I will be travelling the second week of June this year.  I am used to fishing in September where walleyes and Lake Trout are fairly deep.  Is this early enough that they will still be shallow?

Probably not. I'd expect walleys to be 15-feet deep, plus or minus, and lakers to be deeper.

Start shallow, work deeper.  Walleyes will still move shallow to feed at this time of year.  If the wind has been steadily blowing in the same direction you can find walleye pretty shallow along the windward chunk-rock shorelines.  I've caught 'em as shallow as 2 feet.  Usually they are a bit deeper though, in the 5-10' range under those conditions.  But don't be afraid to start by pitching a shallow crank right up close to shore.  If you get nothing but minibass, work deeper until you hit 'eyes.

Early and late, also work those shallow foodshelves.  Reef tops or any shallows adjacent to known walleye holes.  I like to search by trolling xraps or husky jerks until I get into walleye and then cast with cranks for more.

2 years ago I went with a crew of very experienced anglers offshore on a 3 day overnight fishing trip. All very experienced fisherman with one having been a sport fishing captain for over a decade including being a regular contributing author to several salt water fishing mags. The situation these gents found themselves in however is they had almost no bottom fishing experience. They could tie bimini twists and bridle blue runners for sailfish but didn't have a clue when it came to the very specialized form of securing snappers and groupers to the fish box called bottom fishing.

Since I was the driving force in putting the trip together and had been bottom fishing for over 20 years I felt a keen amount of pressure to educate and inform my crew as to the nuances in the sport which make considerable difference in fooling the wary eyed snappers. The last thing I wanted was them to cough up considerable money and time on the trip only to watch me catch fish.

Sooooo, I spent many hours divulging via email all that I knew and went through every aspect withholding nothing. I found this to be an annoying exercise to this extent. After having spent much time explaining some aspect concerning technique or bait I would regularly receive a question a few weeks later relating to the very material I had already answered in great depth. It made me wonder if they were just skimming the material without really absorbing or studying it.

I say all that to say this..........the info that SD has provided IMO is as about a succinct analysis of the 2nd week in june as you can get. In a few brief paragraphs he has written out a roadmap to your success. IF you but only take the time to commit it to memory. That way when your out there and see that wind blown rocky rip rap you will be spurred to flip your crankbait out there. "Oh yea, SD said to start shallow and work deeper"...............    

mastertangler wrote on Apr 14^th, 2011 at 11:41am:

Sooooo, I spent many hours divulging via email all that I knew and went through every aspect withholding nothing. I found this to be an annoying exercise to this extent. After having spent much time explaining some aspect concerning technique or bait I would regularly receive a question a few weeks later relating to the very material I had already answered in great depth. It made me wonder if they were just skimming the material without really absorbing or studying it.

Sad, but true ...

For a "large section" lower division college class there was a portion of the course syllabus covering what should be placed in e-mails (so I got sufficient information to answer questions) and what kinds of responses the student should expect to get.

Preceeding the predefined e-mail response "DOH!" it said "You will receive this response when I've already covered this material in class not less than THREE times."

dd

Quote:

Preceeding the predefined e-mail response "DOH!" it said "You will receive this response when I've already covered this material in class not less than THREE times."  dd

Must be where the saying " Third times the Charm" comes from ;D ::)

It has been pointed out to me in a subtle sort of way that my initial reply to this thread could easily be interpreted a rebuke or a slam of sorts. I hadn't intended that to be the case but I suppose it could be construed that way and in fact would have some merit that such is the case.

I think the question is a good one. My intent was rather to emphasize Snow_Dogs sound advice. IMHO if one were to follow that advice one would be hard pressed to go amiss. The point I was making is I can't help but wonder how many of us apply the info provided by the many fine and knowledgable participants here at QJ. Of course we all pick and choose what seems to suit us best. I felt the illustration I used suited the situation.

How about the rest of the story...........In spite of my best efforts to help my crew they, for the most part, forsook my advice. I understand the concept in fishing that one is most pleased catching fish by ones own methods......perfectly understandable.
The end result however can best be summed up by one very observant crew member out of our party of 6 guys when he quipped "well, there goes half of them" after I collected my tagged fish from off the deck of the boat................. ;D

thanks all.

