Pickerel River

[ski88]

Going upto Camp Wanikewin in 2nd week of Sept.

Just wondering if anyone has been fishing the Pickerel this year.

Water was down the last 2 years. How is the Muskie bite doing.

Also ythe Pickerel bite

Any response is appreciated.

 

Thnaks

[danbouck]

[kuhaman]

Hey Dan where did you get that emoticon, I can't seem to find it

[asdve23rveavwa]

 

 

Dan!!

 

Since I'm feeling generous today....

 

Ski88 - perhaps an intro for your first post, to let us know who you are would be a better start.

This board has ALOT of great guys and gals on it, but, first posts such as yours will usually take a beating.

[ski88]

Sorry about the mispelled words :-) I was in a hurry.

 

Thanks anyways !!!

[mercman]

Sorry about the mispelled words :-) I was in a hurry.

 

Thanks anyways !!!

 

 

who was that masked man

[Roy]

Hey Ski88, don't go away. Someone who's actually fished the Pickerel River will answer you as soon as they see your post. Consider yourself initiated. Welcome aboard.

[mike rousseau]

Asking for specific information in you first post is frowned upon here... We want to know a bit about you... Where your from... What you fish for...

 

You gotta build up to specific info... And sometimes even going fishing with other members...

 

But somebody might take a swipe at this question anyway...

[solopaddler]

I used to fish the Pickeral a LOT for muskie back in the day.

 

I trolled 90% of the time and the only lure I needed up there was a perch colored Believer.

 

Can't help you beyond that bit of useless info.

 

Have fun on your trip, no matter what it's a very pretty area.

[ski88]

I used to fish the Pickeral a LOT for muskie back in the day.

 

I trolled 90% of the time and the only lure I needed up there was a perch colored Believer.

 

Can't help you beyond that bit of useless info.

 

Have fun on your trip, no matter what it's a very pretty area.

 

 

Thanks for the info , I appreciate it. I fished there before no luck with the muskie. Tons of pike.

The water level was very low the last time few times I was up there.

Here is some info.

From Pittsburgh

I fish manily for Muskie, Pigeon Lake and the French river.

Use mostly Leo Lures and BucherTail bucktails.

 

Again

Thanks for info

[F_ast]

Common guys, no reason to be so harsh. Tough for guys to want to get back to the board if when you have to sift though a hole bunch of "board etiquette" stuff some one to add something if value towards the question. Think some of you just like to see your high reply counts.

 

Anyways, perch or walleye colours are good producers. Black bucktails with orange blades work well too. I personally do not spend much time on the pickerel, but spend quite a bit of time on the French. The area can be tough, but combination of rock and weed will be your best bet... all typical muskie stuff. One thing to look for is gradual shorelines into the water (not steep) with gravel beach. It is tough to pick out areas where weeds grow as times, but this has been the tell tail sigh of weedbeds when scouting for a place the try.

 

I will fish jagged rock points, but I just cannot come to casting a jagged rock shoreline. There just ins't enough "prime structure" to target... its like fishing for a needle in a haystack, especially if you are not marking any bait fish.

[ski88]

Common guys, no reason to be so harsh. Tough for guys to want to get back to the board if when you have to sift though a hole bunch of "board etiquette" stuff some one to add something if value towards the question. Think some of you just like to see your high reply counts.

 

Anyways, perch or walleye colours are good producers. Black bucktails with orange blades work well too. I personally do not spend much time on the pickerel, but spend quite a bit of time on the French. The area can be tough, but combination of rock and weed will be your best bet... all typical muskie stuff. One thing to look for is gradual shorelines into the water (not steep) with gravel beach. It is tough to pick out areas where weeds grow as times, but this has been the tell tail sigh of weedbeds when scouting for a place the try.

 

I will fish jagged rock points, but I just cannot come to casting a jagged rock shoreline. There just ins't enough "prime structure" to target... its like fishing for a needle in a haystack, especially if you are not marking any bait fish.

 

 

F_cast,

Thanks alot for the information.

Like I stated before I like to do alot of casting and

the baits and colors you suggested I use alot. From what I here

the water levels are back to normal which should help out alot.

Will keep you posted on our trip.

 

Thanks Again

[Rich Clemens]

Here is some info.

From Pittsburgh

I fish manily for Muskie, Pigeon Lake and the French river.

Use mostly Leo Lures and BucherTail bucktails.

 

Again

Thanks for info

 

 

Hey - yet another Pennsylvanian, we're gonna take over one of these days. I'm only couple hours east of ya. I have fished the French for quite a few years for musky and I use bucktails mainly, but will change things up once in a while. Although I have never fished the Pickeral River, I am mostly on the North Channel and Wolseley Bay. And I can't forget the West Arm / West Bay of Nippissing.

