plastics in canada?

[backlash 1]

My wife and I are doing a fly in the first week of june to Lawrence lake, out of nestor falls.
I would really like to try plastics exclusively rather than bother with bring live bait. (this camp you bring your own bait)
I would appreciate any coments on the effectiveness of plastics vs live bait this early in the season in canada. Also any recomendations what plastics and color you've had your best luck on?
Thanks,
Backlash

[Canuck]

I have never fished Lawrence Lake in Northern Ontario but used to live in Norway House which probably has similar water types. It depends on what U are fishing for but I have caught walleye and Lake trout on twister tails, single or doubles. Sometimes we attach a dead minnow to the hook with the tails but only when it was slow fishing. Colour, my favorite was yellow but white, chartrause are good to. How about asking the pilot or the outfit where U are going.

In my opinion there is NOTHING wrong with plastics.

[backlash 1]

Canuck,
Thanks for the info.
Walleyes will be the main target.
Last year we were at the same place, and we were told to buy our bait in Nestor Falls before hand. We did very well on minnows and leeches, and toward the end when we started to run low on bait I started using some Berkely power minnows, with just about as good success. I checked with the resort and they said everyone there just seems to use live bait.
I like the concept of plastic but don't have enough experience with them yet to have full confidence in them. Just looking for a few new options and maybe lighten up the load a little bit. Guess I could take less beer---- NAAAAAA.

[Canuck]

If U drink Canadian beer U won't have to haul as much. A suggestion is to take a varied size of lead jigs because if U get in an area that is filled with snags, rocks etc then U want to have light lead jigs, and if U get in an area with heavy current U want heavier jigs. A handful of plastic jigs sure don't take up much space. Good luck.

[jegerjack]

The resort I go to had trbl getting minnows one day we where up there last year so we used twister tails to start out with. They seemed to work pretty good and at the time I thought we might be fine with the platics until later on in the day we went in and got some live bait. Well to make a long story short, the live bait did a whole much better then the plastics. So I guess I would say, use live if possible but plastics will work.

JegerJack

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"What did the old man trade for these guys, a used puck bag?"

[DrJ]

Backlash 1, We have fished Lk.St. Joseph the past 15 years. The last two years weve used Berkley Power baits tipped with a leech and a plain power bait. The plain ones did just about as well as the tipped ones. Last year we had to pay $40.oo/a pound for leeches,can't bring them across the border anymore. For a change of pace buy some minnows at home and freeze a bunch of pack in zip locks. Then take some out each day to use.Hope this helps. Spend the extra on the power bait,white 3" double tails work the best for us! good Fishing DrJ.

[J-Hawk]

Another good way to bring minnows across the border is salting them. We usually stop at a bait shop an hour away from the border and pick up a bunch of fatheads and shiners without any water in a 5 gallon bag. Just pour a bunch of salt in the bag and keep them cool. They will be dead by the time you get to the border and they will stay fresh for about 4-5 days. You should use a seperate cooler for the bait and pack it with plenty of ice.

There is a guy who goes with us who doesn't use real bait and he catches just as many fish as the rest of us.

[Guest]

Go with plastic. The fish in remote water are actively searching for food and they eat wht seems to be food. Your lure is in the water more...and in the strike zone more. It is a confidence thing..I haven't used bait in Canadian waters...they eat twisters and plastic worms no problem.

[benelli_dude2002]

Last year when fishing for walleyes one day I was running low on live bait so I thought I would try a twister tail and did just as good. I found white was a good one so I keep this color on hand. I even used it on the Rany river a few times and found walleyes as shallow as 5 foot of water. It sure saved time from baiting my hook everytime I caught a fish and they last alot longer too. Good luck fishing Brian

[Guest]

On these remote trips, I was taught to use plastics. We would verticle jig as normal. And we caught plenty of fish.........

The outfitter told us to use spoons for the walleyes and pike.........he had plenty of pictures to show walleyes eating daredevels

However, one windy day, on a fly-in, I decided to cast a #14 husky jerk in Clown color.

BAMMMM, nice fat eye. Bigger than what we were catching.

Bamm, another one.........Bamm, bamm, bamm, bamm.

After about my 10th fish in 12 cast, my buddy joined in on the action. We did that for 4 days. I destroyed about 10 jerks......They were chewed, torqued, busted, broken, twisted hooks, etc. They were destoyed because we averaged about 100 to 150 walleyes each, each day.

When the fish are "hot", I would recommend putting away the jig. It is too slow of fishing. We would ancor up on a good reef. Cast at it for about 10 mintues. Lift anchor, move a bit, cast again for 10 minutes, etc, etc, etc. The reason we only gave it 10 minutes is because by that time, we had hit every fish in castable distance. It by far, is the fastest method of catching walleyes in my opinion.

HOWEVER, one day a cold front moved in and shut the fish down for 2 days. Luck prevailed for us, and a school of shinners moved in by our dock for spawning. We trapped them. They saved the trip. Having the live bait was a difference of 3 fish to 1 on a jig/twister tail. Even if the minnow was dead, it was 2 live minnows to 1 dead minnow for fish. Jig/twister-tails, cranks, spinner rigs didn't produce like that lively minnow on a short lindy rig.

If the fish are hot, give them a hot presentation. A jig or lindy rig is not a "hot fish" presentation.

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Let 'em go so they can grow!!!