I guess I'll treat it like everything else... be prepared!  I will bring some shallower cranks, some deep cranks, some jigs and a few surface baits.  I think my primary concern was whether or not to bother with the shallower running baits.

Also, I missed posting my trip report this year as we had a death int he family shortly after i returned this fall and I just never felt like writing it.  I'll be sure to get this report done this year.  

Thanks for all your thoughts.

my group usually goes right around that time.

snow_dog hit the nail on the head, as always. start shallow and move deeper.

id like to add that you should focus on points as well. they stick out into deeper water but give the fish access to the shallower feeding grounds.

when fishing new water, you should always try to troll when you are moving around the lake. this does a few things for you, first you get a chance to catch a fish! always good right? next it helps to ensure you dont move too fast. you gotta think about not paddling too fast so your cranks dont start veering off to the sides and running wrong. lastly, and most importantly, it lets you find sunken reefs or humps.

when you notice that you are hitting bottom with your crank, grab the line between your fingers. when using a superline (i used to use fireline but i switched to power pro this spring) you can feel if the bottom is rocks or mucky. this is very important that time of year.

if the bottom is rocky, chances are the fish will be eating crayfish, so oranges, reds, and browns are the key colors.

if the bottom is mucky, look around on the surface of the water. do you see mayflies? if you do, this is a very good place to fish, however, you gotta get lucky because the fish are probably stuffed full of bugs and may not want to eat anymore. picture it as an all you can eat buffet. colors here are brown, black, and i like to toss white into the picture too. gotta match the hatch.

the next thing i would say is that cranks are a good way to locate active fish. in the spring im not a big fan of tossing cranks because the water is too cold and the fish are more lethargic. they dont want to chase prey and use energy. snow_dog did mention two cranks that are good in that time of year. he knows his stuff. x-raps and husky jerks are suspending models. this lets you fish much slower and pause your retrieve without losing depth. (if you use a leader, check to see if it makes your lure sink slowly or quickly, try to keep the bait as neutral as possible). when fishing slow with suspending baits, natural patterns are your best option. silver/black back, moss shiner, and albino shiner are my personal favorites.

personally, in those conditions, as well as all year round i revert to my usual tactic of a tube jig on the baitcaster and a 4" ringworm on the jig rod. pick a point/reef/shallow shelf and toss the tube jig around. i prefer crayfish colored tubes, so browns, reds, and oranges. opaque or ones with glitter are my personal preferences. bounce the bottom like a crayfish would. this will pick up your actively feeding fish. then once they seem to slow down, swap to the ringworm. if you found an area that is less than 10 feet deep, rig it weedless on a worm hook with a small sinker 8" ahead of it. if you are deeper than 10 feet, put it on a jighead, 1/8 oz. for the worms, white, chartreuse, blue/pearl tail, silver, and brown are the colors i use most often. again i prefer opaque ones or ones with lots of glitter.

i attached a picture of a 44.5" muskie i caught this spring on my first time out fishing. caught on a 4" chartreuse ringworm on 6lb test on April 2, 2011.
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Been some really good advice in this thread. Take heed, all ye anglers.

DD, if we each had a penny for each time....

We usually go last week of May, but every five years it seems we end up in the Q the second to third week of June for some crazy misadventure.

Last summer was such a year, and we found Lakers in as little as 10-15' of water, as well as 25-30' trolling spoons and minnow baits.

Anyone getting excited yet to wet a line? I know I am! I can always talk fishin............

As per the 2nd week of June it occurred to me (of course it did) that there are often several patterns going on at the same time. The chunk rock windblown shorelines and points are the accepted norm but there are some other very intriguing prospects as well.

I like flats early in the summer. But not just any flat mind you. I like flats with a mix of habitat. Some chunky, bouldery rock......some sand and some soft bottom. This soft bottom will harbor weed growth. Cabbage weed is the preferred weed and I like it sporadic. A clump of weeds here, a rock pile there, another clump of weeds.

These flats might compromise a fairly large area such as a bay basin. No real "structure" per se. No nice drop off, no rocky point or reef. And it might be shallower than you would first think to hold lots of eyes as well, often being only 10 or 15 ft deep. The cabbage weeds hold the fish. They provide shade, security and food.

