I am fascinated by these mini icebergs!

Paradise Beach offers a gorgeous view of the Big Lake.

The sun is finally out in Cook County and the temperatures are creeping up. Near the lake there is still a cool breeze but if you get up off the lake about a mile, it is quite pleasant.

In an earlier blog, I mentioned taking a trip to Naniboujou and while I was up there, I wanted to take some pictures but the weather was just too cloudy and cold.  So Saturday morning, I took the short drive again. The first thing I noticed was the “icebergs” near Paradise Beach. We had been hearing about the large surface area of Lake Superior that is covered by ice but had not seen much of that for the past two to three weeks. Well, the wind must have shifted, because there were small “icebergs” on the lake. This was about a mile from Naniboujou, which is right across the road from Judge Magney State Park and on the Brule River.

Gichigami never ceases to amaze me.

As you can see from the picture, the Brule is very high and the currents are quite strong. It is a spectacular sight to behold. But it is bad news for Steelhead fishing because with the swift, deep water, it is quite hard to see anything and you have to use lots of weight to get your line down to the bottom. The other factor is that the water is still very cold. In a few more warm days, the temperature should be great for fishing Steelhead but right now, the rivers are blowing high and hard and it would be dangerous to fish in them.

The Brule is still very cold but she is warming up quickly.

The Brule’s speed can be dangerous this time of year.

On Sunday, I rode up to Trail Center. I thought I would show you the contrast from two weeks ago at the bridge where the North Arm of the Brule flows under Greenwood Road. If I were a betting man, depending on the weather over the next week, there should be some good open water by next weekend. I am not sure I would plan on a long canoe trip as it could get interesting, but by a Memorial Day everything should be open. My prediction is that you should be able to go anywhere within ten days.

The Brule’s swift, deep water makes it hard to see anything right now.

It won’t be long before we are fishing Steelhead on the Brule.