Walleye fishing on Eagle lake last week of July

[Coopers crew]

Our family will be at Cedar point lodge on Eagle lake the last week of July. Any advice on where we might locate the walleyes that time of year and some advice on what types/colors of lures and presentations.

[jigman 2003]

I am certain you will get better responses than mine, but here goes.

I fished Eagle with my Dad during the last week of July about 10 years ago. The fishing was the worst I have ever experienced. I could have stayed home and fished a lake about 10 minutes from here and caught far more walleyes. I was based on the north shore, near Vermillion Bay. We fished all the way down to the narrows leading towards Osborne Bay, and far into the West Arm. We fished early, we fished late, we fished in the middle of the day. We fished reefs, we fished weeds, we fished deep drops. I can say that I will NEVER return to this lake.

I hope that you get more positive replies than mine. I know that many people catch fish there, but those who have done well seem to be there in May or very early June. Good luck. Somebody give this guy some good news!

[joeM]

Our fishing party traditionally stays on Eagle Lake in the midle of July. I would think that walleye pattern would be close to what you will have at the end of July.

I pretty consistant pattern for us has been the weed bite. If you find a weedy point with a consistant wind blowing over it or onto it, don't be afarid to throw as shallow as a foot of water. Possible lures for you would be a floating rapala, #1 to #3 mepps spinner, #5 shad rap and a sinking rattle trap.

If you go armed with these lures and some jigs and spinner rigs for backtrolling.......you will catch fish.

My other words of advice would be to hire a guide the first or second day! Remember Eagle Lake is HUGE and thaat means there is a whole lot of water to explore, which is both good and bad. It's good if you want to find your own secreat honey hole, it's bad if you get overwhelmed by it's size and spend more time driving than fishing.

Good luck and have fun.......Joe

[gord]

Jigman....the good news is that if you spent your week fishing from Osbourne bay to the West Arm and didn't catch anything it is because a.)you spent all your time boat riding....that is a distance of at least 40 miles b.)you where more intent on site-seeing than catching fish c.)you where too cheap to hire a guide or at least seek out some direction from fellow guests or owner d.) you are a poor fisherman.

To the poster....Pat at Cedar Point will be able to help you out as to where to try. That time of year can be a transition time for the walleye as they can still be hanging off the edges of mud flats as well as off the typical summer pattern of mid lake humps. Don't be afraid to try both. Jig & minnow or my preference for mid summer would be to use a crawler, either on a jig or harness. Don't let Jigman worry you....fishing will be good, especially if you don't spend the week roaring all over the lake.

[jigman 2003]

Gord-we were covering water attempting to find some active fish. Thanks for the personal attack, however. Really adds to those quality American/Canadian relationships. We did not get to Osborne Bay, just the narrows which splits the lake into two sections. We fished from Vermillion Bay south mainly, but covered water in an attempt to actually catch a walleye.

I am wondering if perhaps you were the owner of the establishment at which we stayed? If so, I understand your abrasiveness. That Gordon gave us no advice (you know, ask the owner for some tips)on where to fish, was about as warm as a rabid pitbull, and tried to get us to go fish on another river system for walleyes (at an additional charge of course). We were not on the American Plan, so I suppose he felt that we had not paid enough for fishing advice. The other guests who stayed there were mainly musky fishing. One group was targeting walleyes. They too commented that at their home waters (Grand Rapids, MN) the walleye fishing was better.

Too cheap to hire a guide? Well, as an experienced and knowledgeable fisherman I have never had to hire a guide to find fish when I have a week to explore and spend time on the water. When fishing a lake for a only day, I certainly do so.

Wanting to sight see? No, I much prefer to motor five minutes and catch fish. We covered every reef, weed bed, wind swept point, flat,and steep drop we could find. Trolling, jigging, casting, live bait, artificials, you name it, we tried it. Bad week for fishing. Is that the lake's fault? Probably not. I do think all of the commercial fishing that goes on there has had a negative impact on the sport fishing.

Poor fisherman? Thanks again for your insults. I certainly await the day we meet on the water. I will say this: I have fished many drive-in lakes/river systems in Canada, as well as doing many fly-ins. NEVER have I had the poor quality of fishing as I had on Eagle. NEVER did it take me more than a day or two to pattern some fish. NEVER did I even consider hiring a guide (besides on Eagle).

