03/21/2004 04:26PM
I haven't been to lake Alder, but i have traveled most of the central area of the BWCA and have some decent fishing info for you. As i am constantly moving from lake to lake when i'm up there, i almost never get to take the time to properly work drop-offs, so i don't catch many walleye. But some lures that will attract northern that i always have with me are
#7 Floating Rapala - Black and Silver is a pretty basic color for most conditions, i have also had good luck with the perch color. there are yellow perch in most lakes.
Rapala/Blue Fox minnow spins - again the same colors as above
Skirted Black Jigs with a black twister tail trailer - imitates a leech
various spoons - red devils and williams warblers have a good action to them, size kinda depends on your fishing tackle, a key with spoons is getting the proper thump with retrieval or trolling speeds. you should be able to feel the thump in the rod. fish key in on water disturbances with a lateral line on their body and spoons seem to trigger hits when alot of other things won't. experimenting before you go will give you a good idea of what size to use and what speeds work best.
thin fin shad - these are made in nebraska, which is where i'm from so they are not hard for me to find, a little searching on the internet and you may find some. these are excellent smallmouth lures. the only bad thing i can say is they are not very durable and three or four northerns will pretty much destroy one.
anyway those are just my basic lures, if they are hungry they'll eat anything that catches thier attention. the biggest fish i've caught (a 33 pound northern) hit on a white spinnerbait. i don't know how much you know about fishing but here are just some basics
- fish feed by instinct, you have to trigger that instinct by imitating their natural prey characteristics (action, colors, gills, speed, etc.) expierimenting with colors, depths fished, and retrieval speeds are key
- remeber to play them out when you have a big fish on. you can't just crank them in. good canoe work from your partner will keep tham out from under the boat and out of snags.
- in the boundary waters, i always troll lures while moving. i almost always use a rapala that floats while still, but dives while moving, this will eliminate snags when you can't maintain a constant speed, where a sinking lure will sink into the rocks on the bottom. also you cover alot more area with trolling
- a dip net is an absolute must for fishing out of a canoe. i have lost alot of fish be cause of not having a net handy. hook into something big and i can guarantee you won't get a picture without a net
you mention trout in your message, i have never caught or even seen a trout in the boundary waters. i don't know if this is because of the areas i go to, or if i just don't properly fish for them. again my friends and i go for distance and not for fishing. this is probably why i don't catch many walleye either. also i never take live bait. i know it is effective bait, i just don't care to pack it in with me.
if you are being outfitted, your outfitter will be more than happy to show you spots on the maps to fish, and how to most effectively fish those areas.
you mention an ultralite fishing rig in your message also. someone may tell you different, but i would strongly advise you to fish a 6.5' pole (minimum) with a good medium weight reel on it. for me 10 or 12 pound test is minimum with at least a 12" 30 pound test metal leader.
again this is all my conjecture and i'm sure that alot of people use different tactics to fish. i would be happy to clarify any info above for you if you want me too. Have a great time.
Kevin Lamken
oh yeah, my must have item is a collapsible bucket. this is such a timesaver. anyway coghlans makes a clear PVC one for about six bucks on www.campmor.com
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