Five fish later, the school disappeared. I'd never targeted lake herring before this outing several years ago, but have since made it a point to do so. They're challenging to catch and taste great out of the smoker. Cisco can be caught along the north shore of Lake Superior in sheltered bays such as Pigeon, Big and Little Trout, Cloud, Jarvis, Mink, Squaw, Thunder, Black, and Nipigon. They receive little fishing pressure.
Ice can come and go in bays, however, as it has during the past two winters.
Check ice conditions on the big lake before you head out on frozen bays. If there's open water way out, use caution and common sense. Superior's cisco generally swim around in schools of five to 10 fish, and you can often catch several from one school, especially if you work together with other anglers. A fish finder is a great help. I use a flasher that has an alarm, so it will beep if a suspended school of herring enters the area, alerting me to start looking down the hole.