Fishing Secrets

Our normal operating season goes from the middle of May to end of September. In the spring our walleye season opens the 3rd Saturday of May and fishermen that arrive before this date will have the opportunity to fish everything but the walleyes.

Fishing is an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Truly the sport knows no age limits, you can bring your friends, your parents, or your children along, too. Still, for most anglers fishing is a chance to relax, de-stress and commune with nature amid scenic surroundings of Whitefish Lake.

Walleye

Fishing with live bait for walleye offers the angler versatility of presentations and can be fished on a slip sinker or a slip bobber rig, pulled behind a spinner, tipped on a jig, or simply fished with a plain hook and split shot. There are three types of live bait used for walleye: Minnows, Leeches, and Night Crawlers.

Northern Pike

Fish in weed beds and shallow areas. Use floating crank baits and spinners that ride just above the weed beds. Northern Pike often times hide out in these areas and will attack your lure with a vengeance. If you find you're getting hooked up in the weeds more often than not use a weedless lure or a floating jointed Rapala.

Smallmouth

Cast, wait, slight jig and the action begins. The baits may be fished slowly on top when rigged weightless, or rig with a weighted vertical drop hook for deeper action. Spinnerbaits are a long time favorite of smallmouth fishermen. They are the perfect lure to throw when you want to cover lots of water.

Lake Trout

• Depth is Important - The depth at which you fish for lake trout is very important. They tend to like cold water, so you need to go deeper as you get into the warmer seasons. After the ice-out you want to be between the surface and 10'. In mid-spring you should be about 20' to 30' feet deep, while in late spring about 30' to 45' deep. The summer is difficult to determine because they like to stay in the thermal layers that are at around 53 degrees F or in shallow holes where cold water is pumped into the lake by a natural spring.
• Lure Selection 101 - The type of lure that you want to use when fishing for lake trout will vary based on a number of factors. The average size of the lake trout population, depth, the season and available bait fish are very important. Always try to select lures that mimic native bait fish and talk with your fishing guide or the local tackle shop employee and fellow anglers to get an idea of what fishing gear works where you are fishing. We recommend trying spoon lures.