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Posts: 3
| Has anyone been to Vermilion lately? Leaving sunday for 5 nights at the casino. Any help is appreciated as its my first trip there. |
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Posts: 2271
Location: Chisholm, MN | All I can say is cover lots of water |
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Posts: 1516
| Play the red and even at the Roulette and always stay with 13 or over at Blackjack. I hope this helps . |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Bring lots of beer, a good camera to capture loons/sunsets/deer on shore, and a prayer book
....oh. And play the 6/8 in craps
Edited by Musky Brian 7/20/2018 4:22 PM
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Posts: 2004
| Kirby Budrow - 7/20/2018 2:52 PM
All I can say is cover lots of water
Haha! And if it's calm and flat, don't prowl an east end reef to get a snagged lure and discover 2 biguns just sunning you just casted a suick and then said bucktail over at moonrise.
I've been fishing muskies some and have seen more muskies in 2 ft of water following bass sized spinnerbaits than I have while actually fishing muskies. That said, I have not fished muskies hard, except for half a day in the narrows. I have been mainly trying to figure out the smallmouth bite since I have family here tomorrow. |
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Posts: 3
| Well that's sort of depressing. |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Minnesota. | I just came back after 3 wks on the lake. It's getting going but it's been rough.... |
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Posts: 3
| Any big ones or what do you mean by rough as far as seeing and catching. People have different standards. |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | Rough as in 1-2 bits a day if you know all the spots and are pretty good. Also, no follows in between. |
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Posts: 2271
Location: Chisholm, MN | jhein023 - 7/20/2018 10:02 PM
Well that's sort of depressing.
Vermilion gets hyped up like it’s good but really it’s one of the toughest lakes around. Yes, there are big ones but they rarely bite. Typically, people come up here very excited but go home in disappointment. Some weeks the turn on and you might get lucky, but that’s not the norm for vermilion. |
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Posts: 155
| Vermilion has been tough. I am skipping the next trip I had planned, and going to Lake of the Woods. |
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Posts: 47
| We were able to stick 3 this week. Temps around 73 this morning.
All i can say is burn blades as fast as you can. |
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Posts: 90
| Kirby Budrow - 7/21/2018 7:15 AM
jhein023 - 7/20/2018 10:02 PM
Well that's sort of depressing.
Vermilion gets hyped up like it’s good but really it’s one of the toughest lakes around. Yes, there are big ones but they rarely bite. Typically, people come up here very excited but go home in disappointment. Some weeks the turn on and you might get lucky, but that’s not the norm for vermilion.
This^^^.
It’s a scenic lake and we enjoy fishing it. Always plenty of pike and bass to catch though. |
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Posts: 441
| Kirby is right. It's one, tough lake! If you see two or three fish, your having a good day! The fishing pressure sucks! I've been fishing muskies on this lake, for ten years. I fish them 40 to 50 hours a week. The last couple of years, it's been tougher and tougher. Seeing a fish over 50 is getting harder and harder, every year, let alone catching one. Most fish are averaging around 40 inches. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | I feel Namekagon is another one that gets hyped, but in actuality is very hard. If I see 2 or 3 fish in one outing on Namekagon, I am extremely excited. |
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Posts: 3136
| Vermilion,,"Minnesota s best kept muskie secret"
Remember those ads in every issue of musky hunter,Esox angler, and muskie magazine in the mid 2000s
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Posts: 37
Location: MN | Agreed....It has been tougher and tougher to get numbers there.... 4 years ago I had 16 fish over 40" and the numbers have cut in half every year since even with fishing more and more hours.... Seems like timing is everything there....I go up for a week and see 2 fish for the first three days and then saw 11 fish on the 4th day....I think the lake still has good numbers but the pressure and decreased stocking years ago is apparent now.... I've been booking with aguide each trip to help sort it out there a little.... |
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Posts: 859
Location: MN | I heard two of the top guides in MN talk about vermillion they said they average 1 fish a day. These are two of the most well regarded guides in MN and they average 1 a day. |
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Posts: 151
Location: IL | Wow I can't believe all the negativity on this post.. what a joke. Don't listen to theese debbie downers. Go out and catch a giant!! Good luck and have fun! That's what it's all about!
Edited by scot 7/26/2018 6:03 AM
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Location: Minneconia | If something that is negative is also true, why get upset about it? Would you rather people lie about the state of muskies in V? |
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Posts: 151
Location: IL | Maybe because this gentleman spent alot of time, money and effort planning for his 5 day trip to vermillion. Why ruin his trip before it even started with all these negative comments? He even said himself "oh well that's depressing". That sucks, he should be stoked and excited to go fish a lake that has fish of such size. |
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Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | happy hooker - 7/25/2018 4:48 PM
Vermilion,,"Minnesota s best kept muskie secret"
Remember those ads in every issue of musky hunter,Esox angler, and muskie magazine in the mid 2000s
Yes...those ads brought me and hundreds of others from multiple states away. I heard the real party was up until the late 90’s.
The place was just exploited to submission. Way too many tournaments, and way too many nomadic guides....most of which have now long since moved on to the next great frontier |
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Posts: 1663
| The thing I love about fishing forums. You can never tell who is lying to protect their favorite lake from the guys telling the truth.
