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Posts: 180
| We all know Vermilion has big fish but good lord it might be the most frustrating lake in the country. I put 24 hours on the lake fishing from big bay alk the way to around muskego point and had 5 follows. 3 coming in one sport within 20 minutes. Todays cold front made a frustrating weekend even worse. Had a couple follows early before the cold front and then it shut off with the cold wind. What lakes do you guys feel are some of the most frustrating? ? I know I'm not the only one to complain about getting their butts whooped by big v. This weekend I feel like I had a better chance of hooking into bigfoot than a muskie....sigh. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Steve from Spring Bay got a 50 this morning on Vermilion.
ANY lake can hand you your keester at any time. No one said trophy hunting is supposed to be easy.
If you go back far enough in the discussions here, you will see predictions that the 'new reservoir syndrome' unreal action on many newly established fisheries in MN would pass with pressure, and no matter which lake you are talking it has happened, is happening, or WILL happen, and is inevitable.
Every cast you place on Vermilion could be a fish of a lifetime. Same with Mille Lacs. |
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| I know a guy who did good up there last night. I feel the same way about that lake at times. It makes me question whether I should even be a muskie fisherman. Then some days I crush em! |
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Posts: 5171
| I feel the same way about vermillion.0723 |
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Posts: 2015
| if you want frustrating go fish muskies in low density trout water. Vermilion is fickle, but there is a window almost every day or night...And the amount of muskies in V is almost stupid. Rock ...weed...docks...open water...they are everywhere in the lake this time of year..they just don't hit every lure they see.. to me a challenge is fun. Can't wait to get back. |
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Posts: 540
Location: Leech Lake, Walker MN | Yes there are windows of time during a day that open and if you are not aware of these things or not out there doing it its shot in the dark.its called time on the water and putting your time.theother day we saw nothing for 3 hrs.and from 11:00 to 2:30 we saw 18 yes 18 and had 4 on and lost them poor hook setting by the guys I had out and nothing the rest of the day windows every lake is different but a Muskie is still a Muskie
The real question is how often DO the feed? |
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Posts: 174
Location: Ontario | Muskie season starts next week. Everything up til now is practice |
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Posts: 1144
Location: Minnesota. | ckhawkeye51 - 9/1/2013 10:08 PM
I put 24 hours on the lake fishing from big bay alk the way to around muskego point and had 5 follows. 3 coming in one sport within 20 minutes. Todays cold front made a frustrating weekend even worse. Had a couple follows early before the cold front and then it shut off with the cold wind...
On Vermilion...I'd say you did fairly okay! I've done waaaay worse! |
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Posts: 159
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Just got back from my 5 week trip on Big V....Feel blessed to have an amazing cabin on the West End---Have fished the West End hard since the summer of 09..
Got my first giant fish this summer.....
I agree with the original post-----It is a very tough lake to catch a fish casting----I believe as tough as any lake including Eagle.
There are times when it gets so frustrating you just want to quit Musky fishing---
This summer I worked all the prime conditions, moon rise/set, late night/pre-storm/front/wind....and had all of two follows....the big girl was caught trolling....
My best season is 3 fish casting---Coming from one who has caught lots of Musky's growing up in the Minocqua area with a cabin on Squirrel....
I guess that bright side is I have seen the fishing pressure go down even in the 4 years we have had our cabin---IM hoping lots of guys go up---catch nothing ---and never come back LOL..... |
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| I have been humbled often enough on V and rewarded moderately. My logs show a down trend in overall fishing and action. The glory days are over time to move to a more virgin/blossoming fishery. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What you going to do when MN runs out of 'new'. Already has, pretty much.
Easy, lazy, 'just fish and catch monsters' is nice, but not sustainable with the pressure just the MN anglers hand out, much less everyone else. |
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Posts: 2024
| Everyone reading this thread should heed Jay C's advice! Vermilion is a declining fishery because the musky have eaten all the walleye and there is no food left! It is pressured to the point the fish won't bite and is a waste of time fishing, especially for newbie like me. That said, I am hoping to add some more casting fish and get my daughter one trolling the V in October! When I started this craziness last year, some of the first feedback I received was that I should consider myself lucky to even see follows. Pretty depressing to think about, but I am determined to figure it out and am gradually. V has lots of fish, but not LOW numbers, lots of huge ones and is a huge lake with of different structure in each area. IMO, if you are not really familiar with the water and are running and gunning spots, you will have follows, but few biters. The advice I received from a guide friend, Steve at Spring Bay and other guys who fish the lake regularly is to learn each spot well and pay attention to the majors/minors. I caught my first casting fish by staying on a spot and working it, then returning to the spot in prime times. I had had 3 follows and returned during the PM minor and at sunset/moonrise and we got 2 decent fish within 10 yards of each other 7 hours apart. I had seen several fish and knew they were there and just really worked the spot. They were in the slop and the 7 other boats I has seen on the spot at various times were only working the outside edges, best known as the community spots... I just wish I had fished that area more while at the Spring Bay Outing, then maybe I could have dethroned Brad and Tom and had a free stay next year! |
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Posts: 208
| I don't care what lakes you discuss theres more pressure now and fish are harder to catch. I remember just 5 years ago on the little lake i fish, follows all the time and light pressure compared to today. Now, lake is pounded daily, fish see baits over and over and over. Still enjoy the challenge. I catch more fish now on blind figure 8 strikes vs. following fish on the 8.
