french River musky Help

[zman]

Hi Everyone

I am heading up to the french river on Saturday for a few days of musky fishing

I have been there a few times with little success on the musky side of fishing

I will be fishing the upper French staying on the Dokis reservation

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated

[ChrisK]

Hi Everyone

I am heading up to the french river on Saturday for a few days of musky fishing

I have been there a few times with little success on the musky side of fishing

I will be fishing the upper French staying on the Dokis reservation

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated

In the past Ive fished their in the fall and done well. Troll with medium size body baits, 8 inch jakes or rapalla supershads.. http://www.jacksonlures.com/Commerce2/Jake.htand toss bucktails in around the rock shoals near weed beds going to deeper water. Get a hydro map of the river showing right up to Nippissing. Lots of water to cover so if you want to hit all the premo spots make yourself a milk run and run and gun the areas which you laid out on your map.

Good Luck !!

[Musky or Specks]

Hope its better for you than it was for me last week. Only had one fish on(lost it) on a bumble bee suick. Two other follows for the week.

[Pigeontroller]

Don't be afraid to cast out over deep water! If there's bait, there's Muskies...

 

 

By deep I mean even as much as 80 feet or more!

[Musky or Specks]

We call that the Canadian side(props to Bill H)

[mattybculp]

just got back from the french last week. now we were fishing the middle french so i know that locations arent much of any help. But we got one 47" muskie trolling the north channel. if you havent fished the french it cant be very trying at times. Water reaching 120 feet in some spots makes it difficult to get those baits down into the zone where your marking fish however we nabbed her on a 5 inch white husky jerk trolling over 80 ft of water at 9:30 at night. i did speak to a couple locals and they said that these fish have seen everything in way of lures the two most popular baits according to him were double cowgirls and suicks work really well. so you may want to throw a couple in your box. the good thing i found with the cow girls is you can cast out and let it sink as deep as you need and then retrieve it. Anyways good luck stay positive its a lot of water to cover and its deep so dont get to discouraged.

[Rich Clemens]

Mattyb: Can I ask where you were staying - when you mention the Norht Channel ?

 

When we stay at Rainbow Camp, they call that the North Channel. This section is kinda locked in with rapids on both sides of the camp. I think we have about a 5 mile stretch. I've caught a couple skis trolling this section.

 

Also, when we stay at Wolseley, we can circle around the end of the bay and head down the North Channel. If it were not for the couple rapids, we would be able to take the water to/from Wolseley/Rainbow. Others I have spoken to, in the past, don't spend much time fishing this part of the North Channel - so it is rare I even head down there from Wolseley. Also not very often I see any boats down that way. Wondering if I may be missing out on something. Never did catch much down that way.

 

Just curious if what you are calling the North Channel is the same section of water than I know as the North Channel.

Edited July 2, 2010 by Rich Clemens

[F_ast]

Rich,

 

I have not found anything down the North Channel other than rock. Some patchy structure here and there and some nice looking reefs, but nothing that make them a magnet location to want to keep coming back too.

 

We did well in the french last year too. 6 muskie, about 10 nice pike, a beaty 6lbs smalley and **Cough,Cough**100lbs sturgeon.

 

 

 

[Rich Clemens]

Yup, sounds like what I saw on my couple trips down there. I was talking to a guy some years back that had success down the North Channel (Circling around from Wolseley), clear down at the rapids. But, in between, I hear what you're saying.

 

I typically raise several nice fish each year, but just can't seem to trigger a reaction. I know where some hang out, so I'll be paying them a visit here in a couple months. Curious as to what some of these spots look like now - with the low water conditions. I also have a couple new places I want to check out this year, so we'll see what happens.

 

Rich

[chrispyke]

I have fished the french on and off since 1991. I know the Woosley Bay section the best. I usually fish for Walleye and have seen some huge skis in these spots, feeding on the walleye I beleive. Both times it was near fast water in the early morning before 8 am. The firs wast in the circling water just outside five finger rapids. While fishing walley and bringing in a sunfish.... a huge ski came up to get it but it was spooked by the boat...scared the crap out of me.

 

The other one I was told by my guide is a resident fish, it is a long boat ride away, in the big pool just outside the very narrow entrance to Chaudiere Dam...don't go in towards the dam, stay in the pool. There are some weeds on the edges. I had a follow from another big fish casting a big bucktail.

 

Found no musky in the north channel, plenty of small mouth and walleye, even pike up in the rapids. Heading to lower french possibly in a three weeks.

 

Good luck !!