Poached Pike Recipe

Without a doubt northern pike are a delectable table fare.  They are a voracious elongated torpedo that patrols the fresh waters of the North. Pike are fish-eaters and grow massive in  Wawang Lake. But for all their bravado, pike’s taste is very delicate — delicate enough to be appreciated when cooked simply in broth.

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
45 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour

Ingredients:

• Fillets from a 3-4 lb. pike
• 1 qt. fish fumet, stock or broth
• 1 cup white wine, such as Chardonnay or Riesling
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 t. cracked white pepper
• Chopped fronds from one bunch fennel
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced into half-moons
• Salt
• Lemon wedges to serve
• 1 T. finely chopped fennel fronds for garnish

Preparation:

In a long, shallow pan that will hold the fish fillets without crowding, pour in the wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce by half, then turn the heat down to medium.

Add the fish broth, salt, white pepper, onion and half the fennel and bring to a simmer. Do not boil it. If you have a thermometer look for a temperature between 170-180 degrees. Hold the broth at this temperature for 30 minutes. If it looks like this may not be enough broth to cover your fillets, add water.

A word on saltiness. Your broth should taste as salty as the sea. The fish will pick up this saltiness and may not need further seasoning later.

Add the lemon juice and the rest of the fennel, then add the fish. Turn the heat off and cover the pan. Let the fish steep for 15-20 minutes or until it flakes.

Slide the fish out of the pan gently — this is tricky, so be careful and take your time — and onto a platter. Pick off any old fennel fronds sticking to the meat. Garnish with the fresh fennel fronds (if desirable).

Serve with potatoes, the lemon wedges and, if you’d like, a little horseradish sauce or grainy mustard on the side. Steamed  vegetables is a perfect to accompany this dish.

41.5″ northern pike

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Video on Jumbo Walleye Fishing

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Monster Northern Pike – Tactics with Rap’s

 Trolling Tactics

When it comes to trolling  for Monster Northern Pike, the following lures are a must have for any fishing enthusiast.

While the Northern Pike can easily be caught from shore, or casting from a boat, there is another tactic most often ignored by the fishing enthusiast. Trolling for monster Northern Pike is one of the most proven methods for covering large bodies of water (the preference here at Wawang Lake) and increasing a fisherman’s chances of success.

Northern Pike are Active All Day Long

Because the Northern Pike are active throughout the day, it really is quite easy to tie into one of these lunkers. The trick is to make sure you have the proper drag setting, a wire leader and the right trolling lure. After that, it’s simply a matter of covering the right territory and waiting for that violent attack.

Northern Pike are notorious for quick strikes, long fights and deep dives. They are one of the most sought-after freshwater game fishes worldwide. Considered by many to be the freshwater’s version of a barracuda, these fish are determined fighters and voracious eaters. So, what are the best lures and trolling tactics to catch these fish?

Fishing up in our area was one of Lloyd’s favorite pass times. Dearly missed by all of us at Wawang Lake.

36″ northern pike

42″ northern pike

40″ northern pike

Rapala “Husky Jerk” Suspending Minnows

Rapala is world renowned for their full line of balsa minnows and is considered by many fishing enthusiasts as the pre-eminent lure designer. After all, they’ve been making balsa wood minnows since 1936. Their best lure for trolling is the Rapala “Husky Jerk” Suspending lure and it comes in a variety of colors from gold, silver, perch color, bass color and even clear.

These lures can be tolled at controlled depths of 4-8 feet below the surface. In addition, the lure includes a rattle chamber that increases the likelihood of a strike.

Rapala X-Rap XR10 Jerkbait

Much like the Rapala “Husky Jerk”, the X-Rap XR10 Jerkbait is a perfect trolling lure for Pike. In this case, it’s all about the X-Rap’s darting and cutting action through the water. When trolling this Rapala, make sure to vary speeds and add some extra motion. The lure is intended to suspend itself and dart once retrieved.

Rapala XRAP Magnums & Jointed Minnows

Both the XRAP Magnum and the Jointed Minnow offer Northern Pike enthusiasts the opportunity to go a little deeper than the two previously mentioned lures. In this case, depending upon the size, the lures can go as low as 30 feet down. However, most effective lures for Pike should stay around the 5-10 feet range, so be sure to purchase the appropriate size.

