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Posts: 48
| So I am narrowed down to Eagle Lake at Dryden or LOTW at the northwest angle for my musky adventure starting July 12th next year. Help !!
On top of the fishing I am a little concerned about talk surrounding $8 a gallon gas the farther up you go and the costs I might see that I have not thought through.
I really appreciate input on which lake and anything you can add that would make the trip worth the 1200 mile drive.
Thanks in advance.
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | both will give you an incredible experience. there are a few differences that will hopefully be highlighted for you here but if-not, do a search because the subject has been discussed many times on this site over the years.
i started fishing lotw and have shifted to eagle. my reasons are more out of convenience than anything. i don't like the gravel road drive, unload, off-load and busy-ness that comes with going in and out of the nw angle and prefer to drive right to the lake, put the boat in and drive the truck to the cabin.
on the lake ... both are shield lakes and give you breath-taking views and can make you weak in the knees for the fish that come your way.
eagle has clear trout water, weed, reefs, narrows, rock walls etc... and doesn't have the algae-bloom as bad as what you can run into on lotw (during some times of the year). from my own experience i'd seen more big fish on eagle, but have had that challenged by guys who prove year over year they score big on lotw so from a quality of fish it more depends on who you are and how good you are at finding them than the water per se.
i'm heading back to eagle on saturday for my week and although the forecast isn't what i'd like, i'm still fired up to go see if i can figure it out and make some good things happen.
best thing is its impossible for you to make a mistake given your choice. lots and lots of experience on both bodies of water on this site so dig around and shoot pm's to a broad variety of people and you'll get the answers based on what you are looking for. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I've been to both, and have enough buddys that go to both to have a good sense of what to expect....imo Eagle is a lower numbers water vs LOTW but still can kick out a 40 lber at any time. LOTW should provide higher numbers w just as many shots at 50s as your stay on Eagle...I'd simply go into a trip anywhere you go with the right expectations...ie, don't expect to boat 20 or more fish for your week on Eagle, but that can be done on LOTW without too much effort by good anglers..
As sled said, both are very beautiful to fish, offer more spots than you can fish in a lifetime and shots at big fish every day...
I do agree w Sled it is probably more convenient to fish on Eagle as you can drive your truck right to the resort, LOTW if you fish some resorts out on islands the loading/unloading etc can be a bit of a pain...esp if weather is bad... but overall you can't go wrong with either.... just different bodies of water
Edited by BNelson 8/26/2013 9:21 AM
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Posts: 171
| God I love LOTW. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | LOTW has more water, more spots, and more fish. I think Eagle has more fish in the 50-52 inch range but seeing them and catching them are 2 different things
I like both....but when it comes down to risking vacation time and cash I like my chances better on LOTW overall...
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Posts: 171
| Does Eagle really have MORE fish in that size-range or is it just that the big fish spots are few and far between with it being smaller and the big fish spots being more well known compared to Lake of the Woods? Kind of helps when some have Steve Herbeck to help em out :P That guy has Muskellunge in his DNA.
How often do you see a boat on your 'best' "big-fish-spot/s" on Lake of the Woods?
Edited by bshep 8/26/2013 3:59 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | good point...imo guys have a better true shot at going to LOTW and catching a 50" vs Eagle..Ie It takes on avg. more man hours to boat a 50 on Eagle than LOTW... now, I do think you might have a better shot at a 54-55 on Eagle..but really, look at the # of Musky guys that go thru even one resort like AML each year and how many 54+ are actually caught. by guests, not the guides..sure guys see them... seems every angler I know comes back from Eagle with stories of those elusive 56"ers ...but are they ever caught? . imo good anglers have a better shot at 50s on LOTW than Eagle... hour per hour.
definitely both are great, just different... Pearson fishes lotw all summer and i'm sure could fish eagle all summer if he wanted to...but he doesn't.
time and money unlimited a guy would fish both, probably at different times and w different goals.
Edited by BNelson 8/26/2013 4:09 PM
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Posts: 171
| I sure do enjoy your posts Brad. Tough to debate anything you ever come up with. You keep it 100.
Edited by bshep 8/26/2013 4:06 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | i like a good debate tho Brandyn... 
I'm waiting for Sled to chime in again...
