East Side Report

[YodaBass]

I'm heading up to Bay View Lodge for the Fourth of July weekend. I've always fished the west end near Head of the Lakes and Norwegian with decent luck but am quite clueless where to start on the east side. Hoping to chase some eyes and smallies. Any ideas where to start?

Also, anybody know what the deal is with this Flotilla thing out of Bay View Lodge? Just curious what to expect.

I'll file a report when I return on Tuesday.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Fish the shallow bays during the low light times and the mid lake humps during the day. Crawlers have been my best bait.

The floatilla is a yearly group of boats that make the migration into Tower for the Fourth and also to Stuntz Bay to watch the fireworks. The fireworks will be shot off from a different location this year so I do not know where the best spot will be to watch them from.

Good Luck.

Cliff

[PortageBay]

The "Floatilla" is a MASS of boats (100+) that gather for a giant water balloon and super soaker fight in front of Bay View. They use to try to stage a boat parade with decorated boats but it has evolved into water wars and I don't think they even try for the parade any more.

Bring water balloons, fishing nets (to scoop up balloons) and squirt guns....

[LunkerBaitCo]

Anyone learn where the fireworks will be, yet?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

The fireworks will be shot off of the hill just North of the Tower Highschool.

Cliff

[Mr. Pike1]

Cliff, will they be viewable from the lake or the shoreline of echo point? In years past I have seen fireworks from private parties and others from different locals on the lake.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Mr Pike,

I am not sure where you will be able to see the fireworks from on the lake.

If they shoot them high enough you should be able to see them from Echo Point or Pike Bay South of HooDoo Point , Maybe???

Cliff

[delcecchi]

Traditionally there are fireworks at Hill's on Head-o-Lakes. I presume they will go on this year as well. Many boats gather to watch. I know this may be the wrong end of the lake for some.

[YodaBass]

Thanks for the info... the humps during the day did finally pay off, but it seemed like you better stay on the move until you actually found fish. I wonder if the fish aren't terribly hungry right now with as many mayflies and crayfish there are to eat.

I didn't catch a thing on sat night or during the day Sun, but Sunday night and Monday I boated 15 or so. Mostly near rocks in 18-24 feet of water. Caught them with both crawlers and leeches... but crawlers were a bit better. Crayfish were quite active, in fact we couldn't keep them off the hook.

Also, the floatilla was rediculous. Took me back to St. Cloud State days. In all honesty, the thing was a bit juvenille, but I'm more into the fishing and the nature than the bar scene... but at least there were a few bikinis to keep an eye on. I only wish I wasn't staying in the cabin next to the doggone bar because drunken microphone guy and 20yr olds puking next to trees subtracts from the serene joy that Vermillion usually provides.

[Mr. Pike1]

Yoda, were you pulling spinners with the crawlers or just creeping along with slow Lindy prestation.

I will be up again next week. I assume with the high winds you were not in big bay put working windy points with deeper water hiding behind islands

[1900prov]

I must be missing some detail....

I hit the spider island area through Potato Island (I think?) area and the humps around them for Eye's over the long weekend - Using crawlers and leeches with Red bare hook with one bead or a small gold spinner on a lindy rig and could not get a bite? Tried early morning and late but could not get an eye to bite. I did catch a couple nice smallies here or there... I marked a bunch of fish but could not get them to bite. Tried a jig and still no takers? The fish seemed to be holding in the last part of the drop offs at about 23' or so. Looking for some tips on what I am doing wrong? It was tough!

Brian

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Brian,

The weekend bite was quite slow for the most part.

We did ok on the 4th. from 5:30am to around 9:00am just West of spider in 17' to 23' of water dragging plain lindy with crawlers and leeches. We only caught 11 and kept 8 that were 13" to 15" fish.

The bite should get much better now that most of the mayflys are out of the water column.

Cliff

[1900prov]

Cliff

Well it is good to hear I am close to landing a couple Eye's. Just bought the place on the lake and just starting to really scope it out. Red hook with a bead let me catch some smallies but I did not get out to Big Bay until about 8:00am.

I still had a great time!

Brian

[Mr. Pike1]

Cliff, I will be up the entire week of the 10th and hope it picks up from the 4th. The 4th was the worst bite on the big V I have ever experienced. Hope the mayfly hatch is over and the bite is on !!!!!!

I generally target small mouth as I like the fight on light tackle. However I usually also devote some time to the eyes and try to leave a meal of fresh fish for the inlaws for staying at the cabin.

If you can let me know if you see the bite picking up. I will try lindy's and crawler with out the spinners this time. Years past I had the little gold blade that seemed to turn them on when the bite was good.

Thanks for all the pointers maybe I will see you on the water some time. I am right across from MT's place. I have met Ace and seen Gary blow by me a few times out of pike bay in that nice fully loaded Lund

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Mr.Pike 1,

I try to keep a current walleye bite report out.

Hope to see you on the water!

I am in the Green 1775 Pro V, with the 115 Yamaha. & FishingMinnesota logos on the side.

Cliff

[Mr. Pike1]

I am in the Black Lund Mr. Pike. I lurk in bays on the east side in the early morning hours. I will watch for the boat.