Book your trip, go fish, have fun. Enjoy the sights and the area, if you stick a pig or 3 be happy. |
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Posts: 2271
Location: Chisholm, MN | The reason for the bad attitudes is because it's true. The fishing has gone waaaay down hill. Yes you can still catch fish but it's tough. When you cut the stocking by 80%, you can expect 80% less fish. Simple. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I've fished Vermilion for about 20 years and can honestly say that the catch rates are no where near what they used to be... 2or3 fish days were the norm. nice fish too.
then the nomad guides and crowds came and the fish have adapted.... definitely an over fished and pressured system.
BUT, I still would not fish any other Lake except for a couple in Canada.
I live just south of Minneapolis and haven't fished the Cities more than 6 times in the last 15 years.... Talk about crowds, Sheesh...
To me Vermilion is more than just trying to boat a Muskie... it's about the overall experience and enjoyment I get out of exploring new areas and employing new and "older" tactics . It's about making new friends and enjoying the wildlife around the Lake. It's about sitting around the Campfire and chatting about things in Life and of course the fishing.
To me Vermilion is my recharging station and a place to clear my mind and find the Peace of God.
Boating a Muskie is just a bonus, the Cherry on the Cake.
Fishing for Muskie on Vermilion may never be what it was, but it still is better than a lot of other places.
G-Rome
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Posts: 2004
| Put down your muskie pole and grab a mh bass stick and flip some 4 inch tubes to rocky shorelines and you'll have fun.
I've been here a week, admittedly barely fishing muskies, maybe 8 hours since family doesn't want to. 2 guides told me it was tough this year, and it's always a tough lake to crack. I've seen muskies cruising or laying shallow, but don't have the time to chase them.
If you come, my limited success in the past has been from extending spots. Not from just casting cans. |
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Posts: 17
Location: Florida | Heading to Vermilion the last two weeks of September. I have 11 fishing days minus any bad weather days. Maybe I should cancel?  I was there for about 7 days last year and didn't have the knowledge or lures to really target muskie, but had a follow up to the boat on small bulldog. The fish started to charge the figure 8 but somehow I balled the tail around the hooks and the fish slowly swam off. It was enough to get by heart pumping and think about going after them a little harder this year. I only spent about 6 hours total throwing anything specifically for muskie last year. I'm not going to let this post discourage me but it is true there is a cycle for many lakes / sought after species. The fishing is fantastic, then everyone talks about it, articles are written, TV shows highlight it, everyone goes there, the fish take a hit / become pressured, the fishing slows..
The smallmouth fishing was fantastic however. Good thing I love the smallies. I hope to catch a larger pike this year as well. I'll probably fish muskie early and late, smallies or pike during the day. Maybe a little walleye if I feel lazy. C&R on everything always for me. Can't wait to get back out there.
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Posts: 140
Location: Scandia MN | A wise man once said you're entitled tor your own opinion but not your own facts. Here's a fact - Vermilion is the highest pressured lake in Minnesota and maybe the planet - it has plenty of fish and arguably the biggest you're ever likely to encounter. My wife's family has a very nice place on Big Bay and I've spent exactly 4 days there all year. If you're after a giant and don't care how long that takes it's as good a bet as there is - if you want to catch a few see some more and rack up some numbers not so much. Beautiful lake with much to recommend it but truth be told even the best of them always struggle. Go and enjoy yourself but DON'T expect to do much catching - GOOD LUCK |
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Location: Chisholm, MN | tarpon6 - 7/26/2018 1:47 PM
Heading to Vermilion the last two weeks of September. I have 11 fishing days minus any bad weather days. Maybe I should cancel? I was there for about 7 days last year and didn't have the knowledge or lures to really target muskie, but had a follow up to the boat on small bulldog. The fish started to charge the figure 8 but somehow I balled the tail around the hooks and the fish slowly swam off. It was enough to get by heart pumping and think about going after them a little harder this year. I only spent about 6 hours total throwing anything specifically for muskie last year. I'm not going to let this post discourage me but it is true there is a cycle for many lakes / sought after species. The fishing is fantastic, then everyone talks about it, articles are written, TV shows highlight it, everyone goes there, the fish take a hit / become pressured, the fishing slows..
The smallmouth fishing was fantastic however. Good thing I love the smallies. I hope to catch a larger pike this year as well. I'll probably fish muskie early and late, smallies or pike during the day. Maybe a little walleye if I feel lazy. C&R on everything always for me. Can't wait to get back out there.
I would never tell you to cancel because you never know how the fishing will be, but the last two weeks of September are not ideal either. Cold fronts typically hit and turnover is looming. September has turned into the second toughest month of the year, behind October. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I’ve always struggled to understand the fascination with the place. I thought it kinda sucked 12 years ago, yet alone now. I truly think a ton of average-Joe’s get suckered in through word of mouth or legend. Musky fishing in MN is by no means easy anymore, but there’s just much better options to not only catch fish but also still get big ones.
Apologies in advance to offended guy from Chicago
Edited by Musky Brian 7/26/2018 3:33 PM
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