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Hello everyone, The Walleye action has been better this week. Jigs and minnows have replaced the lindy rigs and crawlers in my boat. I have also started to catch some nice fish trolling out in the open basin areas of Big bay. The water temps have been in the low 70's and with the cooler temps on the way, surface temps should be on the "fall" to the downside of 70 degrees. Cooler water temps should start to send the walleyes into their fall patterns. That can put them into some very predictable fall locations. The Muskie action has been pretty good for me this week. No monsters in the boat however plenty of good action on upper 30's and mid 40's size fish. Bucktails, glittertails and gliders have been the most effective presentations for me and my clients this week. Mainlake islands and points have been active, especially the wind blown areas. Some big local news for all of us Muskies Inc members. The Star of the North chapter (Grand Rapids) defended it's 2009 title, by winning back to back Gill Hamm chapter challenges here on Lake Vermilion last week. The Smallmouth action has been steady with some moments of non-stop action mixed in from time to time. Cranks and soft plastic have been very effective and at times, the topwater action has been hot. Rocks, docks, points, wood, saddle areas and mainlake rocks structures, have all been producing fish at times. There has also been some good action along the deep reedlines early and late in the day. Have a great Holiday weekend everyone. The weather looks like it's going to be very nice from Saturday through Monday. I'm going to miss all of you after Labor day. It will seem pretty empty out there, but I'll try to get used to it. Have a great weekend and please remember to put some back. Ace <*)))>< P.O. Box 771 Tower, MN 55790 (218) 753-2612 aceguide@webtv.net http://www.AceGuideService.com |
 Date Submitted: August 30, 2010 Last week the big lake got lots of play with two muskie tournaments. Nearly 100 boats competed with about 30 fish caught between the two events. A local chapter from muskies Inc. had a remarkable event taking nearly half the fish. WOW!! Then last weekend reports of fish starting to eat again started to pour in. What triggers this is anyone's guess, but who cares the fish are eating again!! Blade baits worked the best and a combination of rocks/weeds held musky. Walleyes are getting hungry as well. Weeds are lying down ahead of schedule forcing perch out of their hiding spots, and they are heading for deep water. This window lasts about two weeks so get a lindy rig or crank bait in the water. The minnow bite usually kicks off around Labor Day so you can add some rainbows or chubs in to the mix. Bear hunters will be out as this comes to press. News of story crops such as acorns and hazelnuts will be an issue, but berries are kaput. Have a safe Weekend! 321S Hwy 53 Cook, MN 55723 (218) 666-6052 markrita@cpinternet.com www.lakevermiliontradingco.com |
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Sorry about being so tardy with this report but have been very busy the past couple of week with clients! The walleye bite has been very hot the past couple of weeks with limits and a few slot fish being caught almost every outing. The walleyes seem to be at almost all of my favorite summer spots and even at a few new discovered spots! Most of my fish are coming out of water that is 17' to 26' deep. with a few exceptions being caught in 8' to 12' depths and a few at 28' to 32' depths. Everything depends upon the spot being fished and the walleyes mood that day. Most of the fish are heavily relating to the edges of reefs and shoreline drop offs. I have been using a bait rig with a #4 hook, a pink or chartreuse bead, a 3/4 oz. sinker, and a 3' to 6' fluorocarbon leader exclusively. Good Fishing! Cliff 9401 Saint Odilia Beach Road Tower, MN 55790 (218) 753-2005 cwagenbach@live.com http://www.cliffsguideservice-lakevermilion.com |
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Esox Masquinongy has been cooperative for the most part, but as is always the case with muskies, a few slow days have been in the mix as well. I've been working a couple productive patterns for the last month and a slow day is quickly mitigated by some 2 and 3 muskie days. That's the part about chasing muskies that I love - When you amalgamate the right location, bait, tactic, and timing, you solve the puzzle. When a working pattern begins to dissipate, it's time to tweak the location/bait/tactic/timing variable to propagate another working pattern. Blades big and small have worked well. That being said, muskies become conditioned to baits quickly. When they have squadrons of double-10's buzzing by them each day, what does it take to get them to hit one? Some would say attrition. Cast, cast, cast and eventually your number is up, the fish get cranked up, and they hit. Obviously, the more casts you make and the more time you spend on the water, the better your odds of catching a fish, but work that bait just a tad differently than the rest, and you up your odds of triggering that muskie. Speed kills. Run that same bait by 'em faster than they're used to seeing it and sometimes they'll destroy it. The Northland BTS 10 is great for burning, as the blades spin tighter to the shaft than most double 10's, allowing a better ease of retrieve than some baits with blades that have a wider rotation. Subtle variations in the same style of bait will also turn the trick. It seems everyone on the lake is chucking big blades, and with good reason, they catch fish, but don't be afraid to downsize or (yikes) return to an old standby- the single bladed bucktail. The