Lake Vermilion Fishing Q&A

[FishinCT]

Fished about 3 hours this afternoon. Had 7 bites and missed them all. Tried bigger hooks on the jig and hooked minnows through the mouth out the back of the head.  Good solid strikes too but no luck. I'll try lindys and some lighter jigs tomorrow to see if that helps

[Cliff Wagenbach]

FishinCT,

I had a tough time hooking fish even on a Lindy yesterday!

Cliff

[Fish Head]

Trailer hooks might help?

[Mr. Basskisser]

Hello all, we are planning a trip to the V this year. Never been before. Havent been to MN since 1979, White Iron Chain. We will be after SM, LM and pike, with SM being the main target. I have gone through this whole thread reading all the posts I could find about any of those species. Thanks for all that info. We are looking at a June trip and would like to hit some smallies on the beds. Cpr only. All of our vacations lately have been post spawn, (Lake St Clair MI).

     I saw early in the thread Ace saying first 2 weeks of June for the SM spawn. Then a post from a couple of years later asked about the 3rd week of June. Someone else mentioned that time could be pre-spawn to spawn. Just wondering what the last couple of years have been like. 

  I figure June is gonna be good anytime, but we would want to see if we can time it just right. 

  We are coming from OH, 14.5 hours. Have our own boat, 16 ft. Pro V  Tracker with a 40 horse. Looking to stay at a place across from Niles Bay. I like the central location and the not so wide open waters as compared to further east. 

  Any opinions or tips will be greatly appreciated. Hope you guys can get some good ice fishing in! Thanks!

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Mr. Basskisser

[FishinCT]

Lake St Clair is a blast. If you hit vermilion at the right time it will be right up there with that. No reason you can't have a 100 fish day with a good chance at many big fish. Going by my phone pictures I had a great day on June 17 a few years back ha. Theres no shortage of rocky shorelines and docks. I'm a fan of tubes myself but I know guys love their senkos. 

 

I'm sure you'll get some more specific responses. Wish I had more time to chase them myself

 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Mr. B,

Welcome to FM!

June is almost always a good tome to fish for bass on the shorelines! Plenty of good bass country on the whole lake too!

I do not fish for bass much but there are plenty of people on this site that do so you should get some good info.!

Cliff

[guideman]

Basskisser,

I know it's been awhile since your post however I think I can help you. Unless you find some difficult weather in June you can do very well with fast moving horizontal baits. I guess if you are targeting beds this won't apply, but for the best action in the spring I use spinnerbaits and small cranks primarily. I also throw topwaters a great deal when the action is there. The spring weather has been warm so far and the ice-out is ahead of schedule, so you may find a mix of pre to post spawn depending on where you are on the lake in early June. The west end action is Ok however the east end has much better numbers for Smallmouth than the west end. The west however has better Largemouth numbers and they can be found almost everywhere. The east end LM tend to be in a few areas with the right kind of habitat. I use both tubes and senco's with a few other plastic concoctions thrown in for good measure.  White 3/8oz willow/Colorado combo is a stone killer and any crank or stickbait that looks like a crawdad, usually does very well. Reeds, rocks, docks, points and the shoreline rubble are all good places to target.

 

"Ace"

"It's just fishing man"

[Mr. Basskisser]

5 hours ago, guideman said:

Basskisser,

I know it's been awhile since your post however I think I can help you. Unless you find some difficult weather in June you can do very well with fast moving horizontal baits. 

 

Thanks for the reply, Ace. We are checking in June 10th. Staying on Josante Shores Blvd. We wont necessarily be targeting beds, but I want the fish to be up shallow.  The last few years our vacations have been post spawn. 

 We just love throwing spinnerbaits so I am glad to hear that is a productive pattern. Love buzzbaits too, hope to get some action on those. I have been all through the Lake V Q&A thread. Also gone back several years on the area forum soaking up anything I can on the bass and pike threads. 

  Is ice out normally late Apri instead of mid April? I follow your Facebook page and Glenmore resort's and have seen the open water pics.  

[FishinCT]

7 hours ago, guideman said:

White 3/8oz willow/Colorado combo is a stone killer 

And you'll probably pick up a muskie or 2 if you go this route!

[Fish Head]

At that time of year, most rocky shorelines or points will have smallies around them.  Tubes, grubs, paddle tales, spinners, crankbaits, swim jigs, and topwaters should all work.  Run & gun. 

[Jason Sendzik]

On 2/9/2011 at 3:12 PM, Steve Foss said:

Terry, do you have an average date range when smallies are up on the spawning beds on V? I know it varies based on water temp and such. The couple years I fished muskies there, I tended to find some bedded smallies on musky opener in June.

