Beteau Lake Pike & Walleye

[walleye wanderer]

Some people are looking for a Eddie North fix and some are dreading yet another coerced, paid advertisement for the relatively new guy on the block.
Well sorry to disappoint both groups but I hope this report addresses more the technical side of my trip to Eddie North's Beteau Lake in August 2011 by inspiring some chatter about lures, terminal tackle and fish catching tricks and techniques. But I will start by clearing a few things up that have disturbed me a little about the forums lately.
My adventure to Beteau Lake began when I read a report posted on here by SoloPaddler regarding a trip he experienced to Eddie North's. I followed up with Mike personally, asking him a few questions about the camp & the fishing. Next there was an exchange of emails with Eddie, and the rest is history. In the spring of 2011 I attended the Toronto Sportsman Show where I was fortunate enough to meet Eddie and Mike in person and ask a few more questions. I also dropped in and enjoyed time with Remi & Michelle ofArctic Watershed Outposts who are old friends and also run a great operation out of Nakina Ontario (and also don't pay me to say nice things about their camp).
Before diving into the tech stuff, let's clarify that my party of six, affectionately named "The Walleye Wanderers" fished Eddie's this past August and caught many a spectacular Pike and several personal best Walleye. The fact that Eddie runs his operation different from some of the other outfitters in the area is here nor there when it comes to the fishing. The fact that Eddie was at the camp during the week we were there was only a bonus. The fact that Eddie is a down to earth, nice guy only adds to the experience. The peace, serenity and beauty of Northern Ontario is priceless no matter which outfitter you go with. I encourage anyone who has never visited this part of the world to do so, you will not be sorry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fishing at Beteau is fantastic…period.

Now for something alittle different, hopefully some meaningful discussion about catching large Pike & Walleye in the Attawapiskat River system or anywhere else in Northern Ontario for that matter.






I reference a trip to the Attwapiskat in late August of 2011 where the conditions were a little unusual with the lake level being down about six feet. The weather for the week was a mixed bag with a few nice, warm sunny days and a few windy, rainy days.
During the week my fishing partner and I caught many a heftyPike with a variety of lures including a Live Target Bass lure which I personally believe produced the best for the both of us throughout the week. Trolling the LiveTarget and a floating original jointed Rapala proved to be very successful for several big toothies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In some what deeper water, dragging around a floating perch colored Believer and a medium diving Live Target Herring produced Pike in a variety of sizes from 36" to 50".

Due to the low water conditions fishing the typical back bays was not to be as there were essentially no back bays there! However, biffing silver Williams Spoons into shore where drop-offs did exist worked some of the giant water wolves into a feeding frenzy. Although I wasn't armed with one, another party fishing on the lake swore up & down that the Mepp's Cyclops, silver and yellow was the hot ticket. In the drops and shallows that did exist, I rigged a Warbait weedless jig with a 7" Lee Inovino Reaper and bounced it across the bottom getting a few Pike excited. For the topwater action the tired & true assortment of frogs & mice worked well in heavy cover with white leading the color selection. The new Live Target frogs worked well and stood up to the beating dished out by the large pike. Before leaving the City and heading up to Eddie's I managed to find a Dahlberg Diving Frog which worked very well in heavy cover and proved to have spectacular action. Top water pike action with this frog is the most exciting and I definitely will be tracking down a few more of these lures for next year.



A selection of Rods accompanied me this year, including a couple of medium/heavy Fenwick's, a Shimano Clarus 7' medium heavy, a Bass Pro ultralite for walleye. Unfortunately rod manufacturer's have gotten away from making a huge selection of 2 piece rods and finding a good quality 2pc. Heavy action Pike rod is getting harder every year.
Generally medium heavy to heavy action rods will do up there but one thing that is critical when fishing Pike in Northern Ontario is to have heavy duty, quality terminal tackle. The Attawapiskat is not the place to go cheap or light on leaders, snaps or line as a few of my buddies found out. I used braided line exclusively except one spool of light Fluro on an ultralight rod and reel for jigging walleye. Braid in the 30-50 lb range and green in color was the order for the day for me. I made some leaders using 50 lb. Seagar Fluro and 75 lb Sampo swivels and snaps but I also purchased a six pack of 80 lb Fluro leaders with 100lb.Springease swivels and Stay-Lok snaps. I did not lose a single fish due to failure of this equipment but a couple of the guys in my group using cheaper Bass Pro leaders did experience failures in the snaps and subsequently lost fish and lures. Although the Stay-Lok snaps can be a bit of a pain if you are changing lures frequently, I can't say enough about their quality, and positive holding power.