Edited by BNelson 8/26/2013 4:06 PM
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i fished lotw during a time when i was new at the sport but with guys who knew there way around the place pretty well. a 50 in the group was celebrated as a big-deal and our group was i think 10 guys. each boat would put in the neighborhood of 15-20 fish and sometimes more in the boat for a week of fishing. jeff wallace was part of our group (bunch of shawano guys and some minnesota transplants from wisconsin) ... he talked about eagle from experience on both lakes ... time-date the information to about circa 2007ish. so, a guy with a great deal of time on both bodies of water at "that-time" and an accomplished musky fisherman opted for eagle over lotw for size on the record. i don't remember lots of discussion around numbers comparisons.
a typical week fishing lotw was to generate a milk run with hopefully 4-5 fish spotted to try to put in the bag ... 48-50's. the biggest our group got was a 53" and a big fish (on lotw). i went there from about '99 - '05 and then shifted to eagle.
this will be my 8th or 9th year on eagle. the first couple of years i spent time in the boat with guides (about half the days) and the last 6-7 years pretty much on my own. in those years i would say the average per week in my boat is around a dozen including 4 50" fish during that time-frame ... i've seen what i would consider 3 really big fish ... one was hooked by the angler (d'oooohhhh and a dandy) ... the other two were fun to see. there were 3 - 50-50+'s lost by operator error that should have been bagged (please fix your shallow-invaders!! i don't have numbers, but i would say the average size of all fish is in the 43-44" range.
the past couple years have been more challenging and last year i saw one 48" and one disinterested giant and the rest was a struggle with 9 fish boated and more low 40's on same spots i would see much larger fish on from prior years. the "thought" was that due to higher than normal water temps., the bigger fish may have been down further ... i don't know, just that on eagle if you don't have the wind working it can be really, really tough. i don't remember days and days on lotw without contacting fish whereas on eagle we got one saturday and didn't see another until thursday then i caught 5 on friday from 8-noon or our week would have only had 4 to show for it with the biggest at 43".
so-far there is good and accurate information coming out from guys like brad and brian who know both.
then there are the times when either coleman's or the west arm are going and donnie, cory, craig or the guides put a 40 pounder in the net. that's why i keep going back ... maybe someday it will be my turn. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | good description Sled....a 'down' year for most experienced anglers on lotw would be the 12 fish on your 'up' year for Eagle.. I've only been to lotw 2.1 times but first trip we got a 51, and 49.5, 22 fish in 4.5 days....last year my partner I am pretty sure got a 50 that week, and this year we got 16 for our week, and I thought we got our butt kicked overall as the # of hits was almost 40 for the week... we didn't crack a fiddy but I got an Illinois 50 at 49.5" with one other 50+ missing my bait ...our avg size fish is about where yours is at 42-44 depending on the trip.
all in all your trips are about what guys should expect of course a ton depends on skill level and figuring out that pattern as fast as possible that hour/day/trip....
dang, all I can think about now is Pearson gets to fish every day on LOTW ! lucky dog.
Edited by BNelson 8/26/2013 4:38 PM
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | I've been to both numerous times. Compared to the lakes I normally fish, both are huge (LOTW is incredibly so). Whichever you choose, hire a guide for the first couple of days, focus on one area of the lake, and work it hard.
Eagle doesn't get the bloom LOTW does, although if your area of LOTW is green it isn't hard to drive to another location. Best to have a good GPS mapping system, but understand that on either lake, not all the reefs are marked. Be careful.
IMHO, Eagle has a higher percentage of 50+" fish, when compared to the overall Muskie population. LOTW has vastly more numbers of fish. LOTW fish tend to be thin, while Eagle fish carry more weight.
Many of the weed beds I used to fish on LOTW are gone (rusty crayfish?). Eagle has weed beds too large to fish in a day. In the Angle or Sabaskong, forage remains shallower. Eagle forage may be 60'+ deep.
Both are incredible fisheries with much to offer. For my week up north, I choose Eagle. No wrong answer either way.
Edited by dcates 8/26/2013 4:42 PM
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Posts: 171
| I would highly suggest to not ever work for a resort or let your children do so on either lake. That will not only extend the length and quality of life for you and others, but you will have more time to go after those giants.
