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Posts: 198
| Couple of big ones caught there recently. Good article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
http://www.twincities.com/outdoors/ci_15699770?nclick_check=1 |
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Posts: 159
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Interesting---A couple short years ago everything was Mil Lacs/Leech.
Its almost like they both disappeared from the Musky radar. Certainly the trophy fish are still present in those lakes----What happened?
Did the hype just stop or did the big fish machine simply stop producing on those two lakes--Or perhaps the pressure turned everyone off.
Kind of like the Yogi Bera quote, "Its so crowded no one goes there anymore"
It would be great for the hard core guys to spread out rather than everyone crowding together on my favorite lake----Vermilion. |
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Everyone? Not hardly. Are you one of the 'hard core guys'?
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Posts: 159
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No--To be sure I am not a hard core guy right now, just a guy who has a cabin on Vermilion and likes to fish Musky everyday I am up there.
The observation is not meant to be factual---Just what I have observed personally on the Big V. fishing and talking with top guides on the lake.
It seems almost all the Musky boats really know what they are doing and spend a lot of time on the water---Not to mention its seems the good spots always have numerous boats waiting there turn to fish them.
I guess my post is just a personal desire to see the big crowds of serious fisherman back down to Mil Lacs and Leech to take some pressure off Vermilion.
Not to mention the recent publicity the huge Vermilion fish have recieved---It would be nice to hear of other lakes that have true trophy potential that are also producing so everyone is not chasing the same "hot bite"
If my post is off base---I apologize for that. |
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Just wanted you to offer a little more insight. There's been a little 'not on my lake' attitude lately that comes off badly at times, understandable to a point, but reality is what it is... big muskies draw muskie fishermen.
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Posts: 556
| Gotta go with whats HOT right now---Never been there before but have 2 trips planned beginning in 3 weeks and agin in Oct. Going with guys from the club who have never gone before either but we want to check it out---Been to Mille Lacs, and a few others in years past but you Look at the fish this lake is putting out and I have to admit--I Gotta try it!!! I know the resorts and other local business appreciate the business---I understand your point and maybe in a few more years another Hot lake will make it to the forefront and take some pressure off. But the talk about this lake has hit every musky club I know of and I would not expect the pressure to subside for some time. |
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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | The pond has not been so kind to me and the crew,,Fished the last 3 days, 4 boats, north/ south, day/night, rocks/weeds, wind/calm, high pressure/low pressure...Not a Muskie...oh well,,,Maybe later |
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Posts: 64
| The bottom line is that fisherman go where the fish are, the internet has made it a heck of a lot easier to get the word out, now we now just about the minute anything of any worth is caught, which draws the crowds. A good friend of mine started a website here in Colorado that is GREAT for people who want to see whats going on in areas they might not think to try, this stinks for people who take the time to find something off the beaten path, but that's life.... no one is entitled by any means to have "their" spots and get upset when people fish them, I don't have a cabin on a prime musky lake, but it comes with the territory. I would kill ( not really) for a place on Mille Lacs, vermillion, LOTW, or Leech. I just would be sure that when I was on the lake I would be to the prime spot before anyone and if I am not, so be it.... maybe next weekend......I believe that you just need to adapt to the fish and pressure, do what others aren't doing and maybe you will catch the big girls off guard. Just my two cents.... |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | what I find funny is that you hear about the big fish caught only,not about the guys that fish the lake all week long and not catch a fish.People get pumped up about big fish being caught,so they go to the lake and fish it,some catch and some don`t,it doesn`t take much to want to go back to a lake that you got skunked on.Seeing a big fish,missing a big fish,and knowing big fish are being caught can make your trip better,lots of water on all of these lakes mentioned,it`s not gonna be easy for everyone to put a muskie in the boat,or a 50+.the most important thing is to have a good time doing it,sometimes a good trip isn`t always about catching big fish,even though your gonna try like hell to get one.
Edited by CASTING55 8/8/2010 10:58 PM
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Posts: 264
| I think maybe the reason mille lacs is such a challenge this year IMO is because there the baitfish poplution is way up. Meaning the fish have easier meals and not as many need to chase our baits. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | yes there are big fish in both..good luck!
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2010 8:32 AM
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Posts: 198
| Not matter how good the muskie fishery is it's still muskie fishing and it can be tough. From what I've been hearing Vermilion has been slow the past week. There is a alot of tulibees and other forage out there so they don't have to eat artificials if they don't want to.
