
Originally Posted by
nonamesleft47
Great pictures and notes. Those pictures of you guys in 3rd bay made me homesick! We were there for 8 days in September last year. It's not a trip for the faint of heart. Year before last we had 75 degree 100 fish days, last year it was 60 some days, 40 others. We lost 2 days to the weather (wind) and the highest fish day was 40. The 8 hours we spent wet and stranded a mile from American Point was fun too...
The saving grace last year was the huge walleyes we found in Swamp hanging above the weed bed. They were eating huge perch colored swim baits. My biggest was 11 pounds! I was used to catching the small 1-2 pounders off the reefs, those big fish are a different animal all together. Even had one jump out of the water and hit the side of the canoe when I pulled the swim bait out of the water.
Skipjack-In August leave the topwaters at home. We use mostly jigs and carolina rigged sweet beavers, crawfish type lures. A weighted rapala, teeny craw works good too. For walleye we slow troll spinner rigs and eary dearys tipped with crawlers or right at dark on the cliffs that get dark fastest. For smallies fish 20-30 feet of water over rocks. I do well drop shotting either livebait or artificials, it keeps you from getting hung up as much. You have to watch the conditions, year before last their favorite bait was black gulp 3" curly tails (don't leave home without them). Last year they were eating minnows more so the best thing was the 3" gulp minnows either on a jighead or my favorite is a double rig, two 4 pound smallies at the same time is FUN. Are you leaving out of Ely or Gunflint trail? If it's Gunflint PM me, I'll give you some spots to try. For pike look for largemouth type terrain, weedy spots, beaver lodges (you'll always catch at least one pike off a beaver lodge) and down trees. Year before last they were eating buzz baits early, then big swim baits and spinners in 10-15 feet of water. Last year it was flukes worked slow through the weeds. My biggest fish have come from Swamp and Zepher lake. Good luck!