I did not tell the poster not to fish there, I did indicate that I was certain he would get some positive postings on Eagle. Knowing that you are partial to the lake from previous posts I figured you'd chime in. I did not expect your insults, however. I have always been a proponent of Canadian fishing and Canadians.

I would appreciate it if in the future you chose to represent the opposite side of an argument without the personal attacks. You can disagree with a person without using insults. My experiences on Eagle were genuinely represented. I could have elaborated even more on the subject by relaying my friends and co-workers negative experiences there, but chose not to. Good luck fishing on Eagle this year. I will spend my time and American dollars on a much better quality Canadian fishing adventure.

[cooper]

Thanks for the info guys, thats great news, my favorite way to fish walleyes is to slowly drag crawler rigs along weed lines and structure breaks with my bowmount. I was on eagle about 15 years ago but it was stictly a musky trip, so I know my way around a little. I have a hot spots map and it looks like there is tons of structure within a short boat ride of camp. Any sugestions on blade color? I seem to remember the water being pretty clear.

Thanks again, Cooper

[gord]

Jigman.....nice job of reaming me out. Probably deserved most of that. You were a little vague on your geography and with more careful reading I would guess that you were no where near Osbourne Bay. Like I said the west arm to osbourne bay is probably 40,000 acres of lake, and to say you "fished" it (my mistake) is what got my goat. I accept your critisism of my response and the perceived personnal attack. I also accept that your experience is valid, but from the times I have fished on Eagle that was not the norm.

[gord]

red/orange or chartreuse are the two that have worked best for me.

[grt1]

I fish Eagle every spring on the opening weekend with a bunch of friends that come together for the fellowship rather than the great fishing. If we catch anything it's a bonus. that said the fishing is generally REALLY spotty, and slow.

I have fished it many times in early August and had good luck on the reefs getting walleye that sometimes go into the 5 to6 pound range.

I would agree with one of the previous responders, hire a guide, they are on the lake every day and know where the walleye go on a day to day basis.

Eagle Lake is a special lake, you never know what you'll hook into and the scenery is spectacular.

One of the nice things about Eagle Lake is that you can fish other lakes by going through the rapids to Violet Lake or up the creek to Delaney Lake ( the locals call it Clearwater) for eater size trout.

Enjoy your trip and remember it's all in the time you spend relaxing and removing the stress from your life, rather than the numbers of fish you put in the boat.

[Cooper]

Gord, What are the slot sizes for walleye and northern on Eagle?

thanks, Cooper

[gord]

cooper....slot sizes (rounded off to nearest number)....walleye 18-23 inches..........northern 27.5 to 36 inches.

[jigman 2003]

Interesting poll on the "General Discussion" forum at
www.in-depthangling.com regarding Eagle Lake. I hope it is okay to post another fishing website's URL here.

[jigman 2003]

Interesting poll on the "General Discussion" forum at
www.in-depthangling.com regarding Eagle Lake. I hope it is okay to post another fishing website's URL here.

[fishmaster]

Well I was not going to CHIME in on this one but I now have to throw my 2 cents in.
Jigman-You mention you covered all that area and did not catch fish and you mention of your knowledge of fishing, I will not dispute your knowledge but Eagle Lake is a BIG lake and if you have never fished it before you are not going to drop a line and catch fish. I have fished Eagle lake since 1976 both the North and South end, to me the fishing is different from end to the other, I think maybe hiring a guide for 1 or 2 days would have been a big help.
When I first started fishing the North end we hired a guide for a couple of days and it has helped for both areas to fish and technique.
Over the last few years we have tried differant things and different areas and it has paid off. Granted when I am there for the opener it is different fishing but it is differant every spring all depending on the weather.
As for any camp owner not giving you info I where to fish I find that hard to believe camp owners want you to catch fish cause they want you to come back there season is to short not to have guest in camp, empty cabins don't make them money to pay the bills.
I can't wait till opening day now Eagle lake offers such a wide variety of fish, like one post mention you never know what you will catch or when and where, you have to work them sometimes the advise you get will help but it is the advise you don't get that can really pay off, we have found that out.
Don't take me wrong I am not BASHING you here just wanted to point out that Eagle Lake is big and the fishing can be great and it can be poor no matter how good of a fisherman we may be.

