Lac Seul Muskie

[RMK]

Hi,
I will be fishing lac seul this coming week from june 21-25 at lac seul outposts in the northeast area of lac seul. Have fished the area many times for walleye, and have tried for muskies but with no success except for a 45" tiger caught up near the entrance to wapesi. Does anyone have any suggestions on areas to try or productive techniques for this time of year? Have only fished lac seul in late july/august. Thanks!

[trebleset]

How did you do? I will be fishing up in that area from 7/14/ - 7/24 and have been doing so for five years with similar results. Many good walleye and no muskies. I will be interested in how your adventure went and if you came across any skies.

Treb

[MLK]

Fished Lac Seul above Chamberlain Narrows for a week last Aug/Sept and did pretty good. Six muskies ranging in size from 38" to 52". Firetiger and Hot Orange seemed the best colors and fish were caught on everything from surface baits, to crankbaits, to spinnerbaits.

Only time I ever fished up there but would definitely go back.

Cheers and tight lines,

Musky Mike

[sweeney]

We fish sen bay area every year but always target walleye. I here alot about musky further north, has anyone have confidence for musky in and around sen? Thanks

[Lac Seul muskie guide]

This may be too late but just be persistent. Fish the nice cabbage areas but weed lines with steep banks to deep water are excellent feeding areas. Flooded saddles and bottle neck areas like the mouth of Wapesi. The run from chamberlain to Birch Narrows... (tornado alley is great for trolling) Good luck and I recently boated a true giant on the bottom end. I been guiding here for years and this is my fish of a lifetime. Bigger tahn you can imagine. The replica will be at the local sporting goods store in town next year. White bucktails for pike and hot orange and gold blades, dark maribou and sharp hooks! Use 65lb or better for sure, 100lb leaders... Anyone at any time can have the chance at a record up here. Do not make the mistake that others before you have and fish with light gear.
good luck and use this info for years to come.

[gary2242]

Hi Guys

A few weeks ago I left a message on the board in a discussion about Lac Seul’s Muskie Fishing. A few of the guys on the board were criticizing my enthusiasm about fishing on Lac Seul and saying they fish it all the time and never catch Muskie. I answered their messages with some Muskie tips explaining how I caught them and I guess their egos could not take it and, well you can imagine.

I am sorry I can’t find the original discussion. I also don’t know how to upload a picture to this message board so I put the news article up at my site. It’s about a guy catching two big Muskie only minutes apart. I am not using this as a defense or a promotio0n of Lac Seul. I think it’s important that people know that there are Muskie in Lac Seul and there are some big ones. Actually, in the summer of 2008 two 60-inches were caught and released on Lac Seul.

The best Muskie fishing lakes in Ontario are (random order) Eagle Lake, Dinorwic Lake, Wabigoon Lake, Canyon Lake, Lower Manitou Lake, Pipestone, Georgian Bay, Lake St. Clair, Pigeon Lake, Buckhorn lake and yes, Lac Seul.

Here is the report - http://www.musky.ca/lac-seul-muskie-report.htm

Gary

[J-Man]

Anyone that produces a list that does not include Lake of the Woods as one of the best muskie lakes in Ontario has got to be:

1) pushing an agenda of some sort and/or
2) absent minded and just plain forgot to add it to the list and/or
3) completely ignorant

Lake of the Woods is widely considered the best muskie lake in the world by many of the top muskie anglers in the US and Canada. With the combination of different types of water and the enormous amount of structure and area it covers. You could fish it for a lifetime and not get to know it all.

I'm willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt and assume that LOTW was a forgotten inclusion on the list.

[teddi]

there are muskie in lac seul but not in the west end east end only. i know this from 30 years of fishing lac seul on both ends and the middle.

[thatvoodoothatyoudo]

Hi Gary,
from the background photo, I think I know exactly where you were fishing! I have caught quite a few NICE pike in that area ( a large flat with downed timber and a rocky tongue running N/S bordering the east side of the main channel) . There are some nice patches of some cabbage out from the rocks that always seem to hold fish.
I'll be heading up there in late June this year, it may be too early for the big boys of fall.
I'd be interested in any advice you may have - I'm just up the road close to Spfld Ill.
best regards,
JBP jpatt1@uis.edu

[gary2242]

You guys might find this interesting. Muskie Inc. sent some guys to Lac Seul to check out the Muskie fishing and they fished and made a report on it in their magazine. An outfitter on Lac Seul has the report on his web site.

http://www.siouxfloatinglodges.com/muskie-fishing-canada.htm

Dear Mr. J-man. Thank you for your mature and constructive comments.

