1 winter walleye lure as far as I’m concerned,” he says. “The Buck-Shot® Spoon tipped with a minnow head is the No. Just start fishing, he says, and if things don’t heat up in 20 minutes or so, move to the next spot. Because there are so many options close to one another, Gussy doesn’t put a lot of time into searching for walleyes. Look for humps and points that top out anywhere from 30 to 15 feet below the surface, then start fishing along the sides in 35 up to about 22 feet. But where it’s clear, such as in Ptarmigan Bay, focus on the low-light periods early and late. Where the water is a bit stained, as it is in the central zone, you’ll likely catch fish all day long. When it comes to winter walleyes, Gussy recommends pounding main-lake structures-humps, points, and flats anywhere you find them-from Ptarmigan Bay through the middle section, all the way to Whitefish Bay in the southeast. “If you don’t see action within, say, a half-hour-move on to the next spot.” “Keep doing that until you find out the depth the fish are cruising.” And don’t stay in one area too long, he adds. “So, jig for a few minutes at one depth and if you don’t get a bite, reel up 10 feet and jig some more,” Gussy explains. “A white tube has put more lake trout on the ice than anything else,” he says, “but the Smelt Minnow is also a very good trout bait.” A third option is to jig a heavy Macho Minnow® or Buck-Shot® Rattle spoon.įish can see fairly well in the bay’s clear water and will come to investigate a dancing lure. He recommends fishing a white 3½-inch soft plastic tube bait on a 3/8-ounce Inner-Tube® Jig, or a 4-inch Smelt Minnow on a 3/8-ounce Slurp!® Jig. The more suspended they are, the more they’ll be on the hunt looking for baitfish.” I’ve found that on the days they’re most aggressive, you’ll catch them higher in the water column. “They like cold water, and they’ll be looking for food all winter. “Lake trout are very active in the winter,” Gussy explains. Prime water depths generally range from 40 to 100 feet, but the fish could be anywhere in the water column. “They like those drop-off areas where they can push baitfish (smelt and ciscoes) up against a ledge,” he says. Look for lakers on the deep side of bluff walls or the steep-and-deep sides of points and submerged humps. Water in this part of the lake is clear, he explains, so it’s best to fish early or late in the day when low-light conditions prevail. “Be aware, though, that the whole of Clearwater Bay (on the north side of Ptarmigan Bay) is closed to winter trout fishing,” he warns, “so be sure to stay within Ptarmigan.” If lakers are on your list, he suggests starting out in Ptarmigan Bay, west of the area’s central section. While walleyes are the primary focus of local hard-water anglers, what draws many visiting ice fishermen is the incredible lake trout and crappie fishing this time of year. “There are some plowed roads, including a 40-mile stretch from Kenora to Monument Bay,” he says, “but during the mid-winter in nine out of 10 years, you’ll need a snow machine because you won’t be able to drive a truck anywhere off the plowed roads.” “In my opinion,” he says, “it’s the best place in the world to fish through the ice for walleyes, crappies, lake trout, and other species.” If you do make the trip, however, he warns that a snowmobile is a “must-have” piece of equipment. Winter fishing on northern Lake of the Woods is world-class, according to Gustafson. He grew up in Kenora and spent a lifetime targeting walleyes, bass, crappies, lake trout, and more on these waters, and says it’s among the best places on the planet for freshwater fishing-year-round.ġ. “The best way to describe this part of Lake of the Woods is that it has more water than you could fish in a lifetime,” says fishing guide, tournament angler, and Team Northland member Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson. Roughly bounded by Kenora, Ontario, to the north, Monument Bay to the west, and across the Aulneau Peninsula to Whitefish Bay in the east, this section of the magnificent lake is peppered with islands, coves, and channels, and is better defined in square miles than expressed in surface acres or shoreline measurements. Some would say that the beautiful and bountiful northern section of Lake of the Woods is the centerpiece of Sunset Country in northwest Ontario.
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