The St. Mary’s River is situated between Sault Ste. Marie, MI and Sault Ste. Marie, ON and is home to a wide variety of freshwater gamefish. Every year, many avid fishermen and outdoors enthusiasts venture to this region to indulge in what many have described as some of the world’s finest fishing opportunities.

The St. Mary’s River flows directly out of Lake Superior, providing a constant flow of cool, fresh water, that is regulated by a series of compensating gates and three hydroelectric dams. An elevation drop of 21 feet separates Lake Superior from the St. Mary’s River, which creates a natural rapids, which once spanned the entire gap between Sault Ste. Marie, MI and Sault Ste. Marie, ON. The world-famous Sault Locks were constructed to allow shipping vessels to overcome the rapids, and now the remaining portion of the rapids flows between the Sault Locks and a smaller set of Canadian owned locks.

The natural and unnatural barriers that exist at the point where Lake Superior flows into the St. Mary’s River provide the perfect habitat for a variety of fresh water game-fish, including a wide variety of trout and salmon that rely on the rapids as a primary spawning location. As the fish accumulate in this area throughout the year, they present anglers with many unique fishing opportunities.

Click map to view directions to the Aune Osborn public boat launch. This is where we rendezvous with our guests!