While many of these lures, including the Magnum and Jointed Minnow Rapalas, are considered saltwater lures, they are still extremely effective when trolling for Northern Pike in freshwater lakes. In addition, because Pike share so much of their territory with Walleye, it’s not uncommon to nail a trophy walleye as well. Either way, make sure to match the rod and line strength with the depth these lures will be fished at.

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PIKE FISHING TACKLE BOX – A MUST TO HAVE

From spoons to spinners to swimbaits, everything you’ll ever need to tackle mammoth northerns

No aspect of fishing has changed more over the past two decades than our understanding of pike. Indeed, if we had written about equipping ourselves for big northerns just 20 years ago, our ultimate tacklebox would have been small, the offerings skimpy and the techniques few. But as our knowledge of pike behaviour has expanded, so too has the range of tackle needed to catch these toothy critters—as the following roundup of the top lures and tactics reveals.

CRANKBAITS

When to fish ‘em
From midsummer until freeze-up, hard and soft crankbaits excel in open water, on deep flats and around main-lake rocky structures. The lipless versions are superb around reed- and weedlines.

Where and how
You can both troll and cast these lures, but don’t do either aimlessly. Concentrate on key transitions, edges, drop-offs, breaklines and specific bottom contours. The CS25 Suspending Super Spot and Lucky Craft LVR models are awesome vibrating, lipless casting lures. When you pause them for even a millisecond, a following pike only has the option of opening its mouth and eating it. These lures may look a tad small, but they fish big because you can retrieve them quickly and they won’t roll over.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Rapala Super Shad Rap,
• Lucky Craft LVR D-15,
• Cotton Cordell CS25 Suspending Super Spot,
• Storm Kickin’ Minnow (9-inch).

MINNOWBAITS/JERKBAITS

When to fish ‘em
Cast hard jerkbaits (Husky Jerk, X-Rap, Long A, Original Floater, Slender Pointer) when the water is cold, typically early in the spring and late fall in southern Canada, and all year long farther north. Or speed troll these lures in the summer when the pike have retreated to cooler, deeper water. Soft jerkbaits rigged Texas-style, meanwhile, are deadly when vegetation is moderately sparse with plenty of open pockets. My favourite time to fish soft jerks, though, is in the late fall wherever I find thinning cabbage weeds in deep water adjacent to main-lake rock structures.

Where and how
Hard jerkbaits are at their best in and around rock structure. In cold water, retrieve the lure as close to structure or cover as possible. Wind the bait down, jerk it three or four times and pause. The colder the water, the longer you should wait. Nick the tops of weeds, scrape rocks and tick logs and stumps. Pike usually strike when the lure suspends, rises slowly or starts the next series of jerks. You can also throw a hard jerk when there’s a few feet of water over the tops of deep weeds. When the northerns go deep in midsummer, troll hard jerkbaits around rocky main-lake points and over the tops of mid-lake humps. Contour trolling a big F18 Original Floater behind a three-way rig is a deadly hot-weather pattern.

Rig soft plastics (Houdini Shad, Berkley Saltwater Jerk Shad, YUM Dinger) weedless on a stout 5/0 to 7/0 offset hook without any additional weight and let them flutter toward bottom. Then hop, pop, twitch and pause the lure continually to imitate a dying baitfish. Along weed edges, swim the lure through the grass, deflecting it off any stalks you feel. When you’re fishing the corridor between deep weeds and the surface, let the lure fall to tick the top of the weeds, then pop it back to the surface.

SUGGESTIONS:

• F18 Rapala Original Floater, Rapala X-Rap 14, #14 Rapala Husky Jerk,
• Lucky Craft Pointer 128,
• Lucky Craft Slender Pointer 127,
• YUM Houdini Shad (9-inch),
• Berkley Saltwater Jerk Shad (5-inch),
• YUM Dinger (7-inch),
• Bomber Magnum Long A.

TOPWATERS

When to fish ‘em
Be careful if you have a bad heart. There’s nothing more exciting than  watching a huge pike crush a topwater lure. During the summer months,  the best times are early in the morning, late in the afternoon and when  it’s overcast.

Where and how
Deep weed edges, woody  shorelines and rocky main-lake structures are perfect locations for  topwaters. Instead of throwing a big, noisy buzzbait over a weedbed,  position your boat parallel to the weed edge so you can keep your lure  running over the prime pike zone. Do the same thing when you’re fishing  among fallen trees and logs. Remember, pike are ambush predators that  hide along the fringes of cover rather than burying themselves deep  inside it.

