Briant

Awesome report!! You guys crushed them! I'm going up to Kenora the first week on Nov to fish with Darcy. I can't wait!! What kind of camera did you guys use? Beautiful, crisp photos!

Already done, I've been in contact with Danny and sent him the info / pics.

Thanks fellas. I think next time I'm gonna go in Aug or Sept. Seems like things were a little behind this year, don't get me wrong, we had a killer time, but the weeds were still not were they should be and fish were hard to locate.

I think it will be Lew. I wish we were staying another week as we just had starting figuring out a pattern. You should do good!

Well I promised I would post a review and some photos so here it is. We stayed at West Nipissing Resort in the Northwest bay from July 19th - 26th. Nice resort with very friendly owners. Ian and Lill always made sure we had everything we needed and were very helpful with any request or questions we had. Our two cottages were located on the bluff overlooking the bay with awesome sunset views. There was a very nice in-ground swimming pool right next to us which some of us took advantage of. The cottages had everything we needed and were clean and roomy. We didn't end up getting up there until Sat evening due to the massive traffic jam of people heading up north but we still managed to catch a few fish from underneath the bridge on 64. Sunday we hit the water early and right away I caught a decent pike on a big spinnerbait. About 10 casts later, I raised a mid 40"s Musky on a Phantom soft tail right off West Hardwood Island. She came up right next to the boat and about gave my Uncle and I a heart attack. That was the only Musky we saw that day but we managed some nice pike and bass. Monday we hired Musky Guide Danny Colomby and had the luxury of fishing out of his beautiful 21' Triton. This is the second time I've fished with Danny and it's always a pleasure. He showed us all the spots to fish and we hooked into two nice fish, got one in the net as the other fish popped off. Danny is a very knowledgeable guide that will help you shorten the learning curve on putting together a pattern. He has a firm grasp on seasonal Musky patterns and knows where to find the fish regardless of the season. The next couple of days it was super windy and a little rain so we were stuck fishing wind protected bays and islands. Everyone was catching fish though just not Musky. On Thursday we got a good break and were able to make a run to a good spot that Danny showed us. Not long after we started working this spot, I had the biggest fish I've ever seen, an absolute heart stopping tank take a swipe at my bucktail and miss, she followed to the boat and was hot but a 4 1/2' roller decided to push my trolling motor out of the water and the sound of the blades churning the water spooked her and she was gone. We moved two more decent fish that day but couldn't get anything to commit. I did miss a few fish though on my jerk bait and either a nice pike or musky left some teeth marks and a tooth in my bait. I had a feeling in my heart that Friday was the day. It was one day prior to a new moon and conditions were favorable. We got up early and made the run to the same honey hole. As we circled the spot, I was marking bait and big hooks so we decided to troll a little bit. This turned out to be our meal ticket. Within 30 mins of trolling, the port side rod goes off and starts screaming!!! I knew we had a big fish. My uncle has never caught a musky before so he was up first. Once he had the rod in his hands he thought it was a snag lol. I assured him that it was a big fish as the fish surfaced off in the distance after peeling 80 yards of line out. The fish wasn't hooked good but we got her in the net and she was a nice, fat 48" Musky - my uncle had beat my personal best with his first fish lol. We were both super excited. We ended up picking up two more fish all within 1 1/2 hours to complete the hat trick. The other two fish were 36" and 34" respectively. The wind and waves started picking up so we decided to head back to camp before it started getting too nasty. The 15 mile run back was interesting as white knuckled as you can get without being scared. The rollers increased to 4 1/2 - 5' and we got drenched from cross spraying water. I have a new found respect for Lake Nipissing. My boat handled it well but we took it nice and slow and it took us two hours to get back. It was all worth it in the end though as this completed one of the best days and trips I've ever experienced. My Grandfather and his Brother were fishing the back bays of Northwest Bay most of the week and did good on the bass and pike. Both of them caught personal best Large Mouth. Everyone had a great time and did not want to leave. Till next time Canada..... Enjoy the photos - I will keep it simple and just post the link to my flickr album. Thanks to all of those members who shared their knowledge and tips for locating Muskies on Nipissing. I am grateful for that! https://www.flickr.com/photos/11622775@N00/sets/72157645642273610/

Guys just a heads up - what you see on that Navioncs Webbapp is exactly what you download to the new Navionics plus chip for your graph. It does have 1' contour lines in most areas. Even west of 64.

Lol someone on here told me to buy the lake map that it was the "best $20 you will ever spend" My Navionics + chip is pretty detailed for Nipissing, with 1' contour lines. I just need a basic lake map so I write notes, mark spots, and such to go along with what's on my graph. Thanks

Where can I get a good lake map for Lake Nipissing particularly the west side of the lake? Thanks in advance

Thanks for the warm welcomes fellas. Richard - funny, I never got into the Muskie fishing until after I moved to NY (go figure) I grew up fishing western PA waters but always targeted bass, walleye, and catfish. Now I do all of my local Muskie fishing in NJ. I sure hope to post some pics when I return and I want to thank you all for your advice. Definitely picking up bits and pieces from multiple sources is a good way to put together a solid attack plan. I'm going to hit it hard when I get up there!

Hello to all and let me introduce myself. My name is Brian and I'm originally from Pittsburgh but have been living in NYC for the past 8 years. My favorite species to target are Muskies and I've been fishing for them for roughly 5 years now. I am a member of Muskies INC and my local chapter is NJ22 and I only practice catch and release. I am heading up to Nipissing with my grandfather, two uncles, and a few other fishing buddies. This will be our second trip to Nipissing in four years and we are really looking forward to it. Last time was in 08 and we stayed at Sandy Heaven camp at the mouth of the French. This time we decided to switch it up and stay on the West end. Actually the NorthWest Bay and we are staying at West Nipissing Resort. We are going the 4th week in July and I plan to target Muskies both casting and trolling. I am seeking some advice as to where to begin my search for active fish that time of the year. Is the casting or trolling bite more productive? Is trolling the main lake that time of year worth my time? Any tips or info would be greatly appreciated. The West Branch is like a maze of islands and bays and from what I understand, you really have to work for these fish which is not a problem. I will have my boat up there and it's powered nicely so getting around will not be an issue. Thank you all in advance and I'm looking forward to bagging my first Canadian Muskie! -Brian