a fleet of four charter boats on the water. Jon, his brother Peter and his nephews Dave Dahl and Marty Running will be trolling the depths of the Big Lake in almost identical Marinette yachts with a definite naming theme: Happy Hooker, Hooker Too, Treble Hooker and Hooker IV.
“Our family has a lot of history on this Lake,” says Jon. “I was born into this. My dad, my grandfather, my brother, my uncles, my nephews … we’ve always fished here. This is just what the Dahls do.”
Within minutes of greeting his bleary-eyed customers, Jon guided his boat out of the confines of the city and into a different world.
He headed 5 miles out, not far in the world of Lake Superior fishing. He has traveled many times farther at times.
It all depends on where the bait fish (aka smelt) are. And Jon had spotted bait in this stretch of water the day before.
“That’s what makes this type of fishing tough at times,” he says. “They can be here one day and gone the next. We don’t fish structure like fishermen do at other lakes. We look for places where there are bait fish and where the water temperature is right. That’s where we’ll catch fish.”
Most of the time, the lake trout are suspended in the water column, not far from balls of bait fish. That can be 50 to 60 feet down in water as deep as 110 feet.
“I am looking for a water temperature at those depths of about 48 to 50 degrees. The water temp can be 52 degrees at the surface, like it is today, but it will be 49 at 60 feet. That can make all the difference in the world.”
To get the spoons to those depths, Jon uses lead-core line and downriggers – a cannon-ball device that clips to the line – to lower the baits to the depths. There he trolls with bright-colored spoons and starts covering as much water as he can.
That’s what he was doing when one of the rods started bouncing in the holder.
“Fish on!” Jon shouted.
A customer hopped to her feet and started fighting the fish with her knees lodged against the side of the boat to steady herself.
COURTESY HAPPY HOOKER
JOHN HEINO / COURTESY HAPPY HOOKER
The lake trout stripped out line and headed for the depths. The angler eventually won the battle, though, and Jon slipped a landing net under the twisting fish.
Jon’s clients are locals or from as far as Mongolia (a gentleman who had never been on a boat before), but they all are generally fishing novices.
“I can’t tell you how many people have caught their first fish or their biggest fish on my boat,” he says. “It’s one of those things that you really enjoy.”
After the young woman posed for pictures with her catch, Jon told her, “That’s a good one, probably five or six pounds.”
The lake trout in Lake Superior do get much bigger. One of Jon’s customers landed a fish weighing more than 25 pounds one year. But such catches are rare. Most of the lakers are in the three-pound range.
The good news is that there are plenty of them in Lake Superior.
“The population is in good shape right now,” Jon says. “Numbers were down for years, but stocking really made a difference.
“Now natural reproduction is so good that they are sustaining themselves.”
Jon’s brother, Peter, has witnessed the lake trout boom, too.
He remembers days when lake trout were hard to come by in the Duluth area. He and his father had to travel as far as 40 miles into the Wisconsin part of Lake Superior to find good fishing.
Now the Dahls can stay in Duluth and fish not far from home.
The lake trout are the main attraction. But the Dahls also guide their customers to coho and king salmon, trout, steelhead and walleyes.
Peter has been fishing Lake Superior for most of his life. He served as first mate for his father when he was just a boy. Today, he continues to use what he learned and has become one of the most popular guides on the Big Lake.
“My brother and I got our guide licenses in 1986,” Peter says. “And we’ve never stopped.”
Business is better than ever. Peter had 200 trips in 2017, his best ever. And he continues to get his family involved.
His wife, Sue, handles the bookings so that the men can concentrate on the fishing. Younger members of the family, including one granddaughter, serve as first mates on the excursions.
“I think Sue has the hard part,” Peter says with a laugh. “Some days she will take as many as 70 calls.”
The Dahls are good at what they do, drawing on years of experience to put customers on fish.
BRENT FRAZEE
Jon shows off the lake trout catch of the day when the author went fishing.
They use the latest technology – sonar units, temperature gauges and downriggers – to find fish. And they have their not-so-secret weapons – the colorful spoons called Jim’s Flashback, made by a local that they say give them an edge. “Jim Christensen, he’s a local guy and he fishes out there and he knows what works,” says Jon, who mentions the spoons’ smelt-like aura.
But just to be sure, they follow their superstitions: Their website urges customers not to bring bananas on board, paying heed to a longtime mariner superstition generated perhaps, says Jon, from poisonous snakes or spiders in banana shipments to banana oil as a fish repellent or something in between.
And the cabin of Jon’s boat is adorned with a four-leaf clover, a horseshoe, a lucky penny and a rabbit’s foot, just in case, he says.
“You can never be too sure.”
What to Know
• To charter a boat on a summer weekend, plan to reserve it several months in advance. For a weekday, at least a week in advance is a good idea. You generally can reserve half or full days.
• If it’s at all possible, visit the dock to see the charter boat and chat with the captain.
• Let the captain know if your fishing crew includes children, elderly folk or people needing access help. In some cases, such as rougher seas, this may affect whether you go out for the day. And speaking of family, ask if a “head” (bathroom) is available and what the protocol is for its use.
