Quinte Fishing

I am relatively new to the world of walleye fishing being from central Missouri and will be going on my second trip to Canada this summer. I will be fishing on Red Lake in Ontario about 250 miles north of the US border around the second week of June(5th thru 12th). We were successful last year in catching alot of 17"to 20" fish in and around 8' of water on Lindy rigs w/ crawlers and leeches; we did catch around 10 fish in the 21" to 27" range as well, but I think if we knew where and how to target big fish we could be more successful. I think the fish would be considered in the post spawn period to early summer period this far north.
Anyone w/ any ideas on different techniches please let me know.

Also I have recently heard of alot of big fish being caught during this time period by Open water trolling w/ crankbaits. I am interested in finding out more about this such as what depth of water to stay in, what to look for on sonar, basic rigging, etc.

thanks
Dan

Get a local guide that is equipped to handle open water....and if need be target in the big pond...Lk. Ont. Dark and potentially deep.....the fish are out there with many good reports from the locals.
Good luck
Don Stokes

Try this site,www.thenextbite.com/site/index.cfm site has excellent open water tactics. Good Luck.

Hello heaterrht. Red Lake and area. My old stompin grounds. A great walleye lake. This is the last stop on the Northwestern Ontario walleye trail in september of every year. Many 27 to 30 inch eye's taken in the fall. Pretty well all the walleye lakes in the area are very similar, however a completely different fishery in the spring and summer. I am new to open water trolling, however, have become very successful at it. When I was up on Lac Seul last spring (june 3 to 12) we released around 1500 eye's with the largest being 32 inches. My questimates were around 50 between 25 to 32 inches, most around 27/28 inches. Most of these big fish were taken on small jig/minnow combo in shallow water. When the sun was high/bright in the middle of the afternoon and sent them packin', open water trolling with small/bright crankbaits flatlining off planer boards 1 to 2.5mph turned the afternoon around. All the fish we boated trolling were 25" or better. We caught fish suspended over varying depths. Why? Walleyes are moving from their post spawn areas to summer spots. If you have an idea where they summer, troll between those spots. Don't be afraid to troll the deepest water, you will be surprised, as I was. Remember your baits are only running 5 to 20 feet below the surface (depending on what crank you choose). One boat from the US asked us if we were trolling for pike or musky. They couldn't believe we were catching eye's in the spring at 2.5 mph (I couldn't believe it myself)! Storm hot n tots/ CC shads/ rapala shad raps, work well up there. Pike can be a problem cutting line so we use 50lb test vanish fluorocarbon line with rapala knot as a leader ( I believe the wire leaders take something away, stick to thick fluorocarbon, you will have to re-tie often but won't lose your crankbait). Fish do not spook as easily up there because of water clarity (dark stained). Red Lake has some deep holes, do not be afraid to troll over them targeting suspended/moving fish. If you love the area but are looking for numbers of bigger eye's, try Lac Seul, Sioux Lookout area. Big water but lots of big fish! Fisherman complain about finding eaters! Hope some of this helps.

Set the hook first, ask questions later.

Hawg1,
You have just verified my suspicions. Last year we had great success shallow when it was overcast and windy, but as soon as the sun came out the bite stopped! We did try some crankbait trolling and my dad caught a couple of real nice eyes(25 and 27 our biggest of the trip). The bad part was that we weren't prepaired to do this. All we had for crankbaits were mainly husky jerks and a few old odds and ends. I've taken care of that situation by buying 25 shad raps, taildancers, and wally divers off of ebay!

I was just wondering what you thought about using a heavy braid like a 50 or 80lb power pro as a leader?

I've also been looking at a map and noticed that in the middle of Slate bay the water is 140'. Do you know of any reefs or structure towards the middle of this bay. Also if you know of any other areas where you've had good luck and wish to reveal them please let me know.

I agree with the earlier post about going deep, last year fishing in the Chapleau area of Ontario we were having a tough time staying on a shoal due to the wind that day where we were catching several smaller walleye on. We finally decided to put the feet up enjoy some lunch and sunshine and let the wind take us down the lake. We just kept feeding line out drifting along bouncing a jig and minnow along the bottom all of a sudden we started getting hit snad then started landing some nice size (24-29 inch) walleye right off th ebottom in 55 feet of water. I guess what you always read is correct, keep changing things up and don't be afraid to try something different if your tried and true method is not producing.

Pugsli

Guest,
I shy away from heavy braids! Experience from myself and others has taught me that covert stealth operation is key in any type of water clarity. The only thing I want those eye's to see is my bait, period. As far as areas of the lake goes, the 'world is your oyster', you will never know until you try!!!!!!! If you're fishing any lake, north of HWY 17 from Upsala to the Manitoba border and north all the way to the tree line, chances are going to have a great walleye trip, numbers wise. The difference between a great trip and a trip of a lifetime is the number of big fish you catch and release. The best chance for consistently landing big eye's in that region is Lac Seul and connecting lakes (Minnitaki, Abram, Pelican). This body of water is Canada's largest freshwater reservoir (3300 miles of shoreline) I've logged close to 30,000 miles on the eastern end of Lac Seul and maybe only know at the most, 15% of the whole lake. You can boat from Deception landing out of Sioux Lookout 110 miles to Ear falls. Big water!!!!!!!! That is why it is such a tremendous fishery, not only for walleye, but lunker 22" to 25"smallies, 44" to 48" pike and musky up to 60 inches not uncommon for this body of water. Try Northumbrian Lodge, Anderson's Lodge or Lac Seul Outposts in Sioux Lookout for that trip of a lifetime!!!!