Lake Vermilion Fishing Q&A

[Silver Scale]

Good fish story..... LOL

[Silver Scale]

To my knowledge the DNR or anyone else I have ever talked to has never see a lake sturgeon in Vermilion. With that being said it is possible that someone illegally transplanted one years ago. There are sturgeon in Crane Lake, Little Fork and Stugeon Rivers which are all fairly close to Vermilioin. A fish of that size would have to be in excess of 70 years old. Possible but probably not likely.

[jkrash]

I remember making our weekly hamburger run to Perhsons resort back in the 1970's, and they had a bunch of pictures on the wall of Sturgeon that were said to be from the early days on Vermilion.

But

I think Silver is right, no sturgeon today, if their were the DNR would see them in their nets at the hatchery every spring.

Sorry to hi-jack your thread Ace please continue with the very informative posts.

How about those gloves

[guideman]

Those are some hot looking cloves John...

I haven't ever seen or heard of a Sturgeon in Lake Vermilion either. If they were in the lake the DNR would have special regulations posted at all the boat landings and in the state regs. So lets get back to fish that actually do swim here in Lake Vermilion. If you want to discuss this topic further please start another thread.

"Ace"

[Chode2235]

Ace,

The wife and I, and some of my family will be at Ludlows the second week in June. I know you said you wouldn't give spots, and I dont really want them; but what is typically going on in that part of the lake during that time? And generally, as I get out and explore which way out of the narrows should I be going?

There has been a lot of talk about the smallmouth for that time of year, and I plan on doing most of my fishing for them; but I will also need to get a few walleyes for a meal or my family will never let me live it down.

What is usually happening in this part of the lake at that time, and then what do I need to look for as far as productive spots/stretches of water?

Also, my 4 yr old nephew will be coming up too. Where can I find the fastest panfish action to keep him busy and get my little buddy 'hooked' so to speak?

[guideman]

Hey chode,

First of all there is excellent panfishing all around Ludlow's. The Wakemup narrows has lots of great little bays for Bluegills and even some Crappies that time of the year. Larson's bay is right next to Ludlow's and it should have both Crappies and Sunfish to catch in June. You'll also be right in some of the best Largemouth water on the lake.

For Smallmouth you'll have to go a bit farther but not that much. If there are still fish around the beds just look for hard bottom in the narrows. Otherwise Niles bay has some very good Smallmouth action. I prefer the east side shoreline however both sides of the bay have something to offer. The Walleyes will be on either end of the narrows where it dumps into Wakeumup bay or Niles bay. You'll find some deeper structure just west of the narrows in Wakeumup bay. Fish the weedline on the east end of the narrows for Walleyes in Niles bay. A lot will depend on whatr kind of spring we get this year.

There is also some very good Pike fishing in the narrows and in some of the bays connected to it. Muskego bay and the bay next to it on the north side of the narrows are well know for both Pike and Largemouth bass. You'll also see a Muskie or two in there if you throw some spinnerbaits. Nice thing about your location is there is good cover if the wind blows hard, so you'll still be able to get out and fish.

"Ace"

[delcecchi]

Ace, do you ever fish walleye in the weeds on west end? Weedlines or in bays?

Talking about in summer, not so much in spring.

[guideman]

Hey Del,

You just about have to fish Walleyes in the weeds on the west end, it's one of the most productive paterns for that part of the lake. Unfortunately you are forced to deal with a lot of small perch with that pattern, however it can also be very productive during a good part of the summer. Typically I would look for the deeper weed edges that grow right to the bottom transition from soft to hard. Some of the largest Walleyes in the system use weeds for shelter and food. There are a lot of prey species that use the weeds for protection, so it's not uncommon for Walleyes to forage there. Deep cabbage is an excellent location to find Walleyes, they use that type of cover more than most Walleye anglers realize.

"Ace"

[Chode2235]

Awesome info, thanks Ace.

Also, I just became a fan of your Facebook page. What kind of stuff are you planning on posting out there?

[guideman]

Thanks chode,

I'll be posting fishing reports and photos and also making recommendations on tactics and presentations for Walleyes, Muskies, Pike and both species of bass.

Is the ice gone yet?

"Ace"

[delcecchi]

Any suggested techniques for walleye in weeds? Doesn't seem like a rig would work well.

[vermilionfox]

Del, I have used jig combos with live bait and caught lots of weed walleyes in Vermilion. What bait depends on what they want. I like to use a weed weasel jig when I'm weed fishing a lot, it helps with the mess! I cast away from the boat to the weeds and do drag type retrieve by lifting my rod tip.

[Casey Sunsdahl]

There are a couple other nice Lake Vermilion oriented Facebook Pages as well you could like..

[Chode2235]

There are a couple other nice Lake Vermilion oriented Facebook Pages as well you could like..

