Lake Vernon

[northernpike56]

Hi guys,

 

I am going to a cottage Lake Vernon for the week coming up, looks like we will be staying on the body directly north of Big Island, close to Vernon Shores. I will have access to a 14ft boat as well as a canoe for the week.

 

Does anybody here have any advice on where to start looking for any of the main species on the lake (I believe they are LMB, SMB, pike, and lake trout). I also know there are supposed to be walleye on the lake, but their population is decimated, and nobody stocks the lake anymore.

 

I also might try the nearby lakes Fairy and Peninsula, as I have heard that they can also be good pike lakes. Also might bring the canoe to Fox Lake as I have heard that it can be a good walleye lake. Any advice on those three if you know about them would also be appreciated.

 

Matt.

[Freshtrax]

I'd start in 15-30 fow for sm and pike. There's monter pike in Vernon.

[northernpike56]

@freshtrax thanks- would you say freelining a massive minnow or trolling something that runs extremely deep in these areas works best?

[northernpike56]

Massive minnow on like an 18" steel leader of course, so no big pike chew through the line

[northernpike56]

Bump.

[torco]

Well I was recently on Fox Lake and struck out. Now I was up there with my kids and only had a canoe but I did manage to fish usually the last hour before dark but came up empty handed. Good luck on Vernon what a beautiful area.

[Freshtrax]

Sorry I've been off the grid for a few days... I've always caught them accidentally while fishing for bass, minnows, crankbaits and spinnerbaits Can't go wrong trolling a big jointed crankbait for pike.

[northernpike56]

Thanks guys. I will pm you two on how I do.

[northernpike56]

Quick pike related question- when I'm trolling for the bigger pike in deeper water (let's say 20-25 feet) how deep should I be running the lure? If I were to troll a J13 husky jerk, should I be adding a bunch of splitshot up the line to get it to run deeper?

[Freshtrax]

I usually just let the lure do the work. Keep your rod tip low and let out a hundred or so feet of line.. I find pike like to strike up at baits anyways.

[Old Ironmaker]

Fished Lake Vernon at least 10 years back and was very impressed with the quantity and size of both the Northerns and Smallmouth. We were on a small mountain (hill) north of Huntsville, north of big island. It was September and we parked our butts right at the opening of a marina on the east shore at the north side of the lake because the guy at the bait shop said to.

 

I set the guys up with a slip float system and played with the depths until we hit both the Northern and large Smallmouth. We were lucky to find very large shiners that were hooked up on a small titanium leader. If I took the leader off I hit Smallmouth, or lost the rig, I did find it strange to have them both at the same location on the feed. We were in about 10 to 12 feet of water. I followed the fish right into the marina amongst the docks. We never left that spot even though the owner of the cottage wanted to troll the north shore. I think he said there was a waterfall there. I stayed and he was back in a few hours. We caught them 1 after another for 4 hours each day. Had a shore lunch where 2 fish fed 4 of us for dinner and breakfast.

 

Great 2 days lazy fishing for 2 days. If I'm on fish I'm not moving to somewhere there might be some. Some guys go sightseeing. If that's what one is into, bless them. Sightsee away. Great lake

 

If I didn't have live silver shinners I'd go with a Husky Jerk or one of those large jointed chrome Live ???? It's late and can't remember the jointed minnow bait that, it's Live Target! I bet those in chrome silver or chrome gold would hammer them. A Cotton Cordell Ripping Red fin on a 3 way swivel trolling would be a third choice.

 

Good luck

 

John D

[buick14]

10-12 like ironworker said for majority of bass pike . Bigger pike I've got one weed ledges that drop ie 10-12 ft then 5 feet out water drops to over 30 some feet. It's scary what swims in that little area......

Water temps are down, I pulled a underwater camera in a local smaller lake that said 50 fehrinheit in 18fow....water at surface was 73 at the time, so that's something to think about. And no it wasn't groundwater upwelling.

 

Good luck nice largies also if ur lucky

[steelhedrmatt]

Any time I have fished Vernon, we always troll around the big island. always caught lots of pike trolling jointed rapalas. The bigger fish usually were caught on the north side of the island near the deeper water. In the spring we have also caught some incidental lakers there too. On the east side of the island is (was) a yellow airplane docked. This point has always produced fish. there are some nice weedbeds there that always seem to hold both big pike and largies. Good luck and post your results.

[northernpike56]

Thanks a lot guys- my first full day here today. I might try some fishing this evening as the boat traffic dies down a bit. I bought some minnows in Huntsville to try for those big pike too. Theres a nice weedy looking area near my cottage that I can canoe to. Looks like there could be some pike and largemouth swimming around in there.

[Roy]

Good luck to you! Looking forward to your report on that.

[northernpike56]

Caught a walleye off the dock!!!!!!!!!!!!

[northernpike56]

[northernpike56]

For those who don't know, apparently walleye were fished out of the lake in the 90's and have never been stocked in Vernon since. However they have been stocked in Buck and Fox lakes which empty into vernon through a river. So I think that this fish was most likely one that drifted down into vernon past the rapids and eventually made it to where I am staying. I caught this monster on a bass crankbait that I was using for pike. Its name escapes me but its a KVD crankbait, running at about 6-8 feet

Edited August 19, 2013 by northernpike5391

[northernpike56]

also somehow snagged this monster by the belly right after i let the walleye go... Thought it was another walleye by the way it dragged through the water.

Edited August 19, 2013 by northernpike5391

[Old Ironmaker]

Looks like you're having fun. Where's your shoes young man? I guess everyone including myself needs to take a hook in a foot first, that will ruin a nice trip to the lake, quickly. I sound like such a Dad.

[craigdritchie]

Nice fish!