Kawaweogama Down Under
By Bob Riege
Ginny
and I arrived at Kawaweogama with a tail wind. Randy our pilot from Ignace
Airways was amazed at how fast we made the flight instead of a 50 minute
flight we were at the dock in 20 minutes. The wind was blowing about 25
mph out of the south and the heat and humidity had made it to the cool confines
of Northwestern Ontario. We were early to arrive, but we unpacked strung
our rods and readied the boat for a day of fishing. This was going to be
a warm one for sure.
We crossed the lake planed out to try to cool off from the summer heat. As I crossed the lake I kept my eyes fixed on my Vexilar Boundary Water graph and I could see that the surface temperature was getting close to the 70’s. Therefore I knew that I would have to fish deeper than usual and I new that the walleyes probably wouldn't be on a very active bite. But, I also knew that I had a new weapon against just such conditions. Rapala has come up with that very weapon "Deep Tail Dancer," This bait will get down to the critical depths of 18 to 24 feet that is frequently the "strike zone." for these mid summer walleyes, especially during the heat. Plus with the rattles inside it gives a wake up call to those lethargic fish.
During the summer months walleyes like to move out over deeper water but will identify with some type of structure for food and protection. Minnows begin cruising the shallows and weed growth attracts more and more minnows as well as walleyes, in large numbers. Islands allows escape routes for walleyes to sink deeper into the depths of the lake or out of the penetration of light. In fact, many times you can find walleyes on the shadow side of these islands out of the direct sunlight, especially on clear water lakes. In stained lakes and in turbid water sometimes it might be the middle of the day before enough light penetrates to get the food chain started.
The most active fish will probably be just off the weedline. Usually this is about seven feet down off the island. They will sometimes travel in circles around the great island at this depth to find their food. Each lake or river might be different, but more than likely if you find a depth at which fish seem to be the most active, stick to that depth and work that particular depth before moving deeper or shallower.
Therefore, in order to find these fish and the island, a good depth finder is essential. I prefer the Vexilar Boundary Waters unit, this gives me a good picture not only of the bottom but also weed growth and active levels of fish. The Deep Tail Dancer is great for this type of structure. This bait will get down to the depths very quickly when trolled or cast and the first thing that you will notice is when you retrieve this bait it comes back to the boat from "down under," almost like a vertical jig. I start a circular pattern around the island to locate active fish.
I prefer to backtroll to slow down the presentation and many
times I will even slip the motor in an out of reverse to give an even slower
presentation. Remember to use a pause-serge-pause presentation, this allows
fish to move up towards the shallower running bait plus gives a vertical
jigging presentation to these baits.
Jigging is another method of getting to the fish when they are down deep.
Most anglers believe that they know all about jigs just because jigs have
been around ever since man first pinched lead shot on a hook. But, that’s
just not so. Jigging basics may seem simple enough and mastering the fundamental
of jigging technique can mean the difference between catching fish and not.
Lake, walleyes relating to structure and current spend most of their time on or near the bottom. Choose the right-sized jig to keep your Gulp minnow, Gulp leech or Gulp nightcrawler down amongst them. Walleyes eat by inhaling the water around their target. A light jig may make it easier to engulf. But, be prepared to adapt. Jigs that are too small for the conditions may keep you out of the strike zone entirely. They may also make it impossible to keep your line vertical to sense light bites. Increase the weight of your jig as depth, wind or current increase. When in doubt, go heavier. There might even be times when only a 1-ounce jig will do.
Although a light jig will often accomplish the primary goal of bottom contact, jigs with a bigger profiles might still be the answer if walleyes are keying on larger forage. Don’t assume. Let the fish tell you what they want.
Jig heads come in several shapes for a reason. Use the right one for the job. Ball-style jigs are most common. They work well in current or still water for casting and vertical jigging. Larger sizes can be trolled or drifted. Swimming jigs have a long, flat design with the hook eye placed in front. They’re best for casting in weeds, like Lindy’s No-Snagg Veg-E-Jig. Current cutters, or pancake jigs, are designed to be hydro-dynamic in moving water. They are great for rivers, or trolling deep holes.
Kawaweogama is a 10,000 acre lake that is fed by the Allanwater
River system. This lake is basically shallow, but has a lot of deep holes
off islands. If the weather heats up and you want to experience a trophy
fly-in give Brad Greaves a call. Better yet, give him a call this winter
and set up a trip to Kawaweogama. You can contact him at: IGNACE OUTPOSTS
LTD, IGNACE AIRWAYS, BOX 244 IGNACE, ONTARIO, P0T1T0 CANADA, 1-807-934-2273
office, 1-807-934-6647 fax, flyin@ignaceoutposts.com.
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