Whitefish Chain Fishing Reports

[ozzie]

Don't forget to try worms!  Last year we skipped the redtails and went worms for our fall trip and did excellent!!  Keep me updated as I won't be able to get up there until the last weekend of the month  pretty sure temps were 65-67 over labor day.  GOOD LUCK!!!

[Wiley Coyote]

So I'm going up to the chain on the weekend of Sept 28th.  I've never really fished for eyes up there in the fall.  Any tips on what depths I should be targeting?  Is this a good time if year to rig big chubs?  What about trolling cranks or throwing soft plastic swim baits?

[ozzie]

I will also be on the water that weekend with a group of buddies.  At that time work the remaining weedlines and look at hump and breaks near the deep water.  I have not had great success on the big minnows out on WFC but I do know that crawlers (jig or rig) and rapala's and jigging raps all have been successful for me out there.  Just need to move and groove until you find some fish in the 15-40' of water range and start attacking them.  Good Luck

[Wiley Coyote]

Thanks Ozzie!

[ozzie]

also shorten the amount of water you are looking at and work whitefish lakes and leave the rest alone.  Fish can be had in Trout and Cross but %'s improve in WF IMO

[Wiley Coyote]

Duly noted

[Wiley Coyote]

Anyone have a rough idea when the ciscos start their fall spawning run?  I've heard they spawn on sandy/gravely bottom and it can be a good pattern to target walleyes if you can time it right.

[ozzie]

I believe the run is dictated by water temp...seems to me I remember in the upper 40's lower 50's which usually is in November.  I was supposed to make it up there this weekend but my wife got a call back from her cancer removal and they need to take more tissue out as they didn't get all the cancer...#F@ckcancer  surgery is Thursday...hoping this time is the last time they need to open her up to deal with this sh!t

 

Edited September 24, 2019 by ozzie

[Wiley Coyote]

Hope everything goes well with your wife, Ozzie.

[rayguy]

Ozzie prayers to your wife and yourself.   Cancer  seems to effect all families somewhere along the line.  Hope all goes well.   Far as fishing its been pretty hit and miss. Think the weather has something to do with it.   Fish think its still summer.  Now with more normal temps I think the fall bite will kick in.  We have caught walleyes from 12' to 25' with no real pattern.  Cranks have been dead,  trolling over deep water has been a dud,  best has been lindys with live bait .   Red tails are so $$$$ haven't tried them but our neighbor has and only got snakes. Far as the duck opener it was pretty slow from what I have heard.  Shooting died off by 8:30 on the weekend and none heard since.  All I see are wood ducks and the geese have vanished.  So enjoy the warm weather as old man winter will have his day soon.  Good Luck

[Robin B.]

Oct. 31, 2018 saw young bull moose on State Highway 65. South of County Road 28 about 2 - 3 miles.

[ozzie]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 3:04 PM, Robin B. said:

Oct. 31, 2018 saw young bull moose on State Highway 65. South of County Road 28 about 2 - 3 miles.

wrong forum topic and area (as in a ways from WFC) but cool none the less!!

[rayguy]

Heading back to cabin on Monday for the last dance.  Pulling boat out the 17th so if I find any kind of a pattern I will post it. Pretty  chilly up there right now.  From the neighbors report its been pretty slow since it got cold.  Any news from the chain?

[Wiley Coyote]

Was up last weekend to help dad put things away for the fall.  We got out for a few hours in the afternoon.  Nothing.  I got bit off (jigging rap) and that was it.  We were checked by the CO and he said everyone he encountered was not having any luck either.

