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       Anyone been fishing in Quetico yet?
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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 03:56AM
Anyone been fishing in Quetico yet?

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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
campnfish 07/08/2019 02:05PM
June 18-25, Kawnipi and Kenny, early in the week caught a lot of 17"+ SMB on Kawnipi, two pike over 36" just below the flowage of the falls on Kenny.


Kickapoo 07/08/2019 01:57PM
Just returned this morning from Beaverhouse entry on 6/29-7/7:


Quetico lake was slow- could have been the 30 (+) C heatwave, but had trouble moving fish. Jean was more promising, but when the high pressure system blew out on Burntside, fishing picked up. Mainly Walleyes and SMB, with a few pike in between.


Bentpine was the real winner though- walleyes from the shore consistently! Just watch out for the active turtle and bald eagle populations eager to take them off your stringer!


Badwater held much promise, but didn't produce after some serious attempts. Resorted to jumping off the rock ledge into the water in a effort to scare them out!


revleroy1 06/27/2019 04:57PM
Entered: 6/14/19 Beaverhouse
Exited: 6/22/19 Twin Falls (Maligne River)
Lakes camped on:
Quetico - first few days colder, weather unsettled, rain
Burntside - weather more settled, light variable winds turning se
Sturgeon - great weather, slowly warming, consistent light se wind
Tanner - great weather se/e wind, cold last night


Lakes fished on:
Sturgeon - Walleyes and NP great - good size to NP. SMB slower
Burntside - Walleyes good, NP and SMB better
Rouge - Great SMB action - good size
Sturgeon - All species great action. Midday walleyes in narrows/pinch points. NP size good as well, including fat 36" pike caught on popper
Tanner - steady SMB action


We had 2 adults and 3 kids (aged 17f, 17m, 12m), so I didn't get as much fishing done as I would have liked, esp when trying to keep 2 other people in a canoe fishing - but fishing was steady enough that everyone had a good time.


Water temps ranged from 60-65.
Luckee 06/26/2019 09:51PM
Got back Sunday from Beaverhouse > Quetico > Jean after a darned good fishing trip. Notable findings include:


-- The water there didn't seem high. Everything seemed like my later July 4 trip last year, or lower.


-- The walleye definitely did seem to be shallow. Caught most of them on a Rapala "flat rap" that runs around four feet if I'm not mistaken.


-- Bass were very active in all likely water. I caught so many that I'm surprised I didn't happen on a really big one -- though I did see a giant (nearly twice as big as all other seen up to 4-5 pounds) repeatedly chase, inspect, and refuse a leechy-looking fly in shallow water under a too-bright afternoon sky. They don't get big for no reason :)


-- Pike, conversely, were few and far between on this trip. I got two on topwater and a few trolling rapalas. Intentional attempts to raise them on a Dahlberg Diver resulted in only one (very satisfying) take.


I lived a charmed life, getting blown across Quetico going in by a wind from the West, and returning on a very firm breeze out of the East. Camped on Beaverhouse last night on an island that was very scenic, and hardly at all fishy. Even after the wind calmed on the very last morning, I was only able to get one small bass from three strikes on flies. But that made sure none of the ten days f my trip were skunk days :)


Surely Beaverhouse has its days? But Quetico and Jean fished just fine. Bugs were few, fish many. Maybe I lucked out and hit the timing just right, because a nice guy wearing a Bass Pro Shops hat at the put-in on day one told me they'd scored big on lake trout but got no bass. I found a few on topwater in Quetico the same night. Ate walleye 7 out of nine nights and took one night break intentionally. Just keep becoming more and more of a fan of Quetico paddling and fishing.


