Island Lake Alternatives

[DavClone]

Its unfortunate to hear about the limited walleye action on Island Lake now that I have my week of vacation schedule the first week of August on the lake. We were hoping for some good walleye action, but it doesn't look good. What is the fishing like for other species? Any good northern fishing on the lake? Any pan fishing that will keep the kids interested?

[woodman]

DavClone- You might want to give Blackduck a try and also Winnie or Cass. You can check out those posts and see how the fihing has been!

Island is in the rebuilding years if you ask me. With the new slot on the lake it won't be long and the eye population will be back to where it was before.

Good luck with your trip and it never hurts to try Island. You may be suprised what a day or week will do on that lake!

[fivebucks]

Island Lake might be a little tough but there are fish to be had. I fished about 8 hours over the weekend and caught 6 eyes with a 23" on the top side. Three of the fish were in the protected slot and 3 nice eaters. I had to keep moving around and trying different tactics. Key on your electronics and fish where you see fish. I caught them from 12' to 21'. Leeches were my choice of bait, and the perch and rock bass like them also. You will probably run into the usual algae bloom (it was just starting) but with the lakes clear water it will help the fishing during the day. You just won't feel like swimming too much. Enjoy your vacation there. As Woodman said also there are alot of good lakes in the area. Moose Lake is within 10 miles down the road on the south side. I haven't fished it but it's close. Good luck.

[DavClone]

The rock bass can keep you busy on leaches. There are supposed to be northern in the lake - is that productive or is the population down as well?

[fivebucks]

You should be able to catch some northerns. I didn't this last weekend but I usually get a few each trip. There is a protected slot of 24"-36" I believe (I know there is a slot and I am almost positive it is 24-36). You will catch a few hammer handles but you should also catch some decent fish. There is also some smallies in the lake, although not too many . I did get a 17" over 4th of July weekend but that's been the biggest by far. I'm heading up this weekend again and will let you know how I did.

[Indiana Mike]

Dav

Fivebucks is correct regarding the Northern slot. In June I caught two in the slot, one of which measured 31". We also caught our limit of eaters in the 2 - 3 pound range.

We often try Dora Lake when the fishing is tough on Island. Dora is wind protected and has a decent public access ramp. You can also fish off the bridge. Most species are available on Dora. Fishing seems to be better there later in the summer. I'll be giving Dora another try at the end of August.

Let us know how you do!

Indiana Mike