Another Boat Camping trip, More fishing - less hanging around site

[Drew]

Did a little camping trip for a couple nights, with some friends/family - three boats, 4 guys. Went up the lake, got a great campsite, and spent some time looking for lakers. Pretty slow start Friday, had to work for em. I managed 5 over the course of the day…a very small one, three under a couple pounds, and one decent keeper around 3.5. It drizzled/light rain on and off all day, saw the odd bit of brightness poking through on a hilltop here or there, but never did clear up, and it never really rained hard enough or long enough to get wet. Got enough for a dinner anyway.

[Drew]

Dinner

[Drew]

Next morning started off with thick fog over the lake, had to have another coffee and wait for it to clear up some…I’ve been out lost in a fog before - not fun. When we did finally head out, it was beautiful and quiet on the water. Got another 8 lakers in the boat this day, and lost another decent one at the surface while reaching for the net.

[Drew]

Found this one, just hammered it. This was our biggest of the trip. It was a very small average size this year…a lot of the fish we caught were the 1-1.5 lb range. Just a strong year class maybe?

[Drew]

It was so calm, I tried jigging a vibrato quite a bit Saturday…ended up with this..:has to be the smallest laker I’ve ever caught, anywhere.

[Drew]

Again, hard to wanna leave

[Drew]

Went for a visit at another campsite in the evening

[Drew]

Can I go back now? How about now?

[Drew]

Oh yeah, I stopped to fish another lake on my way home, as I had Sunday free, and was travelling right past anyway. Lakers weren’t cooperating or I wasn’t I the right spot, so I went in right near some boulders sitting in 21 feet of water, casting for smallies in toward shore. I glance at the fish finder and it’s marking a fish 15 feet blow, motor still idling. So I say what the heck, let’s get it - drop down my lure and tug tug…off…wow that felt decent…jig a coupe times…slam! Fight is on, and I look down into the clear water and see… a speckie!….nope, but it is a trout …net it… 2lb. laker? Wow.
Still can’t believe it was hanging around in 15 feet. There is very deep water a stones throw away, and I know they make quick foraging runs in shallow, but it was still completely unexpected. Makes me want to fish shallower more often, as any fish there would likely be aggressive, and feeding. I can’t image a person would be too successful fishing like that all the time, I think I just happened into that one by being at the right place/right time.

That fish sort of re-energized me, and I started trolling again -
in the next half hour landed 3 more lakers, all around 2lb.

[mykola]

Very nice. When we fish mid September towards the end of season, we often find them suspended in 25-30fow off the points of islands near big boulders and rocks. One year we anchored in 30 and just one after the other, like cookie cutter 2lbers.

[sparky302]

Looked like a great trip with some fish also nice report on the backlakes

[crappeeeman]

Thanks for the detailed, successful report. Great pictures as well. I actually like fishing in the fog at night close to shore in a boat, or off the dock. My glow stick on the bobber lights up the fog, and makes a dim light green dome of light. Then when a fish pulls it down everything turns pitch black, and the fight is on. It's really freaky.

[Fishquest]

Nice fish and a great trip for sure. Thanks for the report.

[mamona]

Wonderful report, truly enjoyed reading it

[Longshank]

Great report Drew and I wuld fingd it hard to leave such a beautifull location

I wish I could get more of that size lake trout where I fish up north..they used to be plentifull, but last 2-3 years have gotten quite a bigt bigger....fun to catch, but I really prefer the smaller ones for eats

we have talked many times on how and where to catch lakers, especially depths and for the past 10 years, I have found more lakers shallow than deep. As you said perhaps it's because they come up or on points to feed... In any case I suppose the message is to be flexible in where and how to fish for them


I'm heading back up next week and ca.t wait


thanks again for the report