[fishmaster]

Well I was not going to CHIME in on this one but I now have to throw my 2 cents in.
Jigman-You mention you covered all that area and did not catch fish and you mention of your knowledge of fishing, I will not dispute your knowledge but Eagle Lake is a BIG lake and if you have never fished it before you are not going to drop a line and catch fish. I have fished Eagle lake since 1976 both the North and South end, to me the fishing is different from end to the other, I think maybe hiring a guide for 1 or 2 days would have been a big help.
When I first started fishing the North end we hired a guide for a couple of days and it has helped for both areas to fish and technique.
Over the last few years we have tried differant things and different areas and it has paid off. Granted when I am there for the opener it is different fishing but it is differant every spring all depending on the weather.
As for any camp owner not giving you info I where to fish I find that hard to believe camp owners want you to catch fish cause they want you to come back there season is to short not to have guest in camp, empty cabins don't make them money to pay the bills.
I can't wait till opening day now Eagle lake offers such a wide variety of fish, like one post mention you never know what you will catch or when and where, you have to work them sometimes the advise you get will help but it is the advise you don't get that can really pay off, we have found that out.
Don't take me wrong I am not BASHING you here just wanted to point out that Eagle Lake is big and the fishing can be great and it can be poor no matter how good of a fisherman we may be.

[Cooper]

Fishmaster thanks for the input. I think any lake can be hit and miss, that's fishing. I know you said you're not there in July but any tips and advice you could offer on areas or techniques would be appreciated. I am hopeing to book Wayne (the guide from Cedar Point the first day there.


Thanks again, Cooper

[Cooper]

Fishmaster thanks for the input. I think any lake can be hit and miss, that's fishing. I know you said you're not there in July but any tips and advice you could offer on areas or techniques would be appreciated. I am hopeing to book Wayne (the guide from Cedar Point the first day there.


Thanks again, Cooper

[fishmaster]

Cooper
Good choice in booking a guide for at least a day think it will be money well spent. Just a little hint you might want to ask the owner to have the guide take you to at least a couple of good spots, guides to have a tendancy to experiment from time to time there selves.
Like it was said in one of the other posts jigs and spinner rigs tipped with crawler, minnow or leech.
We have found trolling Husky jerks work in some areas in the spring and from guys have told me that fish other parts of Ontario they work good for them also in late June and July.
As for colors the brighter colors seem to work most of the time the best but on some days dark colors work good also, you have to be up for trying different colors, also have found the power baits work well on the jigs.
Good Luck on your trip to Eagle I am sure things will work out for the best.

[fishmaster]

Cooper
Good choice in booking a guide for at least a day think it will be money well spent. Just a little hint you might want to ask the owner to have the guide take you to at least a couple of good spots, guides to have a tendancy to experiment from time to time there selves.
Like it was said in one of the other posts jigs and spinner rigs tipped with crawler, minnow or leech.
We have found trolling Husky jerks work in some areas in the spring and from guys have told me that fish other parts of Ontario they work good for them also in late June and July.
As for colors the brighter colors seem to work most of the time the best but on some days dark colors work good also, you have to be up for trying different colors, also have found the power baits work well on the jigs.
Good Luck on your trip to Eagle I am sure things will work out for the best.

[jigman unlogged]

Fishmaster-thanks for the tips. Yes, Eagle is quite large. However,compared to LOTW and Lac Seul, it is quite small. I caught fish at those lakes easily and without a guide. I have heard the fishing is quite different from end to end on Eagle. I did not fish the southern section, so I have no knowledge of the area.
I fished Ogoki Reservoir last year. It is about 37,000 acres. No Eagle to be sure, but still pretty good sized. Caught lots of fish there, it took all of a day to set up a pattern.
I do not dispute that there are fish to be caught on Eagle. I would dispute that the walleye fishing compares to Lac Seul, LOTW, or any of a few thousand fly-in lakes. I fished the English River about 10 years ago, drive in area, lots of locals fishing it. Caught plenty of 'eyes there too. If I were looking for great spring smallie fishing or a chance at a huge musky, Eagle would be towards the top of that list. For 'eyes, it's at the bottom. Just my opinion, not fact. Again, take a look at the poll over at In-depth Angling. Pleny agree with you, more agree with me.