Another must have is a pair of long needle nose pliers and I'm not talking 7" long! One large pike I caught inhaled my prize Live Target lure and the 7" needlenose pliers weren't even close, unless fully inserting my hand into a large mouth full of razor sharp teeth was to be considered, that lure wasn't coming out. The very next day I borrowed a set of 11" needlenose pliers from Craig (our camp attendant) and had no problems the rest of the week.

A few other items worth noting, a good pair of fishing gloves with lots of grip is a must for handling large slimy Pike. Although I did have a tape to measure the giants we caught, I didn't have a digital scale to weigh a few of those bad boys, a mistake I will correct next year.
When handling large toothy fish with large sharp hooks, things can happen so it never hurts to have a set of mini bolts cutters with you. Don't rely on standard sidecutters to get through any hooks of size and if using large Pike lures forget those light duty cutters, they won't help, you will need bolt cutters... trust me.

A large sized and quality jaw spreader is another must have for the large Pike and a non-pointed, fish friendly version is the best way to reduce damage to a Pike's mouth.

Okay, just a few more fish pictures from Beteau Lake, because you asked nicely, lol.





















A few Camp Shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, because it makes handling large fish that much easier which in turn helps reduce mortality, I will be de-barbing most of my hooks for next year. The turning point for me was a 35" Pike that swallowed a jointed Rapala and buried all of the trebles halfway down his gullet. After along and gingerly attempt to remove all of those hooks with 7" needlenose pliers, it proved to be too much for the fish and it didn't survive. With all the advances in fishing, the invent of heavy braided line, quality terminal tackle, heavy gauge hooks, top notch rods and reels, I feel that de-barbing my hooks will give fish a little better chance than they had before but more importantly it will ensure they can be released quicker with less damage.
I invite one and all to throw in your two cents, what lures, what rods & reels are you using? What experiences have you had fishing for Pike and Walleye and any tips, tricks or stories you care to share.
Fish On!

 

 

 

 

 

Rob & the Walleye Wanderers

Edited January 28, 2013 by Walleye Wanderer

[BillM]

Pike - Johnson Silver minnow with a big white twister (Got me 6 over 40in at Eddies camp in 2010)

 

Walleye - Anything.

 

Also, bring your 4wt and some dries for the whitefish that will be surface feeding early in the year.

Edited January 14, 2012 by BillM

[lakerguy]

Great report Rob

 

Mepps Cyclops spoons with orange worked well for us....well Joel

[kickingfrog]

I use a "salmon" rod for spinning pike. It's 2 pieces, cheap and works well for anything I don't throw with the baitcaster.

[wantabigone]

great report

pike - just need one lure, johnson silver minnow

walleye- anything seems to work, jigs,spinners,body baits.

 

You caught some really nice 'eyes there. I never had that much luck up there for big walleye. good for you!

[solopaddler]

What a great post Rob! Thanks for taking the time.

 

If you don't mind could you provide a link as to exactly where you found those jaw spreaders?

 

I'll probably come back to this post in a day or two and add some thoughts.

 

Cheers

[tight line]

Great post!! I enjoy reading all the reports about Beteau.We fished Eddies last year the week of June 25th.Caught 95%of our pike on 3/4 oz reed runner spinner baits and 3/4 or 1 1/8 oz johnson silver minnows.The Biggest pike seemed to be in cabbage weeds that were in 5 to 7 ft of water. Walleyes were caught casting or trolling husky jerks.Also caught walleyes on 3/8 oz jigs and a 4in twister tails.We took a flat of crawlers but but didn't use or need them.Probably wont mess with live bait this year.We are flying into Beteau June 9 2012.Cant wait to see Eddie and enjoy the best fishing I've ever experienced.

[msp]

Great thread Walleye Wanderer,

Your killing me !

You guys a very fortunate to have the oportunity to travel to such world class fisheries. Its great to hear the lures and techniques that put fish in the boat for everyone. It seems that the Johnson Silver Minnow takes the cake. Does anybody use the standard jerk bait up there. By far my favorite bait for pike down here.

