Boat launches and bait shops - advice appreciated

[herm]

Following up my earlier search for advice on camping with a couple more questions in need of help.  At least three of us (1 boat) coming up Saturday through most of next week. Thanks in advance for your input!

 

1. With the high water, are any public accesses actually closed? Or can you launch if you have a couple guys and waders/hip boots? (Or, as a backup, will resorts let you launch for a fee?) 

 

2. What bait shops do you recommend either in Cook or Tower areas or elsewhere?

 

3. Assuming 150-foot (or 300-foot?) no-wake restiction, how long of a boat ride from the West Basin to get to the East Basin in decent conditions?

 

Of course, we welcome tips on tactics for walleye and smallies. Sounds like it's minnows-leeches for eyes in classic early-season habitat. For smallies, there is 3 of us so we fish different tactics until one of us figures it out. I'm guessing smallies will be  pre-spawn. Or are they on beds?

 

Again, thanks in advance for any advice. I'm in Central Minnesota/St. Cloud area. Happy to return the favor in this area.

[delcecchi]

In Cook, pretty much Joe at Northwoods live bait, right on 53.   I think there is only like one choice in Tower, the Y store, but that's not my end of the lake.   

[mbeyer]

Can’t help with public launches.

 

from one extreme end of the lake to the other extreme end …..it could take an hour, even with big boat.  If your around hinsdale island, the west end is close to the east end of the lake.  Shamrock landing and Grubins marina both have live bait. Shamrock has more other fishing gear.  
 

chase the wind with walleyes.  Fish windy points , plenty of fish biting , many on the small side.  
 

smallmouth are not on the beds but moving up soon.. we are seeing BIG fish full of eggs.. no single bait has proven to be the best, yet.  Water temps inching over 60 degrees before yesterdays weather event.  

[CigarGuy]

1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

In Cook, pretty much Joe at Northwoods live bait, right on 53.   I think there is only like one choice in Tower, the Y store, but that's not my end of the lake.   

Finding bait in Cook has been a challenge this year. If one of the 3 places even have it, very small fatheads, rainbows and leeches. Heard Joe sold the property, don't know if it's going to stay a bait shop or not. Guess he bought a share of a gold mine in Arizona and is moving there? He's had some great stories over the years, we'll see where this one goes

[Walleye Guy]

No public launches are closed that I am aware of.  There are many good ones.  You should be able to find one close to where you are camping to minimize your lake travel.

 

Lucky 7 in Virginia is always worth a call to or a stop at for bait information and purchases.  They usually have a good selection.

 

Unless it was recently implemented, I do not believe there are no wake restrictions on Vermilion.  The water is high so be respectful of the shorelines and the amount of wake you produce.  Voyageurs (Kab, Namakan etc) has a no wake zone within 100 yards of any shoreline.

[Raven77]

If you are launching on the west end there are several options and they don't require waders.  The public landing by The Landing is an easy launch, as is Moccasin Point. 

 

As far as bait in Cook you have Northwoods, Lucky 7 and Cenex.  You can also find bait at most resorts.  Good luck finding decent minnows.  Any rainbows and chubs they have are tiny.  Leeches are tiny too.  I'm guessing all of these places get their bait from the same suppliers.

 

Extreme west end to Oak Narrows is 10-20 minute boat ride depending on conditions and how much of a hurry you are in.  You can do it without threatening any shorelines.  As Walleye Guy said, I don't know of any wake restrictions on Vermilion but please take it slow near shore as water levels are extremely high.

[delcecchi]

I wouldn't try getting from the landing to oak narrows in 10 minutes given the amount of stuff said to be floating around the lake..   Besides my boat doesn't go that fast.   

 

Hitting a log at 50 mph could spoil your whole day...

Edited May 31, 2022 by delcecchi

[herm]

16 hours ago, delcecchi said:

I wouldn't try getting from the landing to oak narrows in 10 minutes given the amount of stuff said to be floating around the lake..   Besides my boat doesn't go that fast.   

 

Hitting a log at 50 mph could spoil your whole day...

 Been there, done that once - and it tossed my dad out of the boat. We all survived, but remains among my scariest/worst memories - and why everyone in my boat wears a PFD when we're using anything more than the trolling motors!

 

[SkunkedAgain]

On 5/31/2022 at 1:10 PM, Raven77 said:

As far as bait in Cook you have Northwoods, Lucky 7 and Cenex. 

I had to look up where Cenex is located in Cook. Then I was going to add the Cook Country Store to your list, only to realize that they are one and the same. I guess that I never realized that it was a Cenex gas station.

