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Posts: 269
Location: brooklyn park mn | I have fished vermillion for two trips and didn't do great but still caught a couple. Each week consisted of week long vacations one in early july and one in mid aug. 1st trip caught 43 and 46 and buddy lost monster(froze on hookset) and lost 1. Other trip caught 43 and 49. Saw lots of fish but lots of fishing pressure. The fishing pressure doesn't bother me so much as I can always fish outside of the box, but both trips the common courtsy thing was not there being cut off by numerous boats just cause they could or were being guided etc... my question is leech lake doesn't seem to get the pressure and from what I've read the musky population is really good right now. How does the population compare to vermillions fishery per acre. I know ill have to deal with wind with not as much structure. Also noticed a lot of fish on vermillion seemed really conditioned but hard to say as its just musky fishing too. I usually am searching for trophy and would be nice if had good population of musky too.
I know fishing pressure is gonna be everywhere but what I saw on vermillion with the no etique was just such a turn off it made me sick. So what do u guys think? Does leech have a comparable population per acre or close? Ruling out canada cause of budget etc... otherwise id be going to eagle lake, or lotw as second. Any opinions at all are welcome. Thanks jim |
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Posts: 4342
Location: Smith Creek | If it was the pressure and not the fishing that turned you off of Vermilion than definitely go to Leech. Quite a few more lakes around Leech to choose from if the wind picks up. |
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Posts: 3164
| V-stocked,,,leech-natural repo
Leech is going to have less per acre but that also includes guys,,,I dont go to V any more even though I live here in Minn its a shame whats its turned into hopefully the LSC buzz will get the crowds there.
Leech can get much rougher then V but you have other options close by wabedo/little boy, Baby which is a very nice lake but smaller fish and your not all that far from Cass and if you really want to get away from Muskie pressure head up to Winnie.
Leech most years is a mid july on deal
Dont go to or consider Mile Lacs even in its prime I wouldnt wish Mile Lacs on anybody for a week theres no 'up north' feeling about it Billboards around the whole lake the neon glow of the Blue goose,Mcdonalds,and Grand Casino signs, the constant traffic going by on 169,,,Im to the point I consider it a Metro suburban lake.
Leech is nice,,bring your lilly tails and consider a guide day with someone like Jim Murphy or Bob Landerville which will show you a nice milk run
Edited by happy hooker 5/24/2012 4:38 PM
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Posts: 209
Location: Big Falls MN | i second leech and Jim Murphy he is a great guide learned alot about the lake fishing with him and like said above there are a number of lakes in the area to fish if it gets to rough out there |
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Posts: 1150
Location: Minnesota. | Ditto on V.
I've not really run into much poor etiquette other than running just at dark, lights on and having a boat "finally" flick their lights on right before you power down at the location.
If that happens --- I fish the hell out of the spot!!! |
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| Both Lakes are not what you would call "a numbers lake"
Leech is 3 times bigger than V, and they both have some piggies swimming around.
If you don't like the pressure of V maybe go to LOTW for a week....
Like others have said, maybe try some of the smaller lakes around Leech
Gone are the days of boating 6-8 fish a day on Vermilion,..... Or maybe not....
There are some Rude fishermen on all lakes, it sucks that Vermilion drew a handful of those guys, from points South and East
I leave the lights on at night too...... It's stupid not to. |
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Posts: 86
Location: north metro, MN | the posts above are all pretty much spot on.. however one thing to keep in mind with leech depending on where you are at on the lake, you could have a pretty decent haul from one good musky spot to the next. especially in portage bay.. there are plenty of spots in-between that are not as well known but will still hold fish. but for the most part if you are up on portage a good few miles in-between spot A and spot B is not unlikely.. like has been said above. if the wind is kicking up 4 foot rollers and you are not in the mood to fish in that kind of activity then trailer over to one of the many smaller lakes with decent fishing near leech. or check out whats happening down closer to walker, there are plenty of spots around there that often are fairly protected from those 4 foot rollers. |
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| There is something historic to fishing leech, I have always enjoyed it. It is just a muskie and fishing area. BR |
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| Theirs more to fishing V than playing bumper boats in Big Bay and on the cans, I can go all day without feeling crowded and most spots I fish I don't see another boat casting. If your looking at June dates you'll have the lake to yourself. If your looking for a trophy V is one lake that has consistantly pumped them out. Multiple fish days can be had if you hit it right and work hard. You can't go wrong with V... |
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| I forgot to mention that the DNR did their muskie assessment on the west end of V this spring, they saw about half as many muskies in their nets this spring compared to last years assessment of the east end, that could be weather related or maybe their are just fewer fish in west V. They had two special fish this year, one was the longest fish they ever recorded and the other was the heaviest. |
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| In my experience of taking trips to Big V 10 years in a row, the population of muskies on the West end is definitely smaller per acre compared to the East end. However, the fish on the West end are every bit as BIG as the fish on the East end. |
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Posts: 313
Location: Bemidji, Lake Vermilion | Its my understanding that muskie assessments in general are tough to do. I don't fish the East End so can't comment on that. But I fish the West End and the difference in assessments has a possibility of being linked to the amount of shallow weed cover available on the West End. With the early ice off, weeds are growing at an advanced pace, making the DNR's job much more difficult and the fish to be spread out much more. It surprises me not at all if the DNR got both their longest and heaviest fish ever on the lake from the West End. |
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Posts: 209
| big v - 5/25/2012 9:34 AM
They had two special fish this year, one was the longest fish they ever recorded and the other was the heaviest.
Any idea what the numbers were? Just curious. |
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Posts: 269
Location: brooklyn park mn | Thanks for all the info guys. I love vermillion and have some great memories up there but am leaning towards leech somewhat. Wallker bay area out of kabekona bay. Figure a week of pounding water there should be fun . Heard there is lots of good spotsf to fish in that area. Any ideas on where to start in that area? Thought about doing some trolling in walker bay over humps or casting some, and looking for weeds in agency bay/narrows to start. May have to hire guide if I can come up with the cash like mentioned above. any ideas to shorten the learning curve? Also what is the best map to buy for detail so I don't run into anything?
Edited by muskyjim123 5/29/2012 4:21 AM
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Posts: 476
| Best Map is lakemaster, don't waste your money on anything else. |
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Posts: 12
| "hopefully the LSC buzz will get the crowds there."
Shhhhhh. Come on now. Why wish bad things onto others  |
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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | muskyjim123 - 5/29/2012 4:18 AM
May have to hire guide if I can come up with the cash like mentioned above. any ideas to shorten the learning curve? Also what is the best map to buy for detail so I don't run into anything?
A buddy and I have a Houseboat slip in Walker Bay. I would hire Murph for a day. When we started going up we hired Murph and learned a ton. Leech is huge and although there are Muskies everywhere they may be only going in one section of the lake consistantly at that time and hiring Murph the first or second day will help you key in on where the fish are going best at that time.
I use a Lakemaster chip and it does good. The only time you really have to worry is fishing around Pelican, the bigger reefs are marked but be careful anywhere near the island itself. |
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