Cass Lake/Lake Bemidji/Mantrap Lake

[muskiechaser]

Hey everyone. I would like to plan a trip to this neck of the woods for Muskie in July or August. Has anyone had any luck on these three lakes in the Summer. I have raised some large muskies on Mantrap in the fall, and been skunked on Bemidji in the summer. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks, John

[CommonSense Guy]

Mantrap is tough with high skies. Need to fish early or late. Water is very clear. I would downsize some. Beautiful lake.

[minnesotamusky]

I've had my best luck on Mantrap fishing by the reeds/weeds that have some deep water very close by. Most of the time close to shore and using gold or orange colored baits. Early morning or late afternoon into the evening.

[Random guy]

I would just take a week off and hit them all.

Bemidji has always been tough for me, why I don't know. Mantrap is one of my favorite...night lakes. Cass is a proven big fish factory, you'll need a good map, some time or a guide.

[MuskyBug85]

i can comment on Mantrap, it is a great fishery with lots of big fish. i think the key to mantrap is to look were others arent. there are lots of fish that use some water that gets no pressure at all because guys dont think it looks like fish holding water. there are lots of things to try on the trap, check out the P.R. page i gave a brief run down of who i would attack the lake in august/september. Good Luck, Jonah

[muskiechaser]

Thanks for the help, I think I am leaning toward Mantrap, I would like some smaller water as it will be a shorter trip. Also this muskie addiction is only a couple of years old, probably better to work up to the bigger lakes.

John

[10,000 Casts]

I wouldn't overlook Bemidji, It is a great big fish lake and there are some good numbers too. I have spent the last 2 years on the lake and I can tell you that the best spots are pretty obvious. For starters, one of my favorite spots is called Muskie Alley.... The Rock Pile can be very good if you can beat the walleye guys out there in the morning (4am) and it can be good at night with a little chop and a Black/orange pacemaker.

How I fish the lake depends on 4 things. The weather, the algae bloom, the wind the traffic. The weather dictates how deep I fish, the algae dictates what color I use and the traffic dictates where I go to get away from it.

Hope this helps,

John

[Random guy]

Don't let Mantrap fool ya it can be tough. The lake looks so complex it can create structure overload but as Muskybug stated it really is a very simple lake if you take each section aprt and view it as its own little lake.

You could spend a week on Mantrap and just start to cover it, lots of water and lots of cool stuff, not to mention the area is great for camping and many other activities.

[muskiechaser]

OK, so it looks like Mantrap is out, no place to stay on the lake the time we want to go. It looks like Cass Lake now, but we might stay on Andrusia, which if I'm not mistaken is connected to Cass via the Mississipi right?

Anyone know if this is navigable in a low water season?

And also through to pike bay?

Sorry about all the questions, I'm just unfamiliar with this chain of lakes.

Thanks, John

[minnesotamusky]

No place to stay? There's a campground on the lake. That's where we always stay.

[muskiechaser]

Well, my wife will be quite pregnant and she would like a cabin so.....she will get a cabin. Tough to argue with a pregnant woman who wants to fish!

John

[Random guy]

Mantrap has some really nice resorts right on the water.

Muskybug, help me out here, I can't remember some of the places on the trap. I know where they are by water just can't remember names. Just cedar sided red roof, white building slanted boat house, red buildings dock with tall post etc etc.

[muskiechaser]

I've talked to Fremont's Point, where we usually stay, Norway Hills, and Mantrap Lodge. None of these have any openings when we can go. If there are others on Mantrap that I am missing let me know, that would be great. This site is great for this kind of stuff, thanks again for all the help.

John

[bassNspear]

Cass does have a huge population on muskies on it. Yes there is alot of water to cover, but the best part is is that your never going to run out of space, cuase there is always a place to go.

THe best bet if your kinda new at muskie fishing, and never been to cass, find a guide to go with for the first time. Yes your going to spend a few more dollors for him to take you out, but your going to have a great experience with the fishery.

[CommonSense Guy]

There is a place to stay. Send me an email and I will get you the info

[email protected]

[MuskyBug85]

olsen's lodge i believe closed so i think it's just the three you hit on. sorry i hope you can find some where to get your wife on a nice fish. Jonah

[musky_tail05]

Here's some info on Cass/Andrusia for ya...

Andruisa is connected to Cass via the Mississippi River. The channel is navigable, but this year the water levels were brutal. In September the only way you could get through with an 18ft. boat was to use the trolling motor. If we get normal rainfall this spring, there should be no problem..... The channel from Cass to Pike Bay, however, is always shallow. Later last year, I heard people were having to wade their boats through.

As far as the muskies in Cass go, I wouldn't necessarily say there's a HUGE population. There's plenty of fish, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't consider it to be a numbers lake. Trust me on this one....Cass schooled me last year. Quality, however, is great. I've seen some awfully nice fish last year.

If ya want some more info on this chain of lakes, head on over to the Cass forum. Hope this helps....

[muskiechaser]

Thanks for the info, we're still looking around. I would like to get a good fish for the wife, wouldn't have to be a trophy or anything, 40 inches would do. Then maybe she would understand!

[AWH]

musky tail hit it on the head with his description of Cass. Definitely not numbers water. If you go there, go with the expectations that Cass Lake will kick your butt. But know that the rewards can be well worth it. Great potential but it can be very tough, epecially if you aren't familiar with the lake. If you're new to the lake a guide would be money well spent.

Aaron