Huntsville - Lake of Bays

[brockbarn]

Hello, just wondering if anyone on this forum goes out on Lake of Bays? We have a cottage up there and have been fishing the lake with limited success. We are close to Dwight bay and have had some descent luck catching pike and bass but the lakers are another story.

 

If anyone has any tips for catching lakers I am all ears. I have heard that fishing across Bigwinn Island is a good spot but haven't been out there yet.

 

Cheers,

Marcus

[John]

Wasn't aware that pike were there in any quantity. I knew that there were some in Dwight Bay especially over near the river mouth. I have had lots of success with decent size smallies but don't fish lake trout other than through the ice. I will talk to my cousin who lives on the bay and get back to you. I have some friends who have a place on Pancake Island I will see what they have to say as well.

[John]

Welcome aboard by the way!

[northwood]

It is strickly a smallmouth bass lake and you will catch lake trout along with the bass..........

 

Tubes ... Tubes .... Tubes....

[brockbarn]

Thanks guys, John you are correct the pike are mostly near the river month at Dwight bay. If you go up the river a little bit you will run into some weed beds where they like to hang out. Also there are two islands when heading into Dwight which has produce a few nice ones.

 

Other then that i don't think there are many pike in the lake but over the last 3 years it seems like the population is growing.

 

 

I am heading up there this weekend and going to try my luck for lakers

[John]

Good luck, let us know how you make out.

[Kenny G]

Yes their are pike in LOB's.

I have never caught any myself.

Big smallies and good for lakers.

I have heard they spawn in the river at Dorset.

Kenny G.

[Guest skeeter99]

Thanks guys, John you are correct the pike are mostly near the river month at Dwight bay. If you go up the river a little bit you will run into some weed beds where they like to hang out. Also there are two islands when heading into Dwight which has produce a few nice ones.

 

Other then that i don't think there are many pike in the lake but over the last 3 years it seems like the population is growing.

 

 

I am heading up there this weekend and going to try my luck for lakers

 

 

there are huge largemouth in the south end by baysville many tournaments won in that area **yes the largies are bigger than the smallies in this lake**

 

usually if you find the weed the pike are there in big numbers

 

and the lakers are on or near the shoals and mix up with the smallies in the fall/summer

 

this lake the fish seem to gravitate to sand and a flat bottom/ near some structure sometimes close other times a mile does not make real sense but works

Edited May 12, 2009 by skeeter99

[wallacio]

My in-laws have a cottage in Dorset and I'll echo most of what's been said here....you'll pick up the odd laker if you fish deeper shoals/humps for Smallies.

 

If you want to target Lakers specifically you can flat-line right after ice out, otherwise downrigging is the most common method of getting them during the summer months when they are deep.

[bbryer]

Hi Folks

 

New to this site - boy it seems great so far, interesting reading. We live on Lake of Bays (south end), and this year I was over 200 lake trout. Majority 2-5lbs, biggest of the year ran about 12lbs. Buddy pulled out a 20lb fish last year - and I haven't stopped hearing about it . I have fished the entire lake - including Dwight bay and pulled them out of everywhere. Most are picked up at about 45-60 feet in about 60-80 feet of water near structure. The lake is fairly quite from a fishing perspective which keeps it pretty productive. The only other guy I see fishing and release almost all the fish and we often laugh at the numbers.

 

Most the pike are up in Dwight bay that I've seen but the numbers are getting bigger. Neighbour caught roughly a 40" pike in the river on the way to Baysville - odd but their moving around and getting bigger.

 

Generally its a beautiful healthy lake with fabulous fishing - hopefully something we'll be blessed with for many years.

 

 

B

[wallacio]

Hi Folks

 

New to this site - boy it seems great so far, interesting reading. We live on Lake of Bays (south end), and this year I was over 200 lake trout. Majority 2-5lbs, biggest of the year ran about 12lbs. Buddy pulled out a 20lb fish last year - and I haven't stopped hearing about it . I have fished the entire lake - including Dwight bay and pulled them out of everywhere. Most are picked up at about 45-60 feet in about 60-80 feet of water near structure. The lake is fairly quite from a fishing perspective which keeps it pretty productive. The only other guy I see fishing and release almost all the fish and we often laugh at the numbers.

 

Most the pike are up in Dwight bay that I've seen but the numbers are getting bigger. Neighbour caught roughly a 40" pike in the river on the way to Baysville - odd but their moving around and getting bigger.

 

Generally its a beautiful healthy lake with fabulous fishing - hopefully something we'll be blessed with for many years.

 

 

B

 

Pretty amazing that such a populated lake still supports good numbers of Lakers. I assume you are taking most of them downrigging?

[Ben_Daniels]

I fished there a couple times when I was younger, probably 10-15 years ago, mostly off the dock but sometimes out in a canoe, caught a bunch of panfish and smallies. I distinctly remember running into a guy who pulled out a cooler with a couple 3-5 pound rainbows! He tried to sell them to me lol he said he caught them around a drop off with a spoon, pretty good memory for 10-15 years ago eh? I wonder if there are still rainbows in there?

 

Edit*:

 

Did a little research and found this document , apparently there used to be brook trout in there too... during the 60's or 70's, There's a basic hydrographic chart too. pretty cool thing to find.

 

http://www.waterfrontmuskoka.on.ca/LakeInf...ys-northend.pdf

 

-Ben

Edited October 20, 2009 by Ben_Daniels

[discophish]

Fished there for 4 days this year at a cottage near Baysville this past August. We couldn't even find a decent school of lakers. We spent more time scouting than dragging the balls. We talked with a few residents there who were friends of the people I was staying with, and they said the laker fishing has been progressively declining over the many years, and they have lived there for a couple generations. I guess they were wrong, and we were looking in the wrong places. But to be realistic, it is a big lake. My girlfriend managed to catch a 42" pike while fishing off the dock. That was the only fish we caught on that vacation. Should have given up on the lakers the first day we got there and stuck with the pike. I'm sure it was just us who couldn't catch a laker, and were misinformed. Good luck next year! I would like to know your success.