1st time to the pout festival, what do we do?

[Skunked-Rookie]

From what I understand most people go there for the drinking/partying. Me and the other guys who are going are not going for that, we are going to try and catch some pout. So what do we do, do we just throw up a house where ever? Are there better places to set up to avoid drunk idiots? What do you use, a jig and minnow?

[walleyehunter80]

good luck avoiding a drunk idiot up there, they will find you

[walleyeslayr]

Just drink!

[Crappie Kutch]

I heard it was cancelled. Was I missinformed?

[Gofishleech]

the pout feat is not cancelled. It is true most go for the party and yes they wil find if you in the crowded areas. My advise would be to go across the bay and find a steep drop off into deep water. getting away from the crowds is key. The comotion out there is crazy on friday. A jig and minnow will work, large spoons also work well just make sure anything you use is glow in the dark and keep them glowing. Some will place 2 or 3 the minnows on the treble of a jigging spoon. I have also seen pout caught with those glow sticks atatched to jig or spoon. These fish can a will bite at anytime of night. I would not fish any shallower then 30ft and out to 60ft Some of the hot spots are on the sharp break where on end of the is in 15 to 20 and the other end 30 to 40.

[Skunked-Rookie]

So jigs and minnows or what?

[jacobj12k]

Be careful, next year you may forget your fishing gear. The festival is a great time for people of many interests, especially partying. You can catch fish during the festival, but I'd schedule a different weekend for fishing. Here's one I caught last year the weekend after the festival.

[fish with teeth]

nice fish. day late and dollar short. we will be back for the 2nd time this year. didn't catch any pout last year only 2 7-9 inch wallys but we still had alot of fun. that place gets crazy with the huge bonfires and all(trailer house from last year). oh yea and the drunks will always find you. good luck and have fun

[swanbait]

Templar point is one of the favorite places to go. As other posters have told you it is an entertaining time where people group up and form little cities. They do radio remotes from the lake and interview people. The polar plunge is fun to watch as people literally jump in the lake to raise money for the community center. You'll have fun. Jig and fathead minnow. Enjoy the show.

[Skunked-Rookie]

Thanks for the advise everyone. jacobj, awesome picture, did you weigh it?

[jacobj12k]

I've always just measured my fish so I didn't have a scale to weigh it. Bought a scale this year...

[Shoeless]

What day is the festival?

[Skunked-Rookie]

I might try to use The Illuminator jig.

[Nate McVey]

I heard it was over Valentines weekend, is that true?

[fishingishot]

It starts Friday and goes through the weekend.

[jacobj12k]

The festival is the weekend of the 20th-22nd.

[leech~~]

Shunked, Gofishleech, is right on! I have been up there a few times and if you really want to try and get something, he has outlined it just about right. Stay on the edge of the party and in deep water. You can always take a break and drive around and see the crazys, but if you want to fish and you setup next to the crazys, you'll go crazy!!

[Skunked-Rookie]

I'm going to take all of you guys advise and set up away from the crazys and hopefully catch some fish. I would think with all of that commotion going on up on top of the ice it would bother the fish keeping them away? Does that matter to pout?

[Nutty Fisherman]

Don't be disapointed if you don't catch any. The people that win most of the time have been fishing pout 2 to 3 weeks before the contest and keep them alive. My feelings is there is no way anybody can catch over 300 LB of pout in a day. They are also able to fish other lakes

[leech~~]

Nutty, 2-3 weeks keeping a pout or any fish a live out of the lake! Please, they do it by Teams of drunks all fishing together!!

[swanbait]

They do it, they cut large holes almost all the way through the ice under their fish house. They chop one little hole with a chisel through the middle to let the water in, the fish are too big to get out. People stock pile pout for weeks. Mostly high school kids that do it.

[swanbait]

The key to catching fish that weekend is to get away from the crowds. Templar Point is a great area, some years there are crowds there but enough room to get away from them. Cedar Point is another spot to try. There is a road plowed that way from town so there may be more people up there this year to. A Little Cleo with a fathead on each treble down one hole, make it glow and jig like crazy to attract fish. Put a smaller jig, something that you would use for walleyes, tip it with a fathead and jig that, just like fishing 'eyes and drop it down the other. The Pout won't always hit the hit the big jig but it will attract them, then they hit the smaller jig that has less action. It has worked well for me anyway.

[vister]

well to the fellow pouters out there, primarily you guys who get tangled up with the likes of myself and the other hooligans enjoying the beer festivities, stop by and say hi. 10th year straight going. look for the 16 X 20 tent, a sewn together blue tarp on a tent frame. we call it the pout trap xtreme 1620.

join us in a game of tippy cup, beer pong, or bottleship, yes, bottleship is spelt correctly! or simply say hi, but don't forget to sign our door! we're also rollin with a mexican fiesta theme this year, so look for a posse of sombreros.

also to the locals. how do you expect ice conditions to be? chamber of commerce says 18-20 inches of ice. i'm sure a cold snap would be a great way of additional ice by freezing all of the water on top.

thanx, Vi

look forward to seeing u up there in a couple of weeks

[Tippman]

I found the ice thickness from 22" to 30" a week ago.