A week at Balsam Lake!

[Familyfisherman]

Heading to Balsam for a week next weekend. I've fished it once, and fished one shoal for a couple of hours, so we didn't really get around the lake.

 

Just wondered if there are general starting points for LM/SM bass and walleye?

 

Am I correct that the slot for walleye is as follows: Sport license possession limit of 3, under 14.6 inches or greater than 21.7?

 

I don't expect to keep any, but if we chose to I'd like to be sure I didn't miss something.

 

 

Thanks for any insight, it looks like a nice multispecies lake to fish, and our family is excited to try it.

 

Kevin

[chris.brock]

you've got the regs right,

 

what part of the lake are you on or do you plan on running the whole lake?

[big guy]

Great smallie lake, love fishing them there. Mepps spinners, silver on sunny days, gold on cloudy days. Good starting points for them are the south side of Grand Island and around Ant Island. Move a little further out into deeper water south of Grand for pickerel, deep diving cranks in perch pattern.

[Garnet]

I don't think the walleye have even peaked on balsam yet. Fish between 8 and 14 ft. AS the weedlines grow in the walleyes will get on the outside scattered stuff.

 

Their was a bass tourney on weekend low weights overall put lot's caught and the musky's have been stupid playing on the surface.

[super dave]

i was there the last two weekends and will be this coming. Where i was the weeds were just starting to peak up in around 6-12 feet of water. so i would concentrate in those depths. i wish i could help you more but i'm discovering the lake as well around the provincial park.

[Familyfisherman]

Thanks folks for the advice.

 

The cottage is on the east side, but not too far from Grand Island...at least from the pictures I can see it

 

We'll work on those emerging weedlines.

 

Anyone have any luck trolling with spinner rigs? I figured I could use this as a way to locate walleye initially. I've caught walleye there on a drop shot and crankbait, but it seemed like a one off sort of thing as we were targeting smallmouth at the time...

 

Enjoyed the lake the one time I was there...

[chris.brock]

IMO, early morning and late evening the trolling harnesses and casting suspending twitch baits will work, mid day or when they are not as active you will have to slow right down or fish near bottom in the heavy weeds

[Hank Jr]

Just got back from 4 days on Balsam and 2 on Sturgeon . Weeds are behind some but several areas are in good shape . I'll send you a pm to get you started. Good Luck

[lookinforwalleye]

and don`t forget the lowly jig and grub for the smallies...you can thank me later!!!

[Shloim]

Im there the first week of August second year we are staying at a friends on the canal directly across from the Rosedale Marina. The fishing was terrible last year nobody was catching anything all week. Hope its better this year... Let us know how ya make out!

Edited June 26, 2014 by Shloim

[Garnet]

By August these weedline walleys are low percentage on Balsam. You get some and if you can fish at dusk likely do good.

 

The smallies and larges are and in around these weedlines. Jerk baits and poppers on inside weedlines and on the sand will work for smallies. Dunk the thick stuff for larges. And the ever present pike, musky and tiger musky. It's fun dunking a weed bed and leveling it on a musky bite.