Whitefish Chain Fishing Reports

[10,000 LAKES]

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[10,000 LAKES]

I need a little help from anyone out on Big Trout lake or fishes winter lake trout, next Sunday i'm planning on going out there for the first time because my son wants to try and catch a lake trout. I've got the 30" poles but dont know much else. I've heard of people using a buckshot jig with a leach but dont know what color works well. Also, what kind of line do you use? Well be fishing that first break/dropoff mainly because I dont fish the lake and want to stay on safe ice. I am not asking for honey holes or secret lures just the basic setup.Thanks for any tips!

[walleye365]

good deal fishgutz hope to get out there in couple weeks. goin to caribou next weekend.

[walleye365]

10,000 i use 15# power pro i tie a twoway swivel on and tie a 12 or 14# floro or mono leader with a snap swivel and you should be set. i jig buckshots in rainbow,red, and gold i also like castmaster spoons in silver/blue, and gold jiggin rapalas work good to. bait i go with rainbows,shiners use the heads of them. id set a tip up or set line with live minnow. the break/dropoff you are talken is good try 30 to 60 fow. good luck

[Moses2531]

I did manage to get out a couple hours before the Vikings game... I was sitting in 33 FOW and got a couple Perch... Still looking for that first Laker! I know its down there! Haha!

[Moses2531]

What are people pulling off the sand in 10 FOW Middle Whitefish? I threw a couple tipups out this afternoon with no success and nothing showed up on the camera?? Just wondering if walleyes are passing threw or possibly Crappies... I've caught some Perch there in the summer

[muskiehunter]

We are coming up on saturday, so hopefully we have some good luck. Whats a good size to keep out there?

[eyes1]

Does killworry's have a road maintained from the resort onto upper whitefish this year?

[buckx37x]

Eyes1 my bro. was up to kilworrys yesterday,there is a road out from their place.I dont believe tey are maintaining it though.

[fishgutz77]

I start keeping trout 16" and up.

they smoke up great.

[fishgutz77]

I was up on saturday and found wide ranging ice thickness.

Ice was anywhere from 12-22" depending on depth and snow cover.

only caught 3 eyes all day and released two of those.

full size trucks with houses where traveling the lake.

you should be able to go anywhere with 4x4.

[fishgutz77]

We were West of Manhattan Beach hole.

over by the car track area.

[Moses2531]

Oh ok thanks! I went out this morning about 200 yards out from the access... had a tipup in 45 FOW, no flags there, and I was sitting in 55 FOW... Had something on the flasher early around 40 feet but couldnt get it to bite and then to end the morning I picked up a Whitefish right off the bottom. Gosh I wish it was a Laker, but hey it beats a skunk.... Are there any good ways to prepare a Whitefish in case I get another one? Its always fun trying new stuff!

[walleye365]

anyone measure the ice this weekend. thanks

[anchor man]

I fished the north side of Lower WF on Saturday evening in about 17-35 ft on a steep break. Managed three decent pike and a nice whitefish. Was hoping for an 'eye, but I've yet to catch one on that side of the lake in the winter.

[angler903]

just curious what type of lures work for lakers and where can i get some. i fish walleye and crappie with buckshot spoons and swedish spoons (favorite is white with orange middle; it happens to be on the bottome of a lake now though) would any of this work? size?

[Moses2531]

I had about 10 inches of ice under me this morning... It seems pretty inconsistent to me... I've had different amounts of ice under me for three mornings in a row... Still looking for that first Lake Trout, I got into a couple Whitefish again though in 65 feet of water. Anyone finding consistent action anywhere, I saw the group of houses that were sitting in the middle seemed to disperse?

[Moses2531]

Just got off Middle WF... I had a few on the screen but no takers... I'm guessing they were 'eyes but they wanted nothing to do with my tipup (fathead) or my swedish pimple so I dont know what to throw at them now. I was in 25 FOW with 50 FOW behind me and 15 in front of me

[JBMasterAngler]

angler903, you don't have to go overboard for lakers. You can keep it simple, fireball jigs are fine, but airplane jigs are a traditional favorite, jigging spoons. 1/4 to 1/2 oz. White and/or blue are good go to lures.

[Bigsmitty]

Try fishing deep. I've done the best this year in 40 - 45 feet.

[Fred_Bear]

Yeah you can keep it pretty simple. Rubber seems to be the best producer though. 1/4 oz fireball jig with a 3" grub tail or 3" white tube jig with a 1/4 oz tube jig head or 1/8 oz offset shank hook with a fluke.

Jigging shads, chubby darters, lindy darters, buckshot spoons, swedish pimples, and williams whitefish spoon will all take lakers too.

Live and dead bait rigs work also.

You definitely don't need all of this, those fish will hit about anything it's just a matter of finding a hungry one. Plastics are my favorite way to fish them though. Think small on BT though as most trout in there aren't very big.

[erickol]

Hey all, Last weekend made a stop by the whitefish chain on my way home from fishing the St. Louis. I was hoping to get into some whitefish, and I caught my first! I'm hooked. I am very eagerly awaiting my next time up there, I hope in a week or two.

So, i need some advice, tips.... anything you are willing to share about the pursuit of whitefish. tall order, but with the amount of accumulated knowledge on these forums......

I would like to keep some for the smoker, but mostly just want to get proficient at finding and targeting these cool fish. Thanks, Eric

[email protected]

[Moses2531]

I agree! Finally the hours paid off and I got my first Laker! It measured a whopping 10" and came on a Swedish Pimple and minnow head... I had been jigging an entire minnow mostly and downsizing seemed to do the trick! Any idea on why most are so small on this lake? They have been stalking them for awhile right and there is plenty to eat???

[leech~~]

I agree! Finally the hours paid off and I got my first Laker! It measured a whopping 10" and came on a Swedish Pimple and minnow head... I had been jigging an entire minnow mostly and downsizing seemed to do the trick! Any idea on why most are so small on this lake? They have been stalking them for awhile right and there is plenty to eat???

It maybe the 100's of cabins on the lake or the 1000's of vacationers that hit the lake all summer!

[rayguy]

Largest I have caught is 13 lbs. Was one taken off a dock on the opener a few years ago that went 20 lbs. They are not all small.

[walleye365]

no there not all small iv seen some brutes out there. i dont think it has anything to do with fishing presure either. they dont stay in BT there all over that chain.

[walleye365]

rayguy, that 13 come threw the ice

[ozzie]

there might be alot of cabins on the chain but there is not a whole lot of overall fishing pressure on the chain!

[walleye365]

agreed

[Bigsmitty]

Ive caught a few over 10 pounds and I rarely fish there. One was on a leach with a slip bobber while walleye fishing. Another was on a tip up while fishing for lakers. I know a spearer that swears he sees lakers over 20 pounds regularly.