Fly Fishing The St. Mary’s Rapids

Fly Fishing The St. Mary’s Rapids by Hazel Freeman
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I watched my fly rod arch gently. My first inclination…between the swift current and the rocky bottom, I had yet another snag. Within a second I knew this was no snag. “Let him run with it,” my guide, Dan Donarski, yelled over to me when he saw I had a fish on. He’d seen my frustration earlier as I’d no sooner get a fish on, and then lose it among the rocks and boulders. I knew now why Earnest Hemingway described fishing the challenging waters of the St. Mary’s Rapids as “A wild and nerve-frazzling sport.”

As a novice fly fisherman I was just getting my feet wet, so to speak. I could hardly believe I was knee deep in the rushing waters of Hemingway’s beloved St. Mary’s Rapids which offers up some of the best fly fishing found anywhere. As the only link between northern Lake Huron and the east end of Lake Superior, the St. Mary’s River is a combination of mega-shipping channel, and rough and tumble rapids, creating one of the most unique and challenging fisheries in North America. Thousand foot freighters “lock through,” between the lakes on the Michigan side and smaller boats, including canoes and kayaks pass through the Canadian locks near the rapids.

The Soo Rapids, as they’re referred to, lie directly between the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and Ontario. Native Ojibway Indians counted on their Soo fishing grounds to provide them an abundance of whitefish. The rapids, and a 21-foot drop between the lakes, made the river impassable. Indians, French explorers and fur traders portaged their canoes and cargo around the rapids. With a boom on the Great Lakes of shipping iron ore and other materials the river, and the rapids, had to be tamed.

The power of the river was harnessed for hydroelectric and the Soo Locks system installed to navigate shipping traffic around the rapids and the 21-foot drop.

The rapids are only accessible from the Canadian side. If entering from the states you need a passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license. Fishing licensees can be purchased online in advance, or you can stop in at the Ontario Visitors Center after crossing the bridge, to pick one up. While at the Visitors Center get directions to the Canadian Locks where parking is available and the rapids are walking distance. Walk across the pedestrian bridge that goes directly over the Canadian Locks and follow one of several paths that lead to the rivers edge.

A cement dike stretches 150 feet from the Canadian shoreline. The dike creates a more safe and wadable stretch of rapids to fish in, although it is still not without its hazards. Compensating gates regulate water flow through the rapids, and along with the protection of the dike, a variety of fish species are afforded a stable spawning environment from March to October. Cold, clear, fast, water cascades down through the rapids over gravel riffles and rocks, and around many boulders. With the slow warm up of the frigid lake waters, peak fishing begins around mid-May and depending on the species of fish, goes to the end of October.

Caution and common sense are the name of the game when fishing the rapids. The water level changes with the amount of water released through the compensating gates so water can be high at times. If new to the rapids you may want to enlist the service of a guide.

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