Wondering whether that carry over to Burntside would be worth the sweat . . . it was boggy and muddy in flat areas near the top, but the lake looked really nice.
Pinetree 06/24/2019 10:28AM
deancal20: "I am 65 and thinking that it may be time to sell my two Kevlar canoes. They have served me well but the ol' back is still complaining. If interested, let me know. 319-850-0024."
Once they're gone, they're gone. Think about it for awhile.
gymcoachdon 06/23/2019 10:16AM
Just got back, went from French Lake to Walter and back. Smallmouth were on the beds in every lake. Lakers were caught on Walter in about 15 to 25 feet of water trolling a shad rap. Walleye were caught with the same technique
AmarilloJim 06/11/2019 03:01PM
campnfish: "AmarilloJim: "I recorded a 50 degree surface temp on Burt 6/2/19."
Were you wetfooting it?"


Yep!
campnfish 06/11/2019 11:35AM
AmarilloJim: "I recorded a 50 degree surface temp on Burt 6/2/19."


Where you wetfooting it?
deancal20 06/11/2019 10:51AM
We just got back from Quetico. Like everyone else, the lakers were shallow and even saw some hitting the surface. Caught six and kept four to eat.

Walleyes were not shallow as some said. I think they were still prespawn as well. I found them in tight pockets at about 12- 15 feet. It seemed like if you could see the rocks you stay just in the dark water and they loved white jigs. We caught at lease 20 'eyes.

We did well around Pickeral for the lakers. Caught a number of bass and even one went 21-1/2 inches. Thankfully he survived the picture taking.

Great trip with only one day of rain. I am 65 and thinking that it may be time to sell my two Kevlar canoes. They have served me well, but the ol' back is still complaining. If interested, let me know. 319-850-0024.
cburton103 06/11/2019 09:02AM
We were on Saganagons, Mack, Kawnipi and Murdoch May 31-June 7th. It was a hit or miss trip for us. We could barely buy a fish on Cache Bay or Saganagons. Only caught maybe four fish total on those two lakes out of maybe 8 hours of fishing, one of which was a lake trout under the Silver Falls outflow.


Mack, Murdoch and Kawnipi were all much more productive. Caught walleye trolling in 5-10 feet of water over saddles and emerging weed beds. Never got on huge numbers, but we would find a spot and pick up 4-5 walleye over about as many passes. Had a hard time getting a walleye bite any way except trolling slowly over these areas, even after we found them.


Bass were shallow only on Murdoch for us - possibly because it is primarily fed by a creek and a river where the water was able to warm up a few degrees. Caught topwater bass really well on Kawnipi one day as well. We didn't see a single bass on a bed during our trip.


Unlike the rest of you, we basically struck out on lake trout. We mostly tried trolling lures in the 10-15' depth range, so perhaps we were trolling below most of them.
AmarilloJim 06/10/2019 07:52AM
I recorded a 50 degree surface temp on Burt 6/2/19.
GBTG 06/09/2019 06:30AM
North
Nova9er 06/08/2019 08:40PM
We are heading into Saganagons above deadman’s tomorrow. Were you north of deadman’s or south?


GBTG: "Saganagons
Like I said walleye were really deep and the bass were just coming shallow on the sunny days with the right wind in the north bays. Too cold of water temps for good fishing. "
bmu92 06/05/2019 11:46AM
I'll be heading in via Cirrus on June 8th. Do you guys think the smaller lakes would be better for eye's with the cool water?
GBTG 06/05/2019 06:40AM
Saganagons
Like I said walleye were really deep and the bass were just coming shallow on the sunny days with the right wind in the north bays. Too cold of water temps for good fishing.
campnfish 06/04/2019 08:40PM
GBTG: "23 walleye, 60 norts , 45 smb , 4 LT"


Where abouts were you?
GBTG 06/04/2019 06:46AM
23 walleye, 60 norts , 45 smb , 4 LT
carmike 06/03/2019 07:45PM
Just got back a few days ago on a trip up through Agnes, down Hurlburt and Trant to Khash and then out via Shade, North Bay, and Burke.