Edited by bshep 8/26/2013 5:14 PM
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Location: Not far enough north! | LOTW is getting crowded in my opinion. This year there were boats everywhere. The lodge we stay at is miles from any other and we hardly got to fish any of our normal spots without fishing behind another boat. I remember even only five years ago you might see two other musky boats in a day that were not from your camp. Now just about every time you make a short run to hit a good spot there are 3-4 boats right in that area. It has been getting worse every year. We still had a good year but didn't have the seclusion that we go up there for. I hate having to worry about how many other guys know where that big girl is at. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i would say a 20-25 hits with multiple shots at a 50 on eagle is a realistic expectation for what i would call a "good" week by good anglers who have a pretty decent range and skill set. if you have a really big range or go guided you increase those numbers and opportunities, but don't be surprised if she hands you your ass. i see that each and every year ... guys coming up with pie-eyes and go home blanked. be prepared to control your boat in difficult conditions, throw high-percentage baits and sometimes have to work them like you're in the gym or wrestling room. don't waste time looking for the magic potion in a boat full of tackle-boxes. be capable of finding a pattern and work hard, really hard all week long.
my boat in the past 6 years has had guys new to it and i'd say we left 5 on the table each of those years as a result. 3 memorable ones ... unfortunately.
in the 7 years i would say there were 2 "good" weeks, 3 "average" weeks and 2 "tough" weeks going the same time each year. those good ones fish are flyin all over the place and the bad ones can make it question why you bother. just when you don't believe tho, here she comes ... and why i keep going back. i just want to catch one fish ... the fish. numbers mean nothing anymore.
Edited by jonnysled 8/26/2013 6:07 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | dcates, I'd have to disagree, 100% w your lotw muskies run thinner... I use to think the same thing 10 yrs ago.... anyone going there now knows they seem to be getting a bigger build each year... I'd stack a 44-45 incher pound for lb against an Eagle fish same size... granted there are some thin fish up there, we only had one of our 16 I'd consider thin a 48"er I got...the rest were toads, this 47"er put on a fight like it was a 25 lb smallmouth bass and kicked my buddys butt ... no longer are lotw fish thin imo.... some real wide backs up there, yah Eagle can kick out some crazy fat 50s in the summer... but on avg i'd say those fish are very similar builds these days.
Edited by BNelson 8/26/2013 6:50 PM
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i'd really like to hear from Cory, Craig or Donnie chime in on Eagle as it relates to trout water fish (west arm and portage bay) vs. what they've seen/caught in the rest of the system. i've seen 3 fish that i would consider true giants. 1 just outside of vermillion bay in a sand/weed area 1 down by coleman's reef tucked back in a slop bay. the other was in trout water (portage bay) off of a rock. these fish dwarf the long fish that have hit the net for me and a couple of the 50's we boated were thick, solid fish.
i wonder if within the system there is a distinguished difference in mass of fish. i've been led to believe that it's true just from listening over the years and why i'm taking the time to learn more of the west arm and portage bay.
i know back in the day donnie, weston and that crew would almost dedicate their trip to go big or go home fishing trout water i believe exclusively.
to counter the claim of this lake vs. that lake ... there are storied pigs from eagle, but i caught a 50" fish that wouldn't have even made the wedding party, it was a tube. the older i get, the more i'm learning there are no absolutes so best to have a broad group of spots and be very, very willing to be versatile and open-minded in how you approach these shield lakes.
one thing for sure that always keeps me going out there is that "someone" is on fish ... i want it to be me. |
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Posts: 171
| Maybe the lack of weeds on Lake of the Woods is forcing them to feed on the bigger forage in deeper water? I'm sure all those little fish that used to get chomped on in the weed beds have fled for shallow cover to avoid our slimy friends  That first 10-15ft break on LOTW was pretty good. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I also dont agree with LOTW fish being thinner....theres more fish overall so more of a chance to contact a thinner one but I have caught plenty of fat ones in a wide range of sizes.
I have a little bit more time here on LOTW but still overall close to same amount of time. I have 100% never seen a true giant on Eagle ( north side of 55). I have seen one for sure on the Woods, but...I have surely seen more in the 52-54 range out on Eagle, not even that close really. BUT... like I said, seeing and catching are two different things. Biggest fish taken in both for my boat was a 53" and that was LOTW...
Brad kinda hinted at this but a good/best case scenario numbers week on Eagle is basically a " mehhhh" LOTW week.
Pressure out here on LOTW most weeks is hardly noticeable, unless you come up during Saric's paid vacat...err I mean Musky " school." That last time I was up on Eagle you needed a deli ticket to get on the Vermilion Bay community spots.
I love AML and the scenery is better on Eagle in my opinion...but the overall consistency of fishing goes to LOTW by quite a large gap imo......