The biggest and loudest buzzbaits (in white, chartreuse, yellow and  orange) will attract the most attention. When the fish are aggressive,  add a stinger hook and a five-inch-long soft-plastic worm or grub, or a  pork chunk to seal the deal. But here’s the key: don’t react to the  explosion when a pike strikes. Keep your rod tip pointed up during the  retrieve and keep reeling rather than dropping the tip to set the hook.  When the fish are in a funk, however, scurry a Bull Ribbit or Hawg Frawg  in the same locations. The lighter bait forces you to slow down your  retrieve, but the frog will still kick up its heels. Only pause the frog  when you swim it over an opening in the weeds.

Many pike anglers  miss the best big-fish locations: isolated rock piles, underwater  points and shallow boulder-strewn shoals. They also think they can only  use topwater lures when conditions are calm. Actually, a slight chop is  better than a slick surface for walking a big Zara Spook, Skitter Walk  or Live Sammy. And a fast retrieve produces explosive strikes. When the  fish are less belligerent, or when the water is dirty, dingy or stained,  a prop bait such as the Boy Howdy, Splash-Tail or Skitter Prop  sputtering on the surface will cause a pike to become unglued. Prop  baits are also deadly when pike are resting beside isolated forms of  cover, such as a giant deadhead poking out of the water.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Cotton Cordell Boy Howdy,
• Rapala Skitter Prop,
• Lucky Craft  Splash-Tail,
• Mister Twister Top Prop,
• Stanley Bull Ribbit,
• Heddon Zara Spook,
• Rapala Skitter Walk,
• Lucky Craft Live Sammy,
• Mister Twister Hawg Frawg,
• Booyah Buzz.

SPINNERBAITS

When to fish ‘em
Spinnerbaits produce well from late spring until mid-autumn, when the  pike have set up along reed- and weedlines, and shorelines littered with  fallen trees and submerged wood.

Where and how
A  slightly larger than normal (3/4- to one-ounce) bass-style, willowleaf  spinnerbait tipped with a soft-plastic grub or worm is a marvellous tool  when retrieved quickly just under the surface. Don’t hop, pop or  manipulate it in any way; just keep it moving.

When the biggest  toothies turn off and won’t come to the surface, dredge them up with a  heavy 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-ounce Dick Pearson Grinder. Let it flutter down,  then slowly crank it back to the boat, keeping it within a foot of  bottom at all times. It works best in thick grass, but it can also be  awesome on main-lake rocky structures.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Booyah Blade Spinnerbait,
• Terminator Titanium Spinnerbait,
• Stanley Spinner,
• Dick Pearson Grinder

Join us for some OUTSTANDING Fishing on Wawang Lake

WAWANG LAKE RESORT

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UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT WALLEYE PATTERNS pt 2

Walleye in Wood and Brush:

In many lakes drowned wood and brush are the main dominate cover that walleyes rely on as a food source and shade from the sun. You will find scattered walleye around almost any type of submerged timber, stumps, logs, and trees that have eroded from shorelines. To increase your chances on finding a walleye hotspot of drowned wood and brush here’s a tip, deep water. The best wood is in or near deep water. A tree toppled off a steep river bank leading into deep water will hold more walleye than one laying in shallow water. Find a stump field flat next to an old river bed on a flowage and you’ll find a walleye magnet.

During early spring when the winter thaw occurs and high water floods rivers and flowages try shoreline brush and lay downs as this will harbor small baitfish and insects that walleyes feed on. As the water begins to drop walleye will move back to deeper water.

Drowned wood, lay downs and brush plies composed of fir, pine or maple and typically last for years. By contrast birch and poplar provide cover for two to three years before decomposing. Drowned wood is terrific cover. The more complex branches are below the surface the better fishing. More branches equal more cover for a game fish to ambush prey. Finding “good” drowned wood means finding walleye.

Finesse fishing in wood and brush requires fine wire weed less hooks (size 6-8) on a split shot rig, brush guard jigs from 1/8 to 3/8 oz., both tipped with live bait. These presentations will increase your hooking percentage and eliminate snags. When fishing deep water try a slip bobber rig. Don’t be afraid to drop your bait into the thickest tangle of brush and logs, the larger walleyes are usually found where the cover is densest, you may lose a few rigs in the process but the rewards are well worth it.