What to Bring
• Warm clothes, a few layers to use or not. Even if it’s July or August, expect a temperature difference as much as 10 degrees lower once you’re on the Lake with the breeze cooled by the cold water.
• A fishing license and perhaps a trout stamp. Check in advance to see if your charter sells licenses at the dock and whether a day license works best.
• Lunch, snacks, beverages (perhaps with alcohol if your captain permits it).
• Do not bring – and we’re not joking about this – a banana. We’ve seen videos of captains going ape over a passenger with a banana. (Jon Dahl explains all at the end of this story).
KONNIE LeMAY / LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE
Charter fishing and private powerboats docked beside the William A. Irvin museum in Duluth’s Canal Park.
Big Lake Charters
This is not a comprehensive list, but a sampler based on available rates and websites for Lake Superior charters only. Most fees are the base rates for generally 2-4 people, with additional charges per additional person. Half days range from 4-6 hours and full days from 6 to 10. Check websites for specifics … and good luck angling!
MICHIGAN
Kimars Charters
Au Train, Shelter Bay charter: half day $350-$450; full day $550 • Big Reef $840 • Stannard Rock $1,350. www.kimarscharters.com
Shelter Bay Charters
Au Train, Stannard Rock $1,375 • Big Reef $850 • Local Nearshore $450-$570 shelterbaycharterfishing.com
Sand Point Charters
Calumet, half day $450-$550; full day $750-$850 • Stannard Rock $1,200 sandpointcharters.com
Rainbow Charters
Grand Marais, half day $425; full day $625, grandmaraisfishingcharters.com
Hooked Up Fish Charters
Gwinn, 4-hr $400; 6-hr $550; 8-hr $700 • Stannard Rock $1,250, hookedupfishcharters.com
Keweenaw Charter Fishing
Houghton, half day $325; full day $750 • Stannard Rock $1,500, www.keweenawcharters.com
Hooked UP Fishing Charters
Lac La Belle, half day $425; full day $680, www.hookedupcharter.com
Daybreak Charters
Marquette, Nearshore 4-hr $450; 6-hr. $575; 8-hr. $700 • Stannard Rock $1,375, daybreakfish.com
Blue Heron Fishing Charters
Sault Ste. Marie, day trip (5-8 hrs) $300 for one + $55 for each additional, blueheronfishingcharters.com
MINNESOTA
Bear Tracks Outfitting Co.’s Fishin' Chics & Dad
Grand Marais, half days only, $385-$490, www.bear-track.com
Grand Marais Charters
Grand Marais, half days $350-$450; full days $675-$775, www.grandmaraischarters.com
North Shore Outdoors
Grand Marais, quarter day, $175;, half day, $300-$350;, full day, $600 to $700 • full day combo of Lake Superior and inland fishing, $600. northshoreoutdoorsmn.com
Cat’s Paw Charters & Hattaras Fishing
Duluth, half day for four $450; full day for six $750, lakesuperiorhatterasfishing.com
Happy Hooker Charters
Duluth, half day $450-$550; full day $700-$800, lakesuperiorfishing.net
I’d Rather Be Fishing
Duluth, half day for $450-$550; full day $700-$800, idratherbefishinglakesuperior.com
Optimum Charters
Duluth, half day $475; full day $700, lakesuperiorfishing.com
Superior Pursuits
Duluth, 2-person half day special $350; half day $450-$550; full day $700-$800, www.superiorpursuits.com
Tofte Charters
Tofte, quarter day (limited) $275 for 4; half day $400 May-June and $450 July-Oct.; full day $725 May-June and $774 July-Oct. www.toftecharters.com
ONTARIO
Redwood Sport Fishing Charter
Sault Ste. Marie, St. Marys River by species salmon $265; trout $175, www.redwoodcharters.net
Archie’s Fishing Charters
Thunder Bay, 4-hr $350; 6-hr $500, www.archiescharters.com
WISCONSIN
Black Hawk Charters
Bayfield, half day $300-$00; full day $700, www.blackhawkcharters.com
Black Warrior Marine Charter
Bayfield, half day inshore $550; half day islands $650; half day offshore $800; full day inshore $750; full day offshore $1,000, www.blackwarriorcharters.com
The Extreme Angler
Bayfield/Washburn/La Pointe, Apostle Islands: half day $400; full day $550 • Outer Island $575 • Chequamegon Bay: half day $350; full day $450, thextremeangler.com
Day-Out Charters
Red Cliff, half day $500; full day $700, lakesuperiorcharters.net
Houston’s Guide Service
South Range, half day for two $225; full day for two $350, www.houstonsguideservice.com
KDK Charter Service
Superior, half day $400-$565; full day $550-$705, kdkcharters.com
N&S Great Lakes Fishing
Superior, half day $325-$400; full day $450-$495, www.n-sgreatlakesfishing.com
Brent Frazee of Parkville, Missouri, retired outdoor editor for the Kansas City Star, visited Duluth during an Outdoor Writers of America Conference and like any good angler, took in some local fishing.