Big Sandy Lake Fishing Reports

[palisade1kid]

Yes...I've been getting a few every year over the past few years.

[rkhinrichs]

i caught it at the very last bay on long point. next to those bulrushes in the middle of the bay. 16 inchs. in like 7 ft of water in july. i still trying to figure that out?? just trolling raps for pike with the little cousin, i thought it was a pike because it was staying deep.

[lispeej]

Not to be a pest, but we should keep this thread to tullies. If you want to talk about other fish, feel free to start a new thread/topic.

Thanks.

[lispeej]

What's the latest on the ice and driving conditions on BSL?

[Deer_Assassin]

Sooooo no Tullies yet? I tried it last weekend and once again many lookers but no takers. Hope it happens soon,this warm weather is gonna limit ice travel quick.

[lispeej]

Anyone drop an underwater camera to see what's in the water yet? If the tullies are swimming in larger schools, or if they are feeding on bugs or what?

[palisade1kid]

Little snow and you almost need an extention.

[lispeej]

awesome. thanks. i'm hoping this weekend to be a good weekend to come up.

[Deer_Assassin]

Went out on Wed-Thurs. Fished from morning til dark, caught some ok crappies(8-10") didnt keep any thou. Caught one tullie in a deep hole(35') but couldnt get any on the flats. I graphed them and could see them on the camera,but no biters. I tried every jig I had,meat,no meat,nothing would get them to bite. They did come in schools,but had no interest at all. Ice is still really good,but has a few inches of water on it every where

[MidCoast]

I was out there this morning. We did well with the Tullies.

[338Fishin]

What do you consider well? How big have they been runnin this year, BSL tullies are some of the biggest I have seen I think

[trappingaddiction]

How are the accesses holding up? Are they still in good enough shape to be able to drive out on them? How is the bite out there (any species)?

[StoneCold651]

whats wrong with these fish?!! are they fasting!!..are they sleeping down there?? can't get them to bite..

[lispeej]

x2

[knoppers]

ATV was good for this weekend, but with the warm weather and rain on the way tonight, it will be iffy. next weekend I am guessing ice out on the smaller lakes here.

[lispeej]

Do these tullibees bite during open water season?

[jon.botz]

Just wondering if big sandy is completly ice free and how is the water level?

[reinhard1]

hey, Welcome to HSO!!!! i haven't fished this lake for years. i'm sure someone will help you with your question. but taking a stroll down memory lane, i remember going through a channel into some backwaters or smaller side lake and the waters were clear. while we were casting in the weedy waters we seen long nose gar, and many of them. i just wonder if someone else, maby you, have seen this. good luck.

[jon.botz]

I have fished the lake for the last ten years and never seen anything like a long nose gar, but I truly love to fish that lake.

[reinhard1]

we were camped by the dam i remember and strait out from there on the left side aways up the lake was this back area. shallow and weedy. good luck.

[Grum]

Aitkin Lake? Never seen any gar myself, but it would be a good home for them if any came in through Libby dam from the Mississippi.

[reinhard1]

yes, i think thats the place. this was a long time ago but i remember it well. i just looked aitkin lake up on the lake finder [dnr] and it talks about a 2 mile long channel that is shallow that connects aitkin to big sandy. i see no gar in the census the dnr took but i seen them there. this census was 2008 but when i was there was in the early 70's. good luck.

[PierBridge]

Any chance it was a bunch of snake northerns, the lake has an insane over abunce of the little slimers!

[1forwalleye]

Anybody have any luck on Big Sandy for opener? I am curious how people did in light of the new slot limit (14-18" to keep, one over 26"). Any keepers? Thanks.

[Archerysniper]

I wasn't up there but the brother in law and buddies caught 10 eyes and limited on sunnies and they don't fish hard at all sunnies were off the dock.

[Archerysniper]

Any chance it was a bunch of snake northerns, the lake has an insane over abunce of the little slimers!

+ 1000 on the slimers, we will go out and troll shallow raps in the bay and catch 30 or 40 in a couple hours it's really fun but wish the would get bigger.

[1forwalleye]

It doesn't take much to limit on sunfish now. The new limit is five (5) fish.

[Archerysniper]

Yep it don't take much for the sunnies but I do like the new limit.

[1forwalleye]

I agree. I like the new slot harvest limit. I think it will really help the fishery in the long run.

[PierBridge]

I agree. I like the new slot harvest limit. I think it will really help the fishery in the long run.

I would like to believe that and it should help some.... but the Big Sandy mystery of why Walleye's do not get very big has been around for the 30 plus years I've fished the lake. I'm not saying there isn't or hasn't been years where we've had big fish in the lake but it's pretty rare and mind boggling why we don't see more big fish on such a large body of water with the insane amount of sub 15" fish that are in the lake year in and year out and the incredible structure that B-S has. When we do/have run into the occasional 25" plus eye it's not a very healthy looking fish generally speaking.

Props to the DNR for trying and I agree with all the smaller sub 14" Eye's the slot will help. Just our boat alone on the opener threw back close to 25 eye's in the 12" to 13 7/8 range. We ended up with 5 keepers mostly on Leeches drifting/trolling dork rigs or spinners. We did also set the world record for most snails caught with close to 30, all in one area, sometimes were we getting 3 at time on our line's...