Solo- you can purchase those nice jaw spreaders at bps

[fishindevil]

awesome fishing trip !!! some very nice sized pike and walleyes guys well done,sounds like a great place to be !!!thanks for sharing all the info

[solopaddler]

 

Solo- you can purchase those nice jaw spreaders at bps

 

 

The crappy ones I currently have were bought at Bass Pro.

 

I had a quick look online and only saw the same ones.

[lhousesoccer]

Great info for anyone planning a trip up to Beteau. Unfortunately, the bank account says that won't be me this year I really hope to get there some day. No, I don't hope - I KNOW I will get there some day. When exactly that "some day" will be is the current unknown. An otherwise perfectly healthy guy at work dropped dead last week from a heart attack. 59 years old. You just never know - so you can't put off things like Beteau in your life forever ......

[kickingfrog]

What a great post Rob! Thanks for taking the time.

 

If you don't mind could you provide a link as to exactly where you found those jaw spreaders?

 

I'll probably come back to this post in a day or two and add some thoughts.

 

Cheers

 

 

The crappy ones I currently have were bought at Bass Pro.

 

I had a quick look online and only saw the same ones.

 

I bought the ones on the right at BPS last summer. The ones on the left I haven't seen there.

 

I find that the store does not have everything you see on their site.

[solopaddler]

We are flying into Beteau June 9 2012.Cant wait to see Eddie and enjoy the best fishing I've ever experienced.

 

Good chance I'll be there on the 16th so I'll be picking your brain for info before you get on the plane.

 

I bought the ones on the right at BPS last summer. The ones on the left I haven't seen there.

 

I find that the store does not have everything you see on their site.

 

Thanks Rob I'll check it out.

[kickingfrog]

Good chance I'll be there on the 16th so I'll be picking your brain for info before you get on the plane.

 

 

 

Thanks Rob I'll check it out.

 

I'll sell you mine. $100 firm and I'll ship 'em free.

[Pikeslayer8]

Rob,

 

Really nice report. I had my wife read it just so she knows what I'm missin out on.

 

Since there are 6 in your party, and the camp shot picture had 7 and another taking the picture, are there other people in camp?

 

 

Boy, if Moosebunk, Solopaddler and The Walleye Wanderers ever went on a trip together, think what kind of report that would produce.

[solopaddler]

Rob,

 

Since there are 6 in your party, and the camp shot picture had 7 and another taking the picture, are there other people in camp?

 

 

Boy, if Moosebunk, Solopaddler and The Walleye Wanderers ever went on a trip together, think what kind of report that would produce.

 

 

Eddie is there all the time to help his guests. The camp is also still new and is constantly being worked on and improved. I know Eddie had a full time employee last season helping him with the work which would explain the 8 people.

 

Ironically I just spoke with Bunk about the Jun 16th date this year.

 

There's already a couple of smaller groups in camp that week so space is limited unfortunately.

 

If I do go next spring it'll likely be just my son and I.

 

Plans are in the works for Bunk to join next year though (hopefully )

[corvette1]

awesome report giant eyes and giant gators what a trip congrats

[Pikeslayer8]

Eddie is there all the time to help his guests. The camp is also still new and is constantly being worked on and improved. I know Eddie had a full time employee last season helping him with the work which would explain the 8 people.

 

Ironically I just spoke with Bunk about the Jun 16th date this year.

 

There's already a couple of smaller groups in camp that week so space is limited unfortunately.

 

If I do go next spring it'll likely be just my son and I.

 

Plans are in the works for Bunk to join next year though (hopefully )

 

Wow, you have to hand it to Eddie North. Being in the camp and making sure his customers are happy and no issues is really going the extra mile!

 

If you and Moosebunk do team up on a trip there, Eddie North could charge double for the next party in for the dock report alone!

[Moosebunk]

Plans are in the works for Bunk to join next year though (hopefully )

 

Truthfully, I've been interested in Beteau since Mike started going, simply because it's the Attawapiskat River and one of the most special fisheries (as Mike would surely agree) that I have experienced in Ontario. The water there is the life blood which has created my family and our lives today. As far as fishing goes it is "The River That Pike Built," but of all places has an incredible big pike/big walleye combo that I just haven't matched anywhere else. We've also seen some big sturgeon too.