Awesome. Just promise to post when the bite is hot, so I can take the rest of the day off and get up ASAP!

[BFJ]

Del, I had good luck using Berkly style Gulp minnows & leeches rigged weedless on jigs or weighted hooks. Allows you to work edges and pockets. Also ran weedless jigs under slip bobbers, tossing & swiming them thru pockets and edges.

[delcecchi]

Another thing for my list for next summer. Thanks guys.

[guideman]

Hey Del,

I have been using the new hollow bellied swimbaits the last couple of years along with my typical weedless jig presentation. You can really cover a lot of water and you catch almost everything that swims in those weeds. Early in the season before the weeds get to thick you can also cast crankbaits over the tops of the emergent weed growth.

"Ace"

[Slip Sinker]

I have some questions on weed fishing for walleyes on the Big V. When looking for productive weeds, what are some of the characteristics of productive weeds? Do you fish the weeds that are close to shore? What depths are they typically active in?

Thanks for any info.

[guideman]

Large expansive weed flats are usually more productive than small isolated weed patches. I like to work the transistion areas at the deep edges or where you find rocks or hard bottom within the weeds. Open pockets and channels going through the weed bed also attract foraging Walleyes. There are times when you can find them as shallow as 2 or 3 ft however I like to consentrate my efforts a little deeper from say 6ft out to the deep weed edge.

"Ace"

[delcecchi]

Sounds like you are describing the bay in front of our cabin. Now if I can fight off the musky fishemen I will be good to go.

When fishing the hollow swimbaits do you use a weedless jig? If so, how heavy?

Or do you use the weighted hook like the bass guys use?

[trolloni]

Yeah Del that is a good bay, i think it has the deepest weed edge of the whole lake always mark fish deep on the edge and suspended in there two, also if you head west from ya there is another large weed flat by that big resort try a slip bobber with a weedless hook and a leech you will be surprized ,minnows will work too ,a good choice in summer , keeps the panfish from drivin ya nuts, although they are tuff to keep alive when its real hot.

[delcecchi]

Yeah Del that is a good bay, i think it has the deepest weed edge of the whole lake always mark fish deep on the edge and suspended in there two, also if you head west from ya there is another large weed flat by that big resort try a slip bobber with a weedless hook and a leech you will be surprized ,minnows will work too ,a good choice in summer , keeps the panfish from drivin ya nuts, although they are tuff to keep alive when its real hot.

Sort of out in front of Pehrson's and north or west? I am getting pumped for open water.

[guideman]

Yeah Dell I use the weighted hook and rig it weedless. Don't let the size of these baits scare you. Walleyes can easily take a 6 inch swimbait. I usually use the 4 inch but have on many occasions caught Walleyes using the 6 inch bait. You can also

use a swimbait on a jig especially if the weeds are a little sparse or a foot or two below the surface. If you rig the bait sideways on the jig they remain fairly weedless and if they do hang up simply give them a rip and you will free them. I like to use braided line for this application, as it cuts throught the weeds much better than mono.

"Ace"

[Vermilion_figure_8]

do you slip bobber much? is so what is the best tactic for walleyes?

[guideman]

I don't use a slip bobber much during the summer, except out on a few reefs in the evening. I do use them a lot in the spring in a number of situations however I'd much rather use a jig when fishing in the weeds. Bobbers are fine if you know the fish are there, but they don't make a very good search bait when you are trying to locate the fish.

"Ace"

[Abrams]

Great topic, I've got a group of first timers fishing the big V over Memorial. I hope to hit bass, crappies and walleyes. We're staying at vbl. Any keys to early summer walleyes? Hit the rocks near deep water with jig/leetch, shallow around dark, etc?

[guideman]

The way the spring is going so far the Walleyes will probably be shallow around Memorial day. Hard to say right now, but it looks like a normal iceout right now.

Might be a good bite going in Wolf bay that time of the season but you might have to go a little further than that. You might find some on the sand south of Zupp's point, it's just a matter of how the spring goes.

"Ace"

[coombia21]

The best bobber bite is in pike bay, and the area connecting it to big bay(puncher, and hoodoo point) during the opening weekend. We caught more fish on bobbers on opening weekend in the puncher point area than we did the rest of the summer on vermillion last year.

[guideman]

There are a lot of great bobber spots on the lake early in the season including Pike bay. Many of them are in areas where you won't have to fight the boat traffic like you do fishing in the channel leaving Pike bay. Most of the back bays have a great slip bobber bite from opener until Memorial day and some even later than that. Check the points and rockwalls that fall into deeper water, it's always a great place to start.

"Ace"

[Fish Head]

Ace,

Thanks for all the info! This is great. I'm in the process of purchasing a cabin on Pine Island right now. I don't know Vermilion very well, but reading all your posts and advice is speeding up that learning curve for me.

Much appreciated!