Suspended Walleyes:

Locating and catching suspended walleye can be a difficult task. Finding suspended walleyes requires the use of a graph or LCD (liquid crystal display) depth finder. Once fish are located you must present the bait or lure precisely at that depth. For Wawang Lake one of the easiest techniques to do this is a slip bobber rig set at the depth walleyes are found. If walleyes are a few feet from the bottom rather than lowering the bait try floating the bait up off the bottom using a slip sinker rig with a floating jig head or a float attached to the leader. You can also

catch walleyes off the bottom by jigging vertically with jigs, blade baits and tail spin jigs, just keep the line taut to feel the strikes.

On large bodies of water such as the main, deeper sections of Wawang Lake the most effective and popular presentation for suspended walleyes is trolling with artificial lures.

• Why Walleyes Suspend

Water Temperature: In deep clear lakes walleyes will seek deeper water after feeding to avoid sunlight. On stained lakes they often move more laterally than deeper if the water temperature stratifies into layers. By moving laterally they will maintain in the same temperature layer. Walleyes that feed on reefs will suspend off the reef to rest, not to feed.

• Forage:

Walleyes are typically known to relate to the bottom for feeding, this is especially true when they feed on immature insects, particularly mayfly nymphs that hatch on the bottom. But other favorite forage do not necessarily relate to the bottom such as open water baitfish like shad and ciscoes that can be found almost at any depth. At times walleyes will be opportunistic feeders by ignoring their temperature and oxygen preferences for an easy meal by suspending in open water just below bait fish schools that dimple the surface.

• Oxygen:

During the summer on lakes that stratify, the deep water may lack sufficient oxygen which forces the walleyes to suspend or use shallow water cover such as weed beds.

• Toxic Gas:

In many cases walleyes will suspend to avoid high levels of toxic gases that accumulate near the bottom. This happens during the summer months on calm sunny days when the maximum amount of sunlight penetration promotes decomposition of organic bottom sediments releasing carbon dioxide and methane gas. This moves walleyes higher in the water column, as much as up to 10 feet. On windy days when the water is churning this prevents the gases to accumulate so the walleyes need not suspend.

• Post Cold Front Walleye:

It’s no question that the toughest time to catch any species including the walleye is after a cold front. Blue bird skies and cool temperatures follow the front’s passage. This results in the walleye tightly hugging the lake bottom or buried into the weeds. Their feeding window is very limited if at all. When they do feed it will be short. Depending on the cold front severity it may take a number of days of stable weather to resume normal fishing activity.

26.6″ walleye

25″ WALLEYE

Nice Catch there Al!

28.5″ walleye

WOW, the gang of six just isn’t quitting at all and has pushed their walleye trophy total to 30! Way to go guys!

29″ walleye

Carter was big enough to tackle this 28″ walleye

It’s a double!

# 1 choice of lure for Lahrman Group 6/2013

When faced in this situation here are a few tips that may improve your success.

• There are two key points for Cold Front Walleyes Live Bait & Super Slow
• Fish very early in the day or in the evening. Cold front walleyes are best active during low light periods or night.
• Fish deeper during the day: (5-10 feet) than normal as increased sunlight from cold front clear skies will drive walleyes deeper
• Downsize live bait:Walleyes are in lethargic state during a cold front, small live bait will work better than larger ones. Use 2″ fatheads than 4″ red tail chubs
• Downsize jigs: Try a 1/16 oz rather than an 1/8oz tipped with live bait. A lighter jig will drop slower and gives the walleye extra time to strike. Retrieve very slowly. Walleyes will not hit fast moving baits during this period.Attach a stinger hook to the jig: Many times a walleye will just nip the bait and let it go, with a stinger hook you will hook a good percentage of these short striking walleyes.
• Go light on line:

Cold front walleyes are line shy, use 8lb clear monofilament or fluorocarbon.

• Try Weeds:

Some walleyes will bury into the weeds rather than seek deeper water. These walleyes will also resume normal activity before the walleyes in deeper water.

• Murky Water:

On shallow water lakes than have murky water stirred by strong north winds that usually come after a cold front, try fishing mid-day and shallower. The water temperature is the warmest and the level of sunlight is not a factor due to the water clarity.

• Clear Lakes:

If you’re fishing a clear water lake with no luck move to a river or stained lake because they are not affected as bad as clear water

Clear Water Walleye:

Fishing walleyes on clear water lakes (Visibility 10 feet or Greater) is quite the challenge. Walleye in clear water are easily spooked by sound or movements (boats). On sunny days they will retreat to depths of 30 plus feet only to move up shallow to feed during early morning and evening hours. On windy chop or overcast days they follow the same dawn dusk patterns but some feeding occurs during the day.

