Lake Vermilion Fishing Q&A

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Forest Lane Resort is in the middle of the East side.

I only have a couple of days left available in the first week of June at this time.

Thank you!

Cliff

[fishinjosh98]

Thinking about getting some walleyes up on vermillion for opener any recomendations on what to use?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Thinking about getting some walleyes up on vermillion for opener any recomendations on what to use?

Walleyes on the opener will hit almost any type of presentation.

I prefer jigs/minnows or lindy/minnows.

Find the fish and they will bite!

Cliff

[fishinjosh98]

thank you I know when we went up this easly las year we would catch them in the bay and that will not happen any other thime of the year

[GSP4ME]

Thanks for all your help. I just went out and bought a portable Eagle 350c for the trip up to Life of Riely Resort or our june trip. WIth the price of fuel it is cheaper to rent a boat for the week then to drive the diesel and pull the boat. Looking forward to the trip will be there the week of june 11 through the 15th if any of you are up in the area at that time give me a shout and we can cast a line or just sit by the fire and have a cold one. Take care and thanks for all the great info.

Jake

[james_walleye]

Gsp, keep an eye on this forum as your trip gets closer. I was new to V last year and found the people on this forum to be a great help. There is some great info to be had here as the season goes along. I love reading the fishing reports and keeping up on the bite from my home in rochester.

[vermilionfox]

Thanks for all your help. I just went out and bought a portable Eagle 350c for the trip up to Life of Riely Resort or our june trip. WIth the price of fuel it is cheaper to rent a boat for the week then to drive the diesel and pull the boat. Looking forward to the trip will be there the week of june 11 through the 15th if any of you are up in the area at that time give me a shout and we can cast a line or just sit by the fire and have a cold one. Take care and thanks for all the great info.

Jake

I'll be up at Life Of Riley the same week. We get in on Saturday the 9th. I'll have the 22 foot Crest pontoon with the 115 hp Johnson on the back. See ya!

[GSP4ME]

Looking forward to it Chris. I am praying for good weather and cold beer. The fishing will take care of itself

[SkunkedAgain]

Looking forward to it Chris. I am praying for good weather and cold beer. The fishing will take care of itself

One of those variables is entirely and thankfully under your control!

[GSP4ME]

oh yes, she said what do you need two coolers for it is only a long weekend, I looked at her and just shook my head. Somethings she will just never understand.

[10,000 Casts]

hey guys, with the early spring, how will it change the walleye fishing for the first few weeks of the season?

[Jmeyers]

hey guys, with the early spring, how will it change the walleye fishing for the first few weeks of the season?

To add to this, I'll be heading up to Vermillion for the opener and was wondering the same thing. What depths do you think I should be looking at? Will they be shallower due to the early spring or is the water temp still pretty cold?

It sounds like any presentation will do, I'm thinking about just jigs and minnows, maybe drag a few spinners... Thanks for the help!

[shamrock7]

As in any opener, and any time of the year for that matter, there will be fish shallow and there will be fish deep and there will be fish in-between. Just a matter of finding the active ones or.....just enjoying the day and waiting for them to come to you.

[jkrash]

Water temps are in the low 50's, lots of little perch cruising the shoreline right now, I'd bet theirs a ton of shallow walleye also. I'm not sure what the opener will bring but I will start shallow & go deep.

[fishinjosh98]

Well im sitting inside and wondering what they are biting on. Im in a bay I would like to catch northern since they are more fun to catch and since we cant keep them it doesnt matter about taste . but ya what ever they will eat ill put it

[james_walleye]

Ifa person is looking fire a good place to bobber fish in the evenings and after dark opener weekend, what are some keys to look for? Deep water nearby? Steep break into shore? Boulder points? On lakes down here I fish weedlines but thats not really an option near big bay.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

If I do put out a bobber on opener I like to fish shallow bays with a rocky or ledge shoreline that drops off into sand or mud bottom that levels out at around 6 feet to 15 feet.

