Lake Pokegama Fishing Reports

[Colter]

BMC,

When fishing with the hornets, at night, I have three colors that seem to work best which are Blue Dace, GMO (Gold Metallic Orange), and Pearl Orange. During daylight for the Salmo Hornets, the Hot Perch and the silver shiner can be added.

During the night trolling I use both the hornets and Stings, When fishing the #12 Salmo Stings ( after dark only), The two colors I use are the GMO and the Clown.

When fishing cranbaits, these are my two go to baits whether fishing Pokegama, Winnie or Leech.

Good Luck,

[Hang Loose]

Now that the crazy fireworks are winding down, on and around the lake, and heavy 4th boat traffic, and the temperatures are picking up, the night bite is picking up. What I have noticed around this time of year, its more fireworks that affect the eye bite, not just the boat traffic. I have had really good days slammin eyes on dead calm 85 degree days with all kinds of boaters flying by me left and right. I agree with Sean, might see a year of night hog pulling this year.

[gkl]

Anyone have a Current water temp?

[Iambjm]

Around 73 degrees

[gkl]

Thanks lambjm!

Has anyone been seeing large schools of suspended baitfish over deep water yet?

[Hang Loose]

Water temperatures held right around 68 this weekend during the late night hours. Fishing was slow. Fished both Friday night and Saturday night from 9pm to 3am. Caught eater eyes both nights but there was no consistent pattern. Shoreline was still better than the bars. Husky jerk-baits long lined above the cabbage seemed to be our best bet.

GKL--- Did see large schools of smelt and bait fish suspended over deep water but not until you hit the 50 ft depth or so. Seemed the schools were staying further down than up.

[TrailerTrash]

I've been out trolling the shorelines and shallow reefs between 9 and midnight at around 1.5 mph for the past several weeks. Very slow action if any at all.

Last night I was out until 3:30. Around 1:00 the bait fish started to come to shallow, but I couldn't convince anything to bite. Pulled cranks and crawlers with equal unsuccess.(I know that's not a proper term.)

I'm really a novice, lived on the lake for 30 years, but haven't fished much until this year, so don't take my lack of success as a barometer of the fishing on the lake, although the folks I have run into on the lake are saying the same thing.

Any pointers or suggestions for this old dog would be appreciated. As in evidence by the hours I'm willing to fish, I am anxious to get onto the eyes on Pokeg. Either they just aren't biting or I am one H.S. fisherguy. My wife shamed me the other day by buying walleye at the grocery store. Man, that was mean!

If you will share, I will listen.

Thanks.

JB

[Seabass77]

The water temps are too cold for the fishing to heat up. At this rate, it might not happen this year.

[TrailerTrash]

They gotta eat sometime...

jb

[PerchJerker]

I've been out trolling the shorelines and shallow reefs between 9 and midnight at around 1.5 mph for the past several weeks. Very slow action if any at all.

I do a lot of night trolling - 1.5 mph sounds REALLY slow to me, I don't go that slow until Oct/Nov when the water temps are barely above freezing.

At this time of year I would use a high-action wobbling bait like a #5 shad rap, or a shallow shad rap, or a salmo hornet and start at 2.5 mph --- if that wasn't working I'd go up to 2.7 and down to 2.2 or so.

I like trolling big minnow baits too like husky jjerks and smithwick rogues but I usually don't go to them until the water is mid 50-degrees or colder ---- and even then I'd start at 2.0 - 2.2 mph with them.

Since what you're doing hasn't been working, I'd go with the theory that with all the young-of-the-year forage at this time of year it's better to be faster and more aggressive and put the bait in front of more fish and try to make them bite.

I don't know Pokie very well but my next thought would be that you're not fishing by the baitfish -- maybe weedlines and the tops of breaks near deep water are holding more fish than the shorelines????

Good luck, I hope you get it figured out.

[Seabass77]

Trash,

I was referring more to the "hot" night bite. Generally the ticket on Pokie during the day is rigging with a LONG leader, up to 9 feet, and a leech. I would also give spinners a try.

[stick]

LONG leader is right. I by no means set Pokie on fire, but catch enough for a meal here and there by trolling cabbage weedlines. I do a lot of "looking" with an underwater camera to learn things. I was trying to net one by myself yesterday at 6:00 PM and I hope nobody was watching because it's a bugger trying to net wiht one hand and hold the other one above my head due to the long leader. I think that fish wanted to die because if he didn't he'd have gotten loose. But my theory is...if the leader isn't a pain in the butt...it's not long enough.

[gkl]

I troll a lot at night too and Pokie has always been feast or famine for me. Consistency is not something ive been able to pull off. I find that the really good night bite is VERy susceptible to weather. I almost always do well if there has been 3 or mores days of steady weather and steady south winds, but other that that, its a crapshoot.

I agree with perchjerker that you should try some more speed like 2.0-2.8 for trolling cranks. Also do a lot turning so that your bait varies speed and direction. Sweeping your rod all the way forward and then letting it fallback will cause the bait to pause and sometimes they bite when the bait suddenly speeds up or when it suddenly pauses.

Depending on exactly when the coldfront comes through tonight, I'm hopeful that tonight might be halfway decent. Speed and largebaits can sometimes be deadly with a cold front knocking at the door. Good Luck!

[TrailerTrash]

O-k, kinda dumb question, but with 100' out and 2.5 mph with a leech on a 9' leader, what weight would you use? Slip wt or a bottom bouncer and how heavy?

JB

[LunkerLTD]

I have fished poke 8 times in the past 10 days and spent evey day with the under water camera. I was able to find lots of walleyes but I just can not get those eyes to bite. I have tried a leech, crawler, shiner, and crankbaits. I have only caught two so far. 1 with a leech and the other on a crankbait.

