Hey all!

I'm posting this on behalf of my son - Pikeman56.

We are planning a trip up to Knife lake in early June, and we both can't wait! The issue that we're running into is confidence while fishing in super clear water - depths, methods, etc.. We mostly fish in suburban ponds, or forest preserve lakes, which all tend to be a bit stained, or muddy.

My thought is to start shallow, and gradally move deeper until we find fish. At that point, we jig/cast..

Any suggestion about a general depth range, by species, to look at in the first week of June? We're going in on the 4th.

Thanks so much for the assist, and double thanks for how you all have been treating my son on the board - second generation BWCA.com members!

what are you fishing for?
Smallmouth bass will be in the shallows spawning or just getting done.

Going for the grand slam if we can get it.

Be nice to get walleyes and Lakers. I figure pike will always be around somewhere..

Pinetree: "what are you fishing for?
Smallmouth bass will be in the shallows spawning or just getting done. "

We want to catch all four big species. I was mostly wondering what lures and depths are the best

That time of year, most fish will be less than 15ft deep, except for the Lakers which are hard to predict, but should be available in the 20-40ft range. Bring a couple of Whopper Ploppers or Choppos (Berkley's cheaper and equally effective knock off), I like black, for top water action...they fish themselves as long as you work them fairly fast and don't set till you actually feel the fish as they like to head butt them.

Tube baits, swim baits (3-5") and grubs (3-5") on 1/8-1/4 ounce heads and flukes fished near surface (search for Quetico Mike and Zulus or Scented Jerk shads for a good method), and some Frenzie Flicker Shads or Shad Raps for trolling. Take a couple Deep Tail Dancers in the 20 and 30 ft deep model to troll for Lakers.

Get vertical with grubs and drift structure or fish current areas for walleye. I like to use a lot of green pumpkin and watermelon colors for tubes and grubs, and also some white, or lighter colored grubs and swim baits. Spoons, spinner baits, and in line spinners are also good but tend to be a little more species specific and can twist lines more. These are just some simple ideas that always seem to work well, there are countless good methods.

Most fish up there in clear water are sun sensitive so you often need to fish when sunlight penetration is lower or get down deep in the rocks. Use lighter low vis line like 6-8# for walleye, 8-10# for bass, and 8-12# for lakers and pike. Don't complicate it too much, these fish are not very picky as pressure is fairly light.

Agree with all that has been said. I would add fishing mainly during low light periods. Mornings and evenings. Clouds are your friend. There have been times fishing in the BW and Q where the lake seems devoid of fish on a sunny day. Then evening comes and during twilight fish can be very shallow, in just a few inches of water. During low light periods fish are less spooky and more willing to bite. So, you can catch fish all day during the sunny periods if you drift or troll in deeper water.

I have found that long casts and a quiet canoe partner can prevent spooking shallower fish. Also helpful is fishing the windblown shorelines.
Any lures you have more confidence and experience with are good bets. That confidence helps me key in on what the lure is doing and detecting bites.
For me that lure is a tube jig. I've had several Quetico grand slam days using one (different weights and sizes) due to my confidence in its ability to trigger strikes and my experience detecting those strike on a tube.

I wouldn't be that worried about the clear water. It's cool to see stuff that deep sometimes. Fishing is still good. Find where water is coming into the lake and you're sure to find some fish

i agree with XYpaddler , when cast shoreline (under 20') , stealth is need in Knife lake

I know it's not the same as early June fishing, but I fished Knife last fall. It was gorgeous and the northern lights and red moon gave us a show we will never forget. I was shocked by the clarity of the water, even after people telling me about it. I do think when the water is that clear it changes the game. I caught a smallmouth early in the morning in ten feet of water. I caught nothing else. I fished for lakers the whole afternoon. We did not fish at night. We should have, as that's when the walleye come in closer to shore to feed. We caught fish on almost every other lake. Dix and Bonnie were especially kind to us. And we saw a moose on Dix. It was a trip we will never forget! You're going to have a great time!

Adding ::: when targeting Lake Trout(early june) , try trolling right down the gut in no mans land with deep diving cranks or heavy spoons , Knife lake has very large schools of ciscoes and your bound to pass over a few of them , then you'll get slammed ;)

I was up there mid June last year. We caught walleye and a couple of pike in 20-30 feet of water and caught a few bass in shallower water near the shore in a couple of the bays. We didn't really try for lake trout.

grizzlyadams: "I was up there mid June last year. We caught walleye and a couple of pike in 20-30 feet of water and caught a few bass in shallower water near the shore in a couple of the bays. We didn't really try for lake trout. "

To add on;
We caught the walleye and pike on chartreuse jigs with a leach. Bass were on a combo of spinners, whopper ploppers, and shallow rapalas. First time I haven't been able to get a pike on a daredevil.

Brandon.
I'll probably never get a chance to get up into SAK again. Got some info for ya on maps.let me check out how to get it to you.

If you're anywhere near Eddy Falls, be sure to see it as well as fish the outflow. My son and I spent a memorable afternoon there catching many smallmouth bass.

Branden,
Shoot me an email.
I have some info for ya on SAK.
Chperry59@gmail.com