[1900prov]

Was up this weekend and did very well on the eye's. Used a longer 9' lead and slowed down to about .4 mph and picked up a bunch of them in 18' of water. No big ones but caught well over 25 both nights out. All under 16" (Most between 12 - 15") Kept 2 for breakfast on Sunday Morning with eggs.

Had a great time.

Was going slow... slow enough for 2 carp! and a crayfish or two.

Mostly fished North Side of Big Bay on the rock piles.

Brian

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Brian,

There are no carp in Vermilion! You must have caught suckers.

Or maybe smallmouth bass, (sometimes refered to as "brown carp") by us walleye nuts!

Cliff

[fishmarket]

we were up last week on the east side mainly fishing smallies with some walleye mixed in, had alot of fun, but the spots we killed them in last year didnt produce as many or as large of fish, but that's fishing....I noticed the water level down and that may have had something to do with it..also saw some muskies that had zero interest in our lures. In a real downer, our buddy banged his boat on a rock east/south of Nyberg Island..be careful out there!

[1900prov]

Cliff.

It was at dark but it would be the biggest sucker I have ever seen! 15" 16"+/-. It sure looked like a carp to me even the down faced mouth. Man - never seen suckers get that big - and the color did not look right for a sucker.

Not like you would not know, don't get me wrong.

Even the skin was the light tan with large looking scale lines. Catch Carp all the time on the Croix/ssippi. Looked like a ringer to me!

Must been a sucker....

Brian

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Brian,

That would be the first carp I ever heard of being caught in Vermilion.

I have caught suckers as large as 6 or 7 pounds on Vermilion.

Hope you put it out of it's misery!!

Cliff

[MJR]

Was out last weekend with my 12 yr old niece & 8 yr old nephew & caught quite a few on the midlake humps in 15-22ft using crawlers & red hook. My niece caught a 29 3/4" walleye 15 1/2" girth Fri night. She was pretty excited to say the least. The rest of them were all 13-16". Putting the big one on the wall, not that I need any justification for keeping it but I know how the some of the "sportsmen" are. The water temp was close to 80 it was frekin 95 degrees and it took her about 10 mins to get the fish in on her snoopy pole. She first thought she was snagged on a rock and she handed me the pole & I knew right away she had a huge fish on so I handed her back the rod and she kept trying to reel it in, she was convinced she was snagged on a rock. If you were on the lake you probably heard a lot of hoopla when the three of us saw it for the first time. I missed it twice with the net but finally got it in.

Pretty fun.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

MJR,

Great fish!!

Cliff

[upnorth]

Nice fish!!! Always cool to see a kid get a good one

[Silver Scale]

Good for her..... Kids and big fish are always fun.

Curious as to the weight, must be about 10 lbs?

[MJR]

Ya I was pretty happy that she caught it instead of me. Of course when I got one on I would give one of them my rod & let them reel it in so not sure how I would have felt if I handed that one off. I did not get it officially weighed but it was 10lbs 4oz on the scale we had.

[BudMan]

Congratulations MJR on helping a little lady with the catch of a lifetime , I think the Snoopy rod should be mounted with the fish . She will remember this day forever , again GOOD JOB !!! Bud

[1900prov]

Congrats...

Guys. I am going to try for some Smallies this weekend. The best luck I have had was a white spinner bait in the shallow bays on the north side of Big Bay. Seems like the wind side of bank has the best return. But the fish size overall is a little on the smaller side up to about 15-16". I tried some cranks a little deeper and some of the main lake rock piles but seems like I will get a lone fish every couple hours or so. No consistancy. Cranks over the rock piles seems to be where I would go this weekend. Any thoughts?

Brian

[SledNeck]

Quote:

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Congrats...

Guys. I am going to try for some Smallies this weekend. The best luck I have had was a white spinner bait in the shallow bays on the north side of Big Bay. Seems like the wind side of bank has the best return. But the fish size overall is a little on the smaller side up to about 15-16". I tried some cranks a little deeper and some of the main lake rock piles but seems like I will get a lone fish every couple hours or so. No consistancy. Cranks over the rock piles seems to be where I would go this weekend. Any thoughts?

Brian

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throw the spinnerbaits away. I find they only work for about a week at the opening of season.

Fish docks and trees in the water with wacky rigged senkos. Smoke w/black flake colored seems to work well.Grn pumpkin black flake also. The bass havent been hitting as good lately.....maybe that will change.

[1900prov]

Sledneck - I would have to say you where correct about the spinner baits. 4 Hours of fishing and 4 fish to show for it, the biggest was 14".

I will have to try that next weekend. Dock fishing I assume to start windward side of the lake/bay. I talked to a guy flipping a grub under docks by the cabin and he said he hooked a couple but stated the bite was slow for Smallies. He did state that he only fishes the south side of the bays as the shore shadow line is bigger. Kinda interesting.

He suggested similar colors of Pumpkin and dark brown/black seems to produce better.

Also, Friday night bite was good for eyes around Potato island. Great wind for a drift with lindy rigs. But a buddy did out fish me with a White Glow hook about 2 to 1.

Saturday very windy and skipped Big Bay for trolling Grassy Point with Shad Raps. Silver was a good producer for us trolling at 2.1mph. We tried to stick to 12 to 14' of water. Had good action from 7:30PM until rain at about 9:30PM.

Brian