Back to reality, 99% of people that go on a fishing vacation only get 5 or 6 days of fishing. Lake Of The Woods is massive and it can take a month to get to know the lake and know where the hotspots are unless you hire a professional guide. Most people can't afford to pay a guide $200 per day or use $500 worth of gas driving around the lake trying to find hotspots so for practical reasons I left it off my list. Another factor is weather. That lake can get very dangerous very fast and if a weather system comes in, you will lose even more exploritory time.

There are massive size Muskie in LOTW and there are millions of them but LOTW has fallen out of favor by many Muskie hunters that traditionally went there. If you do go to a camp on LOTW, make sure a detailed map with all the hot spots is available by the outfitter. Some outfitters don't give out maps because it cuts into their guiding business. They are there to make a living and don't want to give out their secrets for free.

If you know the lake well, then it's an awesome Muskie lake but without that knowledge, it can be a very frustrating and disappointing. I am trying to help people and send them to a sure thing where it is much easier to catch Muskie.

Gary

[J-Man]

Hi Gary,

I'm trying hard not to take it personally or make it personal, but it would be really interesting to know what your experience is relating to muskie fishing and LOTW in general. I've been involved in my family's resort business on LOTW for 18 years. I have taken a special interest in muskies for about the last 5. I'm quite new to the muskie fishing game, but I can assure you that some of the things you have said about LOTW are completely inaccurate.

Your reasons for leaving off LOTW do not seem to be based on any direct knowledge of the area itself or what it takes to be successful when chasing the most wiley fresh water predator of them all; the might muskellunge.

Here are some thoughts on the reasons given to convince people that LOTW is not a good muskie option for them.

Yes, LOTW is huge. That is indisputable. But, it doesn't have to be scary. Available maps are great for navigation. GPS units with map software are really helpful. Your outfitter can help with any problem areas that need extra caution. You learn it by breaking it down into sections. Buy one map at a time and get out there. Sabaskong Bay is a lake. The NW Angle area is a lake, etc. Just like you can't see all of Disney World in a day or 4 days, you can't fish it all in a week. Besides, there is no reason to even need to try. Learn parts of it and then expand from there. Anyone with any experience on the water would be able to find their way around in a day or two. You don't have to go to the other end of the lake to catch fish on LOTW. Like you said, millions of muskies. People catch them by accident fishing for walleyes, bass and crappies all the time. It doesn't take a month to learn. WOW. That's just plain wrong.

One day with a good guide should leave you with enough information to use for a week a year for a few years or more if you are a sharp angler. It would be the best $200 you spend on your vacation, especially if you are new to the area. If you are burning $500 in gas, you're not really doing any fishing. You're just going for boat rides. Get your bait in the water. Most muskie anglers have electric trolling motors that use no gas. If the electric isn't down more than the outboard is run wide open, then you need to completely re-evaluate what you are doing. We have plenty of muskie fisherman that can arrive with a full 20-30 gallon gas tank, fish all week while filling up once and then heading home close to empty. It's LOTW, the fish are everywhere. Don't just ask for hotspots. Identify what structure the fish are using, then find more of it. A LOTW hydrographic lake map of just one section of the lake will give you a lifetime of spots to fish.

If your outfitter won't mark up map with some spots to try and areas to focus on, then find a new place to spend your money. Part of the deal is helping people get on fish. Some anglers are happy just finding out what structure, lures types and colours have been working. Those knew to the area are happy to have some spots marked and then use them to find other spots. We check with our guests to see how their trip is going. If we hear something new or different, we can pass it along. If you give 10 boats the same hot spots, they'll have to take turns fishing them. Nobody enjoys that kind of fishing. Structure and presentation is they key.

Weather can ruin a trip anywhere, anytime. We have marine radio weather, internet weather with radar and satellite TV with the weather network. Yes, it can sneak up on you, but most of the time you will get a warning that it's possibly on the way. Weather can turn muskies on and off on it's own. Real muskie anglers know this. It happens from Kentucky to Lac Seul and all points in between. LOTW muskies are no more or less affected by weather systems and changes. Yeah, 40 MPH winds make it a better idea to stay off the water, but that's true with any lake as well.

