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| An old friend contacted me about going to Eagle Lake end of July. He and a couple buddies have fished there for walleye for ten years or so. It sounds like a good time and we will spend our time walleye fishing. Originally, was to be 4 guys, 2 boats. My buddy and I were going to try musky fishing one day. However, now 3 in one boat. I am thinking of hiring a guide for one day. Not cheap but I don't know if I will ever get back there. They do great on walleye, but is that an OK time to try for musky? |
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Posts: 7036
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Yes. 8s/9s and topwater over both rocks and weeds. |
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| Thanks for the suggestion. Hope they have a guide day available. Got to admit, after hearing about how many walleye they normally catch, looking forward to catching fish. But my friend has also talked about the big musky they see when walleye fishing. |
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Posts: 7036
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | If you have only a few days, yes, get a guide.
The walleye fishing on Eagle is crazy good, as is the muskies, but it's still fishing so ya gotta know where to target them. Lots of amazing LOOKING spots, not as many actually amazing spots. |
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Posts: 1385
Location: Brighton CO. | I've never been to Eagle, but late July on a big Lake should be fine for time for a muskie (hire a guide take your shot at a muskie) and besides that when you are not fishing muskies you'll catch all the Walleye, Smallmouth, and nice sized Northerns to make your summer. I think there's a night fishing ban on Eagle. You going to have a good time. |
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Posts: 209
Location: Downers Grove, IL | Great time of year to be on Eagle. Everything is in play at that time including blades of all sizes, topwater, rubber, and cranks (my favorite). Throw what you have the most confidence in and adjust from there. Getting a guide would be money well spent, especially for only one day to musky fish. Good luck! |
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| FishHateMe - 4/17/2024 10:55 AM
Great time of year to be on Eagle. Everything is in play at that time including blades of all sizes, topwater, rubber, and cranks (my favorite). Throw what you have the most confidence in and adjust from there. Getting a guide would be money well spent, especially for only one day to musky fish. Good luck!
Thanks for the suggestions. The cost of a guide seems like a lot but last year we had planned a moose hunt on the Yukon. That was an unguided hunt, since my brother in law is an Alaskan but just the outfitter cost was almost a thousand a day per hunter. Finally canceled because outfitter did not have a pilot as of Memorial Day. But comparing that cost to a guide on Eagle makes the cost seem pretty reasonable. |
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Posts: 612
Location: Michigan | I'd recommend Cal Ritchie for a muskie guide up there. He's a great guy to fish with and knows the lake like the back of his hand. For lures, I'd go with shumway flashers, 8/9s, and dabble with some bigger blades a little. Swimming dawgs and Poseidons are great and super easy to fish. Mag dawgs and regular medussas are great around rocks and humps. In-line topwater baits can be fished throughout the entire day, but really shine in evening time IMO. We've done really well locating fish during the day and then coming back on those fish in the evening with weagles, creepers, etc and catching them.
Where will you be staying on the lake? |
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| We will be staying at Temple Bay Lodge. My thought is to take a handful of lures, one rod, after making sure that I can get a guide. Guys I am going with are walleye fishermen and I don't want to take up a lot of space with gear on the way up and back.
Sometimes I think we forget how much space our big boxes, etc. take up. I have an 18' tiller boat and one day last year I looked at how much deck was taken up by gear for just me and one other guy. Not a lot of carpet showing. |
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Posts: 612
Location: Michigan | A rod similar to the St. Croix Big Nasty will suite you for just about any lure up there. Sometimes fewer lures is better as you're not second guessing yourself all the time. If I had to take only a handful of baits, I'd probably take a martian flasher, a black/smoke or black/nickel 8/9, a black/orange mag dawg, a walleye medussa, a walleye Triple D, an Orange Toxic Fat Bastard, and a black weagle. If you're not able to go with a guide, there are lots of places very close to Temple bay which you could hit on your own. You could walleye fish all day and then just hit a couple close spots for muskies after dinner time. The biggest fish we've ever caught on Eagle was in view of Temple Bay Lodge
Edited by jasonvkop 4/18/2024 10:01 AM
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| jasonvkop - 4/18/2024 10:00 AM
A rod similar to the St. Croix Big Nasty will suite you for just about any lure up there. Sometimes fewer lures is better as you're not second guessing yourself all the time. If I had to take only a handful of baits, I'd probably take a martian flasher, a black/smoke or black/nickel 8/9, a black/orange mag dawg, a walleye medussa, a walleye Triple D, an Orange Toxic Fat Bastard, and a black weagle. If you're not able to go with a guide, there are lots of places very close to Temple bay which you could hit on your own. You could walleye fish all day and then just hit a couple close spots for muskies after dinner time. The biggest fish we've ever caught on Eagle was in view of Temple Bay Lodge
