Well, it was a tough 4 days on Lake of the Woods. The fishing can’t always be great I guess, but we did learn alot about this lake and have our hooks sharp for next time. A very high pressure system rolled in on the first night bringing 30-40mph winds and alot of that cold Canadian air with it. It didnt stop us but the fish were few and far between.
With 2 boats and 4 guys fishing we managed 8 muskies and 3 pike all under 40 inches. 5 of the muskies came from one guy, one bait, one area and all in one afternoon. And no, that one guy wasn’t me….but it is a team effort and we were glad to put some type of pattern to the fish on new waters. The perch colored grandma bait was eventually lost to the rocks and we were back to trying every bait we had.
Here is a 38" I caught just before dark on the second day. I ripped the rod a few times to test the drag for trolling and before I could put the rod in the holder he hammered it!
Even with the slow bite, it was a great trip! The scenery is incredible and the structure is endless on this lake. Every point and every bay looks like it could hold fish. I have heard people say that on the right day you can find fish almost everywhere you go. I will be back next year for sure, but it will be during the summer bite. Good luck to all the guys that are still hitting the fall trolling bite!
Awesome! sorry the fishing wasn’t better though. I hear it’s REALLY low water up there. My buddy has a cabin on Raspberry.
Someday I’ll get after the muskies, so far I’ve only chased walleyes and crappie at sabaskong.
Todd
Thanks for the report, Mark. I just got back from a trolling trip to the Angle and has similar results. 9 muskies, but the biggest was 42″. Could have been better but could have been worse!!
John
The water is low, I got a few small “shark bites” out of my prop from the rocks but no major damage. Trolling the rocky shorelines for 4 days you are bound to hit rock eventually. I would say we got lucky, the other boat hit rock and got his tilt stuck in the highest position….long tow back to Nestor Falls.
Great report Mark!
Got to love that lake!
That sunset picture is incredible. Sorry you didn’t tangle with any of the beasts that lurk up there. What kind of leaders were you using, the Thorne Bros. rock cruncher is going have to be a must if I get up there, nothing like saying goodbye to $20 worth of lure!!!
how did you tow it, is the portage open? I figured it was closed with low water.
T
We were using Thorne Bros rigid leaders but it didnt help. The line was caught between a couple of rocks, looked like yarn when it came up….
Nice report Mark.
We have spent about 7 years in Sabaskong Bay mostly fishing walleyes and smallies out of my boat. But my brothers have dedicated their entire vacation days targeting muskies there. Really some nice looking water before the July algae bloom!
Did you guys find time to portage your boat in to Whitefish Bay at all? Has anyone fished for muskies in Whitefish Bay?
We spent most of our time between King Island, Hay Island and the smaller water toward Nestor Falls….on the last day we trolled two complete laps around Hay Island without a single fish. Nice area, and alot of deer up there too. If I make a fall trolling trip again I might consider spending the $ for a whitetail tag. We didnt see any bucks but a guy in our camp got a picture of a real hog swimming between islands.
Mark
Dan,
I make my own 36-48″ leaders out of 174# single strand and use either a split ring or a big stay-lock snap along with a 200# ball bearing swivel. Very economical (you can re-use the swivel) and works very, very well.