The trout fishing was incredible. Everything else, not so much. A few bass on the shorelines, only a few small pike, and one lonely walleye.
mtn 06/03/2019 04:05PM
GBTG: "Caught 23 last week over 5.5 days. All were deep 25 to 35'. Smallest 18 largest 25.
Couldn't catch them shallow believe me I tried!"



23 walleye?
GBTG 06/03/2019 02:01PM
Caught 23 last week over 5.5 days. All were deep 25 to 35'. Smallest 18 largest 25.
Couldn't catch them shallow believe me I tried!
Johnh 06/03/2019 01:41PM
We were in the 24th to the 2nd in the upper Sturgeon area.

Walleye were just about impossible to find which was puzzling but others are reporting the same. We spent some time on it and hit some walleye buckets but maybe got 15 for the trip. At the end we got a couple on the shoreline casting for bass so the warming water may have been getting them active.

We found bass on the shoreline in areas that warm early and did well on the fly rod with Clousers. Thanks to Bob Clouser for inventing the Clouser minnow. The bass appeared to be staging to spawn but on a couple of lakes we returned five days later and they were not spawning and had all left the shoreline. My guess was they did not like the cold water and were abandoning the spawning effort. I have heard they will do that.

Trout trolling was good on spoons. On the last day we got a laker on the fly rod casting for bass which gave us the fly rod slam for the trip.

Plenty of pike were caught in pursuit of bass. We spotted a nice one sunning himself on a muddy flat and got him to grab the Clouser.


Come to think of it we actually got the slam on the Clouser. That is a great fly.

We also spotted a couple of sturgeon. One poked his head out of the water five feet from our boat. He appeared to be coming up to take a look at us the way a snapping turtle would. Curious about the canoe I guess.
SummerSkin 06/02/2019 06:06PM
Just returned from 9 days in Brent / Darky /Minn area. Caught smallmouth, pike, and lake trout (!) in abundance, and with ease. Nothing very deep. I’ve never eaten so much lake trout. But just like Voyageur above, we could NOT find the walleye, despite actively searching for and targeting them. We caught only 3 or 4 the entire trip. I also caught a single sauger.
Voyageur67 06/02/2019 06:01PM
Just got back (5/30/19) from a 10 day trip to Quetico, Jean and Burntside Lakes. Fishing was decent for smallmouth and lake trout. However for the first time in the Quetico (since 1969) our party of 4 did not catch a single walleye and we targeted them. Have yet to figure that out. Had a great time though.
BNAPaddler 06/01/2019 09:23PM
In May 23-30 in the Eastern portion of the park.


Water temps were 52 upon entry and we had several days of rain/wind. Monday Memorial Day the air temps got up in the 70's with abundant sunshine and water temp rose to 57 when we exited May 30.


SMB were in pre-spawn stage in shallow lakes. A few fish were starting to make beds on May 30.


Walleye and Pike bite was decent. Didn't target Lake Trout.
mapsguy1955 05/30/2019 10:22AM
Just got back home yesterday, take-out was Saturday, off of Pickerel and water levels were high but the current dry period should reduce that. Fishing for trout was excellent but everything else, not so much. Saying that, the priority of the trip wasn't fishing...
CrazyLoon 05/30/2019 06:55AM
We were in 5/19 thru 5/24. Paddled up through Agnes and back down the S-chain. Didn't do a bunch of fishing, but when we did the shorelines were every couple casts picking up a Bass or Northern. The water was a lil high but still really cold. The lakers were even sitting on the surface picking up the bugs.


Luckee 05/26/2019 02:16PM
Looks like you may be some of the first parties heading out there.


Look forward to hear what you saw and how the fishing was! I'll be going in around 6/12 :)
katoyaker 05/22/2019 01:43PM
Friday 24 for me... and through the 2nd.... any data is of use for me as well!
deancal20 05/22/2019 09:29AM
We are going to Pickeral first of June. Just curious the water level and and fishing activity.