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Posts: 576
Location: nappanee IN | hey guys , was wanting some info on this lake up by spooner and what would the best fishing in late september.
our club is renting the resort during this week and i'm looking for any tips that any body has-- do i need a big boat or can i rent decent one from the resort? any help be welcome | |
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Posts: 96
Location: Eden Prairie, Mn. |
K-
A small 16' foort boat is fine. The lake is around 2000 acres if I remember. I used to fish it constantly back in the early to
mid 90's when my parents had a cottage nearby.
Great lake. It has huge 80 ft. deep hole, rock, reefs, points, sand flats, weed flats, humps, big submerged island, creeks and great deep-shallow-weeds-rock combo areas. Basically the whole lake is a microcosm of what a Muskie lake structure
should be. The best 'cabbage' I've ever seen. It would be a 'mecca' if it was 10'000 acres and had a small or two island.
Fall fishing is the best time - fish in the big weed flats, on shallow sand, rock, holding off humps/points reefs.
Troll the 'hole'
I enjoyed the fall action and the lakes surrounding fall color immensely. The lake is much quieter only die-hards on the water
then.
Lures - Hair over the weeds and over the shallow sand, big spinner baits and deep cranks parallel or angled to deep
structure. Topwater on warm sunny fall day over weed and rock. Deep crank deep structure. Small gliders/reef hogs
casted from shallow to deep. Don't forget to hang a quick strike rigged sucker while casting. !!!
My heaviest fish 38+ lbs and second longest 47 1/2 came on a sucker while casting in late fall around the big 'hole'
The lake has ciscoe forage and grows FAT fish.
Get a Fishing hot spots map of the lake. Critical !!
Mother
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Posts: 46
| My family has a cabin on the lake and I've been fishing it for over 10 years. It's 1100 acres and maxes out at a little over 70'. It's flat out not what it used to be, but there are still some fish to be caught. The cisco population was thought to have disappeared, but there are apparently still a few in the lake (DNR said they have some anecdotal evidence of this from last year). I don't think there are many.
Also, the water has gotten darker (more green in the summer) in the past few years and the cabbage isn't as nice as it once was. It doesn't grow as deep and is more mixed-up with other types of weeds.
I don't want to be a downer, but be prepared to put in your time. You might find a real monster; they're in there. On the up side, I have noticed more 30" class fish, which I consider a good sign for the future.
I assume the resort you're referring to is Andre's (not sure if it's called that anymore) on the east shore just off Cty E. If so, you're right next to some of the best weedlines in the lake, and not far from the deep hole. Definitely get a map, bring your depthfinder, and bring suckers (on quicksets, of course)! Good luck.
John | |
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Posts: 96
Location: Eden Prairie, Mn. |
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I have'nt fished the lake and area since 98'
Oh no - buzz kill. I loved the lake - Visibility down 8- 12 ft back in the early nineties - great cabbage - #*^@ fertilizers/run-off.
Cisco going /gone, no more 36" 'football Ski's', the funniest fat fightin' short fish you will ever seen.
Only 1200 acres huh- well, in old fishing stories everything gets bigger !!!
Any major changes to Middle Mac ?? Black sheep little brother sleeper lake ?
Mother
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Posts: 46
| I long for the days when there was 12' visibility and the thickest cabbage around. It was awesome, and so were the fish. I just don't fish it as much as I used to because it hasn't been as good. I hope it will come back someday! Maybe this cisco stuff (if it's for real) will help.
I wonder if the cranberry bog has anything to do with visibility/weed growth. There's a lot of them around LCO/Grindstone/Whitefish and they're as clear as ever, so I'm not overly suspicious of the cranberry guys.
One good thing in both middle and big mac are the gravel walleye spawning beds the DNR put in. I like rock structure, so they're a plus in my mind year-round (not just in may when I'm looking for 'eyes). Still, I haven't been on Middle in a long time, so I can't say for sure what it's like. It has always been a sleeper, but I've never felt that it was particularly reliable. I can't boat through the river that connects them, so if I'm on the trailer I'd just as soon drive a little ways to a different lake.
john | |
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mackenzie lake