2 Day Trip

[trapshooter]

Headed 'up north' for a couple day to fish some back lakes for walleye. Savant lake is a tiny town NE of Sioux Lookout, almost half way to Pickle Lake. My buddy Cory goes on this trip every year with his Uncle and his buddys. Some real good old boys.

 

We fished 2 lakes in 2 days. The first wasn't too good but we got some walleye to eat and this pike was the highlight for me. 36" and so dark. Love the colour and markings on this fish.

 

 

 

 

Day 2 we hit up Houghton. It's a pretty big lake with a few creeks coming in. Really shallow though. We caught all our fish in less then 6 FOW. Nothing big, not one over 18" in fact, but we put about 60 on the ice between the group of us.

 

This is the only walleye picture I took the whole trip. You can't see it too well here but they would leave a very pronounced blue colour in the snow.

 

 

Another real dark fish here. Only perch of the trip. 12"

 

 

We got close to a foot of snow up here earlier in the week and there's still a lot of ice on the lakes. We were within inches of needing an auger extension. The rivers and creeks are opening up though. Spring's coming.... slowly.

Edited April 3, 2009 by BenBeattie

[Guest gbfisher]

bugger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Leecher]

Great report and pics Ben

 

Love the color and markings too on that big gator must of give ya a good fight!!! Congratulations

It's weird that the walleyes leave traces of blue in the snow I wonder why

 

Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing

Leechman

[WeedLine]

Wicked looking gator! I hope you do more late ice pike trips.

[tinbanger]

awesome as usual Ben.

That is one beauty Pike .

 

TB

[JohnAB]

Savant Lake, have flown out of there numerous times with Latto's on the way to Pickle Lake. Nice area as well. Nice fish too!

[highdrifter]

Totally gnarly mang!!

 

eeewwwwuuuuttt!!

 

cheers

HD

[Joeytier]

Good fishing!

[ozaibak1]

Hey, I get that 'blue' color coming off of fish if its been about 12 hrs since they've been cleaned, anyone know what that's from? The perch would leave blue stuff in the white bucket I'd keep them in.

[irishfield]

What Andy said....

[fishnsled]

Awesome northern!! Thanks for the report.

[tjsa]

Great stuff Ben, I find larger pike have that darker coloring in the winter up here. Seen it a few times. The blue tinge to the walleye slime, I do not believe I have ever come across it in winter, more often in summer.

And when I saw Savant Lake in the title, I was thinking I should pm you about Houghton Lake(in case you had not tried it yet) A bud of mine worked at a timber harvesting camp that was set up right beside Houghton many, many years ago when it was Great Lakes Paper Co., now called Bowater. The fishing was excellent in that area, although I never got the chance to experience it myself.

[trapshooter]

Great stuff Ben, I find larger pike have that darker coloring in the winter up here. Seen it a few times. The blue tinge to the walleye slime, I do not believe I have ever come across it in winter, more often in summer.

And when I saw Savant Lake in the title, I was thinking I should pm you about Houghton Lake(in case you had not tried it yet) A bud of mine worked at a timber harvesting camp that was set up right beside Houghton many, many years ago when it was Great Lakes Paper Co., now called Bowater. The fishing was excellent in that area, although I never got the chance to experience it myself.

 

That's really interesting that there was a camp on Houghton years ago. I wonder if there's any signs of it after the snow melts? It's a neat lake for sure and easily accessable off the highway with a sled. If you want smaller walleye to eat and lots of action, it's a great place to go. Personally I'd rather spend a day sitting on a spot where I had confidence in the chance of a big walleye. Lac Seul or Minnitaki for eg.

[msp]

Thats positively primo pike pornography.

 

 

 

 

 

BOING

[tjsa]

That's really interesting that there was a camp on Houghton years ago. I wonder if there's any signs of it after the snow melts? It's a neat lake for sure and easily accessable off the highway with a sled. If you want smaller walleye to eat and lots of action, it's a great place to go. Personally I'd rather spend a day sitting on a spot where I had confidence in the chance of a big walleye. Lac Seul or Minnitaki for eg.

 

Sorry, my bad, the camp was just south of Hough Lake, further NE of Marchington, which also has walleye, pike, perch, but my bud did fish Marchington Lake quite a few times.

 

I made it up there to pick him up on our way to hunt ducks near Red Lake back in 78 or 79, actually never made it into Red Lake, hunted the Chukuni River south of Red Lake and a couple of other small lakes. On the way back home, dropped him off at the camp again. He actually helped build the Marchington Road, Hwy 516 as it is known now. It did not fully exist when he started working up there. The link to Sioux Lookout was completed when he was working up there, and was just a gravel bush road through the middle of nowhere back then.