Thanks for the suggestions. I bought a 9' Shield rod from Musky Shop last year, paired with a 400 Daiwa that I planned to just use for bucktails but it is very versatile and that is what I think I will take. And while I have a lot of baits, I don't tend to use a lot each day. Fat Bastard is my favorite top water, so that will go for sure. |
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Posts: 1385
Location: Brighton CO. | If you fish with guide (for your Muskies only) use his rig then you don't have to bring a muskie rig) On that note I have a friend who never uses his own tackle just the guides and he catches some big fish but shotty guides tackle has cost him too. If I'm fishing with a guide only I'll bring one rod and a flat case with a few lures and flat case with extra hooks, spit rings reel oil and some tools. So get a little of both worlds. |
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Posts: 209
Location: Downers Grove, IL | Good point on using a guide's gear, if you book one. Just let them know ahead of time and I'm sure most/all will accommodate, and save you packing gear. Cal Ritchie is as good as they get up there, but I do know he's booked all summer, barring any cancellation. I've fished with him many times and talked to him at one of the shows this winter. and he told me he was about full for the 2024 season back in January. I'd bet that Temple could take care of you though, with someone who knows what they're doing. |
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| FishHateMe - 4/18/2024 2:50 PM
Good point on using a guide's gear, if you book one. Just let them know ahead of time and I'm sure most/all will accommodate, and save you packing gear. Cal Ritchie is as good as they get up there, but I do know he's booked all summer, barring any cancellation. I've fished with him many times and talked to him at one of the shows this winter. and he told me he was about full for the 2024 season back in January. I'd bet that Temple could take care of you though, with someone who knows what they're doing.
Thanks. I have heard mixed reviews on guide tackle, so not sure about that. |
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| Just got back from our trip to Eagle Lake. Walleye fishing was amazing. Guys I went with have been going to same resort for 10 years and they have two couples who also go at the same time. The sharing of way points means a lot of marked spots to try and it paid off. I bought a St. Croix rod that was recommended for jigging, well worth the cost. Amazing sensitivity.
Decided to book a guide trip for the last day, using equipment from the lodge. More than a little surprised that the only left hand reel outfit was a Tranx 401 HG, on a 9' St. Croix Legend Tournament. Wind was howling, keeping some of the walleye guys off the lake. But guide decided to work wind blown reefs, rocks, etc. He had a big follow 10 minutes in, I boated a 45 after an hour. The trolling motor was blowing out of the water at that time. Messed up a figure 8 on a big fish pushing 50, had some lazy follows and finished the day with a 48.5 fish on the last spot we were going to hit before heading back. Got to watch her come off a rock finger guide and I had talked about. Looked like a lazy follow, but one quick flip of that big tail and she had the bucktail. Guide saw it all and said 'holy crap, she ate!'. Fun that he was almost as excited as me.
Wind was something else but was able to get into a rhythm. Guide never said anything about me being older, just asked if I fished, watched me snap a couple of casts in the wind and went to fishing. But, when we got back to lodge and I was carrying the rod back to office I heard him tell the dock guy "you hear about old man tough, that guy would kick your a**!". Got a chuckle out of that, small victory for us grey beards.
Wanted to thank those that encouraged me to get a guide. What a beautiful lake.
We stayed at Temple Bay Resort. Food was very good, service was great.
(While I fell in love with the lake, could not imagine being out there without GPS. Don't know if it was all the islands, or what, but only time I knew for sure which direction we were going was when we came back after evening fishing and the sun was setting.)
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Posts: 354
Location: Selkirk, Manitoba | Good stuff. Guide made the right choice for you to get you on some good fish - wind sucks for most things, but ducks, geese and big muskies it is your friend up on Shield waters for sure. |
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Posts: 1385
Location: Brighton CO. | North Of 8! Great story John, thanks for sharing, we like a good story of good things that happen out on the water and yes being in my 60's I like hearing stories of us older guy's who just keep going. Fishing a lot of time over the years in Wisconsin my dad's home state that's where we fished, then in 2003 we took a fall trip to Northern Minnesota up by my mom's family, we got lucky with the weather really smoked the fish with a good average size and some big one's too. The resort owner coudn't believe my dad out there doing so well at 71, my dad got his PB fish a few mouths before that in Canada. |
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