The best suggestion we can offer you for walleye fishing clear water lakes is to keep your set-up presentation in a stealth mode and again keep noise and boat movement to a minimum. If you’re anchored keep the boat as far away as possible from the targeted structure while casting. For trolling use inline planer boards to spread the fishing lines 50 feet away from the boat.

If you’re using a live bait set-up keep the hooks as small as possible and use ultralight 10# test line on slip bobbers and slip sinker rigs. Jigs also produce well on clear water lakes but stay with natural colors black, purple and brown. The same goes for artificial lures, match the hatch that resembles the baitfish, black & silver, black & gold, and perch finishes rather than hot fluorescent colors. Long slender bodied minnow type lures will be the best performer.

Dark Water Walleye:

• Walleye fishing on stained or dark water tends to be more consistent than on clear water lakes. This type of water is also less affected by weather changes, especially cold fronts. With the lack of sunlight walleyes will stay shallow most of time and are easier to locate and catch. If the visibility is less than one foot try bright and noisy artificial lures which are easier for the walleye to detect. If you prefer live bait add a fluorescent attractor or spinner.
• The best fishing times on dark water is mid-day between 10:00-5:00 rather than dawn and dusk. The night bite is likely to be poor. Sunny calm days will out-perform cloudy windy days. The best lures for dark waters are crank baits that vibrate and have rattle chambers and inline spinners in fluorescent colors. Jigs will also work surprisingly well even though they do not produce any sound. Use fluorescent and glow in the dark (phosphorescent) colors tipped with live bait.
• On stained lakes with visibility of 3 feet or greater, live bait set-ups are a better choice than artificial lures. Add a brightly colored attractor or spinner to your live bait rigs to help attract fish.
• Locations:

With weed growth on dark water and stained lakes being very limited find the weed edges and cast perpendicular to the edge. Shallow reefs and rock humps will also hold fish regularly.

Thinking about a Canadian Fishing Trip?  Look no farther than Wawang Lake for some outstanding ‘walleye and northern’ fishing.  CONTACT US BELOW:

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CANADIAN LYNX – The Ghost of the Wilderness

These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen.  So if you’ve had the opportunity to see one of these animals while in Canada then consider yourself very fortunate.   The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts, stalks and hunts in our remote northern Ontario forests in and around Wawang Lake Resort.  Although we’ve been at Wawang Lake for over 40 years now we have actually only seen these animals a few times.

Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during long, frigid Canadian winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.

The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as bobcats at supporting its weight on the snow.

Lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every ten years.

 

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT WALLEYE PATTERNS pt 1

To become an accomplished walleye angler, the first step is to understand the walleye behavior and seasonal movements in order to shorten the learning curve of where the walleyes will be. Take into consideration all factors, including type of water, weather conditions, time of year, water temperature, wind speed and direction, and time of day. Then choose the appropriate presentation suited to the habitat of feeding walleye. This is the process of developing a pattern, if the presentation you choose is not working but your marking fish on your graph or LCD try something different versus moving to another spot. Usually subtle changes in the presentation will make a big difference, suggestions such as down-sizing minnows or switching from a minnow to a leech, or a slip bobber to a jig and minnow, which allows the bait to hang in the feeding zone, all can change your success.

The topics listed below will help you understand many of the situations you may encounter when fishing for the elusive walleye.

Pre Spawn & Spawning Walleyes:

Almost all Ontario inland waters are closed for the walleye spawning season with the exception of some rivers systems. During this period fishing for walleyes can be the best or worst with the critical factor being the weather. Stable weather for a few days with any increase in water temperature, even a degree or two, can trigger active walleyes to bite. But if a cold front moves in dropping the water temperature this will have the opposite effect and shut down the bite. If you’re walleye fishing during the spring season your best bet is in the afternoon when the water temperature is at the highest point for the day.

In the early period of the spawn walleyes will stage off spawning areas in deeper water (15 feet plus), and because of the cold temperatures will not be aggressively feeding. You can still catch them by using slow vertical presentations such as jig and minnow or a vibrating blade lure, the key again is very slow and vertical. Later in the spawning period they will move more actively towards the shallow gravel areas, if the water is muddy or dark they can be in water as shallow as 2-3 feet even during the day. For very shallow water try using a 1/32 oz jig tipped with a small fathead minnow or a number 5 floating Rapala.  For best results these presentations should be twitched or retrieved slowly.  Little Joe spinner rigs very well too with a minnow or leech.