[jigman unlogged]

Fishmaster-thanks for the tips. Yes, Eagle is quite large. However,compared to LOTW and Lac Seul, it is quite small. I caught fish at those lakes easily and without a guide. I have heard the fishing is quite different from end to end on Eagle. I did not fish the southern section, so I have no knowledge of the area.
I fished Ogoki Reservoir last year. It is about 37,000 acres. No Eagle to be sure, but still pretty good sized. Caught lots of fish there, it took all of a day to set up a pattern.
I do not dispute that there are fish to be caught on Eagle. I would dispute that the walleye fishing compares to Lac Seul, LOTW, or any of a few thousand fly-in lakes. I fished the English River about 10 years ago, drive in area, lots of locals fishing it. Caught plenty of 'eyes there too. If I were looking for great spring smallie fishing or a chance at a huge musky, Eagle would be towards the top of that list. For 'eyes, it's at the bottom. Just my opinion, not fact. Again, take a look at the poll over at In-depth Angling. Pleny agree with you, more agree with me.

[fishmaster]

Jigman
Yes I did check out the pole and every angler has there opinion on each lake.
Lakes here in Wisconsin you can catch walleye all day long but most of the time it is HIT?MISS.
As for Eagle back in the mid to late 70's when I first started fishing Eagle we would go for musky and would fish walleye for shore lunch first and it would take all of 15 minutes to have lunch in the bag and off to musky fishing we would go, I will mention that when we did this we would have a guide and this would be late June early July and the guides would know the spot and you would drop a minnow on a plain hook down and it was one after another.
Now for the 90's till now each year it seems as thought the fishing gets better and better on Eagle for all species and I think the slot size has a lot to do with it, who know what Eagle will bring in another 3-5 years, it may even become one of the top lakes in Ontario.
I can also remember back in the 70's musky fishing and everyone in our group thought the musky's in Eagle were born at 40", the first 4 or 5 years we never would see a musky under 40".
Time will only tell over the next few years where Eagle lake will go but my gut feeling is it will only be up, yea it may not be as good as Lac Seul or LOTW's, I have not fished either of these lakes but have heard good things and some bad but more good than bad about those waters, I have fished a few other lakes in Canada some way up when I was younger but back then it was like fishing in your bathtub full of fish.
I just hope I continue to make my trips to Canada for many years to come and hope to be adding another trip each year to Eagle soon as I get thos girls through college.
"WISHING I WAS FISHING"

[fishmaster]

Jigman
Yes I did check out the pole and every angler has there opinion on each lake.
Lakes here in Wisconsin you can catch walleye all day long but most of the time it is HIT?MISS.
As for Eagle back in the mid to late 70's when I first started fishing Eagle we would go for musky and would fish walleye for shore lunch first and it would take all of 15 minutes to have lunch in the bag and off to musky fishing we would go, I will mention that when we did this we would have a guide and this would be late June early July and the guides would know the spot and you would drop a minnow on a plain hook down and it was one after another.
Now for the 90's till now each year it seems as thought the fishing gets better and better on Eagle for all species and I think the slot size has a lot to do with it, who know what Eagle will bring in another 3-5 years, it may even become one of the top lakes in Ontario.
I can also remember back in the 70's musky fishing and everyone in our group thought the musky's in Eagle were born at 40", the first 4 or 5 years we never would see a musky under 40".
Time will only tell over the next few years where Eagle lake will go but my gut feeling is it will only be up, yea it may not be as good as Lac Seul or LOTW's, I have not fished either of these lakes but have heard good things and some bad but more good than bad about those waters, I have fished a few other lakes in Canada some way up when I was younger but back then it was like fishing in your bathtub full of fish.
I just hope I continue to make my trips to Canada for many years to come and hope to be adding another trip each year to Eagle soon as I get thos girls through college.
"WISHING I WAS FISHING"

[REB]

I fished Eagle in 2002 in mid June out of Waldhof Bay Lodge & had great fishing. Many big walleyes as well as other species. I'm going this year with my son & 2 grandsons the 2nd week of July out of Cedar Point Lodge. We expect great fishing again. I'll chum the waters for you.

[REB]

I fished Eagle in 2002 in mid June out of Waldhof Bay Lodge & had great fishing. Many big walleyes as well as other species. I'm going this year with my son & 2 grandsons the 2nd week of July out of Cedar Point Lodge. We expect great fishing again. I'll chum the waters for you.

[fishmaster]

Reb
I will try to leave you a couple of fish on that end after I get done cleaning them out in May!!!!