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| My vote is for Mille Lacs, simply because of the average hours spent vs. fish ratio in recent years. Odds are that you will have considerably more opportunities on most other lakes, regardless of whether those fish are reluctant to bite or not. Mille Lacs fish seem to make very distinct seasonal transitions. The problem is, predicting exactly when those transitions will occur. You just have to do the best you can with the knowledge that's already out there and try to hit one of the major transitions on the head with all of the help you can get from the moon and mother nature. Famine to feast, zero to hero. 
Just ask Jason how many days he spent out there last fall, versus what he and his clients caught. Downright brutal. For myself, I'm a bit of a masochist, so I'll keep going only because I know I've always got at least a shot at a sow of epic proportions. I've seen some truly gargantuan fish on the big pond, but the hours between those fish is just pathetic. No disrespect to the other widow-maker waters, but Mille Lacs will definitely test your mental Muskie mettle. |
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Posts: 17
| yes vermilion can be a frustrating lake but i think people believe they can go up there, throw on a bucktail, pick an island and catch a 50" fish. just because you drive further north does not make it a sure thing. It took me 5 years to finally have somewhat of an idea what is going on out there. |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | I enjoy V, not easy but a great challenge....just like at home without the hassle of pleasure boats and jet skies bothering you from sun up to midnight.... |
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Posts: 180
| V has plenty of jet ski and pleasure boaters lol...almost caught one last year on a mag dawg |
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Posts: 275
| Hmmm, if that's frustrating I don't know what I have endured before. I've put way more hours than that in on trips without even seeing a musky........and definately had full weeks without seeing that many follows. I must really suck or I'm fishing some pretty tough waters?????
Jaimy |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Chip Flowage. I'm convinced there are no actual muskies in it. |
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Posts: 619
| Minnetonka. Catch rate has gone down significantly for myself and others i now over the past 5 yrs. Very low numbers lake now.
Edited by Slow Rollin 9/3/2013 10:22 AM
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Posts: 457
| Big V is a cruel lady. Spent a week camping last year, basically living with the fish and never put one in the boat.
In laws built a cabin right near the Chippewa Flowage, got hours and hours in on that place and haven't even had a sniff.
Lac Seul is another place that owned me last time I was their. I thought the good old days were suppose to be right now? |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I always seem to have more trouble with Mille Lacs , than with V.
Been fishing V for 18 yrs. and it has definitely got harder to put fish in the boat..... All due to the pressure and the pounding that it receives.
Mille Lacs has my number....She's a tough one..
Jerome |
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Posts: 315
| Slow Rollin - 9/3/2013 10:21 AM
Minnetonka. Catch rate has gone down significantly for myself and others i now over the past 5 yrs. Very low numbers lake now.
Very low numbers caught??? Because that lake is still absolutely crawling with muskie!! They're just a lot harder to catch than they used to be! Pressure |
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Posts: 697
Location: Minnetonka | lookin4_big_gurls - 9/3/2013 11:43 AM
Slow Rollin - 9/3/2013 10:21 AM
Minnetonka. Catch rate has gone down significantly for myself and others i know over the past 5 yrs. Very low numbers lake now.
Very low numbers caught??? Because that lake is still absolutely crawling with muskie!! They're just a lot harder to catch than they used to be! Pressure
I'm afraid you're both right. MN is the land of blue collar muskies. If you're only in it for the catch, you should pursue bass or panfish. |
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| I heard a few of my backhome Oneida County lakes are down in numbers realllll good come to think of it. But one of them is the most frustrating for me |
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Posts: 415
| Ha, you MN fisherman crack me up. So you went 20-30hrs without a 50", welcome to the real sport of musky fishing. Go and spend some time on the waters of N. Michigan like where the world record just came out of and tell me about frustrating water. |
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Posts: 53
| Vermilion is a tough nut to crack but when its on its on. Last year our group boated 5 over 50". This year nodda. Saw many fish pushing or over the 50" mark and some that we couldnt even put a measure on. Its a trophy lake not an action lake! Next cast could be a monster! |
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Posts: 203
Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | Big V is not as hard as people make it sound, it just fishes different then most lakes that guys fish.... We just got back from a 4 day trip caught 6 of 12 hooked and were seeing 8 to 12 fish a day on average... |
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Posts: 619
| Dave Williamson - 9/3/2013 1:56 PM
Big V is not as hard as people make it sound, it just fishes different then most lakes that guys fish.... We just got back from a 4 day trip caught 6 of 12 hooked and were seeing 8 to 12 fish a day on average...