There was a small tournament this past Sat. 77 anglers. 5 muskies caught 40 inches or better. 50 1/2 the largest, rest in low 40's. One boat caught several. That's muskie fishing..... |
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | OK, Mr. Nelson, that's several times you have tried to dis Spring Bay's last report. The report said 40 muskies in camp in two weeks, and that is a fact. That's pretty darn good muskie angling for Vermilion, and quite a few of those fish came from the West side of the lake. The largest was Jake's 57". If that's a problem for you, I fail to see why. It's 'unfortunate' 40 fish were caught in two weeks? What were they supposed to report, everyone in camp who wasn't fishing muskies or didn't get one?
LOTW is alot further North, and is MUCH larger. The muskie angling on LOTW for truly big fish is in Canada and quite a ways up the lake for the most part, how about comparing Vermilion to other US waters?
Of course it's not going to be 'easy' to catch a fish there, Vermilion has a reputation of being fickle, but the chance for a true once in a lifetime fish is as good there as almost anywhere one can easily drive to, and Vermilion is one of the best trophy lakes in the US. I don't think too many anglers go to Vermilion thinking it will be easy; if they do they haven't been reading.
The fishing at the last MF outing was tough and so was the weather. We were seeing all sorts of big fish, but couldn't get them to go. I personally saw a couple in the 55" or better range, and missed one of them on a Top Raider. (still am moping about that one) I didn't feel a bit bad about not boating a muskie on the trip; I had a great week there last Fall and can't wait to get back up there in a couple weeks. Of course, part of the attraction is the camaraderie and superb service one experiences at that resort, and I will also be fishing (GASP!') Smallies, Walleyes, and giant gills.
Mille Lacs can be pretty fickle too. Tough fishing for the most part, but when they 'go' up there, it can be spectacular. Some folks are saying Mille Lacs has been the dead sea, yet some report good success.
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Location: Contrarian Island | Good luck w/ the outing .... |
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| I hate crowds as much as the next guy, but I will say, that just because someone finds out about a "hot bite" it doesnt mean they are going to catch anything. Way too many factors involved.
As others have said, this bite wont last forever and I think some people get overprotective about "their" lake.
I will have a chance to fish Vermillion for the first time in a couple weeks and I expect to land at least 10 fish in the upper 50 class. LOL
Right, if I see anything I will be happy. Just want a chance to check this lake out for the first time since I have never been on it. Will be interesting. |
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Thanks, Brad, I'm sure the Outing will be a blast, they always are. I hope the muskies are going, and am absolutely certain I'll see a few piggies and I'll never get more than 4 miles from camp. The trick is to do what Jake did.... |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I just got back from fishing the west side of Vermillion. We stayed at Life Of Riley's resort. It was a nice resort with lots to do and lots of Muskies nearby.
Life of Rileys resort was full of experienced Muskie fishermen the week before (July 24-31) and they caught only two mid 40 inch Muskies all week and only saw a few others. No Muskies were caught at the resort last week while I was there. The largest fish were some 30 inch class Pike caught by my daughter and I.
We actually stopped by a couple of other resorts on the west end to check them out and they all said the Muskie fishing had been slow. They were seeing fish, but not boating any. In fact, the only two Muskies I heard about being caught on Vermillion were the two the week before at Life of Rileys. We didn't stop by Spring Bay resort because it is right on the road and we would never consider staying there because of that. Maybe they had a pattern going and were catching a lot of fish while others were not, but it seems unlikely based on what I saw and what everyone else was saying. Based on everything I saw, 40 Muskies caught the last two weeks at one resort sounds like either remarkable success or a bit of an exageration.
As for me: I saw a lot of fish, had three mid to upper 40 inch Muskies on for a short time, and saw a couple of massive +55 inch fish. I found a lot of mid 40 inch fish in the weeds, but the truly large fish were all on the rocks and reefs. Saddles held a lot of fish as did the obvious mid-lake reefs.
Actually, I spent much more time with the wife and kids picking blue berries, fishing for sunnies and smallies, playing with the cats and puppies at the resort, and doing water sports than Muskie fishing. Thankfully there was much more to do than just Muskie fishing.
All in all it was a fun week, but I don't know if we'll be back any time soon. The Muskie population is good with some very large fish and the resort was a lot of fun. However, the Muskie fishing was no better than many of the lakes I normally fish. While I found the Muskies to be very easy to find and some were really big, they were tough to trigger and even tougher to catch.