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Posts: 222
| LOTW all the way!! I have a friend on Eagle same week we where just on the woods last week, we where out of Baystore Camp and seen between 15 to 20 fish a day and boated 2-3 fish per day and he did not see but 2 fish in 2 days! Oh and here is a pic of a "skinny" musky caught 2 falls ago ;).
Darren
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Posts: 222
| On second thought yes LOTW sucks there is a bad algae bloom and the fish are skinny and there are a million boats out there. Eagle lake or some where else would be better trust me I have been fishing the Woods for 20 years and it's getting worse. Used to catch 20 fish a day now it's down to a few try St. Claire lots of fish being caught there I heard. And no rocks to hit and cheaper gas prices.
D |
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Posts: 171
| musky1969, that fish is massive. Nice catch. The Bay Store is in a great location on awesome water. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | Brian ... you caught Eagle on a tough year. hope you come back ... that said, I really need to return to LOTW again too. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | dcates: "On second thought yes LOTW sucks there is a bad algae bloom and the fish are skinny and there are a million boats out there. Eagle lake or some where else would be better trust me I have been fishing the Woods for 20 years and it's getting worse. Used to catch 20 fish a day now it's down to a few try St. Claire lots of fish being caught there I heard. And no rocks to hit and cheaper gas prices.
D"
ditto! |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | true brad ... if it's a trip to catch a big fish and do it for the least expense from the lower 48" it would be hard not to go to St. Claire and hire Spencer or Bondy.
the shield lakes (Eagle and LOTW) are more of an experience and the ability to put your game to the test and develop it year over year. with about 14 years of 1 week a year on the shield i value as much my ability to navigate and problem solve as much as catch fish. the overall experience year over year is something that i think resonates with people who choose to go to northwestern ontario. add to that others with like-minds in different boats and you get a chance to share and also compete ... i value competing with cory and some of the others while i'm up there and feel great if i can come away with as good or hopefully even better results in friendly competition. i think others do too. the best camps i can remember is when pete, herbie, cory, donnie, craig, bill, cal, mikie, scottie and hernandez are out there too ... learning and fishing the same water, same time and comparing notes with those considered to be among the best. nothing beats a week with a camp full of good fishermen! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | agreed, to me, going to a place like LOTW I actually enjoy the 'tough' days as much as the 'easy' days...any Tom, Dick, or Pointer can go out and throw a double 10 and get fish when they are 'on' but give me a few of those days that isn't working in the mix to have to really figure out where they are and what they want is just as much fun, part of the puzzle, and alure of a shield lake.... good luck up on Eagle...can't wait to see some pics and reports from you and Cory coming in!
Edited by BNelson 8/27/2013 9:59 AM
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Posts: 101
Location: Tulsa, OK | My 2 cents, I have fished LOTW once, and been fishing Eagle since the late 90s. Since I started on Eagle to 2011, which is last year I got up there, it is pretty unbelieveable how the fishing has changed. My last two trips to Eagle were pretty disappointing, but overall the lake has been fantastic to me. I would not call Eagle a "numbers" lake, and as I look back on my trip data over the years, I have very few fish caught under 40". I describe Eagle as a lake you do a lot of searching and then bam, that 48-50 shows up, then a long lull and another 46" fish. For me, our group might see 10 fish in a day, and sometimes 1. If you go over to Osbourne, then you can get into some numbers, with most of the fish 38-42" fish. There is the chance for big fish over there, but mostly the fish I see seem to be in the 42-44" range. Colemans and that part of the lake, you are more likely to see a giant fish, but it could take hours upon hours of casting to find it. Granted, when you only get up 1 week a year, and you get bad weather or wind, that could skew the results, but overall it is a great lake with a lot of big fish to be caught. I have been stubborn and not gotten guides, and maybe that is part of my problem. I just love the thrill of trying to figure it out, and sometimes that results in slower weeks.
