Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Pelican Lake (dunvilla)


Recommended Posts

Does anyone have any suggestions on spots on the mid-lake portion of Pelican?  I'm going out there on Saturday with some friends and we are NOT going through one of the public accesses so we get a chance to fish the middle of the lake.  I rarely fish the lake but am seeing a lot of mid lake deep holes but most are 45-60 feet of water.  Do the fish run deeper on this lake or do you have to find those big deep basins that are on the lake?  Tips would be greatly appreciated because we are just going out for fun and chasing anything that bites.  Last year we started for walleyes but switched to perch mid day.  I understand we are fishing the wrong time of the day but we are just out to have fun during the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had some success on Pelican Monday. I was fishing an inside turn off a sharp break and had holes drilled form 13ft to the lake basin which bottomed out around 27 ft. Caught jumbo perch throughout the day and the walleyes moved in starting around 4:15. Caught one at 4:15 in 27, 4:30 in 24, 4:45 in 20, and then 5 between 5-5:30 in 17. It got very quiet after then. Hopped around holes on top of the 13 foot flat we were near and didn't get anything other than perch at night. My hypothesis is that the walleyes are roaming the main basin during the day then funnel up to shallow structure in the evening to feed. We're now pretty far into winter, so I would definitely focus on mid lake structure such as humps and bars. That sharp break I was on was a secondary drop off from shore, but when I go back out tomorrow I plan on getting even further out into the lake.

 

Since you'll be fishing during the day I suggest targeting deep water adjacent to that mid lake structure. I caught a 26 inch walleye on Lida at 2PM in 45 feet of water while crappie fishing the other day, so don't be shy of popping holes out that deep. I'm guessing you'd have to drill many holes to have any sort of sustained action throughout the day as they aren't relating directly to any structure.

 

Your best bet of getting on a good spot would be to look on a summer depth finder that has a decent lake chip in it. The map that the navionics app has for Pelican is VERY poor and doesn't represent half the structure in there.  The spot I was on doesn't even pop up as an inside turn on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the tips.  I normally fish deep so a few spots that has my interest follow what you said.  Hopefully we can plow some roads out there on Friday to the areas we want to get to.  Were you using jigs or spoons covering that big of a spread?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I HIGHLY recommend you use a spoon with a perch coloration. All of the large perch we caught threw up their stomachs from the pressure change and they were eating young of the year perch. The walleyes are also present in the same area because they're feeding on the perch. They'll hit the spoon without a minnow head even, but throughout the day they will get more finicky and they then need a minnow head on there to get them going again. Today I set up in 24 feet and pulled in 20 keeper perch and 4 walleye with a couple walleyes that got off. One walleye was caught at 2:30, the rest were caught in a 30 minute window between 4:45 and 5:15. I'm not sure if there's a different type of structure out there that you might be able to find a more sustained bite on or not. The last few trips the walleye have very much stuck to their stereotypical prime time hours, but there's so many factors that go into whether fish will bite/be present or not I don't dare say you can't get into them during the day.

 

Also of note; the schools of larger perch definitely seemed to be deeper. Caught keepers anywhere from 14-27 ft but 75% came from 27ft.

 

If you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can still drive cross country to wherever you want. I was still able to bust through the drifts with a jeep today, as the spot I've been fishing is pretty far from any plowed roads. 17+ inches of ice everywhere I've been. Your call on if you're comfortable doing that though. 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the suggestions.  We have started plowing roads in the main lake basin to a few spots we have identified on a lake master map so we can get from John Berry's Point west a mile or so to some structure there so there is approximately 3 miles total now that is plowed by a buddy of ours.  We will have access to his plow on Saturday and his side by side with trax's on it.  27 feet with a spoon sounds like a good start especially since a few spots I have indicated on the map are 30-35 foot holes/flats

