Hi all,
We have a short 3 night trip planned on Sept 15th going out of ep 47 swamp and lizz. So far the plan is to set up camp on caribou and explore meeds and maybe horseshoe if the weather cooperates. We are all pretty amateur when it comes to fishing. Any tips, tricks, lures etc for any of these lakes that time of year?. I would love to get on some walleyes! I've seen a lot of talk about the TGO method from the message board. Is this pretty much the go to method up there.

Thanks!

Using a slip bobber is just about the most simple, easiest, effective way to catch Walleye up there. Walleye hang out on the bottom of the lake. But up in the BWCA there are millions of rocks on the bottom snagging your lure, or jig every two minutes. This is why slip bobbers work so good. If you adjust the bobber stop so the hook is 1 foot off the bottom you will keep the bait in the target zone away from the rocks until a fish comes along. I’ve been using this way to fish for at least 40 years. The second thing a slip bobber does is give you a strike indicator. Bobber down, fish on.

Agree with Savage...slip bobbing will be your best bet. We troll as we trip and seem to pick up a few here and there. Horseshoe is a cool lake, hope you can get down there and see some moose!

Savage Voyageur, I will definitely be doing that then. Thanks for the response!

That would be awesome to see a moose! On the permit there was a notice there were some bears reported around camp. Would gladly spot a moose at a good distance then a bear in camp!

Tschultz: "....I've seen a lot of talk about the TGO method from the message board. Is this pretty much the go to method up there."

Savage Voyageur: "Yes, using a slip bobber is just about the most simple, easiest, effective way.... "

SV response should start with "No, using a slip bobber....

TGO method is not slip bobber. Slip bobber is most effective. TGO method is somewhat overrated.

Tschultz: "That would be awesome to see a moose! On the permit there was a notice there were some bears reported around camp. Would gladly spot a moose at a good distance then a bear in camp!"

We saw a moose while camped at the smaller Caribou site, toward the Meeds portage, a few weeks ago. Close.
Fished leeches/slip bobber from shore, mainly smaller smallies but I'm sure it can turn on at other times. I have a friend who says he doesn't even bother fishing during a full moon...we had a full moon. But what am I gonna do, not fish? :)

bobbernumber3: "

Tschultz: "....I've seen a lot of talk about the TGO method from the message board. Is this pretty much the go to method up there."

Savage Voyageur: "Yes, using a slip bobber is just about the most simple, easiest, effective way.... "

SV response should start with "No, using a slip bobber....


TGO method is not slip bobber. Slip bobber is most effective. TGO method is somewhat overrated.
"

I just got back from Meeds. I took my son out fishing at about 6am one morning. We used a basketball net and rocks to anchor up on our spot that we had scouted the day before. I tossed out a TGO rig. He cast his slip bobber. After about 60 seconds my line was tight. Soon there after an eater sized small mouth was on the stringer.

After about 15 minutes we drifted to the next spot. Same rigs. After a couple of minutes I decided to check my leech. Woops missed a subtle eater sized walleye bite. Time to add him to the stringer.

After about 15 minutes we moved to the next spot. Same rigs. My son casts out about 3 feet from the canoe and I am thinking...might want to get farther from the boat. About 60 seconds later, he has caught a small mouth that turns out to be the biggest fish of our morning trip.

TGO rig FTW.

Slip bobber and leech...Winner! Winner! Fish for dinner!

Also, if leeches are not available, I have found that night crawlers work just as well in September and keep well with the cool night time temps.

Also don't forget to troll a jointed rapala on the way back to camp. You may just pick up a bonus walleye.

Horseshoe can be decent fishing but I think Meeds is the best lake in that area. Walleyes and lots of nice smallies.

Tschultz: "Hi all,
. We are all pretty amateur when it comes to fishing. Any tips, tricks, lures etc for any of these lakes that time of year?.
"

1. Go out and fish your local lake. Your local lake gets more fishing pressure. Practice with the rig an bait you will use ahead of time.

2. Look for downed trees that have fallen into the lake. Use the slip bobber rig to keep from tangling and fish around the down tree.

3. Use polarized sunglasses. Look for giant boulders in the water. In the bwca, these will be plentiful. Fish around these boulders. Large smallies could be lurking 5-10 feet from shore around submerged boulders.

4. Fish from camp. Do you have kids? Are you willing to catch 6 small bass to catch an eating size smallie? Some kids are.

5. If you see an island or two islands in a lake, troll something between them. We had success with a jointed rapala.

6. Get up near dawn one day. Get out on the water near dawn. There is the magic hour in the morning and at night.

7. Be quiet in the canoe. Place the paddle down carefully. If you are quiet you can catch fish 3 feet from the boat.

8. If you are in the canoe and don't get a bite after 15 minutes. Change the spot or change the lure.

9. Hook leeches with small hooks right under the sucker. Lob live bait gently into the water. I was fishing with a new to leeches fisherman. He would whip his rig into the distance and would tear the leech off the hook while casting. This is a waste.

Wow! Thanks for all the info. I will definitely take it all into account on the trip.

That sounds like a great trip! I'm hoping to take a day trip over to meeds. Thanks for the tip on crawlers, as I'm sure they are fairly easy to pack with.

Tschultz: "Hi all,
We have a short 3 night trip planned on Sept 15th going out of ep 47 swamp and lizz.
Thanks!"

How did the trip go?

The trip was great. We got a little wet Thursday and friday. The guys at Rockwood said they had about 3.5 inches. The big tarp saved the trip for a place to hang out, play cards, and watch bobbers. I was running a leech on a plain hook with a weighted bobber. The other guys were using slip bobbers and jigs. Multiple small, small mouths and the occasional wallaye and perch from camp was a blast. Saturday we were able to get out and fish for a while before more rain, a Jig and leech seemed to be the most productive. Caught a decent northern and a few wallayes. Overall even a rainy weekend in the BWCA is better than being stuck at home or work! Thanks all for the helpful tips!

Tschultz: "The trip was great. We got a little wet Thursday and friday. The guys at Rockwood said they had about 3.5 inches. The big tarp saved the trip for a place to hang out, play cards, and watch bobbers. I was running a leech on a plain hook with a weighted bobber. The other guys were using slip bobbers and jigs. Multiple small, small mouths and the occasional wallaye and perch from camp was a blast. Saturday we were able to get out and fish for a while before more rain, a Jig and leech seemed to be the most productive. Caught a decent northern and a few wallayes. Overall even a rainy weekend in the BWCA is better than being stuck at home or work! Thanks all for the helpful tips!"

Glad to hear it went well. To me any trip with walleye is a special treat.

3.5 inches is a lot of rain anywhere. Especially where there isn't a lot of top soil and it is going to run off and look for a place to pool.

Having a nice tarp makes all the difference. On my last trip we had one morning where it rained solid for a good 4 hours. I was glad to be able to drink coffee under the tarp. My two oldest sons continued to fish from shore even in the rain.

Thanks for the information bobber#3.
Oops I will change it.

I think generally a rifle is a better option for Caribou.

amhacker22: "I think generally a rifle is a better option for Caribou."

Nice one!

I usually solo, and when I fish, I almost exclusively troll using an 11 original Rapala. On Caribou a couple years ago trolling around the island, I caught many nice walleyes in this fashion. Same thing on the other Caribou a couple weeks later trolling the shoreline opposite the site with the small island in front of it. This July on Polly was another successful solo fishing trip using the old reliable #11 original Rapala (purple iridescent and silver/black). Heading into the Fourtown area next week, and that is all I plan on brining for tackle. The pics are Caribou walleye taken trolling.