Hunt for a Trophy

[BigSling]

I’ve been given the green light by the better-half to start planning for our next fishing trip. The goal is to hook into a 30/10 ‘eye for the wall. I’m a big supporter of CPR so a few measurements & photos and back she goes. I have no problem catching eaters at the local ponds but the odds for a true hog are low. I work in schools so spring is a no-go restricting me to summer, fall, and early winter. Living in north Iowa, I’d like to keep the travel time to less than a day so the Columbia & Bay of Quinte are out of range. LOTW, Eerie, the Red, and Bay de Noc are some places I’ve been looking into. If you guys could pick one place to spend 3 days on the water/ice for a trophy, what place & time would give the best odds?

[Mike Stark]

Lake Winnipeg and the Red River

[topcat3820]

Lake Winnipeg and the Red River

Early ice for the river... March on the lake . 10 lbs is pretty skinny for a 30" here, too .

[JohnMickish]

The Fox river and Green Bay can produce those fish too, as well as Erie, but with your time of year constraints I would probably go with Winnipeg.

[manitobawalleye2]

Topcat has it right.

[Mike Walerak]

Me personally I would choose pool 2 or 4 of the Miss in April. Timing can be a bit of a trick. Generally a 28"er will go about 10 pounds.

Red River/L. Winnipeg right about now would be a good choice.

Lake of the Woods is also a good place to try. My personal best 32" came out of LOTW in the winter several years ago.

[JohnMickish]

I agree with Mike about the Mississippi pool 2 or 4, but the OP says that spring is a no go, so that really take the high percentage timing out of the equation.

[topcat3820]

Also, late fall on the Red or Winnipeg rivers. This fall was a wash on the Red so we were all on the Winnipeg & Traverse Bay . Like Mike says, call Stu at COTR... they're biting on the Red right now (still ugly ice, though ).

[BigSling]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll definitely be getting in touch with Stu and get his input. How much better would the odds be during early ice in December compared to late fall in October on the Red? I considered throwing Feb/March in there but don't think I'll be able to wait that long for a shot at those greenbacks.

[Fish Head]

I've had a 30" in my boat the last 3 years in a row on LOTW. Once in early June caught by a friend, and I've caught a 30"+ walleye the last 2 Octobers in a row.Therefore my vote would be for LOTW.

Good luck!

[james_walleye]

I would check out Dogtooth Lake near Kenora Ontario. This past year (the week after memorial day) between 2 boats we had 6 fish from 30-31". All 4 of us had 30". We also had 9 more between 29-30". If you want more info on where we stay just let me know. June is a great time to get the giants up there.

[topcat3820]

Well, either come now with the aforementioned iffy ice & strong current for a chance at some piggies... http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...#Post2422331... or wait for the 100 fish days out on the lake in March... take your pick .

Fall is great in a normal year, but if Ma Nature does what she did to us this season, you're SOL on the Red and fishing on the Winnipeg and in the Bay for lots of smaller (to us) fish with a chance at a trophy .

Lots of boats on the rivers in the fall... miles of lake & river to explore in the winter. Tough choice, eh .

[Mike Walerak]

Although I have never been there Tobin Lake is another option.

mw

[hanson]

I'd go to Lake Erie.

[BigSling]

Heard great things about Tobin but that's a bit too far away (estimated 19hrs driving) for my liking. I definitely considered the west basin on Erie but heard the best time there was spring which is a no-go with my work schedule . I'm starting to lean more towards the Red but will have to contact Stu and get a better idea of how safe the ice is, too many tragedies already this year.

[Ed Carlson]

Red River MB Canada, right about now, or very soon. The next 30 days is a key period for this opportunity on the Canadian Red River of the North. This should be an excellent season too.

Not too many places on the ice like this. This is a fishery where you will see walleye up to and over 15 lbs caught. I have seen many in the upper range up there. I have managed to be fortunate enough to have caught my share there too. It appears to me to be getting better each year on the upper range class of sumo trophy fish.

If good Catch and Release practices prevail, it will last, if not, it will fade away like others have.

[Jim Almquist]

There have been a lot of great spots mentioned but the one other factor that I would throw into the mix is to be sure to plan your trip around the 3 days before and after the Full moon. All of the biggest Walleyes that my friends and I have caught were within that time frame. Its not like we stop fishing when the full moon phase is gone by but the big ole girls are just not as cooperative.

[topcat3820]

Over the years, it's never seemed to matter much up here, Jim... same thing with night fishing (for walleyes, at least). I dare you to catch a walleye on the Red at night here, through the ice... you might catch a burbot, otherwise you might as well be spending the night in a nice, warm bed . They're pretty civilized that way .

[Jim Almquist]

Every fishery is a little different as to when the fish bite. I am not talking about night fishing cause some of the biggest walleyes that I have caught have been during the daytime but during the Full moon phase. The one I remember the most was a 32" that my buddy caught and it was high noon and flat calm. We had a couple of COs that wanted to check our license's but had to move their boat to get out of our way while we were fighting the fish. When it was landed they were nice enough to take a picture of both of us while my bud held his personal best walleye and then it was released.

[topcat3820]

Quote:

Every fishery is a little different as to when the fish bite.

Exactly, Jim... I was just trying to compare the moon phase to night fishing on the Red. It just doesn't seem to make much of a difference on the river. Things that apply in almost every other walleye fishery don't seem to matter as much up here.

Now weather & wind, on the other hand... .

[Chode2235]

I'd go to Lake Erie.

I agree. The numbers and size of fish are huge.

[blakeb]

pool two hands down short drive, huge fish lots of them

[TrophyEyes]

There is a long and very thin lake in Canada called Tramping. I have caught a lot of big walleyes over the last 24 years, but this place takes the cake. I caught my biggest walleye ever, a 33 1/2", but even more impressive was the 13 additional walleyes we caught in 2 hours over 27". I have never seen so many monster fish just stacked up on a spot in my life. Toss in a couple lakers and a 40" pike and it might have been my best night fishing I have ever had. Oh, and this was on the tail of the worst cold front I have ever seen (57 degree drop in 5 hours). I will warn you that if there are 3 or 4 boats on this lake it is crowded.

[Mike Walerak]

I just got home from Green Bay on a trophy hunt. Unfortunatly no trophies to show for.

mw

[Musky hunter 82]

james_walleye, I have a question for you on where to stay up on Dogtooth. I fished it a couple years ago and want to get up there agin. Please email me at [email protected]