REPORT INCLUDED - Temagami - first trip on feb 22, Let's chat about structure, baits, etc.

[JustJiggin]

Fellow Fishermen,

I've been wanting to fish Temagami for a few years now, but haven't been able to make things work. Next month however, we managed to finally get a trip organized and we will be headed up for 2 days. A short trip, but better than nothing!

Staying in overnight huts, but bringing a snowmobile in case we feel like moving around a little.

Hoping to run into a lake trout and some walleye, but I'll be happy to catch the bottom of the ice as long as it bends the rod over. lol

Any advice from an experience Temagami angler on what structure or depths to target?

Tubes/swimbaits/spoons for trout, then the classics for walleye; rapalas, buckshots, spoons? I'm probably over thinking things. Get the dam bait in water, eh?

Thanks for the chatter

[moosehead033]

Were heading down the south arm Feb 15 to 19 and normally target walleye. Over the years we have done very well with just a Swedish pimple - yellow #2 with a lively minnow ..... note we replace the treble hook with the next size up. Small "glow" ultra minnow jigs come in second for us. Morning 6:30am to 8:30 am, Evening 4:30 to 7 pm - targeting walleye from 22 fow to 30 fow. Lakers roam through out the water column 30 fow to 90 fow, blue or white Swedish pimples. A snowmobile makes it very easy to move around getting. A good flasher is a must. Good luck and Cheers.

This post has been edited by moosehead033 on Jan 22, 2020 - 03:57 pm

[pjmcginty]

Trout: We've had awesome luck with smaller white tube jigs (2.5" max) and a rattling jig head. In as shallow as 25 to as deep as 90ft. As long as your near some fairly steep drop offs. Smaller ones seem to congregate close to the bottom, all the bigger trout i have caught have been marked mid-column or while jigging 10-20ft under the ice.

Walleye respond really well to rattlin' rapalas and rattlin' spoons. We catch them around 20 fow but the bite window has always been VERY tight for us. Sunset followed by an hour or more of walleye and then the ling quickly move in.

Don't dismiss the ling though, they are great eating as long as they are decent size. Just bring vinegar if you plan to harvest them, it reallly helps cut down on the stank slime.

[JustJiggin]

Awesome, thanks for the replies. We will be armed with flashers and plan to bring a sled so we can try to get onto of the walleye.

For the trout, will target areas where they could potentially hunt and corral some baitfish. Any guess on their diet? Ciscos?

Really looking forward to this. figures crossed the weather works well for us.

I will be posting a report whether it be feast or famine.

[chris.brock]

Good luck JJ,

what outfitter are you using?

[JustJiggin]

Staying on the ice with Great Spirit Lodge. So far things have been great. Really easy to deal with, speedy responses etc.

Now hoping the fish cooperate!

[jstrooms]

its an awesome lake. only fished it once with a buddy but we got lakers on vibratos and burbot on glow spoons and glow hyper rattles.

[JustJiggin]

Glow spoons eh? Everything i've read sounds like the burbot come in at dark?

"Come in," makes it seem like they will come shallower at night to feed I assume?

Good to know about the glow. Tipped with meat for burbot? Again, never caught one, but very intrigued.

Vinegar was mentioned above for cooking. any other cleaning or cooking tips? Breaded fillets?

Thanks everyone. This is great info.

Getting excited.

[ihuntcanada88]

I've always heard that burbot like a glow jig head with some bubble hash... contact your local pharmacist

[Team Rapo]

I fished temagami once with an operator, we had a slowww weekend of fishing. Decent operator was Macki @ blue haven. I moved around a ton on the sled and was finally rewarded with one lake trout got on a white tube. Best part was that I got the fish not 30’ from the ice road.

[JustJiggin]

Thats awesome! Close enough to order some Uber Eats if you're near the ice road.

Thanks for all the info. Pretty excited.

Last question: Lake trout activity...similar to walleye? low light? Or more active throughout the day in your experience guys?

[Blacky]

Thanks for starting this post. I too am heading to Temagami for the first time in March. All of the shared info has been greatly appreciated!

[Newburg007]

"Generally" speaking, .....Lakers/Trout are daytime/sight feeders. In the winter, they become active when day breaks; a buddy's father (born and raised fishing that area) used to say "no self-respecting Laker is awake before 9 o'clock"! After 3 pm, it was Ling time.

The old boys' setup would involve two lines. The first line would use a flasher and a jig/spoon. The second would be a drop-shot set up.

First rod: A Williams Wobbler (silver, ~3") with the treble removed was tied in-line. About 15-20" below would be "Russian Hook" (like a Slender Spoon, Slab Grabber, etc.) with a minnow hooked through the back and, importantly, a split shot fastened atop this spoon to make it drop without catching the line above (to the flasher Williams). That was the jigging rod.

Second rod: A simple hooked minnow about 12" below a split shot and suspended a few inches above the bottom.

The second rod had to be close. When Temagami Lakers hit, ....it's often like a freight train!

Good luck. Give us a report when home.

[hardwaterdood]

Fish up there every year and have since I was a kid. Going up on the 20th.

Lake trout are very active from first light til about 1030am. Seems to slow down til afternoon. The small guys seem to be right on bottom in 90+ feet of water. Work the water column, most larger trout I have caught are 40-60 fow. They can hit on the way down so keep an eye on your line if its just piling up in the hole.

I have had success on just a jig and a minnow. Trout are picky so you need to keep em somewhat fresh and big in size.

You can catch trout and walleye throughout the day in 40-50 fow, look for structure though. I use the williams spoons with the hooks thru the middle of them, jigheads and bucktails. Always tip with a minnow. Generally 20fow is pretty close to shore on Temagami, if you got a sled then go 20-30 for pickerel. I onow spots on the lake is close to 40 fow right at shore/rock cuts. Pickerel are most active after 3pm til dark.

The trout cruise, i mark them/catch them every morning in the main hut then around 930ish I walk out to shallower water and still catch em.

Temagami is a tough lake to fish but if you put in the time and effort it will reward you with some impressive fish. When the bite slows down its good to catch a buzz lol.

My 2nd line is usually a pickerel rig in a rod holder.

Hope this helps.

I always use Jiggernaut jigheads - best quality in my opinion. If you stop at Gramps, their gramps tackle in the blue packaging seems to be a custom order from Jiggernaut tackle.

[pjmcginty]

We are going up just before opener. I have had fantastic trout fishing on Temagami as well as walleye. First year we did ok with whitefish on the tip ups in 80-90fow. Obviously this year we will not be actively fishing for trout. So I am wondering.

I know the balance tip ups work for whitefish in deeper water. Has anyone had luck fishing for them in more shallow spots? (Ie your typical walleye haunts) or 30-40fow flats around structure?

I plan on fishing the hut during the day but early morning was hoping to go out shallow with a tip up and rod set for finesse with a spoon/jig/meegs setup. I’d love to catch some aggressive whities in the shallows.