As for comparisons, I only fished the angle once, but it seems to me there was a lot more "new" water you could hit during slow times than Eagle. Eagle seems to have more abundant and larger weed beds. They both have plenty of islands, reefs, saddles and points to fish. LOTW seems to have more "numbers" as the week I was there I caught more 27-38" fish than I had had in 6 trips (2 weeks per year) at Eagle. The thing I notcied in Eagle, over the years, the really great spots seemed to have dried up. I am talking about spots where a multiple fish catch\sighting happened on a pretty regular occurrence. You might still see a fish in these spots, but they don't seem to hold multiple fish anymore like they used to. As for scenary, can't go wrong with either. They are both fantastic. Eagle is a more convenient drive to. One thing I hated about the Angle was the trip into Canada, back to Us and back to Canada. I would recommend either lake to anyone, even as I have struggled on Eagle as of late, I still love the lake and think maybe it will rebound in the next few years. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | redskeet100 ... were you on eagle when you could night-fish? can you share anything from your experience?? this is another key distinction between a choice between Eagle vs. LOTW. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | not really Sled... 99% of the guys on LOTW shut er down about the same time you guys do on Eagle... we didn't cast a lure past 9:15pm this last trip end of July.... |
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Posts: 101
Location: Tulsa, OK | jonnysled - 8/27/2013 11:02 AM
redskeet100 ... were you on eagle when you could night-fish? can you share anything from your experience?? this is another key distinction between a choice between Eagle vs. LOTW.
I have never been on Eagle when you could night fish. That was disallowed before I started going there. |
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Location: minocqua, wi. | BNelson - 8/27/2013 11:12 AM
not really Sled... 99% of the guys on LOTW shut er down about the same time you guys do on Eagle... we didn't cast a lure past 9:15pm this last trip end of July....
the guys i fished LOTW with back in the day were late-nighters ... |
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Location: Contrarian Island | yah I'd like to but my buddy doesn't want to ding up his purdy ranger, can't fault him for that . plus we put in a long enough day as it is.... a beer and steak sound good by about 9pm |
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Posts: 101
Location: Tulsa, OK | Yeah, after 12-13 hour fish day, getting back to the cabin to unwind with a beer, food and some motrin for my back is more desireable than fishing in pitch black conditions. |
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Posts: 581
| Agree with most of the comments here.
I've fished both, but have much more experience at LOTW. Really enjoyed the experience at Eagle, too. Not sure if there are any better true "fishing resorts" for muskies than AML, and would highly recommend a stay there as a bucket list trip for every serious muskie angler.
I'd agree that the fish generally will run slightly bigger on Eagle. In my experience, it seems like the average, run-of-the-mill fish you'll see on Eagle is somewhere in the 43-47" range, while on LOTW's there will be more 40-44"s. Both lakes have plenty bigger than that, obviously, and there currently seems to be a great year-class of muskies on LOTW in the 46-47" range.
But if someone was only interested in a shot a 54"+, I'd recommend Eagle as the better choice. On the other hand, if someone wanted the best chance to have a great "action week" and catch a 48-50"er, LOTW. You can experience great action on either lake; but LOTW will more consistently give better action. You can certainly encounter a 52"+ on LOTW (I've seen two fish there that have defied my size-estimating abilities); but your odds at seeing one that size on Eagle seems to be better.
That's my $0.02 anyway.
As others have said, both lakes have plenty of fat fish, and both are superb fisheries with no wrong choice either way. |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | I am typing this as my partner is driving us to eagle lake :))). I must say this is by and far the best thread ever on comparing two bodies of water fairly and accurately!!!
I am not goin to eagle for numbers. Brad is driving to mn right now and will likely stack them Like cordwood... i hope to have 15-25 for the week in our boat of two guys(and this would be a great week). I go to eagle because I LOVE fishing this lake. I have seen multiple giants here (55+)... Tough to get them to eat. I love the diversity this lake offers in a very relatively short run (compared to lotw). I have fished eagle now for I think 16-17 years? Still learning a ton each trip up. New spots, little details about old spots, etc.
I love the large group and the competition and banter back and forth and sharing ideas, patterns, theories etc.
Some parts of eagle do seem to have more fish than others. I have died on the vine down in the west arm swinging for the fence. But, I caught my heaviest and seen more of the true giants Down west, but they come at a price, its sanity and numbers. I will be swinging for the fence again this trip... You can have your numbers, give me a queen!!
One thing i have heard from several good muskie fisherman I know that have fished both, lotw is much easier to fish, especially for sub par and average muskie fisherman. Newbies and some average muskie fisherman that have never fished a shield lake can seriously struggle on eagle. Lotw is much more forgiving. Part of the reason is the shear numbers of muskie there. Good and very good muskie fisherman will figure out eagle to some degree. If your a newbie or avg fisherman on your first trip to eagle do yourself a favor and hire a guide for at least a day or two.... Invaluable.
Some day maybe Brad or DeVos will drag me to lotw as I would like a numbers trip just for fun :))
Eagle here I come..
