Lac Seul Report - Vaughan Lake Area

[CH47]

Just returned from our yearly trip.

Water levels still about 3 feet low but rising. Make sure to give all points a wide berth at speed. We saw lots of prop and lower unit damage on other boats while we were there.

The ramp at Archie's Landing was fine but there wasn't a dock next to it this year. There were a couple of shallow docks up the shore a bit on either side.

Water temps ranged from the mid-50's in the main lake areas to the lower 70's in the shallow bays.

For walleyes we actually did best with leeches this year. Crawlers were also good. Minnows and artificials were the least effective for us. We found them in small bunches in 15 to 5 FOW. A lot of good 17.5" fish as well as many in and above the slot. Our largest was 'small' this year at 25"

Northerns were active as well. As usual you could throw just about anything but my personal favorite lure this year was a 6" Grandma lure in the perch color, until I broke the lip off of it that is....The biggest pike on our trip were a 42" and a fat 18lb 44".

Smallies were good this year on the rocks in the evenings. On our last night we hit a good pocket of them and caught about 10 all in a half hour with some walleyes and pike thrown in. The smallies were from 17 - 19".

Game Wardens were around camp (Mahkwa) all day on our first day and checked us twice. First time I've ever seen them in 12 years. They busted one group for having too many fish, not sure on the details but the fine was $250 EACH.

Most of the bait shops and restuarants weren't even giving exchange rates. Simply going one-for-one with the USD. You'd be best off exchanging a few bucks here in the states for that type of stuff.

Regards,

[ozzie]

the exchange rate isn't that good currently like .95 per canada dollar.....we ahve seen the mounty every year up there but never checked!! knock on wood......thanks for the report...How was the weather??

[CH47]

The weather was unpredictable. We never got chased from the lake or anything but there was never a pattern established. The first day was 90+ degrees and breezy, 2nd it drizzled all day in the 70's. The third day was very windy but the wind blew from every direction during the course of the day with temps in the mid 70's. The daily weather reports posted at the camp office were not correct. They seemed to be a day and a half off. They were just print-outs from the Weather Canada HSOforum. No complaints here though. Snow or heat, it's still beats being at the office.

[ozzie]

Thanks- The pike fishing was great last year when we were there...6 40+ between 3 boats and alot of walleyes of course.....the weather always changes up there but atleast you got one good warm day!!!!

[csuram]

will be headed up to moosehorn end of july where is vaghn from there...also need pike areas near moosehorn ...thanks

[CH47]

I'm not sure exactly where, on the lakeshore, Moosehorn is but judging from the driving directions it is well East of Vaughan Lake. I'm sure it would be quite a boat ride.

Regards,

[iffwalleyes]

Cool Cool. One month and I will be there and looking foward to hitting Vaughan. We did really well down there last year. Funny how the bait can change. Last year salted minneows where the best way to go. We got fish on leeches and crawlers but not as many.

[SCONASOTAN]

hi again,

like I was saying i believe Moosehorn is on Abrams/Minnitaki, but vaughn would be a ways west of where you would come into Lac Seul (if by boat). I would guess it would be about an hour boat ride on a sizable boat (150hp). I think you would have to navigate through Lost Lake, I don't have a map in front of me, But I would definitely think it would be shorter then chanberlain narrows.

If you were set on going to one of those areas I would think it would save time and gas to launch your boat at a publc launch and boat from there (Deception Bay for CN) (Hudson for Vaughn).

I will tell you that I have caught 2 40+" pike in Pelican Narrows which is close to where you would come into Lac seul. It is near Anderson's camp. We sometimes stop there to try for walleyes and we always get northern either on the jigs or on the walleyes we are reeling in. I have always wanted to troll some big cranks or bucktails along the shore of that narrows but I always fish with strictly walleye guys and gals.

good luck again

[midwesthunter]

I just got back from Mahkwa today. Vaughan is a great place to catch a lot of walleye but the size is usually not that impressive. We caught a lot of walleyes just fishing windy points with jigs and leeches or trolling cranks. We did a lot better fishing west of camp this year. We fished Bray and actually had a hard time catching walleyes that were under the slot, 90% of the fish were in the slot or over.