 

Eddie's got a great piece of that flow for sure... I'd go, but only to share the boat with Mike for the week and take it in that way. I think it holds great meaning to him now too, and having fished with him before, I think being riverats the two of us would get pretty adventurous and find some good fish. Mike has to be up for it, for it to happen though. As long as you know how to throw a lure, the big fish there will find a way to take it.

 

 

To add to the rest of the thread...

 

I wouldn't have had all of those lures in my tacklebox but I do like the jig you posted there, and chucked something similar through the cabbage on the last trip to Pym... But, that's what makes the Skat so great, everyone can do it their way and find success. Some things are better than others though. Also, totally agree on the Mepps Cyclops. The orange one is a lure that unless it's for a jig/grub NEVER leaves the end of the line of my old friend (and Skat river trapper) Abel.

 

2001

 

The bigger jawspreaders I have and NEVER use them. They're better than nothing, but just the old style Red Wolf ones that come to a point are better IMO if needing them. They stay put and are stronger. Yes they puncture smaller fish at times, but getting a lure unstuck from a deep throater or fish that won't open up, isn't business that should take extra time.

 

 

The long nose pliers I have too and are defintely a must, I use the old hookout though. Just used to it.

 

 

On the rivers up there I have never netted a fish. Always handle them from the water. No gloves, just play the fish ti'll it's done, reach over into the water and grab it under the gill plate. A good squeeze and most times the fish is controlled and the gill rakers not in play. Nets make for a mess, and cradles are great if you're used to them... Pike don't seem to be overly anxious when handled most times.

 

Bill's lure recommendation is dead on. Past few trips it seems at least one person is already using one, or about to. Eppinger Husky Jr's and Williams Whitefish are some other working spoons. Last years trip I played with the Rapala Salt Water X-Rap (biggest size) and had good pike slam the brakes on this lure.

 

 

Li'l Hustlers have been deadly too. One afternoon it accounted for 3 40's... and the buddies were happy to see it die by day three of the trip. Fish were nuts on it.

 

 

AND... lastly, and you may laugh.. but a 3/8oz strong hooked jighead with a 3-4 inch DOUBLE TAIL white twister. It's a favorite of northerners who spend a great deal more time on these rivers than we ever will. Pike love 'em. Walleye love 'em. And one morning I was put to shame by a girl using them.

 

 

Anyways... enjoyed the scenery and fish pics. The walleye in this little gem of a report are AWESOME! Even more so than the pike probably.

 

Enjoy your return trips...

[solopaddler]

 

I'd go, but only to share the boat with Mike for the week and take it in that way. I think it holds great meaning to him now too, and having fished with him before, I think being riverats the two of us would get pretty adventurous and find some good fish. Mike has to be up for it, for it to happen though.

 

 

 

If I'm not mistaken I've asked you twice already LOL!

 

At some point it'll happen but we may have to plan a really long time in advance.

 

The problem this year is the prime weeks are mostly booked solid. Great for Eddie, not so great for others who want to book a trip.

 

Anyhow bud, as mentioned earlier today there's some interesting alternatives in that very same neck of the woods on the horizon.

[kickingfrog]

Ya the saltwater size x-rap worked well and helped to keep some of the smaller walleye away. I liked the gold and black too. I'll try to dig it up and post a photo of what a week of walleye mouths does do a saltwater lure.

 

 

 

[Moosebunk]

If I'm not mistaken I've asked you twice already LOL!

 

Not to fish with you, was it?

 

Naah... you know I've had my things going on while you've had your things going on and so on, and so on. It'll happen.

 

Ed selling out the place before the sports shows even start only means one thing... he's doing some right. Some other outfits are closing up shop these days, methinks.

[Moosebunk]

Will have to buy more of those Salt Raps... the black/orange could be mint!

[msp]

This is a topic that has caught my interest even though I have never been been up there.

I have a couple of questions.

1) What time of year do you guys think is the best time to go ? Spring , Summer, Fall ?

2) Do you think that with Eddie being booked solid and with all the interest, increased exposure and added fishing pressure there is a chance that the fishing could decline ?

[BillM]

Best time to go is early in the season when those big gators are still shallow.

 

As for a decline? I doubt it, guys up there aren't keeping giant snakes and no walleye come home with you.