[ozzie]

I actually made it up for a day run on the 29th as I had some things to do...we caught 1 eye 17" over by Foleys and then missed a couple and got a couple bite offs.  I had one nice bite on a jigging rap and had about 4 cranks of the reel before it shook and spit the rap out...amazing that a lure like that can be bit by a fish and not get them hooked!!  Was beautiful out (prob too calm!) and we also got checked by the CO's...buddy forgot he bought his license online this year and kept the CO's around longer then they wanted to be but they let him go with the idea they would send him a ticket if he didn't have it.  Funny cuz it took him another hour or so before the light bulb went off and he remembered that he bought it online! HAHA  I sure hope to get out on the water fishing a couple more times before the ice locks the lakes up but the forecast has those plans looking bleak!  Good luck 

[ozzie]

Any recent reports from the last 2 weeks?  prob not much since the weather has been horrible but thought I would check as it looks like I will be up this weekend and will get out a time or 2 if all works out right.

[rayguy]

Hey Ozzie you haven’t missed much.  The weather and the wind have been awful .  When we could get out it was slow. Nothing of any size and few and far between.  Taking the boat out tomorrow so maybe a couple hour shot before that. Been a crazy year weather wise and very puzzling far as fishing patterns. Time to think deer I guess. For all you die hards good luck. Stay warm and be safe the water is cold!   Go Vikes

[ozzie]

Got out Saturday and tried for some eyes and didn't find a one...barely graphed a fish in many areas!  We switched it up and went crappie fishing and found a school in deep water and caught enough for a meal.  We were using small jigging raps.  Great bait when trying to stay vertical in deeper water with a slight wind.  Hope to get out another time or 2 but we will see what ma nature has to say about that...Good Luck- Ozzie

[Wiley Coyote]

Any reports on if the chain is clear of ice yet?

[ozzie]

spoke to a person that drove around the lake last week and said the snow pack went down but the shorelines looked still locked tight and with temps in the 20-30's they aren't losing ice too quickly. 

[rayguy]

Last report I had from neighbors was upper was about half open. Snow pretty much gone.  This is from Wed. 4/15.  No walleye stripping this year. Need some wind and warm rain to open her up.  Stay safe all.

[ozzie]

found out that there are some smaller lakes in the area now open...getting closer!

[ozzie]

received pics on Sunday from various accesses on the chain and water is starting to show up and deplete the ice sheet.  I would guess some fishing could be done this weekend on the chain...

[rayguy]

From webcam on Lower Hay lake it looks wide open. 

[rayguy]

Official  ice out April 22.  

[Lakeside]

On 4/28/2020 at 10:43 AM, rayguy said:

Official  ice out April 22.  

I'm not going to argue the Official Ice Out call of 4/22/2020. There was a good size sheet of ice in the main basin of Lower Whitefish on 4/23. It disappeared over night. Mike at Boyd Lodge call the Ice Out as of 4/24. To be clear, I'm not arguing one way or the other. Different people have different views (geographically) and different criteria.

 

All that said, my boat was lunched for the season on 4/25!!!

[Lakeside]

As of 4/27 there were no, zero, nadda crappies in the 'secret' bay just off Pig Lake. Need a few more days of warm Wx to bring them in.

[ozzie]

well got out on the chain Saturday and hit Clamshell and found nothing in the bay but small fish and bass and it was too windy to fish out of the bay so we snuck to the back areas behind the island and struck out there too.  In the evening we went to South Cross and searched that bay and didn't really find much for crappies.  we caught 4 that we kept for a meal that were 9.5-11.5' and those were caught around 8pm and no one else was catching much of anything either.  Hopefully the opener is better with more action than what we had!  Good Luck

[rayguy]

Looks like bad weather coming for the weekend.  Water is still very cold.  It shows in the crappie fishing.  Hard to come by,  won't improve till it warms up a little.  Did see a 2-3 lb walleye in 3' of water off our dock.  Just swimming by.  Dress warm guys.  Rain and 35 on Sat morning.  

Edited May 7, 2020 by rayguy

[ozzie]

thanks for the update rayguy! despite the weather I will be in the area hitting a lake hoping to find willing biters!  I don't think we will hit the chain for eyes as opener has never been kind to us out there.  Good luck to all this weekend and hope for tight lines and memorable catches!!