smelt run | Happy Hooker Charters

Smelt run is underway “smelt are running”

10/04/202104/12/2012 by Peter Dahl

Last night the smelt were running very strong in Duluth, and also in Ashland. The commercial nets in Duluth were loaded with large males for the most part. Seiners on Park Point struggled with waves and debris, but some did well if they were willing to get a little wet. The Lester also had a small run, but … Read more

Smelt run is near 2012

10/04/202103/20/2012 by Peter Dahl

Smelting run may come early this year Unseasonably warm weather has melted our snow and ice and the lake and the rivers are warming. Last year the smelt started running in the Duluth Mn area on or about the 23rd of April. This year the ice out time for lakes seems to be about 3 … Read more

Rating

4.9

Read our 197 Reviews

Tracey Sleen

12/16/2021

Once again a great fishing trip captain was wonderful putting us on great fish my grandsons had there first fishing charter and caught fish

Katie Genereau

09/27/2021

Jacob and Connor did a great job and we had so much fun bringing in these beautiful Lake Trout! The trip was beautiful, relaxing and exciting!

Clay Schnell

09/26/2021

great captain and mate enjoyed with my two sons great time good fish to eat parking was terrible if you can afford suites hotel next door do it

Tony Troussov CSP TM

09/24/2021

Captain Peter and his shipmate John were great! We had a wonderful day on the water – weather was phenomenal! My 12 year old son and I caught some fish and had a blast on the boat. Thank you!

Mike Turner

09/22/2021

Crew was friendly and attentive. They handled everything so we could just catch fish. I would use them again

Richard Hanson

09/20/2021

Overall was a very good Trip. Captain Peter was great and very knowledgeable. We all had a great trip and will be booking again next year.

Kathy Isaacson

09/20/2021

We had such a fabulous time with Captain Jamie and First Mate Dan. Besides the beautiful weather and great fish we caught, it was relaxing and so enjoyable to spend hours together on our great lake. I recommend this trip and this captain to everyone!

Kim Cresap

09/20/2021

Had a great time on the water. Everyone in our group successfully landed a fish. Captain and crew were great and professional. Awesome trip!

Corey Schlueter

09/19/2021

Captain Dave and his first mate Mike were incredibly kind and gracious. Oh and do they know where the fish are. Thank you Happy Hookers charters for some lifelong memories. I’ll be sure to book again.

Joan Wiese

09/16/2021

We had a beautiful warm sunny day. We caught six lake trout and Captain Marty and First Mate Conner were wonderful!!! We had an awesome time and would highly recommend Marty and Conner!! Thank you for a wonderful time!

Ponddale

09/13/2021

Captain Matt and 1st Mate Justin were AWESOME!!!!!! They knew the perfect spot and we got our limit in just a few short hours! We had a blast. We will be back. Thank you!!!

Kristina Dornak

09/13/2021

We had high hopes with all the great reviews here, but I think we’ll stick to smaller guide services from now on. We have done various forms of guided trips on different bodies of water in both the north and the south, and this was mediocre at best.

We were excited to see the guide was ready at 11:45, as our slot began at 12:15. We got a little lost and arrived at 11:50, and when we approached the boat the guide bluntly said “well we missed the lift so now we need to wait until 12:30” then proceeded to go sit on his phone on the cabin – ok dude, off to a great start.

Once we got out to the the only spot we fished at, the guide and first mate got everything set up and said they would give us a run down of how it all worked when they were done. This never happened. Instead, if one was on the line they would reel in most of the way then hand it off to one of us. The first time my husband took the rod, the guide started yelling at him “don’t do that!” from the cabin. My husband has been fishing his whole life, but is unfamiliar with Lake Superior. My husband asked what he did wrong and the guide snapped “yeah, everything you just did, do the opposite” (really helpful….) I asked the guide if he could give real instruction instead of barking that we were reeling incorrectly. Remember we didn’t ever get that run down they promised.. All in all it didn’t matter, we paid for 5 people to fish and only 3 of us even touched a rod – one of which was after the first mate reeled in so much that you could already see the fish from the boat.

We only caught 3 fish, which would have been fine if we felt the guide was putting any effort in. Instead the guide sat on his phone in the cabin the whole time while we just sat there for hours. The first mate was handling all the rods and chain smoking. The wind blowing it right into the cabin in my face. Disgusting.

This is just a fraction of my complaints. Needless to say I’ll stick to guides who seem to enjoy what they do. Considering the vast amount of guide trips we’ve been on, no one is going to tell me what we experienced is typical.

