Lake Trout Ice Trip

[MyFishHasRabies]

I am trying to set up a weekend lake trout trip this winter for my brother and me. I live in Bemidji and he lives in a suburb of the cities, so one of the problems is finding a place that's accessible to both of us without the drive gobbling up precious fishing time. We both drive cars, so it has to be somewhere where we can take a car to the access; or a place where we can park and there is decent structure available within walking/skiiing/snowshoeing distance of the access (again, not wanting travel to eat up our fishing time).

I've finally decided about going somewhere in the Grand Rapids area because the drive isn't so bad from Bemidji. I've got a couple of lakes to try: Caribou and Bluwater, with Canisteo Pit as a third option.

Does anybody have info about these lakes, specifically their accessibility with a car--which I know will change with ice/snow conditions? I understand Bluewater is accessible only through a Bible camp on the nw shore.

If we have luck, I will be sure to post pictures online for all to see.

[jjz]

I have a cabin near caribou. I believe it has a public access. But in that area it doesnt mean much. Often roads leading to lakes are not plowed and access can be a big issue especially with a car and no sled or atv. I generally go to larson or erskine and do well on splake, I am going to try caribou this winter just for a change of scenery. For lake trout with a car, your best bet access wise would be Big Trout by crosslake or Roosevelt by emily. Fishing wise Big Trout is better I think and access is not a problem, never fished Roosevelt. Never really figured out Big Trout but it is one of the most heavily stocked lakes in the state for lake trout, so it has them and some big ones but it could take you a while to catch them.

Good luck

[Mike Stark]

You might check out Burntside Lake here in Ely. There is good lake trout water not far from a couple different landings.

You can find tons of information about Burntside on the Vermilion/Ely forum.

[jjz]

Heading up the opener weekend and may hang around a couple more days. If I think of it I can give caribou details when I get back.

[leech~~]

You have alot of things going against you without a sled or 4 wheeler, trying to access with a car and not wanting to drive to far for Lakers. You are going to have to compromise on something so since a Sled and 4 wheels are out of your picture you need to start thinking about where and how far you want to drive. You really didn't say how much you had to spend on a trip but if you want to do it right then you may want to do something with a guide where you can just meet your Bro half way and finish the drive with each other and then the giude can provide a way out on the lake and put you on some lakers. Like Mike said you may want to check out lakes up by Ely and there is a guide who is a member on this forum named Steve Foss who can hook you up. Or maybe check out a guide up by the Gunflint lake area. Big Trout up by Cross Lake sometimes has a good road out on it if the snow is not to bad which you maybe able to drive out on and there can be some nice fish in the lake but your best bet for a good fish is Ely! Good Luck!

[MyFishHasRabies]

@JJZ Thank you. I think we have decided on Caribou. I would like to hear how opener goes. We will be going out the weekend after opener. We can probably try Big Trout later in the season or if we get some weather that will make it hard for us to get out to Caribou.

I'd love to get up to Ely or hire a guide, but because we are both poor and have only a weekend this is the situation I'm dealing with.

Thank you Mike and Leech for your advice. I should have specified i'm doing this on a tight budget.

[leech~~]

Thank you Mike and Leech for your advice. I should have specified i'm doing this on a tight budget.

Aren't we all buddy! Sometimes they become the best trips because you may have to work the hardest for them!

[Kyle]

Great info everyone. For those of you who have fished Big Trout, how have you done? What is a good day of fishing on that lake for lakers? (numbers of fish)

[jjz]

Best day was 5 all under 17 inches. I usually fish late in the season and deep. 40+fow. This year I am going to try earlier and shallower hoping to get something bigger. I am not much of a laker guy so take it with a grain of salt. I am very good at splake and stream trout in lakes and have always done my best shallow. Hopefully this year I can get a better handle on lakers in Big Trout.

[walleye365]

Myfish, if you and your bro dont make it up to Caribou and go to BigTrout let me know id be willing to help ya out.

[fishgutz77]

Big trout has been tough for the last couple of years for me,I can get smaller fish but nothing over 3 lbs. I usually only catch 2 or 3 in a morning. Somtimes 65 ft +

[akbflyfisher]

I will be at a cabin on Big Trout this weekend and hope to get out and locate a few lakers - if the ice is good enough. Anyone know the ice condition up there?

[jjz]

Caribou access was fine but it is very steep going down and could be difficult for a car with either more snow or ice getting up the hill. Could park on top of the hill if needed. Lots of ice saw about 16 inches in the area I fished. Only out mid morning till about 3 on Sunday. 30 to 50 foot no action. 12 foot on top of rock pile we missed one. Did well on splake and rainbows on saturday, I think my group caught close to 100 mostly small but got 6 limits of 14 to 17 inchers.

[leech~~]

Did well on splake and rainbows on saturday, I think my group caught close to 100 mostly small but got 6 limits of 14 to 17 inchers.

That is a darn good weekend to get a 100. Nice Job!

[jjz]

Yah, that was just on saturday. My dad got hot and caught 30 everyone else caught between 10 and 15, mostly splake that still had stocking truck scars on them...Sunday was kinda of a bust, split the group up only a 22 inch brown and a missed a laker. But that brown was a pig, skype jawed sob and nasty looking... Great weekend, not counting the timber wolf kill we saw while crappie fishing friday evening, that was awesome. Two very large animals and about 5 of their young chased a doe on ice and finished her about .5 mile from the crappie hole we were fishing. no wonder deer hunting has spiraled down for them the last 20 years.....

[CoteauDesPrairie]

lots of good areas to go! I hope to get some lake trout soon.

[MyFishHasRabies]

@jjz Thank you for the ice and access information. Where, may i ask, were u splake fishing? I have a co-worker who had some real good luck on Larson. Their party was two people and they caught three fish in one afternoon. Two splake and one he wasn't sure what it was. I'll say from the picture it was a brookie, (and a large one at that, 16+) but i haven't looked to see what's in there, if it has brookies.

[jjz]

Most likely was a brown off larson. never stocked with brookies. but anything is possiable. I didnt fish larson. that should give u the answer. about 30 to 40 guys out on sat, but half had no to little clue the other half maybe, leaves plenty of fish in the lake. My best advice for splake and rainbows is to stick on the subtle side, every splake I had swim by I caught and half the rainbows.

[leech~~]

jjz, is Strawberry up your way by 50 Lakes open in the winter for Trout? Anyone tried that at all?

[jjz]

Not open. As far as I know all designated trout lakes in crow wing and cass are closed to ice fishing. a few in aitkin are open but not most of them. Strawberry wouldnt be much good anyway. Sunnies, bass and suckers are in it, plus the 4 loons that live on it probably eat half the fish stocked and almost every fish I released. But my 1.5 year old daughter got her first fish there and I did get a about a 22 inch rainbow out of it this summer, but overall there are many better trout lakes to the north and east of it in my expierance this fall.

[leech~~]

Thanks jjz I was thinking on the same lines. This week I had a guy putting new garage door springs on my garage who has a cabin up by Cross Lake and he said that it would be a good time to be on Strawberry for trout right now? But, I thought that it was closed in the winter. He did a really good job on the garage but his fishing tips are a bit off!