Burntside Fishing/Conditions Report...(updated-3/30/09)

[Steve Foss]

But it's fast becoming one of the most popular inland smelt fisheries in the Arrowhead. Not much for size, but GOLLY, THE NUMBERS!

BTW, it's -11 right now, and lows for the next several days range from zero to -14, with highs of 20 or lower each day. Few days of that and driving on Burntside will be like driving on a parking lot. Makes things much easier for all those smelt anglers.

[grousehunter]

nothing better then a stunted smelt fry!

[Mike Stark]

lake conditions improved a lot last night and this morning with the sub-zero temps. places where i was busting through yesterday i stayed on top. i did still break through but that was closer to shore and blocked from a west wind. with the cool temps coming i think the lake could be in real good shape for last half of the season.

as for the fishing. slow again. some lookers and no takers. had one flag but dont know for sure if it was a fish. there was nothing there when i got to it. it was at least some excitement during the day.

theres always next time.

[Steve Foss]

Mike, did you drive out or were you on foot?

[Mike Stark]

i drove out.

[caseymcq]

I drove out too, it was pretty solid off the Wolf Lake Road Landing all the way out to the spot I fished.

[caseymcq]

... I want to thank you for recognizing the fact that only I would have the skill to catch the last laker in Burntside! ...

I would suspect that some one who has lived on the lake since the glacier that created it receded, would have the skill and knowledge to do well fishing said lake.

[grousehunter]

I broke through about 3 inches or so slush where I was when walking or driving. It was a pretty frustrating day on the lake for me. I had one laker up to the hole..probably around 3 lbs or so right when I got there and it got off. All day long I was seeing trout and could not get any to hit. I played cat and mouse with at least 20 plus lakers today from 10-4. Most would only chase it about 15 feet up and then would go back down and then come back. Just leaving it sit they would come up and nose it for a while and go back down..jiggle jiggle..back up and back down. I think I tied on everything I own from panfish jigs to large lures. I got about 5 up to where I could see them down the hole chasing my lure..nothing too big 2-5lbs probably. It was definatly an intertaining day, but man was I frustrated that I couldn't get any of them to bite! i will be back out tommorow with a vengence

Blake

[Steve Foss]

Blake, if it was all in the same hole all those lookers could have been a single fish, or two. Especially smaller lakers when they're not really hot will come up and sniff and even seem pretty aggressive but then head right back down to the bottom.

[grousehunter]

Definatly could have been. I should have just moved to try to find more willing biters, but was determined to catch them. At times there were around three trout on the vex at once though. It was pretty cool...they were having a feeding frenzy on the smelt, but wanted nothing to do with my lures. The ones I got up to around 15 or so feet from my hole would just circle the lure a couple times and swim off. I am guessing it probably definatly wasnt all different fish.

[Dave S]

As I proved to Steve this weekend, I'm a newbie at the Laker thing. But if they're feeding on the smelt, my first choice would be to use something that mimics the smelt.

[grousehunter]

Thats what I got the one to hit on right when I got there..glow airplane jig with gulp smelt. Guessing they mostly were smaller ones. They would come up very agressivly and chase for a little while and then just go back down.

[Dave S]

did you have a stinger hook on as well?

This is almost laughable. I spend one day on the ice with the likes of Steve and feel I got a wealth of knowledge. That's a good thing for a newbie to laker fishing.

I just wish I didn't live 5 hours away.

[tastyfilet]

Wondering how the lake was for driving and any fishing report.

[MooseTrack]

There are quite a few people driving on the main part of the lake off of Van Vac, but if you are going to venture away from the crowds I would still use a snow machine. I was the oter day and was still hitting slush in certian areas. With this last cold blast conditions should be pretty good. As far as fishing...I have been picking up a fish or 2 each time I have gone out. I have set up in 50-60 feet of water and they seem to be either close to the bottom or in the upper 20 feet.

[tastyfilet]

Great thats what i wanted to know. Thanks

[Mike Stark]

check out Burntside Laker Report

lots of info there.

[caseymcq]

Has anyone been out lately? I am curious if the -25 and -15 temps over the last two nights has firmed the lake up anymore?

[Great Outdoors]

I was out tonight and the lake seemed to have really firmed up.

I didn't travel very far, but the water on the ice (as little as there was) seems to have diminished greatly.

I plowed some of the roads that had been wet, totally dry for the most part.

[fishnhuntnboy]

I drove about a mile out maybe a lil more and hit no slush. there were a couple spots that once i drove over a lil water seeped up but thats is

[fishnhuntnboy]

also marked 3-4 fish but never got any to commit. I did mark a very big fish on the vex and wish it would have hit. That was the thickest/biggest red bar i have ever seen on my vex and this season. hope to catch her tomorrow...maybe will be one of those big b-side piggies that everyone has been talking about!

[fishnhuntnboy]

Me and a buddy went out today at a new spot and was out all day long. It was a slow day and moved a couple times. When we moved the second time we decided to cook some lunch on the grill and took a lil break. Then back to fishing we go. Again slow the whole time and then around 3 O'Clock we started to mark some fish and saw a laker toying with us and wouldnt hit. Then around 4 we started to cook some burgers on the grill and ate. Then a whole bunch of smelt came in out of no where at the same time and at times was 20ft thick! So at that time i figured it had to be good and would draw in some lakers. Which it did. I started to mark some but wernt very active at all. Then at about 5:30 my buddy feels a little weight on the end of his line and lets er rip and set the hook. He fights it for close to 5 minutes i would say and took it easy. At first we thought it was an eel pout cause it was caught off the bottom with a cisco head and wasnt putting up much of a fight. That all changed as soon as he got it half way up from the bottom. It started to fight a little bit more and then once when we saw it was a laker it just took off and the drag just whined pretty good. It had a few good bursts and then was finally brought up the whole and on the ice. With a burst of joy and the biggest smile i have ever seen on my buddies face we got it out side and took a pic.

This was his first laker too.

It was 24 1/4 inches and weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces. (these were taken with my phone and came out pretty well!)

He had to take a serious look photo.

[Wanderer]

You guys are ssoooooooo hooked!

Congrats!

[fishnhuntnboy]

and im still after my first. hopefully will end that soon.

[JBMasterAngler]

Just for confirmation, trout season is open statewide until march 31 now?

[Steve Foss]

I don't know about stream trout seasons, but inland laker season is open both inside and outside the Bdub through March 31.

[caseymcq]

The trout seasons are the same. You can fish for all of them until March 31.

[fishgutz77]

that looks like the east side of blueberry island.

[Steve Foss]

Sure does. And if so, they were fishing some seriously deep water that far from shore.

[fishgutz77]

Steve, I've taken a couple nice fish there out from the big rock. It was the background that looks like that house with the electrical transformer down by the lake to the left of that bear spot and the gap to the right. but there's more than one spot like that I guess