elephant lake help?

[snagmaster]

Hey guys im eading up to elephant lkae this weekend for bass opener ...just wonderinf if anyone has fished the lake at this time of year? I will be targeting bass , muskie and maybe some pike....wonderinf if anyone had any pointers on depths and structure i should be targeting , and if its more of a smallie lake or a largie lake so i know which gear to bring....thanks guys....good luck on the water

[jediangler]

We used to go to Elephant every year for our musky hunt. That is until 2001 when all we caught was pike. The lake contains many good sized bass, both largemouth and smallmouth. We hooked quite a few on bucktails while trying for musky. The lake is very weedy with a sandy stretch in the south end. Try sluggos and tubes as well as spinnerbaits for bass. My guess is you'll catch more small pike than anything else. There is a small chance you'll get into a natural tiger musky which would be a bonus. Good luck.

[joonmoon]

I concur with Jedi and don't forget to try topwater evening fishing or even after dark. Use a leader or it could turn out to be an expensive trip. Good luck and of course you will let us know how you did.

[Zamboni]

Pike behind the island directly across from the lodge....good spot to try for muskie is where channel comes in from Benoir lake. That lodge has great pizza-lots of pics and mounted fish to inspect while their cooking.

 

Great area.....horse/deer flies were incredible my last visit tho, chased us off golf course.

[DrPhil]

It is a very shallow lake with a lot of good weeds. Most of the lake is in the 10 foot range, however, there is a nice 30 -35 foot trough that runs just off the east shoreline between the big rockface and the island. The south end of the trough peters out but has a nice area of rocks where you might be able to pick up a few smallmouth. The north end of the trough has some structure with weeds that jumps around from 10 to 20 feet with soft bottom. The rockface itself falls off to 15 foot. Supposedly a good muskie area but I have never done to well there. The island has a very nice rocky area on it's north side, another good smallmouth area. The second smaller rockface to the north also drops off to 15 foot and I have taken several muskie there. Most coming on jerkbaits. It is a small area and with one good drift you can cover the whole thing. Just to the south of this rockface there is a hump made up of rocks. A couple of rocks can catch a prop but they are usually marked. Good smallmouth area. I target muskie but have taken several nice largemouth. On the rare occasion we went for bass we caught several small smallmouth but never a good one. Muskie can be found anywhere. The mid-lake weed beds are productive and as Joonmoon suggested topwaters just before and after dark can be very productive. Probably, most of the muskie taken in Elephant are caught trolling spinners and spinnerbaits. Don't be afraid to fish shallow shoreline areas , 2 to 3 foot, after dark. Spinners are a good choice and will also pick up some nice largemouth. Elephant Lake lodge would be a good place for lunch. You can tie up at the dock and go up for a bite to eat or a cold one. They can probably give you a heads up on the fishing and Cindy runs a good clean kitchen. If you do stop by tell them Phil from Pa says hello.

[1leggedangler]

We had some success fishing the stumps just out to the right of the lodge. As mentioned topwaters worked well for the largies. Also try trolling spinnerbaits out over the flats in front on the lodge. My brother landed a huge smallie last season. Good luck.

 

Cheers,

1leg

[Zamboni]

Sounds like Phil has fished Elephant more than me....took a few notes. Do stop at the lodge for lunch or dinner-very friendly and knowledgable of the lake.....my kids say its best pizza in Ontario.

[snoil]

Fishing that area this weekend.Always stop at the lodge for lunch on Friday.If anyone's in the area on Friday around 1 stop by for some pizza and a cold one.

[snagmaster]

thanks alot guys ...i will for sure try the pizza.....but i wont be up there until sunday