Edited by C.Painter 8/30/2013 10:50 AM
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Posts: 581
| Can't hardly disagree, Cory. Once a lake gets in your blood, especially a lake with such beauty and quality fishing such as LOTW and Eagle, it's hard to get out. I know you bleed Eagle Lake, and for good reason!
Good luck this week, man. Hope you get on 'em and come home with pics of a double-nickel to share! Safe travels my friend! |
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Posts: 13
| I was just up to lotw for the first time (musky fishing) second week of August. Sandys was the place we stayed at. First night fished till last light and got a 47. Like brad said most fisherman fish till 8:30 -9 and head in. And fishing till last light saved another fish less day. But days were usually long 12-14 regularly. And heading in at dark on lotw can be dangerous.
The only other shield water I have experience on is big v. That is another animal all in it self. But thought lotw was more fishing friendly. We put 16 in the boat with 2 over 50 and 5 over 46.
Things I learned from lotw.
It sees more pressure from Friday to Sunday south side . Mn boys I think.
Fish like to eat on 8
Lots of fish ( hire Bill one day with over 50 follows)
Most musky guys like the narrows ( most pressure) still a lot of fish there.
Fish are Not skinny
Fish different structure till you see a pattern than exploit it.
Fish move a lot. Never to return. Some do stay though 51.5 did for a week at least.
Fish are close to camp.
Never fished eagle but live in Shawano and know people that have. I think one has not caught one there yet. Pretty tough IMO. So action with numbers I would recommend lotw. True giant vermillion. But just waters I fished.
I will be heading back to sandys soon.
Good luck and keep em sharp.
Paul
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Eagle was tough as expected.... flat calm days were not fun to deal with. We moved 8-10 fish a day, worst day was 5. Ended up boating 8 fish between my partner and I. The two biggest fish were a 50 I got and my partner Andy's personal best 51 incher he got in the 8. Both fish were captured on go pro, need to do some editing to get them uploaded. the pic of the 50 was pulled off the go pro as Andy forgot the camera in the cabin on this day!!!! Thank goodness for the gopro!
Its no LOTW for numbers, but LOTW is no eagle
Cory
Here are some videos
Corys 50 incher video
http://youtu.be/oYdAXhvi7s0
Andys 51 incher video
http://youtu.be/2XPzdozAWbk
OTHER fish action captured
http://youtu.be/BUNVRku01YQ
Edited by C.Painter 9/13/2013 1:26 PM
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Location: minocqua, wi. | we were the goats this year ... i had the antithesis of Cory's trip, although i thin Cory would tell you he expected more than 8 fish. both he and andy scored on big fish and that was the difference.
we had a great start with a pre-frontal arrival with 4 fish seen and i got one right away expecting more good to come as a result. i wound up having battery charging problems that took me off the water for 70% of a good wind day after the cold-front day which limited my ability to effectively approach reefs but that wasn't our excuse. we flat got our asses kicked and wound up working hard to keep our attitudes positive. worst day was seeing 5 fish and our average day we saw 10-12 much like the others in camp.
one of the guides had a pattern working for him south of coleman's in stained water i wouldn't/can't approach at my level of experience on eagle and then the human-musky herbie was out-of-the-box and got a 53" and put clients consistently in-position as a result of his knowledge/creativity throughout the week.
the last day friday cory and andy scored getting out ahead of what wound up a calm/flat day and scored because they were there and we were licking our wounds from burning it the previous day and got a late start. the last 2 days were window days and credit goes to those who had fish found and were there when they bit ... our thursday night window spot was a no-show for the big one and we got one of 3 that came to eat but it was a consolation prize.
the last day plan was a good one ... we saw what we wanted to see, but they didn't play ... the difference is as simple as one spot and 1 cast.
i learned the west arm and most of portage bay though as i'd hoped to do and as a result can navigate and fish north of the match-line effectively so it was productive and i expect the work i put in will pay off in the future cuz i'm heading back. i
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Posts: 44
| This message is for Jonny Sled.
Hey , Jonny it's Chicago Policeman Dan here. I am heading up to minocqua tomr till Friday for a quick get away and was wondering if you were free to either hit timber ridge for some golf or hit the water and rake for some Muskies. The number I have for you does not work anymore. We chatted a few times last year and just couldn't find the time to golf or fish. Let me know know if you are free, atleast to meet for a beer or four. You can reach me at [email protected]. Hope all is well, dan
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