Tony Torgerson

09/12/2021

My wife and I had a awesome time, Captain Matt and Justin were very knowledgeable and helpful with everything. We are planning on doing it again.

Michelle Tesser

09/08/2021

The 6 of us had a great time. Matt put us right in the fish. Justin was amazing and so helpful. One critique I do have is we were asked twice if we have enough fish yet. The first time I thought he was kidding.We had 4 different households fishing that day and would distribute to about 7. For $625 plus tip I don’t think that should have been asked. I understand conservation but none of our catch was frozen.
My house alone had 4 meals plus smoked a bunch to share. We were done early so we got a scenic boatride back. My thought was instead of that maybe it should have been we can take our time back or knock some off the price. Again. I would book and will book again but just wanted to give you a couple things to think about.

Barb Gregory

09/06/2021

Captain Marty and Connor did a fantastic job. They kept things interesting.

Rebecca Kastanek

09/06/2021

Great morning for fishing ! Matt and Justin were the best!

dan trudeau

09/02/2021

Captain Dave Dahl and First Mate Mike were outstanding Not just with fishing but good conversation. I would highly recommend them for your next Duluth / Lake Superior fishing trip. Very reasonable pricing with the experience and extensive knowledge of the lake and fishing. I most certainly will be booking my next Duluth fishing trip with them. Thanks again guys for a great day out! Dan…

Kim Pitts

08/31/2021

We had an awesome experience with Captain Jim and Captain Brody. We have never been fishing in a Great Lake and they gave us memories to last a life time. They were very knowledgeable about their craft and the area. It was a great day on the water. We caught more fish than expected. And it was VERY satisfying to catch the largest fish of the trip, I think even Jim and Brody were impressed with its size. Two thumbs up….highly recommend if you are thinking about a Lake Superior fishing trip!

alisa barnum

08/30/2021

A great time was had by all! Captain Dave and his first mate Mel did a great job.0

Donald Burge

08/25/2021

The trip was amazing. Easy set up and book. I have gone with either Captain Dave or Captain Peter for about 14 years. Never a bad experience and the fishing has been good too!! Our trip in August could have been tough as the fish were scattered. Captain Peter made the trip enjoyable and successful. I appreciate the effort!

Natalie Wierstad

08/24/2021

Jeff Smith and I had a great time with captain Matt Massie and first mate Justin. We are planning on doing it again next year. They were very knowledgeable and helpful. Would recommend them

Larry Tarnow

08/22/2021

Capt. Riley Leslie was an excellent guide. One member of our group, Adele, had not fished very much. He did an excellent job of explaining what was happening with all of the outriggers, boards, etc. When she hooked a good size king salmon, he talked her through landing it without getting directly involved. Capt. Riley cleaned the fish we caught–several king salmon and trout; we had a great dinner when we got home. The North Shore is a great place to visit.We plan to return !

Russ Parker

08/20/2021

A must do when visiting Duluth. We had a blast!!!!

Elaine Mahr

08/19/2021

Had a great time time with Captain Jake and first mate Carter! We caught 3 types of fish and were thrilled to go home with bagged up filets.

Thank you!

Randy Shepherd

08/19/2021

Four of us on the boat and we had a great time. The lake was beautiful, and we caught some nice lake trout and some salmon. The crew were fun and educational (our first time fishing the big lake) and I’m glad we got to know them! We will be back!

Cassandra Heins

08/16/2021

The reviews were spot on. We went out with Matt and Justin, These guys are awesome, super friendly, helpful, put us right on the fish. Lots of good laughs! Highly recommend!

Connie Pearson

08/15/2021

This is our second year with Captain Riley. My grandsons love him! He never disappoints in finding the fish. Has the patience to answer every one of their many, many questions. Half way thru the trip my 8 year old grandson turned to me and said “ grandma, can we come back next year, too?” This fishing trip is not only a highlight of our year but making wonderful memories my grandsons will never forget! Thank you, Captain Riley!

Marianne Henson

08/11/2021

Our youngest son loves to fish and had the time of his life! I think the other three also had a great time 😉 Captain Marty very friendly and knowledgeable! Would recommend!

Terry Collins

08/08/2021

Our group had a great time with Dave and Mel keeping us entertained throughout the day on a calm-wind tough bite, but did end up with a few bags of filets.