Points are always good locations.

Cliff

[Vermilion_figure_8]

Toss a bobber right off your dock when the sun goes down. Can be SUPER good.

[james_walleye]

That's what I would like to do but I dont know how good 4 feet and sand would be......

[Cliff Wagenbach]

That's what I would like to do but I dont know how good 4 feet and sand would be......

Early in the season you may be pleasantly surprised by the results! Especially after dark!

Cliff

[james_walleye]

Well I was going tip try it at midnight opener.....we will see what happens.

[james_walleye]

Hey cliff in the message I sent you I meant bay view not bay point......

[Cliff Wagenbach]

James,

I thought that may have been what you meant.

The people that fish off of the docks at Bay View catch a lot of walleyes some springs so the spot that you mentioned may be a good spot! Probably best just before dark and just after dark there.

Cliff

[cometcoach]

Hello I am new to this board and have a question. I will be on the lake on June 2nd through the 9th. The last time I was there two years ago I caught some keeper walleyes in a shallow bay on the west end of the lake. I was wanting to know if anyone could give me some more info on the west side for walleye. I will be staying at the lost weekend cabin. Any help would be appreciated.

[james_walleye]

Thx cliff!!

[Cliff Wagenbach]

cometocoach,

Welcome to HSO!

I do not fish the West end but you should get plenty of help from some of the people on this forum that do!

Cliff

[cometcoach]

Thanks Cliff I will keep checking back as the time comes closer.

[guideman]

Hey everybody,

Sorry that I missed so many post, but my computer has been down for about two weeks. There will be fish shallow, especially early and late in the day. I will however be fishing the deep mud during the day. Even on typical openers with normal iceouts, there is a deep bite and most times it's the most consistent action early in the season. Water temps in Pike bay were in the upper 50's today and that is really warm for May 2nd. Two years ago we had very similar conditions and Pike bay was a ghost town by 10am. If I were to spend any time fishing shallow I would concentrate on points and shoreline breaks ajacent to their spawning areas. I think trolling may be the ticket for finding some active shallow Walleyes. Fish fast and cover water. You can always slow down and fish them with jigs or rigs after you locate them.

I'm going to look for mud to sand or gravel transition areas and watch for bug larva on my sonar. I'm a huge minnow guy this time of the year but without knowing exactly what thgey are doing I would bring several different livebait options. Jigs have always been my early season favorite presentation. I know Cliff is a rig guy and we both have had a lot of success with these presentations. I also do a lot of slip bobber fishing this time of year, however I typically save it for the evening action. The key is to be prepared for any and all eventuallities, don't get caught up in fishing your memories.

I may give Pike bay a shot at midnight and pull some crankbaits, but I think I'll leave it to the tourist on Saturday morning. Remember if the Walleyes have your number and you don't know what to do, tie on a spinnerbait and hammer some pre spawn Smallies.

God I can't wait...

"Ace"

[tokerwashere]

I am no walleye expert but the areas on West end I have fished for and done decent for walleye are; troll around center island, the small bay by winsock island in Norwegian, the islands north end of large taylors island, hibbings point and richey bay. I keep it simple and just drag an 1/8 oz jig. One thing that might seem odd to some is I use crawlers about 80% of the time. Most have read about the issues on West end of V for walleye and its been tough last two years. The nice thing about the lake is, there is something always biting...so fish for what's biting!

[rango]

Spent a lot of time researching which lake to come to for vacation with my son and Brother In Law and his kids and chose Vermilion for the July 4th week. I've got a 18 ft Tundra and tend to chase the walleye and smallies and the BIL has a smaller aluminum boat of the so can't handle the bigger water and chases panfish more. We're staying at Timbuktu. Any thoughts from anyone on walleye and smallie depths and location during that period and where to look for the gills and crappies. Any help appreciated. Message me if you wiksh. Thanx, Jim