 

Last year, the water levels were day down .. down a few feet or so. I believe the water levels are back up to normal (or close to it). Now that was back in June and what I saw around Nippissing. Hopefully they remain a normal levels for another couple months.

 

Hitting the north channel of the French in September.

[ski88]

Hey - yet another Pennsylvanian, we're gonna take over one of these days. I'm only couple hours east of ya. I have fished the French for quite a few years for musky and I use bucktails mainly, but will change things up once in a while. Although I have never fished the Pickeral River, I am mostly on the North Channel and Wolseley Bay. And I can't forget the West Arm / West Bay of Nippissing.

 

Last year, the water levels were day down .. down a few feet or so. I believe the water levels are back up to normal (or close to it). Now that was back in June and what I saw around Nippissing. Hopefully they remain a normal levels for another couple months.

 

Hitting the north channel of the French in September.

 

Hi Rich,

Glad to here from you.We stayed at the Chuadiere lodge last year.

Picked up 1 small muskie and some walleye. The water was way down.

Trying again this year. Great to here from you.

 

Good Luck

[bigcreekdad]

Back in the mid 90's I fished out of Wanikewin several times. Ken Baker, the owner, is quite a guy. We were after muskie primarily. There are some positively huge muskies in the Pickerel. Our best week of fishing resulted in 9 muskies when there were only two of us. Our best fish landed was 49", but we lost a true monster the day before at boatside in Rat Bay. We still talk about that fish and how two supposed muskie veterans got buck fever when we saw it, which resulted in the loss at boatside. Rat, Musky, and MacDougal Bay should be worked hard on the downstream side. Upstream of the 69 bridge all the way to the power lines also has great muskie water. There is one big bay on your right going upstream which has a lot of logs at the back end. There are a few smaller bays down that way also that should be worked. The south shoreline east of 69 was great for random casting, with plenty of small weedbeds and points of structure every 50 yards or so. We found the north shoreline pretty void other than where the Little French enters, nd a small falls further upstream. While fishing muskie, we also caught pike, but I don't recall any particularly large ones, other than one that struck at boatside one night which was lost. However, fishing for lunge produced some awful nice smallmouth, wit a few in the 18-20" range.

 

We cast a lot of bucktails, and jerkbaits. We also trolled big grandmas and monster jointed pikie minnows.

 

One nice thing about the Pickerel is you do not see many other boats. Also, windy days are never an issue there.

 

We quit fishing there only because my kids, and the kids of two others who went with us to Kenny's found a lodge on the upper French where they became friends with the owner's kids.

 

I would very much like to hit the Pickerel again some day. Tell Kenny the guys from Toledo will get back someday.

 

Hope this helps.

[ski88]

Back in the mid 90's I fished out of Wanikewin several times. Ken Baker, the owner, is quite a guy. We were after muskie primarily. There are some positively huge muskies in the Pickerel. Our best week of fishing resulted in 9 muskies when there were only two of us. Our best fish landed was 49", but we lost a true monster the day before at boatside in Rat Bay. We still talk about that fish and how two supposed muskie veterans got buck fever when we saw it, which resulted in the loss at boatside. Rat, Musky, and MacDougal Bay should be worked hard on the downstream side. Upstream of the 69 bridge all the way to the power lines also has great muskie water. There is one big bay on your right going upstream which has a lot of logs at the back end. There are a few smaller bays down that way also that should be worked. The south shoreline east of 69 was great for random casting, with plenty of small weedbeds and points of structure every 50 yards or so. We found the north shoreline pretty void other than where the Little French enters, nd a small falls further upstream. While fishing muskie, we also caught pike, but I don't recall any particularly large ones, other than one that struck at boatside one night which was lost. However, fishing for lunge produced some awful nice smallmouth, wit a few in the 18-20" range.

 

We cast a lot of bucktails, and jerkbaits. We also trolled big grandmas and monster jointed pikie minnows.

 

One nice thing about the Pickerel is you do not see many other boats. Also, windy days are never an issue there.

 

We quit fishing there only because my kids, and the kids of two others who went with us to Kenny's found a lodge on the upper French where they became friends with the owner's kids.

 

I would very much like to hit the Pickerel again some day. Tell Kenny the guys from Toledo will get back someday.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Thanks for the info bigcreekdad.

That was great information. I will be sure to tell Ken you said hi.

Also will post results when we get back.

 

Again Thanks