 

Sheesh............typing this out just made me realize how old I am now,

[trapshooter]

Sorry, my bad, the camp was just south of Hough Lake, further NE of Marchington, which also has walleye, pike, perch, but my bud did fish Marchington Lake quite a few times.

 

I made it up there to pick him up on our way to hunt ducks near Red Lake back in 78 or 79, actually never made it into Red Lake, hunted the Chukuni River south of Red Lake and a couple of other small lakes. On the way back home, dropped him off at the camp again. He actually helped build the Marchington Road, Hwy 516 as it is known now. It did not fully exist when he started working up there. The link to Sioux Lookout was completed when he was working up there, and was just a gravel bush road through the middle of nowhere back then.

 

Sheesh............typing this out just made me realize how old I am now,

 

 

I've heard of Marchington but not sure exactly where it is. I'll get to it one day

 

The 516 is quite the stretch of road. Lakes all around it and good fishing up that way for sure.

[JohnAB]

Marchington lake, remember that name. Is it not off the end of Botsford Lake? Man talk and pics like this keep up I may have to get back together with the ex!

 

The highway from Sioux Lookout to Savant has a lot of lakes on it for sure. Used to like fishing Deception Lake across from the Deception Bay boat launch or Sen Bay down the Vermilion River road.

Edited April 4, 2009 by JohnAB

[trapshooter]

Marchington lake, remember that name. Is it not off the end of Botsford Lake? Man talk and pics like this keep up I may have to get back together with the ex!

 

The highway from Sioux Lookout to Savant has a lot of lakes on it for sure. Used to like fishing Deception Lake across from the Deception Bay boat launch or Sen Bay down the Vermilion River road.

 

 

Hey John, you're familiar with this area for sure. Where did you live? Botsford is a part of the Sturgeon (aka Marchington) River. If you go from Abram Lake into the river, Botsford is down there where the river opens up.

 

I've been on Deception too, it's basically part of lac seul. You can drive a small boat through the culvert, under the highway. We were trolling for ski's in there one day and got a 26" walleye on a 10" jake. Haven't been inot Sen yet but would like to do the run from the zig-zag up to where sen hits Taylor island, where Lac Seul really opens up again. So much water....

[brkygetr]

Blues eh????

Hard to find those..not many lakes hold them. 2 that I know of in this province.

[JohnAB]

Ben, never lived there but the ex was from Sioux Lookout and we used to go back for a month each summer. Usually spent a week around Sioux Lookout fishing before we flew out of Latto's to the cabin at Star Island on Kawaweogama Lake at Allanwater. I was in Sioux Lookout for 3 or 4 summers in a row. Have actually been looking at real estate out that way for when I retire in 8 years. Housing in Ignace is ridiculously cheap and that gets me out there with in a hour or so off Sioux Lookout and area. Also liked to fish Big Vermilion from the boat launch past Hudson and before the mill there. Beautiful area around Sioux Lookout and you are lucky to be living up there Ben.

[trapshooter]

Ben, never lived there but the ex was from Sioux Lookout and we used to go back for a month each summer. Usually spent a week around Sioux Lookout fishing before we flew out of Latto's to the cabin at Star Island on Kawaweogama Lake at Allanwater. I was in Sioux Lookout for 3 or 4 summers in a row. Have actually been looking at real estate out that way for when I retire in 8 years. Housing in Ignace is ridiculously cheap and that gets me out there with in a hour or so off Sioux Lookout and area. Also liked to fish Big Vermilion from the boat launch past Hudson and before the mill there. Beautiful area around Sioux Lookout and you are lucky to be living up there Ben.

 

 

I know it, I love it here and never want to leave. Savant lake, now there's some cheap real estate just over 1 hr from Sioux. Ignace is probably closer to 1.5 hrs. Sioux Lookout is like a bubble in the real estate world.... everywhere else in the Country the market can be down but Sioux Lookout is always expensive. Demand outweighs supply here. Makes it tough for first time home buyers like my wife and I. Anyhow......... I know the Big V boat launch you're talking about. That's where the ski-doo trail goes on the lake and I've fished lake trout not far from there this winter. Big V, another jewel in the Sioux Lookout crown of lakes

 

Be sure to let me know when you come back this way John.

[ehg]

That is a superb looking big pike. Thanks for posting it!

[waterwolf]

VERY JEALOUS !! miss the ice already . really nice photos of your very healthy pike .

 

very clean , clear shots of beautiful markings of a very dark fish.

 

never heard of a blue trail from a walleye on the ice before,, something new every day.

 

hats off !!