If we do go back to Vermillion next year, it would be for all the other things at Life of Rileys resort. It would certainly not be for the Muskie fishing. It may sound dumb, but picking and eating the blue berries was actually more fun than the Muskie fishing. Best blue berries I ever had. And he kids loved the kittens and puppies. 
Good luck to you all.
Edited by Herb_b 8/9/2010 10:12 AM
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | couldn't agree more with your thoughts of the Musky Fishing Herb. Pretty simple to locate fish, big fish, but I personally have never seen big fish act the way they do on Vermilion. These fish see a lot of baits....and they act like it. There's some things that also go on there that I don't want to get into, but when it's easy to find shallow big muskies that aren't active...well, you get the hint 
Please don't take offense Esox, but I kinda chuckled when I read your post. That was me about 7-8 years ago, saw all the photos and gassed up my truck and did the drive. All I can say is don't expect it to be easy...I personally will not be back, that's way too far of a drive from Chicago for my tastes to not really enjoy the experience. Cook is less then 100 miles from the Canadian border....I'll choose to keep driving every time. All of a matter of opinion of course but I know I am far from alone in those thoughts
Edited by Musky Brian 8/9/2010 10:46 AM
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Location: Contrarian Island | that's kinda what my earlier post was getting at ...which I edited..I wasn't "dissing" Spring Bays reports...but it also left out some key details...so lets say there were 40 fish in camp over 14 or so days...how many guys were musky fishing in camp? that equates to less than 3 fish per day for the group... it's all relative ... ie , how many guys, how many fish...some guys expectations are just to go, have a good time, drink some beer, cast some lures and maybe catch a fish if their lucky in their week...some guys expect to put fish and more than one in the net every day... it all depends on what you expect.... some will be dissapointed...some will love it...hope they do turn on for your group and big ones are boated...there def are monsters in there....
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2010 11:19 AM
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Pipestone, Crow, Georgina Bay, Wabigoon, the St. Lawrence, Bay of Green Bay, Sault Ste Marie, heck...even Eagle at times..or any number of other trophy muskie destinations...the fishing can be very tough there, too. But when they turn on....Vermilion is a trophy destination, and has been for years. It hasn't been 'easy' since the days BenR spoke about. A good portion of the enjoyment is the fact that when one hits, it very well could be THE ONE...and the fact the folks at Spring Bay treat us like royalty.
Jake put a couple solid lifetime trophies in his net during the week before and the time Herb was up there, right? There are a couple others on the board over 50 out of camp during that same timeframe. And I understand a 58.5 was caught on vermilion in July. Just plain huge fish, and I'd expect those interested in catching monsters like that will fish Vermilion, and do so without expectation of putting a big girl in the net everyday.
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I am also of the opinion that vast amounts of ciscos have hurt the fishing on Mil Lacs the last 2 yrs.
conditioning also doesn't help put fish in the boat.... let's face it, pressured waters make it harder to boat fish, period..
By the way I was at Spring Bay fri and they did have over 40 muskies hit the net the 2 weeks before..... and as a side note, on fri,8-6 we saw 41 muskies in 16 hrs. of HARD fishing........ only 4 of those fish were active..... a 42" pike hit the net and a 49" muskie on sat. ............after I went home.
Bottom line is just because you go to vermilion doesn't mean your going to boat anything. Time on the water will educate you on where to fish, but most of the time the fish WILL turn away from your lure. Time on the water, my friends.
And yes, its all relative
Jerome |
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Posts: 159
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Good posts guys,
Reading this thread sure beats "Favre watch"
Am I missing something about how the serious Musky crowd has changed their attitude regarding Mil Lacs and Leech?
Or perhaps when the Big Fish Bite gets going on those two lakes people are more tight lipped about it? Maybe the answr is they still get fished hard and catch huge fish but I am just not hearing about it?
A number of years ago I wanted to fish Leech for a week and could not find a resort on the lake with a vacant cabin to rent---The same with Mil Lacs. Wasn't Mil Lacs on the cover of Musky Hunter Mag a couple years ago?
A couple summers ago shopping at Rollie and Hellens Musky Shop---Everyone in there was talking about the steady stream of 50 inchers Leech was producing---the guys at the counter were telling me I should get up there because the bite was on.
Is it just me or has all that died down somewhat in the last 3 or 4 years?
Thanks for posting the article in the paper Silver Scale---I was glad to hear about these trophy reports.