 

Thanks, and thanks for starting this thread. As time goes on, it should be one of the all-time best V threads on this forum.

We recently purchased some land near cook. I would like to take my kids and wife out ice fishing this weekend 2-3-18. Are there any roads plowed out to the lake that can be accessed by truck from any resorts? Are there road fees?

We recently purchased some land near cook. I would like to take my kids and wife out ice fishing this weekend 2-3-18. Are there any roads plowed out to the lake that can be accessed by truck from any resorts? Are there road fees?

[guideman]

Here it is, spring time.  The opener is just 10 days away and most of us will be targeting Walleyes for the first weekend of the season. In my family we have a little different tradition. We get our Walleyes on Saturday, however Sunday is our day to go Smallmouth fishing.   Lake Vermilion has some great Smallmouth action in the springtime and we like to take advantage of it.  Spinnerbaits, cranks and soft plastics generally are the baits of choice however sometimes when things are right we also get some decent top water action. Keep it in mind if you get your limit of Walleyes early this year, there is some very good Smallmouth bass action waiting for you just around the corner. Remember, catch and release is the way to go when it comes to Smallmouth.  

"Ace"  

"It's just fishing man" 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by guideman

[Crankbait McGee]

Hey All. Reading though all the posts have been awesome. a lot of great helpful stuff.  I tried to find my own answers by reading through but there is sooo much content. (which is amazing) and i'll probably end up reading every last one. But maybe i can ask something. Never been to the great Lake V.  we are thinking of heading there mid august or first week of September. smaller boats. 16 footers. target is walleye. BUT i love smallies too. If i had to choose an area of the lake to camp or rent from which you think hold the bigger smallies (east or west)? I'm sure they both have them but maybe one is better. then i'll know where to focus my fishing.  and fun question. Personal best Large Mouth on Lake V?  

Thanks all!!

[SkunkedAgain]

I have a 16.5ft Alumacraft with a 90hp and can get anywhere on Vermilion. Assuming you've got at least a 40hp I wouldn't be afraid to stay anywhere. Someplace mid-lake might be advantageous because both ends will be equally accessible. It's such a beautiful lake that "getting there" should be as joyful as the fishing. I'll defer to others if there is a size difference in smallies in the two basins. I've only heard about and seen it in the walleye. The rusty crayfish have affected vegetation and cover on the east end, so that may have an effect on LM bass. The smallies are more rock oriented (kind of like our Rockin' Tommy) so you should have good luck everywhere.

[delcecchi]

There is a fisheries survey report done annually by the MN DNR that provides some information about abundance and size of fish by basin.   The fisheries management plan has even more as I recall.    My PB largie was around 20"

 

The document are both available on line.   

 

Lots more walleye on east end, but west end is coming back some.  

Edited January 28, 2020 by delcecchi

[Rick]

@Crankbait McGee, welcome to FM.

 

Lot of great folks here who will help you out.

 

Where are you from?

[chucker1101]

If you're targeting Walleyes, probably better fishing/staying on East End of the lake. Generally more keeper/eaters on that side of the lake. Smallmouth harvest season closes on 2nd Monday of September. You can still target, but must catch/release bass at that point. Largemouth fishing is much better on the West end of the lake. Agree, a 16.5 with a decent motor is good enough to get anywhere. It could be a bit rough on windy days, though. Waves can get big, especially on Big Bay and in the Dells/Frazer Bay connected water. If you don't have a windshield/console, plan on getting wet when moving around. Good rain gear is a must.

 

Others can weigh in, but I don't catch too many smallies that time of year. A lot more walleyes and northerns. You'll find them in channels between islands and land, and between island and island. They're usually deeper. Almost everyone is fishing minnows at that time of year.

[delcecchi]

May can see smallies coming shallow in spawn/prespawn pattern.    Or still out in deep waiting for things to warm up.     

 

Harvest?  Nobody but me eats smallies, right? 

Edited January 29, 2020 by delcecchi

[Wanderer]

7 hours ago, delcecchi said:

 

Harvest?  Nobody but me eats smallies, right? 

Count me in.  A mess of 12 inchers make a fine fish fry. 

[Capt. Quicksteel]

We do the same thing once in a while. They taste great.

[Crankbait McGee]

@Rick  Yes I see a lot of great info. after seeing all these posting Im feeling like a fish fry!. ha

 

I'm from Sault ste Marie Ontario Canada. Lots of great fishing this way too. 

 

we will have a 40 hp. so sounds like we can enjoy the whole lake. keep close on the windy days. much like fishing Lake Nipissing in Ontario.  Don't mess with the waves.  

 

I appreciate all the responses. You have all been very helpful. Thank you!!!