 

Joe told me that he was already living in Utah/Wyoming/Idaho, I can't remember which. He said that all of the hunting was much better there and that he had a job, so that he sold the bait shop. As CigarGuy said, a lot of tall stories have come out of that place over the years. Years ago he listed the place for $500k or $750k, I can't remember which. Seemed like a steep price for a small town bait shop. I hope that he got what he wanted for it. I doubt that there was enough space for Walmart to buy him out 

[chucker1101]

On 5/31/2022 at 11:08 AM, Walleye Guy said:

No public launches are closed that I am aware of.  There are many good ones.  You should be able to find one close to where you are camping to minimize your lake travel.

 

Lucky 7 in Virginia is always worth a call to or a stop at for bait information and purchases.  They usually have a good selection.

 

Unless it was recently implemented, I do not believe there are no wake restrictions on Vermilion.  The water is high so be respectful of the shorelines and the amount of wake you produce.  Voyageurs (Kab, Namakan etc) has a no wake zone within 100 yards of any shoreline.

2nd the Lucky Seven in Virginia for bait. Good selection generally, good prices. Buying your bait farther away from the lake will improve your situation, as it has been difficult this year. In Tower, there is also Vermilion Food and Fuel. They've had good bait selection most years. Haven't been there this year yet.

 

Rainbows have been tough to get, buy 'em when available if that's what you want to fish with.  On the East end, The Y Store and the Fortune Bay Marina have been very limited on Rainbows. Creek Chubs are avaiable most places. Expect to pay more for bait than you anticipate, and expect scoops and dozens to be less generous.

[herm]

A post-trip update: We camped at Wake Em Up Bay state forest campground June 4-9.  Its docks were in fine shape. The nearby landing/dock was fine. However, the parking lot was 80% flooded. The Cenex station provided good bait - nice size and quantity for a scoop of shiners and a scoop of fatheads. Fishing for us was tough. Despite ideal water temps (57 degree start, 63 degree end), we struggled for smallies. However, we did land a few pigs mostly fishing very slowly with plastics. Walleyes also were tough - only 1 or 2 a night. Fished the windy shorelines and points, plus some midlake reefs. The best part was youngest son landed (and released) a 29.75-incher, weighed about 8.7 pounds.  Finally, a BIG THANKS to all of you for your advice. It's always a great trip...your tips made it better. Cheers!

[delcecchi]

You mention "a night".   I don't see much night walleye fishing going on at least on west end  Fair number of musky fishers out though.  Have people actually had success at night?   My experience was that once it got pretty dark in the evening, things shut off.

[SkunkedAgain]

I've always known Vermilion to be a gentleman's lake. The walleye mostly bite dusk to dawn, with dusk and dawn being the best times. Little to no action after twilight ends. However, I would still call fishing from 6:30-9:30pm to be fishing at night so it depends on what they call night.

 

[gimruis]

On 6/11/2022 at 7:17 AM, delcecchi said:

My experience was that once it got pretty dark in the evening, things shut off.

 

Depends on the water clarity.  Clearer water often out produces at night than at day, especially if its a bright sunny blue sky.  Years ago when I did a lot more walleye fishing (and I was younger with more will power), I almost exclusively fished at night for walleyes.  We did much better than we did during daylight hours too.  A lighted slip bobber was the primary tactic but sometimes we trolled crank baits too.

 

The bugs are much worse at night time though, I will say that.

 

6:30-9:30pm is what I would call "evening" right now.  Night time would be after that until the sun comes up in the morning.  Obviously that changes based on what time of year it is.

Edited June 13, 2022 by gimruis

[Wanderer]

In the Arrowhead most of my walleye success has been during daylight hours with the exception of a couple lakes that produced well just as it was getting dark and for a short time after.  Never really late though.

[TrueNorth]

On 6/10/2022 at 4:34 PM, herm said:

A post-trip update: We camped at Wake Em Up Bay state forest campground June 4-9.  Its docks were in fine shape. The nearby landing/dock was fine. However, the parking lot was 80% flooded. The Cenex station provided good bait - nice size and quantity for a scoop of shiners and a scoop of fatheads. Fishing for us was tough. Despite ideal water temps (57 degree start, 63 degree end), we struggled for smallies. However, we did land a few pigs mostly fishing very slowly with plastics. Walleyes also were tough - only 1 or 2 a night. Fished the windy shorelines and points, plus some midlake reefs. The best part was youngest son landed (and released) a 29.75-incher, weighed about 8.7 pounds.  Finally, a BIG THANKS to all of you for your advice. It's always a great trip...your tips made it better. Cheers!

Beautiful Fish.  Congrats.