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | The people fishing out of Spring Park must have been putting in some serious hours to catch that many fish. I'm sure that if all I did was fish all day every day, I would have probably boated a few Muskies. But, that wasn't going to work for my wife and kids and I doubt my back would have taken it anyway.
It was fun and all, but I am certain that I could do much, much better on my normal lakes than on Vermillion. While I would probably have a better chance of catching a really big fish (+55) on Vermillion, my chances of catching just nice Muskies (+45) on many other lakes would most likely be much better.
That said, there is no chance that I would drive all the way to Vermillion just to fish.
About Leech: I think the main reason why one doesn't hear much about Leech is that while Leech has a good population of 50 to 52 inch Muskies, it has few Muskies over 53 inches. It is a great lake to catch a 51 incher, but a 54 or over is very unlikely. The fish simply don't get that big there.
About Mille Lacs: You aren't hearing much because there isn't much to hear. The high populations of perch and ciscos have made the Muskie fishing there very difficult. It should be better in a couple years when the perch and cisco populations retreat to more normal levels and could be tremendous if the perch and cisco populations decrease to less than normal levels. It is possible to catch big fish there now, but feeding windows are really small and you have to be in the right place at exactly the right time with the right lure worked precisely the right way. Get the idea?
Good luck all. |
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Posts: 221
Location: Detroint Lakes, MN |
Herb;
Guessing you don't fish Leech much.
JS |
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Location: Contrarian Island | some 52s, a few 53s and a 54 registered from Leech in the Frank Schneider weekend tourney over the last 5 yrs... must be some bigger ones than that...
Edited by BNelson 8/9/2010 2:07 PM
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Posts: 32884
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Sounds like Herb didn't fish Vermilion much either, but that was his choice and it sounds like he had a good family vacation. No reason to then be critical of Vermilion as a bad place to fish muskies and criticize those who actually DID put 'em in the net by accusing them of exaggerating. Just saying...
I can catch WAY more numbers of mid 40" class Muskies fishing hard for 6 days here in Rhinelander than on the Goon, Vermilion, or any other trophy destination I might select. The 'magic' for me is the absolute fact the next cast could connect me with a fish of a lifetime...and maybe even a record class fish. And the fact my phone won't ring, because I'll have it turned off. |
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Posts: 536
| herb, leech!! the fish just simply don't get that big there! you know you are talking the home of the leech lake strain, there is plenty of food for them, there is no reason why there isnt just as big of fish there as there could be anywhere! pretty much every big name musky guide on leech has caught fish of 56" caliber that I know of! |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | sworrall - 8/9/2010 2:26 PM
And the fact my phone won't ring, because I'll have it turned off.
I just might have to do the same,except on the 24th cause my family will be calling me wishing me a happy birthday |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | There are NO 55-59" muskies in Leech Lake, Ahhhh,.....ok herb what ever.
Home of the Leech Lake strain, isn't it? or am I missing something here? |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I fished Vermillion about six hours a day last week. I'm sure its not nearly as much as most of the Spring Bay resort people. I know the large group of Muskie fishermen who were at Life of Riley resort the week before fished a whole more than I did. Those guys were fishing hard all week and only caught two Muskies. One of those guys caught a 56 there last year so its not like they were beginners either.
About Leech:
Our cabin is just 30 miles away from Leech. I have fished Leech and have never seen a mid-50 inch Muskie there. It just seems the numbers of very large fish on Leech is rather low compared to other lakes I fish. I've seen a lot of low 50 inchers there, but none larger than that.
But I don't base my opinion on just my own experience. I have talked to a number of fishermen who have logged many hours on Leech and have never seen a mid-50 inch class Muskie there either. I can't remember his name, but one of those guys spoke at a North Metro Muskies, Inc meeting a couple of years ago. At that time he had caught a very high number of 50 to 52 inch Muskies on Leech, but said he never saw one much larger there. Someone might know who he is. He used to be on a fishing show of some sort and lived in Walker. Younger guy, Maybe 30 or so? He seemed very bright and talented.
You guys are probably right and maybe I shouldn't give up on Leech.
To me seeing is believing. There are really big fish on Vermillion and it is possible to catch them. That I believe. But are my chances of being successful better there than the lakes I normally fish? That I don't believe because I just can't put in the time required to be successful there. It seems one either has to get really lucky on Vermillion or put in a lot of time to find the fish and then get after them again and again and again and again....
I hope that all makes more sense.
Edited by Herb_b 8/9/2010 4:15 PM
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