During the pre-spawn and spawn your will catch will be mostly all small males, the big females will not bite once they start to spawn but all of them do not spawn at once. Those that have not started to spawn can still be caught, but as the spawning period progresses fishing for females is a waste of time. However, females that have spawned early will recover and begin to feed. Each body of water system has different spawning cycles, stream based walleye spawn first then shoreline and finally shallow reef walleyes spawn last. Knowing this will allow early season walleye anglers to move to different areas or a new lake where the timing of the spawn has not occurred, completed or is in the process.

Spawning Temperatures:

The spawning migration of walleye begins soon after the ice goes out, at water temperatures of 38-44ºF, ordinarily peaking when water temperatures reach 42-50ºF.

Walleye in Weeds:

Normally when you think of fishing for walleye it’s associated with deep water, rock piles and humps that walleyes prefer with hard clean bottom structure. But the few anglers that fish weeds for walleyes know how much time walleyes spend in and around the edges of weed beds.

Walleye will move into the weeds seeking baitfish that use the protection of cover. They also use weeds for shade and cooler temperatures instead of deeper water. The best weeds are submerging broadleaf types such as cabbage next to or in deeper water, than emergent (cattails, bulrushes) or floating (lily pads) that live in very shallow water.

You can catch walleye in weeds almost any time of the year but weed fishing is best during the summer and into fall once the weeds are established. Fishing for walleye along the weed edge is easy, use a slip sinker rig with a weed less hook or a weed less jig tipped with a minnow, leech or a piece of night crawler keeping it as close as possible to the weed edge. But when walleyes are actually in the weeds or suspended above, use a slip bobber rig or weed less jig in 1/8 to 3/8 oz. by twitching it through the weeds.  Other tactics are 1/8 oz. spinner baits cast into weed pockets and allowing it to helicopter down before retrieving, if the weeds don’t grow to the surface try a shallow running crank bait twitching the lure just above the weed tops.

Walleye on Rocks:

Most wildlife artists that paint walleye portraits will have them displayed over rocks and boulders. The main reason being this one the best places to consistently find walleyes, it is also one of the most difficult lake bottoms to fish especially when using live bait rigs or jigs. Here are some suggestions to catch more walleyes when you find that hot rock pile, mid-lake hump, or rocky point.

• Bottom Bouncing Artificial Lures:

Deep diving floating crank baits, select a crank bait that will run just off the bottom or bump the rocks, if the lure should get hung up let the line go limp, it should float up.

• Suspend your Live Bait:

Use a slip bobber rig and position the bait just to hang above the rocks

• Float your Live Bait:

Use a floating jig head, for night crawlers inject a shot of air from a crawler inflator for slip sinker weights try a No Snag tube weight instead of an egg or walking sinker.

• Trolling with Sliding Sinker Live Bait Rig:

Keep your line as vertical as possible, by adding weight to this set-up you reduce the angle of your line and therefore reduce your chances to get hung up.

Stay tuned for Pt 2 – Sept 26, 2013

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Walleye & Northern Pike TROPHY Fishing Video

Each year we collect hundreds of photos of trophy fish but we can only include a few in our video.  Every angler is proud of their fish as they should be.

Photos are memories, and, even though we don’t catch them we enjoy each trophy fish memory with our guests just as if we were in the boat where all the action took place.  We never tire of hearing these stories right from the beginning up to when the fish is netted, in the boat and photo taken.

Each guest has their own recollection of a very exciting, intense moment and we appreciate them sharing these with us so that we can share them with you.

Please take time and go to our website photo page where you can view several years of trophy fishing and you will notice that with each angler – they wear a BIG smile  Wawang Lake Trophy Fishing

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Spinnerbaits Attract Monster Northern Pike!

The #5 Mepps’ steady throb pulsed through the 30-pound Spiderwire, down the length of the medium/heavy-action graphite rod is just about the best combination going for our 20+ lb northern pike.  Just as the lure reaches the edge of the cabbage weeds, the blade’s thrum came to an abrupt halt – it felt like a concrete wall!  But then the wall began to move, and there was no doubt that this fish was BIG – a trophy.  Five minutes and four desperate boat side runs later the 40″+  20-pound northern pike was twisting and flopping in the net.

Big pike LOVE spinners!