fish aren't seeing as many of these and the less obtrusive vibration can often be sweet music to their lateral lines. Weed edges deep and shallow are prime real estate during the light changes of dawn and dusk. Some rocks are holding muskies and some are pretty barren right now. Ledge rock, slabs, and boulders are holding fish as are the saddle areas between islands. Don't overlook deeper humps and sand bars that top off at 10 to 15 feet. Vermilion has several commodious basins with a liberal sprinkling of these big fish magnets. During the heat of the day, working the slop with short arm spinnerbaits is a productive tactic. A long rod with some backbone like the 8'6" St. Croix Legend Tournament Sling Blade helps in exploding that bait through the weeds. Slow rolling deep humps with a Northland Booty Call spinnerbait will also trigger some fish that aren't similarly affected by the mid day malaise of some shallow fish. This season has brought a lot of boatside hits on circles and 8's. With the greenish tint that parts of the lake are starting to see, a good pair of quality polarized glasses like my Costa Fathoms with amber or vermilion lenses is paramount. Bright and sunny to cloudy and flat, you can't hit 'em if you can't see 'em! With surface water temps running in the mid 70's, fish mortality is always a concern. Keep that muskie in the net in the water, extricate the hooks, take a quick pic if you must, and get her back in the water. Unfortunately, I've seen a few big floaters again recently. It's sad to see a big beautiful fish that didn't make it because of improper handling... Head out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather we're having. Catch a muskie and let it go... Let 'em all go. Have a fun and safe time on the water. Paul 218-348-3057 (cell) pauljpollock@yahoo.com http://www.pollockguideservice.com |
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As of yesterday, I'm transitioning from walleyes to muskies, though I'll continue to do some laker fishing as well. Walleyes have been a bit of an enigma all season; spots that hold fish one day are void of life the next and spots that were duds yesterday are today's hotspots. The best advice I can give is to remain fluid and amalgamate different tactics into your repertoire. Jigging soft to hard bottom transition areas has put some fish in the net. A Northland Fireball Jig tipped with a piece of crawler is always a good bet during the mayfly hatches. Bubblegum and orange/green colors have worked best. Pulling Northland Roach Rigs tipped with half a crawler or a small leech has also produced some fish. With some summer like weather to replace the frontal, post frontal whirlwind of June (I hope), look for the walleye bite to improve. The fish are on many of their summer locations such as reefs and mid lake humps, but don't overlook fishing very shallow areas in 3 to 10 feet of water. I've found that many walleyes (read bigger fish) like to go shallow in the wake of big mayfly hatches. I had a very enjoyable day of fishing for Let's Take A Kid Fishing Day. Abby and Hunter were a lot of fun to have in the boat even thought the fishing wasn't the greatest. They each boated a walleye with Hunter boating a nice 19.5 incher and Abby a 10 incher. Thanks to all the volunteers who donated their time to allow kids to experience a fun afternoon of fishing Lake Vermilion! The muskie fishing should continue to heat up as we move into July and more summer like conditions. A few fish have been boated recently including a couple dandies. Time and water temperature work hand in hand in determining when the muskie bite takes off. Year in and year out, I find that the big bite begins in July... Try fishing cabbage and coontail weedlines as well as in the slop. Any point and island areas adjacent to weedy bays can be good and don't overlook traditional midsummer structure such as reefs, points, and saddle areas. Topwaters, bucktails, spinners, and jerkbaits will all produce but I lean heavily toward topwater and bucktails/spinners during summer months. Try out Northland's new line of Booty Call Spinnerbaits, Boobie Trap Inline Spinners, and Stud Finder Swimbaits. They're sure to be a hit! Area trout waters have continued to produce lakers on flutter spoons and Buckshots. 30 to 80 feet of water has been best and as always, find baitfish and the lakers' preferred temperature zone, and you've put together a couple pieces of the puzzle. I recently enjoyed a great weekend of trout fishing with my friend Mick and his sons Nick and Matt. The fish cooperated and Mick's shore lunches were even better! The 4th is a couple days away and the forecast looks good. As such, boating traffic will be way up on V. Keep your eyes open and slow down. Have a fun and safe time on the water. Remember to keep a couple trout and walleye for the frying pan and let the rest go...Let all the muskies go. Paul 218-348-3057 (cell) pauljpollock@yahoo.com http://www.pollockguideservice.com |
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Rick, I got to tour the West End of the Lake Monday 4/26. Water temp's in Black Bay were reading 56 degrees. Water temps in Norweigan Bay were 51 degrees. Water clarity is very good! I've never seen either bay so clear. I found very little weed growth yet. A few lily pads were starting to emerge. I would estimate the lake levels on the West End to be 2-21/2 below average. I saw rocks and logs that I've never saw before! Hazard Bouys are in place. I would remind everyone to be careful navigating in unfamilar area's. Keep your fingers crossed for much needed moisture! Look forward to seeing everyone on the lake! bigjimsguideservice@peoplepc.com www.BigJimsGuideService.com |
