Whitefish Chain Fishing Reports

[samprince1923]

I am interested in knowing more about mukabbir school. I want to take admission of my son to this school. Please review it and give me your opinion about it.

[leech~~]

21 hours ago, samprince1923 said:

I am interested in knowing more about mukabbir school. I want to take admission of my son to this school. Please review it and give me your opinion about it.

Welcome to the forum.

I was in Sahiwal, Pakistan just last week. It looks like a fine school!

[samprince1923]

On 2/26/2022 at 10:00 PM, samprince1923 said:

I am interested in knowing more about mukabbir school. I want to take admission of my son to this school. Please review it and give me your opinion about it.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I am very happy with this community.

[rayguy]

Any reports on the chain?  Haven't had a chance to get out since the storm.  Still have a tree on the roof but rest of yard is finally picked up. The hell with it time to go fishing.   Anybody been out?  

[ozzie]

I have not been on chain yet for eyes but on opener we had success on Crappies and bagged our 3 man 5 fish limit and was able to come back the next night and have similar success but that was on Cross.  I have heard and seen pictures of successful outings over by your place from the Sunday and Tuesday after opener.  Jig and minnow combos landed a handull of limits!!  Been a long time since I seen a limit or more of eyes from the chain!  Good luck and hopefully ya can get that tree off your roof soon and minimalize the damage!

 

Take care,

Oz

[springerchaser]

Trying to learn the Chain. Just got a cabin on Trout last year. Used two different guides last year in July. Not one Walleye on spinners that the guide used exclusively on the first trip. Second trip did well with 4 Walleyes on lindy rigs with shiners. This year I did well on with leeches on Edwards but no Wallys yet on Whitefish. Anyone else have luck? Willing to share reports. When do leeches do well on whitefish? Thanks. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by springerchaser

[ozzie]

The Lions tournament was won using bobbers and leeches on Trout...at least that is the word I heard.  From the resident anglers I know up there, I have been told by one that this is the best he has ever seen the chain produce for eyes and he is a lifetime local!  I have spent more time golfing than fishing but I am excited to get back up there and try my luck on the chain for eyes.  I will say that historically we have done better on worms than anything else out there but each trip can be different.  One thing I will express, being you are new to the chain, do not get your hopes up on slaying eyes out there.  You may find success, but more often than not the results from fishing eyes are disappointing!  One technique you will see out there is as the summer rolls along more trolling over deep water becomes an option.  Troll anywhere from 3-30' down over 70-120' of water and you will see on your graph where the fish congregate.  this historically catches fish, and most often, the bigger fish are out there feeding.  Good Luck and see you on the chain!!

[rayguy]

Warm out there.  Got four nice eyes this morning all on leeches and floating jigs.  Was in 20' of water on a rock pile.  Lots of markings shallower but they wouldn't bite.  Anybody finding any sunnies? My usual haunts are dead. Had a good sized fish follow up a hooked walleye right to the boat this morning.  Didn't get a real good look at it but  it sure looked like a musky. Who's planting them?

[Wanderer]

2 hours ago, rayguy said:

Didn't get a real good look at it but  it sure looked like a musky. Who's planting them?

Haven’t heard of any plans from the DNR for the WFC.  I don’t think the Gull idea went over well, did it?  

[ozzie]

very interesting rayguy!  WFC would appear to be a musky dream with all the water and food supply out there.  I have never heard or seen one out there as they are not supposed to be there.  Just like when I have heard common carp are out there but yet the DNR said they are not.  There are redhorse suckers on the chain which get mistaken for Carp but they are far from the same.  I like to believe there are some MONSTER PIKE out on the chain still swimming over the deeper water but I have never hooked into one out there over 36"...but I did see one at the DNR netting station one year that was close to 45" and all of +20lbs!

[ozzie]

made our way out onto the chain this past weekend with a little success.  we started Thursday June 30th for a few evening eyes and ended up with a handful of 12-14" eyes along with catching northern, rock bass, sun fish, and perch.  Kept 2 eyes that were both 14".  Caught the fish with leeches under  a bobber set at 15' just off the weedlines.  Next morning we tried again but had no success.  The reports out on the chain is that the eyes are biting and a lot of fish in the 12-14" range which many think is from the 2020 year class...this also was the first year in many that they did not strip the eyes on the chain.  Coincidence? Many locals don't think so!