[iffwalleyes]

Bray huh that must be quite a trip from the Lodge. How long does that run take? I suppose it isn't much longer than running all the way into Vaughan. Last year we caught a ton of fish in Vaughan and there was some decent size but not to what you mentioned. Did you head all the way into Bray Lake or just into the Bray Bay. Email me if you would Midwesthunter I have a couple more questions for you on Bray.

[mwal]

By GPS they are about the same distance from the lodge. 8 to 11 miles depending where you fish. I leave for Mahkwa at 3am tomorrow. We have caught some nice fish in Vaughn. It is definetly a great place to take someone to learn to jig fish. Bray has given us less fish but higher quality.

Mwal

[iffwalleyes]

I guess I might run over to Bray this year. Last year was my first trip there so there is still lot of lake to explore. But it was tough to leave Vaughan when you are steadily catching fish. It would be nice to get something better for size our best last year was 25". I have a friend that just got back from there last night I will post when I hear from him on how they did.

[bnbrk94]

6 of us just got back on the 21st. Fished for 3 days. All on vaughan. we caught hundreds of walleyes between 3 boats and the biggest one was 24 inches. It was a blast and can't wait to do it again. Windswept points, shorelines and sand flats. good luck.

[iffwalleyes]

Glad to hear the report that will get a person pumped to go. I just can't hardly way at least I am under a month to go.

[ozzie]

mayfly hatch on Vaughn is in full swing but the fish are still biting......Bray Lake was hot for a couple days with all big fish......many fish between 20-28 3/4 was the biggest we caught......the next day the fish weren't there and the next day there were only small fish.....Each day was a different story with the bite the lake levels are still rising causing northern fishing to be harder but we managed 2 39.5 that were fat and a pig 40 incher......we also missed on many other big fish.....on your way to around the Dryden area check out the tree tops......for a 20 mile stretch of road the trees were snapped off at the top from a bad strom that rolled through on Tuesday......Good Luck

[csuram]

Does anybody know where i can get a picture online with all the names of the different lakes and areas on lac seul. we are going to moosehorn on minnitaki but we fish lac seul. i have no idea where vaughn lake or bray , chamberlien narrowa etc is...please hlp with a web site if possible...thanks csuram

[ozzie]

google Lac Seul Ontario Canada.......by boat you are aways away...........

[grousehunter]

Just got back from lac suel today. We had a little below average fishing year for us. I have been going there since i was 11(13 years). I think the weather might have had something to do with it since we had that huge thunderstorm that lasted over 12 hours on tuesday. Still caught hudreds of walleye and ended up with a 29 incher for our biggest in the group of 9. In vaughan lake we found lots of 15-17 inchers you could catch all day, but didnt have much luck for size there. Most consisent over 19 inchers were on a shore not to far from mahkwa camp and our last day there(friday) in bray lake there was a lot better size and more aggresive fish, but we seemed to get 3-5 over 20inchers right in a row and then nothing for 30 minutes or so and just repeated itself. The 29 incher and a 27, 26 and 25 came out of bray. Most of the walleyes had nothing at all in there stomaches and some were just filled with mayflies. I think next week could be pretty amazing since it seemed like most he fish had not been eating much. Fish seemed to be spread out depthwise. The first days i was catching a lot right of shore tossing jigs/x-raps and then most jigging around 12-16 feet. The last days we seemed to find them in 22 feet in the big lake and 16 feet in bray lake. In bray it was pretty cool. We ended up having a triple which was the 29 and the 26 which we thought was a double. and after we took pictures and let them back i picked up my rod to reel in and had a 17 incher on there from when we were messing around. I would have to say thats the best double/triple i have ever seen. If anyone is going up there and wanted to try bray. If the wind is going into the island were its a steep sand slope we were catching them in 15.5 to 16.5 feet trolling up and down that shore. Good luck to anyone heading up there, its definatly an awsome time.