Hello - I know July tends to be a slow time of the year for fishing, but I am wondering if there are any idea's on what tackle to bring and how to fish the lakes of EP 47 (Vista, Horseshoe, Gaskin, and Wichell...) My wife and I are bringing some newbie's up during this time and we would like to have a least some shore lunch. Any suggestions on what to bring and how to fish these lakes is helpful. We are mostly looking for Walleye or Pike. Small mouth bass good to eat?
thanks, WhereRwe

The smaller bass are very good to eat and are easy (and fun)to catch as well. Search the site for similar threads and you'll get tons of tips for bait and lures. Slip-bobber/leech, rapala skitter pop, and 3 and 4 inch curlytail grub/jig combos are a good place to start. You'll catch fish.

what colors work well for this area. In the past I have had luck with white and orange. Do these colors hold true for this area as well? When pitching Rapala's, what depth should you be targeting? My thought's are being that it will be July the fish should be suspended in about 10'-'15' of water. Is this a fair assumption?

Here is what I would say as far as some of the basic info that is thrown around for summer fishing (july).

First let me say that I don't believe that it is really a down time for fishing. It might not be as productive as the 3 week spring peak when walleye are aggressively feeding in the shallows but it is overall a great time to go. The fishing is different and fish are a bit harder to locate then just saying "cast in the shallows". This can be one of the best smallmouth times. Dogma says large pike turn off but small pike bite all summer (not sure how much I buy this). Lake trout might be hard to find though.

10-15 is a good range to target, with walleye on the deeper side and bass on the shallower side of the range. Lake trout will likely be very deep, 25+ feet deep. The larger pike go deeper and colder while the mid and smaller ones thrive in the weeds at whatever depth.

Remember the shallows are still productive near dawn and dusk.

I perfer baits that are naturally colored except maybe firetiger and anything for pike. Plastic jigs are another matter, anything that seems to be working is fair game.

I would spend more time trolling this time of year in order to locate fish in this 10-15 ft range. Depth finder can be very valuable this time of year. After finding pockets fish, hit them however you want; lindy rigs, cranks, slip-bobbers, continue trolling ect. Trolling along the deep weedlines is great for just about everything but can be hard to do especially without a depth finder. The inlets and outlets of creeks connecting lakes are usually are a good spot, especially for live bait. Rocky bottoms usually hold fish, especially smallmouth better.

I find sinking, and deep running lures more valuable this time of year then other times.

Live bait is always good if you want to go through the troubles of keeping it alive.

Can't think of much else, hope that is good for now.

If your not picky about species, pitch a Rapala Husky Jerk to shoreline and submerged structure and work it back to the canoe aggressively. This method will catch Pike, Smallies and Walleyes on most days. If this isn't working try moving a little deeper and slowing down with a deep diving crankbait or a Jig and Power Grub. This is a multi-species technique that usually works for me.

Horseshoe and Gaskin have good Walleye populations but Gaskin 'eyes are notoriously hit or miss so you might need Leeches or Crawlers to catch 'em.

Really good advice guys! Thanks a lot, I appreciate your expertise and knowledge. My previous trips have been out of the West so my knowledge of the area is limited. Good luck this year and let the wind be at your back always.

Arlo Pankook - thanks for the advice on the Whitefish Chain for the opener. My parents live on the west shore of Upper Whitefish near the mouth of the Pine River. I have been fishing this area of the lake for around 20 years. I agree that it can be a challenge to get the fish to bit so times, but I have caught some really nice ones on this lake too. I doesn't help that the DNR Walleye milking operations is only a 1/4 mile away. Fishing could be a lot easier if all those fingerlings would stay in the chain. Just my two cents, and I understand the purpose behind it.

Thanks,
WhereRwe

Have had great success on Horseshoe in early summer. I would imagine you would find them in the shallows before dark. Try the near the portage into Vista, where the creeek flows in. Horseshoe also holds some nice smallmouth. Very beautiful lake! Haven't had the same luck on Gaskin. Fished it hard a couple days with minimal luck. Good luck!