That sounds pretty good to me right about now. How deep? |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Vermilion reminds me a lot of Eagle Lake...there will be moments of glory, there will be giant fish encounters, and there will be many moments of wanting to beat your head into a wall. I had a July Saturday out there 10 years ago with TWO tournaments going on at once....swore I would never go back and haven't since. Can't say I miss it whatsoever |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Sooo, the lake had two events going on, so you will never go back...makes all kinds of sense. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | sworrall - 9/3/2013 3:10 PM
Sooo, the lake had two events going on, so you will never go back...makes all kinds of sense.
What doesn't make sense to you? Its not worth a 10 hour drive to go fish a lake that gets pounded to death and has been for almost 15 years.
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Posts: 8782
| Once could say the same thing about Eagle. 65,000 acres and you still run into people fishing everywhere. I lost count of how many times we've gone to fish a spot, seen a boat on it, left, come back later, seen another boat on it... We've also caught quite a few after the third run at a spot in a day, and you can pretty much bet that we weren't the first boat to fish it that day.
All the MN guys like to bash WI, but that's what MN is going to look like when all the newer fisheries mature and the biomass balances out to what the lakes can actually support.
I'm sure pressure has something to do with it, but when you start stocking muskies in whatever lake, those first few year classes grow up with no competition for forage or habitat. They basically own the lake. Fast forward 10-15 years, and you have 15 years of muskies of all different sizes out there all competing with each other for everything in the food chain.
To what degree fish become conditioned to seeing lures, who knows? I suspect that lures going by do just become part of their environment after a while, and their response to them might not be what it once was.
But that's just musky fishing, everywhere else except a new fishery...
Catch and release, higher size limits... Not like the fish have gone anywhere. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Musky Brian - 9/3/2013 4:32 PM
sworrall - 9/3/2013 3:10 PM
Sooo, the lake had two events going on, so you will never go back...makes all kinds of sense.
What doesn't make sense to you? Its not worth a 10 hour drive to go fish a lake that gets pounded to death and has been for almost 15 years.
That's not what you said.
I just was up there, and didn't have to share a spot once. Of course, I didn't hit the 'community spots', but that's me. There's not much for muskie water IN Minnesota that isn't 'getting pounded', which was my point, added to the idea that it's a litte bit of a stretch to beat up on a lake one would never return because of two events on the lake at one time....10 years ago.
Did you read Dave's post above? Sounds like a good trip.
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | Everyone has a lake that defeats them, I spent 5 week long trips in 5 years on V yo finaly get one to stay on the hooks and in the net... On the other hand Tonka in August a few years ago first time there took me 20 minutes and get one on each trip there each year... |
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Posts: 28
| Moon and the Figure 8. I fish the pressured water of pressured waters and those two 'factors' trump pressure every day. Especially the Figure 8. |
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Posts: 192
| Moltisanti - 9/3/2013 10:00 AM
Chip Flowage. I'm convinced there are no actual muskies in it.
Glad it is not just me. I have been up there twice for a week at a time and have yet to get the first follow. I hired good guides on the first day of both trips.
I wish I could catch them there because other than the fishing, I love the lake. |
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Posts: 62
| Haven't fished Big V, but Mille Lacs has been tough for me as well. As tough as it seems, Big McKenzie in WI is by far the most frustrating. I keep going back for the hopes of a giant but man I hate that lake. |
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Posts: 180
| What are the expectations clients have when they pay $350 bucks to go muskie fishing on tough lakes like vermilion? If the fishing is tough then its tough....is the guide honest with the client and say its going to be a tough day but here are some locations to work later in the week, etc.?
Edited by ckhawkeye51 9/3/2013 10:23 PM
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What?
They are probably aware the lake holds some very impressive numbers of very large muskies, and would like to catch one of those mid-50's tanks.
Like these.
It's big, too, and features some interesting patterns and intriguing structural elements; it's a really good ldea to hire a guide up there to shorten the curve just a little.
Same with Mille Lacs. When the action on both Mille Lacs and Vermilion was absolutely unreal (new reservoir syndrome) near everyone was insisting it would last forever, go back and look. Now plenty of folks want it to be like it was, and cry 'WASTELAND!' if they can't get a 50 every trip.
Now St Clair is the new Mecca as the prarie lakes in MN and lakes . It's larger by a long shot, and the size structure might have actually been helped (it seems) by VHS. How long before folks are decrying it as a 'tough lake'?
Then the guys who know Vermilion go out and go 6 for 12.
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