There are lots of options as far as lures go. One should remember however that you should be fishin weeds and that means problems with treble hooks. For that reason I like single hooked lures such as swimbaits. Hang them and give them a bit of a rip and out they come. There is one lure I am quite partial to in this situation and that's a weight forward spinner.
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In the Q you will have to replace the standard crawler with a plastic of some sort and I like a curly tail worm like a culprit for this job. It comes through the weeds fairly well. Count it down until you find the depth that just lets you tick the tops of the weeds. The only drawback is you are apt to pick up some snot rocket northerns like this as well. Avoid a leader if after the eyes. You will catch a good portion of the northerns due to the design on the spinner anyway. You may also omit a swivel with this lure as well. Very effective.

Another good choice is a chatterbait. Good vibration and excellent versatility it goes through the weeds even better than the spinner. I always have a few on hand when I want something like a jig but with more pop. Try some out.
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This is no place for light line. 8lb is light and I prefer 10. There are some surprisingly big fish on this pattern early in the summer and if they drag you through the weeds..........well :'(.

Man, this guy gives away all the secrets in one fell-swoop!

Looks like.

Just sharing the love man.

Besides.......we let 98% of them go anyway. I like to see people connect. I know fishing can be aggravating at times but it can be fun too, especially when your gettin 'em. 8-)

I just love these questions.  Like the 2nd week of June can be any different than the 4th week of May or the 3rd week of June or the 1st week of July or the 3rd week of October.   :P

Seriously.  I'm no professional but if you cant find fish in Quetico any time of the year you're taking too many scenery pictures.  Put the camera down and cast a bait.  Retrieve your line.  Repeat as often as necessary.

Tis true.........keepin a line in the water is 1/2 the battle.

Maybe 3/4 the battle.  Just a few personal stats:

240+ plus nights in Quetico since 1990

0 dinners that were not fish

0 days w/o catching a fish

2005 - first time I used electronics

>10 pictures  ;D

Trolling a crank bait is a 100% guarantee (at any depth at any time of the year)

If ONE thing has made all the difference between 1 fish or 100 fish it has been learning to jig fish.  (This took me a year or two however)

YMMV

mastertangler wrote on Apr 16^th, 2011 at 11:03pm:

Anyone getting excited yet to wet a line?

The dreams and cold sweats started about a month ago.  My hand's were shaking today.

mastertangler wrote on Apr 17^th, 2011 at 3:04am:

Tis true.........keepin a line in the water is 1/2 the battle.

My previous posts were not meant to belittle but to encourage.  Fishing is easy in Quetico.

All true, PJ. Can't speak for MA, but as for me -- detailed instructions make me sound like I really knew. Drag a crank bait that runs say 15 feet deep, sure success for something. Sounds too simple. Truth is supposed to be complex, arcane, known only to a few who can master the 2nd week in June.

Another truth, and PJ nailed it. A jig and plastic trailer can catch 'em from inches deep to however far you want to let the rig sink.

A_A, and PJ are right on. KF's/ MT's tips/tricks/advice are excellent and for the hardcore/serious fisherman invaluable.

However for probably the majority of us, in the Q just trolling a crank bait or even a jig with tail of choice will get you a meal.
Unless the wind is up and I'm in dicey conditions, I'm trolling something all day long. I don't see how you can't not catch fish the majority of the time.
Experts are the guys who can catch fish when others can't in conditions others find frustrating. Most of the water I've paddled in the Q isn't that way. Troll a body-bait shallower in cold weather, deeper in hot, and sooner or later you'll have fish dinner.
Now if your looking for trophy fish/volume, then all the tips and tricks are invaluable. For the casual/meal fisherman, just keeping a line in the water as much as possible will do the trick 99% of the time.

Should I quibble? Or am I just bored? It's not like I don't have a ton of stuff to do...........

What I like about fishing is that it can be simple or complex. I am all about putting Mr. Big on the line. Wether it be a 10" bluegill or 10lb walleye I'm always looking to put a big fish on the line. To do it consistently requires a different mindset than just putting a lure in the water.