Yes, Lac Seul has been hot the last couple of years. I won't say anything negative about it or the other lakes on your "list" because I know next to nothing about any of them. Lake Vermilion in Minnesota has been running hot the last few years as well. But many of the people that go move to other lakes for awhile return to LOTW after a few years. The sheer numbers of muskies alone will always bring people to LOTW. Some of the best muskie fisherman in the muskie world fish LOTW all season long. They don't do it for money or publicity. They don't write about their success in magazine or film tv shows. They do it because they are muskie addicts and they want to be on the best water available. If LOTW is good enough for them, it's good enough for me and it should be good enough for anyone and everyone that wants to catch a muskie in Ontario.

LOTW cannot be left off a list of the best muskie waters in Ontario. It's a slap in the face to everyone trying to run a resort on LOTW to try and make people believe it should be avoided unless they have a month of fishing time and unlimited budget for gas. I truly believe you are doing a terrible disservice to anyone that takes what you have reported at face value.

Finally, there are no sure things in muskie fishing. Sir, with all due respect, only someone that has almost no clue about what muskie fishing is really all about would include "sure thing" and muskies in the same sentence. They don't call it the fish of 10,000 casts because they are easy to catch. If it was easy, more people would do it. Try to convince a walleye fisherman that you had a great day on the water after you tell them you caught 1 or 2 fish in 10-12 hours of fishing. Many of them will think you are completely nuts. Many of them would be right too. We are a bit nuts. That's what makes us muskie anglers unique animals.

The only thing you can count on in muskie fishing is that it's frustrating and disappointing for most people more often than not. Ask anyone who chases nothing but muskies. No matter where you may choose to do it, muskie fishing is a low percentage game in general. I know this first hand. I've learned a lot about muskie fishing on LOTW in the past few years, but I still don't get a chance to be on the water very much. I hated fishing for years before I caught muskie fever. I was more than happy to take care of the guests and facilitate their fishing. The only times I would be in the boats would be running them up to make sure everything was good before someone rented one. If I can figure out how to get around LOTW and find a few muskies, anyone can.

I know I'm biased and more than a little passionate about my home lake, but please don't use that as an excuse to dismiss my thoughts. I'm nothing if not fair minded and able to see things from another point of view. I hope I have not offended. That was not my intent at all.

Come and see us on LOTW sometime. I'll show you first hand that people can get around the lake without needing a month and gas budget more than a couple of hundred bucks. Of course, with my luck, Mother Nature would make her presence felt I'd look like a complete idiot. I don't mind the odds though. C'mon over.

[gary2242]

Hi J-Man

Fishing is my life!! I grew up on Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon and I could not count how many Muskie I have caught when I was young. I guided for various lodges in Northwestern Ontario for over 20 years. For the last 15 years I have been running my business, which is designing web sites and doing marketing for fishing and hunting lodges. I manage the web sites for close to 180 lodges and I have 10 new lodges waiting for me to make them a web site. I also have a large fishing and hunting network on the internet including 9 fishing sites. Yes, one of my web sites is a Musky site. I would love to start getting into tournaments but I work 100 hours per week and never have time to do as much fishing as I want to.

I am exposed to tons and tons of information and feedback from my lodge customers. With all that fishing info I am always learning new things but I never claim to know anything. My buddy lived on LOTW for 6 years and I have fished it many times. LOTW is already known by just about everybody in North America. I would like to get people aware of other great Musky lakes.

[J-Man]

I have no problem with people spreading the word about other great lakes in Ontario that have muskies in them. Canada has room for a lot more anglers to come and explore our lakes and rivers.

I believe that the reasons you mentioned for avoiding LOTW were grossly inaccurate. Do you have any clients with resorts on LOTW? I wonder how they would feel about the comments you have posted for the world to see. It would certainly leave a very sour after taste in my mouth.

I wish you well in your business (100 work weeks are nothing new to most lodge operators) and ask only that you don't mislead anglers with lame reasons to avoid LOTW. With the downturn in the economy, the boat traffic is down a bit so fishing pressure is somewhat less, making LOTW even more attractive again.

The simple fact is, for people coming from the midwestern states of the USA (or any other area that brings people within miles of LOTW on their way to other areas), there is really no need to drive further than LOTW to get world class muskie fishing without having to spend the kind of time and money you are describing in an earlier post. It deserves a mention, even if it's only in passing to confirm it's legendary status in the muskie world.

Thank you.