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We fished a few breaks from 18 fow to33.  Live minnows we couldn't keep perch off of our lines and was pissing me off with how small my shiners were the perch wouldn't leave them alone.  Best luck for perch were in the 25-29 fow but they were 5-8 inches long.  We had a bunch of guys out there so we set 9" as a minimum for a fish fry Saturday night so everything went back.  i went deeper trying to stay away from the small perch and in 33 fow we were pulling up 2.5-4" perch.  Buddies fished other spots by the mansion and got a few misc fish and some fished a mid lake hump on the west side and got a few walleyes at dusk.  We fished hard till mid afternoon and the girlfriend was getting cold and that wind had a bite.  Rest of the guys were fishing in Ice Castles and when we were getting cold and hungry  we decided to head for another lake to try for crappies.  The girlfriend is in a crappie tournament till end of February so trying to get her fish on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Kettle
      Walked today and yesterday, flushed 9, shot at two and got two. Hopefully next year I'll have a dog to hunt with. Still warm up here, skim of ice on ponds. Weather has been nice. Hopefully walk a bit more the next few weeks. Been pretty cautious walking for birds to not interfere with deer hunters. There sure are not the deer hunters there used to be 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The focus for many this week is the ongoing deer hunting season which is a big tradition in these parts, even for avid walleye anglers.  There were some that either already harvested their deer or are more into catching fall walleyes than hunting.     Those that are fishing are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and excellent walleye and sauger bite that is happening across the lake.  Cold weather is in the forecast in the upcoming days and weeks so that is also getting many excited. The best depths on the south end of LOW are 22-28 feet of water.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners is catching most of the walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch.  Depending upon where on the lake you are fishing, some slots and big trophies are in the mix as well, but most reports are talking about good numbers of eaters.    Jumbo perch are coming in good numbers this fall which will serve ice anglers well.  Watch out for an occasional pike or even lake sturgeon mixed in with the walleyes.      There are good numbers of walleyes and saugers across the south shore which is setting up nicely for early ice.   On the Rainy River...  There continues to be good numbers of shiners in the river, and consequently, there are good walleyes in the river as well.     Walleyes along with saugers, pike and some sturgeon are coming in up and down the river.  Most walleyes are being caught in 10-25 feet of water in various stretches of the river.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners is the key. Some anglers are also still slow trolling crankbaits upstream to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing remains strong.  The catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is open into the spring when it changes to the "keep season" on April 24th. Up at the NW Angle...  As temps are getting colder, most are in the woods hunting and not fall fishing, however, for those who bundle up, fishing continues to be excellent.     A nice mixed bag with walleyes, saugers, perch, pike and crappies being caught. Very good muskie fishing with the colder water temps and shorter days.  Some big fish and some good numbers are being caught amongst the islands.  Both casting and trolling is getting it done.  
    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
      That’s almost exactly what I was thinking.  Have slug barrels for both   One for turkey and one for deer.      I have a 20ga mosseberg as well. (Combo came with the scope but never used.   I always liked the 12 better
    • leech~~
      Wanderer is right on the money and covered it well.  I was wondering too if you had a slug barrel for one of your guns?  If so you could make that your slug gun with a scope, and the other your turkey gun with the Red dot.  As you can afford it. 
    • Wanderer
      Kinda depends on if you want magnification or quick target acquisition.   More magnification options and better accuracy with a scope.  You get what you pay for too so get comfortable with a budget for one.  Tasco and Bushnell work but I find they lose their zero easier, have low contrast and don’t gather light well in low light conditions.  That said, I’m still using one I haven’t replaced yet.  Vortex has been the hot brand for the past several years for bang for the buck.  Good products.  Nothing beats Swarovski though.  Huge dough for those.  Burris is another decent option.   There are some specific models for shotgun/slug hunting in the economy brands and bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticles.  Based on experience I’d recommend not falling for that marketing ploy.   Red dots are usually lower magnification and easier to get on target.  Reasonably accurate but don’t do well with definition, like searching the brush for your target.  I put a HAWKE red dot on a .22 for squirrels and it’s been good.  For turkey, that’s probably the route I’d go.     If your slug shots are normally not too far and too brushy, I’d think a red dot could work there too if you’re only buying 1 scope.  You’ll be better off dimming the reticle to the lowest setting you can easily use to not over shine the target and get a finer aim point.   If you don’t have a slug barrel, you might appreciate one of those.  I had a browning with a smoothbore slug barrel that shot Brenneke 2-3/4 inch well.  The 11-87 would well fitted with a cantelever rifled barrel. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.