Heading to Ely the second full week of September. I've been in the area many times Mostly multi day loops around Knife on wilderness canoe trips end of July. This will my first cabin trip staying on Moose. I'm hoping folks can share some tips for fishing Moose Lake and Newfound Lake this time of year. I'll be going with my brother who wants to return to a bed and a shower each night. Any help making this a great fishing experience would be greatly appreciated. If he has a great time, maybe we can convince him to join us on our wilderness trip next year.

Are you fishing from a canoe? Any particular species you want to target?

I have a canoe, but my brother will probably prefer renting a boat. Not targeting a specific species, just looking to catch fish. I was there last year 3rd week of September, but my fishing was limited due to wind. I was solo, and could really only troll with constant paddling. I caught a few really nice smallmouth with deep diving Rapalas. Since my fishing was limited, looking for advice on wether I was doing the right thing or if I should change my strategy. That, and I have really never fished Moose before. I've started out of Moose many times, but have just paddled thru. I did do some fishing in Newfound last year.

I'm sure your outfitter can give you up to date depths and tactics when you arrive.

I have always had my best luck with bass and pike on the chain. There are walleye around but not as easy to find.

The large bay at the south end of Moose lake is shallow and can be really good for bass. There are some really big largemouth in there. Leech on a slip bobber is tough to beat. Not sure how top water bite will be that time of year.
Half way up Moose work the islands around the entrance to the bay with the portage into Wind lake. Cast shad raps up into the rocks there and you should find some fish.
Newfound, just past the shallow choke point head off to the left. There is an area that is full of wood. Top water, or slip bobber and leech.crawler/minnow can be a blast back in there. Can get bass and Northern all over the area and occasionally a half decent perch.
Work all around Horsehoe island and you might pick up some walleye.

Use the Voyageur Map #4 to look all over the lakes for shallow humps in deeper water and cradle areas between islands or between shore and islands. Take a walk across Prairie Portage or get a day permit to Basswood if you can and there are a TON more fishing options available.

Have fun!

ottoparts: "Heading to Ely the second full week of September. I've been in the area many times Mostly multi day loops around Knife on wilderness canoe trips end of July. This will my first cabin trip staying on Moose. I'm hoping folks can share some tips for fishing Moose Lake and Newfound Lake this time of year. I'll be going with my brother who wants to return to a bed and a shower each night. Any help making this a great fishing experience would be greatly appreciated. If he has a great time, maybe we can convince him to join us on our wilderness trip next year. "

As Furlow mentioned, South Pool at Moose is loaded with LMB, NP and some smallies and Walters. Use various plastics as real men don’t need live bait to catch bass (sorry). But more importantly check with your outfitter, as a couple day use motor permits are usually around late in season to get you into Basswood, bass and northern capital of the world.

Try the islands in the central part of Moose Lake early mornings and evenings for eyes. A 1/8th oz jig and minnow pitched into shore as shallow as 3'-5' and slowly worked back to the boat has produced many large walleyes for us on Moose Lake. Bump up to 1/4 oz if you are having issues with the wind. We found some fish other times of days on outer edge of weedlines especially on sunny days. Fish shaded side of weedlines.
There's a horseshoe shaped island about halfway up Newfound where we've caught some nice walleye and big smallies. Shad raps size 7 nailed some nice SMB.
Far south end of Moose holds some nice largemouths. Try shallow slop and pads with rubber creatures/crayfish imitators.
Our pike have all come as "accidents" fishing for eyes and smallies.

Just got back from a trip fishing the Moose chain with day canoe trip to Splash/Ensign. We had good luck catching everything in the south bay on Moose backtrolling live bait rigs between the Jasper Creek inlet and the initial weedline - largemouth, smallies, pike, eater walleyes, and a few big perch. Watch out for sunken timber in this area, too. Also did well on largemouth and northerns just pitching inline spinners and jerkbaits drifting through that weedbed past the small islands in the middle of that bay. There are a few small shallow bays on the south/southeast end of Moose that were good for morning topwater bass and even afternoon/evening eater walleyes if you found them.

Picked up a decent walleye bite mixed in with alot of smaller smallmouth around the bigger islands around LaTourell's in the center of Moose late afternoon/early evenings - I'd imagine that will be better in mid-September. Backtrolling live bait rigs just off shore in about 15' of water, but also caught them rip jigging lipless crankbaits out a little deeper from them.

The bay in the western corner of Newfound with alot of timber has alot of perch and northerns in it, some smaller bass, too. We ran out of time to explore Newfound further up, but heard people were doing well around Horseshoe island for walters.

I'd definitely recommend at least one day trip with a canoe into Splash/Ensign. Try to pick the calmest day, and depending which resort you're staying at, pay for the tow to get you dropped off right at the Splash Lake portage to save you on a long paddle to get there. We hammered smallies, pike, a few largemouth, and a couple eater walleyes just drifting across Splash around the rockpile at its northern end, then sliding along shorelines. Lots of northerns and smallmouth in the channel between Splash and Ensign that were fun on topwaters, too. We barely got into Ensign, but had some luck with walleyes in the first bay up against the rock ledge on the north side, then around a rockpile to the left. While we were waiting to get picked up, we found a good hole on Newfound right in the bay the tow picks you up that gave us a couple more decent walters. Spent most of the day in the canoe chucking lipless cranks and either rip jigging them in or varied retrieves, and they caught everything. Whopper ploppers and jitterbugs were great for the channel. I'd definitely recommend fluoro leaders on everything if you want to limit how many crankbaits and rigs fall victim to pike teeth!

Thank you to all that replied. I really appreciate all this info. Now I just have to explain what all of this means to my brother. I shared some of this with him and his reply was "I only understood about half of that." :)

Quick question...there are several mentions of the "south pool" on Moose....are you referring to the south shoreline (A) or (B) or the entire area after the narrow part? Just looking to clarify....thanks!