Sabaskong Bay LOW

[midex717]

Hello!

My son,and I are heading up to a resort near Nestor Falls on June 22 for 6 days of Musky/Walleye fishing. I'm thinking that we should key in on the shallow bays that have cabbage in Sabaskong, and Stoney Bay as we have had follows, but no takers in previous visits. Will bucktails, and topwaters work that early in the season with the water temps probably being cooler than normal?

What colors are good for early season? Will crankbaits work along weed edges, or near rock points, or rock shelves/humps?

Will it be too early to troll for Muskies in some of the neck-down areas, or over open water?

Since the time we had our first follow while casting for Northerns in Stoney Bay 2 years ago, we have been afflicted with musky fever. We have yet to actually catch one, and we are both hoping, and praying that this trip will be productive.

Any tips, and pointers on the above questions would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

[tearin' lips]

Midex717,

I fish Sabaskong all summer long for musky, walleye, and crappie. I am not sure about trolling, because all I do is cast for musky early on in the season.

I just referenced my log book that I keep of all my fishing trips. Last year we fished two days after opener. The surface temperature of the water was just shy of 70 degrees. We pulled 4 fish off of the cabbage and 8 fish off of the rocks in 1 day of fishing. Our three hookups all came on top water lures. Two on a topraider, and one on a Bigfork Lure Topcat. Our biggest fish we had follow was a 50 inch class fish and he followed a Musky inhaler around the figure eight once or twice.

I normally just go for a day, but occasionally two days. In the morning or on the first day of our trip we establish our paper route of fish and make note of where the larger fish were, their aggressiveness, how deep they came from etc. Then we go out in the evening or the next day and use this knowledge that we gained to hook into some 'skis (though you will hook into fish when you are establishing a paper route too).

Take Care and Good Luck Fishing!

[TMT]

midex717,

I am heading up to Nestor Falls tomorrow, coming back on Saturday. I can give you a report when I return. I don't know how much we will target the muskies, but I will keep my ears and eyes open.

[MuskyBrian]

hopefully you won't be targeting them at all because they are not in season.....

[TMT]

Good call MuskyBrian.

[Capt.Blaine]

tearin' lips,

Do you ever fish Stevens Bay in early Aug? We are going to be staying across the highway on Crow, but the day bite on Crow is very bad so we are thinking of hitting Stevens during the day. How far do you have to run to get into fish, also what structure should we attack 1st?

thanks

[tearin' lips]

Capt. "B",

I fish Stevens occasionally. I believe Hanson's Outpost has a landing on the east end of the bay and you shouldn't have to go far to find some musky. That whole area is very good for 'skis.

What I would do is use the first day to shake down some fish and establish a pattern. All my fish come off of the rocks that time of the year. But not just any rocks, I have found that rocks with at least 12-15+ feet of water near them have been more effective. In the low light hours I fish solely with topwaters. During the mid-day hours or in rough water I use lures such as Jakes and shallow-raiders to pull them into the boat.

Hope this helps, any more questions feel free to ask.

Take Care and Good Luck Fishing!

[Capt.Blaine]

Thanks for the info!!

[Lotwfisher]

Blaine, Don't worry about those toothy creatures, I am sure we will find a couple....haha. As for early season muskies I use mostly topwater most of the year on LOTW. I love the explosive hits and the lake will hit topwater well into september also. The weeds won't be too prolific so don't be afraid to get back into long shallow bays, as the muskies will still be rather shallow following the spawn...I have seen several lately while pike fishing in water shallower than 3 feet.