Weeds are the keys to spinning big pike crazy as these predators use vegetation to ambush any aquatic creature smaller than themselves.

The Baits

Spinner choices abound, but not all are created equal when it comes to enticing these jumbo jaw snapping monsters.  The angler should select certain sizes, shapes, and colors, over others.

In choosing spinners for northern pike bigger always is better.  Pick magnum-sized offerings as even hammer-handles attack huge lures with abandon, and to catch true monsters, you MUST have that big profile.

Fat, deeply cupped blades throw out big vibrations that ring the dinner bell for monster pike. While sometimes thinner shaped blades (such as willow-leafs) that spin faster turn the trick; usually the slower-turning Colorado-type blades prove to be the ticket to a pike bonanza.

Because big flash stimulates lunkers, polished silver and gold blades work great. Another killer color combo, especially for use in darker, stained water, is orange blades with a black trailer.

In-Line vs. Offset Spinners

Spinners for northern pike come in two basic designs, and both work effectively, but each has its strengths and weaknesses.

In-line spinners (such as Mepps, Worden’s Lures Rooster Tails, Panther Martin, and Blue Fox’s Vibrax), with their terminal trebles, have higher hook-up and catch rates than their safety-pin brethren, but they also hook vegetation and other underwater structure, too.

But lures such as Terminators and Stanley Jigs’ Rick Clunn 4-Blade Willow Spinnerbaits, with their single, upturned hooks surrounded by manmade skirts, slither through the weeds, logs and stumps.  In-lines also cast like bullets, while offsets can catch the wind and lose momentum.

Line, Leaders

Any of the new “super-lines” such as like Berkley FireLine, Spiderwire, Fusion, or Remington’s Power-Lokt, are superior to monofilament for spinning pike angling. Their low stretch and high-abrasion resistance benefit pike anglers.

Flout the convention and tie on a snap/swivel instead of a leader. Leaders inhibit action and deter wary trophies, while the snap swivels provide two major benefits: quick lure changes and eliminating/reducing line twist. True, you’ll lose lures to the razor-sharp choppers of aggressive mounters, but you’ll get lots more bites without leaders!

Speed & Delivery

Often pike will attack even jet-powered offerings, but slowing down, pausing, or herky-jerkying that spinner, especially when it reaches the “Pike Zone,” reaps big rewards. Even lazy fish will smash a spinnerbait dangled in front on their out-sized mouth.

Always cast beyond where you think the pike lurk, because while monster northern pike are legendary for their aggressiveness, they don’t like being bombed.   Landing a bait on top of its head will likely result in spooking it.

Spin-Crazy Times & Spots

Primetime for driving pike spin crazy depends upon the season, time of day, and prevailing weather conditions. Early spring, right after ice out, brings spawned out northern pike towards the shallows (where they’re most vulnerable).  Spinner rigs elicit savage strikes from hungry pike during spring.

Because northern pike sight-feed, mid-day piking makes sense. Following that logic, clear, blue-sky days with lots of sun create perfect pike angling weather.

Terminator

The spinner’s flash and large profile, easily visible to cruising whoppers, prove irresistible.

Look for incoming streams or rivers, and concentrate your efforts just off the edges of weedy drop-offs. Weeds are the keys to spinning big pike crazy, as these predators use vegetation to ambush any aquatic creature smaller than themselves.   Position the boat on the deep side of the drop-off, and cast the spinner up onto the flat itself, cranking just fast enough to keep the lure above the weeds, and pause when you get to the weed edge.   Allow the bait to drift down and find the waiting lunker’s, and then hang on!

Using spinners to drive northern pike stir crazy is fun, easy, and productive.  Above all though enjoy these times on the lake as that’s what it’s all about!

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2.5 DAYS OF FISHING – 27 TROPHY WALLEYE

Ok Kevin…ANOTHER 28″ today so far and 5 more trophies to add to the list!!! That brings 2.5 days of fishing to 27 walleye 25″+!!!! They now have 11x 25″, 4×26″, 5×27″, 5×28″and 2×29″!! Wow your arms must be tired!! Thank you for all of your great pics boys!

The gang of six proves what we’ve been saying all along – WAWANG LAKE HAS GREAT FISHING!

Wawang Lake is definitely the Walleye Hot Spot in Ontario CANADA

Join us at Wawang Lake Resort for some GREAT FISHING!!

Also, CHECK out this great read on our GROUSE HUNTING

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