Bill Oas

08/06/2021

Had a great morning outing with Captain James and First Mate Jeff. Group of 4 caught 8 Lake Trout. No slobs this time of year but still plenty of meat for the smoker, freezer, and dinner tonight. James and Jeff were both very personable, friendly and funny. Trip was my wife and I and our 16 and 21 year old kids and James and Jeff included all in conversations and provided great instruction, trivia, and history education. We couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise either. Lake was flat cloudy early clearing to sun. Just a great day! Thanks James and Jeff!

Keith Heikes

08/06/2021

Captain Riley was fantastic in every way. He has a great knowledge of fishing, his boat, the lake and also the Duluth region. To top that off he was incredibly friendly with everyone in our group and our day on the water with him could not have been better. Thanks Riley, we look forward to our next charter!

Denee Jones

08/04/2021

Loved it! Our captain was great! We had a very memorable trip. Would definitely go back. Clean boat and clean bathroom on the boat, too.

Kevin Anderson

08/02/2021

Great trip! We live in Duluth and this was our first charter trip! Plan to do more of these! Great crew on the Treble hook!!

John Sucansky

08/02/2021

We had a great time catching up with friends and catching some lakers with Capt. Riley.

Michael Finco

07/31/2021

We had a great day with Captain Matt and First Mate Justin!

Amy Johnson

07/29/2021

Captain Matt and First Mate Justin took us out for our first guided fishing trip yesterday. They knew right where the fish would be and were excellent guides. Will definitely book with them again. Thanks for a great experience guys! 😀👍

Pamela Couture

07/28/2021

We had a fabulous trip with Capt. Nathan and his first mate, Jake. They worked the poles but allowed three teenage grandsons, their moms and their grandma reel in the trout! Lots of knowledge, lots of fun.

Chad Quelle

07/26/2021

We had an excellent time.

Corey Stich

07/26/2021

Captain Matt was great as always. Great deckhand in Adam also, that dude was rad. Repeat customer and I’ll be back. Great trip, great boat and he put on fish, again.

Dee Vadnais

07/25/2021

The husband’s and mine first time doing a charter fishing through y’all. We were not disappointed! We both had lots of fun and captain Marty and Reid were both very helpful and amusing!
Thank you both for the fishing and fun times!

Jacob Norris

07/22/2021

Booked a half day fishing 4 days in advance. Told to be at Red Lobster at 545 am. Showed up at 530 am. Was told my captain had cancelled that day. “Didn’t someone call you?” No no one called. I got up at 3 am and drove and hour to be there. Was told I could get $100 off if I book the next day or two with them. Tried booking the next two days and was told they weren’t fishing due to weather. Wind was 5 mph and no rain. Bought a trout stamp also for this. Very unsatisfied. Being from out of town this was my only chance at fishing. I could’ve booked through a different company but they kept leading me on.

Jim

07/20/2021

2nd year in a row with Capt. Riley. Just missed our limit after getting our limit last year. Kudos to Capt. Riley for taking us out without a 1st mate to assist. Hope to back next year!

Luke Kohler

07/20/2021

We booked a half day charter for our 18th anniversary on the 19th and went out with captain Jamie and deckhand Connor both very nice and knowledgeable we had a blast what a way to spend an anniversary we will totally be back again thanks to all of you for making this a memorable trip

Krisa Keute

07/20/2021

Everybody caught a fish, experience was awesome, lots of superstitions shared. Fun time with James and connor, would highly recommend.

Lisa Kozloski

07/15/2021

Captain Matt and his deckhand were awesome and very enjoyable to be around! They put us on fish quick and we limited out on lake trout on our 1/2 day charter. These master baiters highly recommend the Happy Hookers Charter!

Bill Swanstrom

07/12/2021

I am a Vietnam Veteran, Navy two tours. I have been dreaming about this charter for many years, finally booked it. It was everything I had hoped for and then some. My shoulder is sore from reeling in all the fish. Had a great time. Matt is a seriously great Charter Captain. One squared away dude.

Arthur Manders

07/11/2021

Great experience for six family members. The bonus was catching limits
of Lake Trout.

Matt Crowell

07/10/2021

Great time! We did a half day afternoon trip and caught a couple good size lake trout. We will do it again!

John Tomkins

07/10/2021

Excellent Charter Service, I would highly recommend.

Andrew Niederhauser

07/06/2021

We rented a couple charters to take our group of 10 out on the water for some lake trout and salmon fishing. It was a small group before our wedding the next day. Captain Peter took half the group and Captain Dave took the other half. The captains and their deck mates were very nice and got us on some fish. We ended up with about 10 lakers and a few coho. Highly recommend this group and look forward to our next charter with them!

Our Location

Happy Hooker Charters
325 S Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55802