[Wanderer]

 

I subbed in for a fishing league (walleye only) last night on the chain.  Windy and hot turned into windy and cold and wet.

 

Numbers may not be accurate but close enough for general info.  23 boats/10 blanks including us.  Most boats with fish had 2-3 smalls.  Winner had 12.5 lbs anchored by a 27 incher.  There were a few 25+ inch fish and it sounded like they dropped on them right away then went cold like the rest of us only to pick up a couple more in the last 20-30 minutes.  We lost 2 in that time as well.

 

Everyone was marking fish but they just weren’t biting.  As the guest jigger I mainly pulled a red tail around and had just one pick up.  Our two lost fish were on a chub as well.  We pulled blades, ran a leech under a float and jig rapped.  I think most of the fish were picked up on blades and drop shots but that might just be fish tales.   75-76 degree water.

[leech~~]

I'll take cold and wet right now! 

[Wanderer]

It only sucked for those that didn’t bring rain gear.  I had mine so I was fine..  

[leech~~]

12 hours ago, Wanderer said:

It only sucked for those that didn’t bring rain gear.  I had mine so I was fine..  

My first thought.  Lots of folks headed out sweating and thinking it was not needed.  Been there done that, just about every Bowing hunting season!  

[Wanderer]

12 hours ago, leech~~ said:

My first thought.  Lots of folks headed out sweating and thinking it was not needed.  Been there done that, just about every Bowing hunting season!  

I finally came to my senses and packed a “boat bag” since I’m always jumping from one boat to another.  A small duffel with packable rain gear, pliers, knife, glass cleaner cloths, bandaids, sunscreen, bug spray, fishing gloves and a fishing mask.  It’s ALWAYS ready and always with.

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Wanderer said:

I finally came to my senses and packed a “boat bag” since I’m always jumping from one boat to another.  A small duffel with packable rain gear, pliers, knife, glass cleaner cloths, bandaids, sunscreen, bug spray, fishing gloves and a fishing mask.  It’s ALWAYS ready and always with.

Yep, most of that in storage in my boat 24/7.  

[rayguy]

Anybody getting any action pulling cranks?  Seem to be quite a few boats doing that so wondering what's up.   Tried lindy rigging last night and only hit was a four pound  dogfish .  Any body tried Trout for lakers?

[ozzie]

Father In law has done some whitefish jigging with success but that is the only fishing reports I have heard for the chain.  Guessing the deep water trolling is where it is at right now.  Good luck to those that get out and fish!

[leech~~]

Pulled a few Walleye out if 35-40' feet on a leech and spinner over on a Nisswa area lake in high winds on Saturday. 

[Springerjax]

4 atttempts in the last two weeks but no luck for us. Did ok on shiners and leeches and lindy rigs in June and July. Seems to be somewhat of a algae bloom on upper whitefish or it’s green from the wind. Any luck lately anyone? May try deeper this week. Thanks John in a white and silver Lund impact. 
 

 

[ozzie]

Try trolling over 70+ feet of water with rapalas.  have them run anywhere from 3-20' down (I do better higher in the water column) and watch your graph for schools of fish hanging out over the deep water.  This is a traditional technique to use on the chain.

[JBMasterAngler]

Now that it’s been a few years, has the higher northern pike limit helped increase the size of pike on the chain at all? I haven’t fished there in years, but it was one of my favorite lakes. Just wished it wasn’t so loaded with hammer handles.

[delta dude]

stripping station going on the Pine River?

[Wanderer]

20 hours ago, delta dude said:

stripping station going on the Pine River?

Yes!  Just starting to see more activity.  Nets have been in for almost a week.

[Wanderer]

April 29 @ 8 am

[smurfy]

from the walleyes or suckers??? they werent specific!!!!!!

[Wanderer]

15 hours ago, smurfy said:

from the walleyes or suckers??? they werent specific!!!!!!

I’m going with walleyes but there were donkeys of both species in there!  Hawgs, tanks, slobs, elephants, whatever over the top description you want to use was accurate.

[ozzie]

always amazes me how many big fish go to those nets and once the spawn is over, how difficult it is to catch a walleye on the chain, and how rare it is to see the BIG fish.

[delta dude]

So what's the good word ? Anybody catching anything?  Our group got three small walleyes over the opener.  Water is really cold.  Did see one 4-5lber caught. Times are tough on WF.