The leech seems to drag on the bottom even with a 8' leader and collect weeds. So I tried a sliding float to get the bait at he level were the walleyes are but I am guessing that scared the fish. Most of the walleyes are 2-3' feet off the bottom.

Are you going catching them with just a plain (uncolored) hook?, float?, or spinner? I have tried everything I can think of at different speeds. It is tough to keep the bluegills off. The walleyes are hanging out with the gills. I see them together all the time.

Last evening my bait was always within a school of walleyes (seen constantly on camera) but did not hook any in 5 hours.

I fished that spot 4 times this week and was only able to boat one and lost one at the boat. I use large leeches becuase the gills and perch eat the crawlers too fast.

Frustrating! My next outing will be a different lake.

[Seabass77]

Trailer,

It sounds like you have two different methods inter-twinned. Troll your cranks with 100 feet out @ 2.5 during the night. During the day, slowly back troll or forward troll with your electric bowmount with a lindy rig and a leech. hold your weight just off the bottom tonot collect weeds. For finicky fish, try just using a slit shot and leech.

[AlwysFshn]

I have been out on Pokie the last couple days chasing eyes without much luck. Surprisingly, or maybe not too surprising given this lake, we were hitting a lot of pike between 35' and 40' of water. We weren't picking up any eyes that deep, just pike. Has anyone else been picking up fish that deep? Particularly eyes?

[LunkerLTD]

Alwysfshn, I saw a large fish on the graph in 27 feet and dropped a shiner minnow down and immediately a northern cut the line.

The walleyes are 15-26' deep normally.

I spent 8 hours today on Deer L. and only caught one eye even though I had a school below me about 75 yards long by 10 yards wide. The walleyes sure are skinny in Deer compared to a Poke fat walleye. The Deer Lake walleye had nothing in the stomach. I'm confused as to why they were not feeding more. It was a nice cloudy day. I found eyes on every spot I went to (seen on camera) but they just would not bite anything.

[Colter]

Wondering if anybody might be interested in going on Wednesday night on Pokegama. Give me a call 218-244-2954

I will be out there the next two nights, can't wait!

[TrailerTrash]

I went out again on Saturday night until 2:AM I decided to try my end of the lake and trolled the East end of Wendigo. Pulled a crank around from the second island to the end past TroopTown and half way back. 2.3 mph. One 17 inch bucket mouth and a sunny about the size of the Rap was all I got. I'm getting used to the MotorGuide's depth following feature. Sure makes following a break easy although it can get confused at times.

I'll be back out this week, hoping to be there when they come out of hibernation...

Sean: How did you do this weekend on the big lake?

JB

[TrailerTrash]

I left a msg on your machine.

JB

[kingkobbla]

Should be good with the full moon. I'll be out there myself. good luck everyone!

[gkl]

trailer, it sounds like you are using your electric trolling motor for pulling cranks at night. You might want to consider using your big motor instead when you're shallow. It sounds counterintuitive, but the guys at In-Fisherman have experimented and shallow walleyes seem much more spooked by a nearly silent electric thanby a big loud 2-stroke. Their best guess is that walleyes are sensitive to the electric field given off by electric trolling motors. I strictly use my 150hp big motor and have caught many walleyes in 3fow. If I want to go slower than my big motor will allow, I attach a drift sock to to the trailer eye on the front of the boat (just make sure that the drift sock can't reach the prop).

Just keep at it. One of these nights, you're gonna hit the jackpot and all the time will be worth it. We have the week of the full moon and some steady, warming weather heading into the weekend. As someone else mentioned, the walleyes in pokie are Very fat and when you catch them shallow and hungry, its incredible.

[toaster]

BMC,

When fishing with the hornets, at night, I have three colors that seem to work best which are Blue Dace, GMO (Gold Metallic Orange), and Pearl Orange. During daylight for the Salmo Hornets, the Hot Perch and the silver shiner can be added.

During the night trolling I use both the hornets and Stings, When fishing the #12 Salmo Stings ( after dark only), The two colors I use are the GMO and the Clown.

When fishing cranbaits, these are my two go to baits whether fishing Pokegama, Winnie or Leech.

Good Luck,

What size hornets work the best?

[gregg52]

how big are these notherns you are gettin

i've learned how to clean them recently and have moved wayyyy up on my favorites lists Kinda goofy though now i want to catchem its alittle tuffer but i really like fishing for them they hit hard and fight like crazy and are VERY good eating

[AlwysFshn]

The size was really a mixed bag. A pair were 6 - 7 pounds, a few 4 pounders, and a handful of smaller ones. It was fun catching them out of that deeper water. We did clean the bigger ones, and I agree that they were very good without the y bones.

[Colter]

Toaster the #4 floaters are perfect.

Good luck

[Colter]

JB,

thanks for the call, I did get someone who called just after I posted for a trip.

The bite was solid last night looking forward to another night out there tonight.

[Colter]

Winnie continues to be good, most of the fish are coming for us on yellow perch or purple spinner combination at 1.5 to 2.0 MPG.

Pokegama was good last night until about midnight and then things seemed to shutdown. We are pulling the #12 Salmo Stings in both the GMO and the clown. Speed last night was 2.3 to 2.7 MPH. Water dpeths were 8-11 feet with 60-75 foot of line.

Look for the next 3-5 nights to be good, if your not seeing fish on the Lowrance, keep moving until you find them.

Good Luck out there~

[TrailerTrash]

Sean:

Did you get my msg yesterday?

JB