T-Bone Posted August 10 Report Posted August 10 Planning a quick 3-dayer up to Pigeon Lake / Bobcaygeon in mid-September and wondering what type of fishing experience we can expect that time of year. Have been up to Pigeon Lake many times many years ago...but mostly summer period. Have been fishing Lac Kipawa, QC since 2000, so our skill for fishing walleye, bass, northern pike, lake trout, etc. is sharp. I recognize Pigeon Lake is not going to give us a similar experience, but just looking for general direction are patterns that time of year. Are walleye still on mid-lake shoals? Are muskies an option to spend time on? Thanks in advance for the insights. T-Bone.
AKRISONER Posted August 12 Report Posted August 12 definitely go musky fishing, Pigeon is loaded with them. As for mid september...depends on the weather, if it stays warm you should have a great time, if its the big time fall turnover it can be really really tough.
Andy Posted August 13 Report Posted August 13 I spent the Labour Day long weekend on Pigeon Lake last year. I hadn't been to Pigeon Lake in about ten years. I have had some decent success with musky, bass and walleye in the past on Pigeon. I like fishing the north third of the lake. I had what I thought were a couple of "go to" walleye spots on shoals in the north end. The entire weekend was sunny and hot. Because of the beautiful weather, there was a ton of boat traffic of every type on the lake. I had never seen the lake so busy and so noisy. The fishing was very poor for me. I divided my time up between bass, musky and walleye. Over the entire weekend, my walleye spots only produced 1 small walleye. It was under 12" in length. I was using live bait on jigs or harnesses on bottom bouncers for walleye. I caught one big largemouth bass over some heavy weeds that spit the topwater lure by the boat. I had no musky action whether casting or trolling. I watched the other boats that were fishing and I never saw a net hit the water. There are still huge numbers of panfish like bluegills and pumpkin seeds in the lake. I talked to a couple other boats that were fishing and no one was doing well. I left thinking that the weather and boat traffic combined had spooked the fish and shut them down. I also wondered if Pigeon Lake has seen too much fishing pressure over the past ten years. I would like to know how you make out on your trip. The lake will definitely not be as busy when you make your trip. I wish that my report was more positive, but I'm just telling it like it was. At least the lake won't be as busy when you make your trip. Good luck!
T-Bone Posted August 13 Author Report Posted August 13 Appreciate the honesty Andy. And, the reason I've been fishing Lake Kipawa the last 25-years is explained in your post. The fishing on Pigeon became increasingly tougher (to say the least), likely over-harvested, and the whole lake was way too busy for our liking. This is more of a trip down memory lane, but we'll definitely be giving a try for walleyes, muskies, and bass. Thanks!
T-Bone Posted August 13 Author Report Posted August 13 On 8/12/2025 at 12:43 PM, AKRISONER said: definitely go musky fishing, Pigeon is loaded with them. As for mid september...depends on the weather, if it stays warm you should have a great time, if its the big time fall turnover it can be really really tough. Thanks! I've been there for turnover before...may as well stay on shore.
Rizzo Posted August 13 Report Posted August 13 wont be turnover in mid september. Should be a great time!
T-Bone Posted October 1 Author Report Posted October 1 We had a great couple days on Pigeon Lake. Caught a handful of small walleyes, but even I didn't expect that as it was sunny, warm and still the entire time we were there. Also caught several smallies and a load of panfish. The only real 'action' was I hooked into something sizeable when fishing a weed edge structure for walleye and it took me for about a 5-second ride then bit me off. Oh well...so it goes. We really enjoyed our trip down memory lane and shared many laughs and stories from decades gone by. Love that little town of Bobcaygeon...always have. 1
Rizzo Posted October 1 Report Posted October 1 Sounds like a great time. Also sounds like you had a musky on....briefly
T-Bone Posted October 2 Author Report Posted October 2 We did Rizzo...thanks. And I figured it was a 'ski...but never saw it.
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