Most of my comments have that concept draped in the background coloring my thinking. I can still catch plenty of smaller fish while going about my driving ambition of catching a fish that eludes most other efforts at capture.

So that's the way I see it. Want to catch dinner? Troll a crankbait in 15ft/20ft most anytime in the Q and sooner or later dinner will be served. Want to have some true satisfaction in discerning and ascertaining what the big fish are doing :question Then put your thinking cap on and when you connect it can be a very satisfying experience.

There is something more important than catching fish.  AND that is having fun.  As I have posted before, I make two trips a year into northern Quetico.  One trip with my son and one trip with my wife.  When I first went before marriage, the group I went with fished jigs almost exclusively.  I enjoyed fishing with jigs.  My son doesn't like fishing jigs and dislikes trolling crank baits.  He would rather catch nothing than troll or use jigs.  All he wants to do is throw spoons.  So when I go with my son, I enjoy casting spoons.  My wife hates using jigs and gets a sore arm very quickly casting anything.  She wants to sit in front of the canoe using a rod holding tolling a crank bait.  So when I go with my wife, I enjoy trolling.

My point is do what you enjoy.  You will catch enough fish to eat using any method provided you know what areas to fish and spend enough time fishing.

Westwood

MA and Westwood both make good points. Satisfaction trumps all and sometimes that's catching the biggest and sometimes that helping someone else catch fish. Last summer I had a ball paddling Harry Oates into position where he could catch fish. I caught some too, but Harry "tore 'em up."

Ancient_Angler wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 10:47am:

MA and Westwood both make good points. Satisfaction trumps all and sometimes that's catching the biggest and sometimes that helping someone else catch fish. Last summer I had a ball paddling Harry Oates into position where he could catch fish. I caught some too, but Harry "tore 'em up."

[smiley=thumbup.gif]

And sometimes cleaning/cooking them for the culinary challenged is rewarding too ;) I love serving fresh caught fish to a person who proclaims to hate fish, becasue their experiences with fish come from processed fish sticks or a piece of cod that had been frozen sometime in the distant past ;D

solotripper wrote on Apr 19^th, 2011 at 3:35pm:

I love serving fresh caught fish to a person who proclaims to hate fish, becasue their experiences with fish come from processed fish sticks or a piece of cod that had been frozen sometime in the distant past ;D

Buddy who never eats fish at home always eats fish when camping.  Nothing tastes better than fresh death.   :D

I'm new to this site and feel fortunate to be a member. It's great to learn new tips and tricks from some Q fishing pros., and this is the only platform I know of to exchange fishing knowledge with other seasoned anglers. Next months trip will be my 24th since 1989, and fishin' is always my primary mission. Most trips for the past 15 years have been mid to late Sept., but I'm really looking forward to this years Spring trip and plan on utilizing some of your insight for early season walleyes.
For all you crankbait guys, if you haven't tried them, check out the Walleye Runner Series cranks from Cabela's. They run great right out of the box and have an excellent action. Our biggest walleyes each Fall are usually caught on the 4.75" deep divers. On 10# Fireline they hold true at 28-30' and the natural minnow color can't be beat in clear water. I use all the standards (Shad Raps, Reef Runners, etc.), but the Walleye Runners consistently outperform. A close second would be Rapala Tail Dancers.  
Again, thanks for the great info. and great site. I'll be sure to put in a report after my late May / early June trip.

95% of the lake is "fishless"

quetikurt wrote on Apr 20^th, 2011 at 10:55pm:

check out the Walleye Runner Series cranks from Cabela's

Given that they are on sale in the online   (You need to Login or Registerfor $3.34 a piece ... why not!  (They are also available in a   (You need to Login or Register for just over $4.00.)  They also have jointed models.

Don't know for sure, but it could be part of their 50th Anniversary Sale.

dd

Inexpensive and effective, what's not to like about that! The jointed model in Bengal Tiger has put more lakers in the boat the past few years than any lure in my box. All models have a unique and aggressive internal rattle system that I believe adds to their effectiveness.
This is the only lure to ever land me a grand slam on the same lake, in the same day and on the same lure......no guff.
And no, I don't work for Cabela's.  

The Lakers seem to love any tiger pattern!  Had great like with Tiger raps myself.