Balsam Lake Fishing

Hi folks - new member here and want to say there is great info on here so thanks for sharing. I am quite new to fishing with having only taken it seriously this past year. My friend and I are heading up to Balsam Lake this weekend and will be launching out of Rosedale Marina. The plan is to target Pike and Walleye. With weather not looking the greatest, I want to be as best prepared with regards to both my gear and potential locations to fish.

After having done a ton of research on fishing pike and walleye in the Kawarthas. For Pike I plan on fishing Shallow Jerkbaits (Firetiger and Whites), Daredevil/Silver Minnow Spoons (Chrome), Blue Fox #5 inline spinners and white and black/red spinner baits. I will be using 30lb braid with steel leader on medium heavy rod.

For walleye white 3" grubs/# paddle tails on 1/4 oz Moon Eye Jigs.I will be using 15lb braid with flouro leader on medium rod.

Would the above setup be ok? Also, do you have any suggestions as to what spots on Balsam Lake would be good to start with..with weed growth..drop offs etc.? I know members spots are often are kept secret but just looking to get us started.

Thanks

Welcome to the addiction - the tug is the drug!

I don't fish Balsam but when on a lake I'm not familiar with trolling or drifting is a great method to cover ground and find structure and/or fish. Bottom bouncers and worm harnesses are worth considering (I prefer single hook spinners vs 2-3 hook harnesses, personally) as is drop-shotting on a drift.

Nasty forecast right now - as usual for May long weekend - good luck out there! I'm sure there will be quite a few boats out this weekend, despite the weather.

Welcome to the Fishing Forum. Take a look at a chart of Balsam lake. There are rocks that pop out right at the surface in some spots. These rocks are marked on the chart. As far as where to fish, head towards the islands, there is some of those hidden rocks out there so be careful. After you launch at Rosedale head north and you will see the islands. I only fish Balsam and Sturgeon and the fishing has been great. Last night we were out in the boat and caught many walleye. I was just about to post my report, and saw your post. This weekend the rough weather is good walleye weather. Good luck.

Thanks so much crappeeeman and Whynot. I have grabbed a trial of the Garmin Navionucs boating app but something tells me that a boat rental may not happen tomorrow with wind gusts now going up to 50/km and the amount of rain being called for. Its really too bad as we booked the accommodations, deposit down on boat rental. Does Balsam (or the area) have any shore spots that are any good? I'm looking now at some access points on North Bay on North Bay Dr as well as off of Portage rd. Anyone fished those spots?

Thanks once again for the tips guys..

I don't fish the north bay but if that is where you are staying you could launch your rental boat at the provincial park, or fish from shore in the park I think. Safety is always my number 1 priority around water. It is going to be a bad day tomorrow and the waves can get very big on Balsam. Rental boats are usually small, I am always on a big boat if there are big waves on a windy day. You will just have to wait I guess and see what the water looks like. Don't go out unless you can guarantee your return, a fish is not worth your life. Sorry I could not be more help. Stay safe.

I fished West bay and around Long Point about halfway down. Caught one oos smallie on a perch husky jerk. No Pickeral or Pike were seen.

Just got to the launch at 1pm when the skies opened up. Oh well still good to be out.

Hey folks IO thought I would follow up on what turned out to be a scary day.

My friend and I just returned from Balsam lake on Sunday and what a scary trip. With the cold front coming in we ended up only catching one SMB. It was a cloudy but calm morning with intermittant sunshine. Thsat being said with the forecast calling for rain we were prepared in our rainsuits. We were on North Bay and once we saw the clouds rolling in we decided to make our way home while the water was still calm. In about 20 minutes we were caught in the middle of the storm. So bad that we had to jump out the boat and dock it at strangers dock. With the boat full of water we knocked on her door and she was very kind to us handing us towels to dry off and a beer. Ironically enough we went to the same school as us and was 2 grades below us! 25 minutes later we made it back to the marina which was only a few minutes where we docked.


Thanks and hopefully a better trip next time

OMG! Balsam can be fierce. That's good you were paying attention to the weather. Never a bad idea to go to the closest shoreline and continue later when it's safe to do so. We have some great people up there, always willing to lend a hand or a towel. Good luck next time you go.