Hello all,
Will be fishing Alwaki Lodge for 4 days for the first time in mid-July. Obviously mostly targeting eyes.
I can read through for specific tackle/gear suggestions, just wanted to see if anyone had any general impressions of fishing this lodge or the area near it.
Cheers.
Welcome to the forum and to Kipawa,
You're in a good spot, I'll leave more detailed responses to the folks who have fished the area more recently than I have.
Have fun!
You're in a great location...plenty of fish of all types within 10-minute boat ride. We've stayed at Alwaki Lodge many times and (12) of us will be there again late-July this year.
Tons of fish close by (walleye and lakers, great people at the lodge and very helpful if you ever need anything. If you have any questions that you can't find on the site just send me a pm. Thanks. Good to hear you're heading back to Alwaki again this year. Going to finally try the lakers?
Hey WalleyeSashimi -
Its a great place, beautiful, relaxing and lots of fish close by... lots of shore-line to fish and Alwaki lodge is top notch (always great support from Brian, Tina and Rob) ... well equipped cottages (propane fridge/stove and generator for some power in the evening), hot water shower houses, fish cleaning huts, ice, bait, and licenses available right on the island.
I caught my largest walleye ever last year within sight of the cottage docks just trolling along a shore line in about 20 feet of water.
When you say "mid-July" - what dates are you there? I am there from July 16 to 20th...if you are there at the same time, I can show you on my map some key areas and common points of interest.... are you renting a boat from the lodge are bringing your own boat? I ask simply because of the range/distance you may be interested in going - its an overwhelming large lake.
Greg
Always catch walleye on shoreline directly across from docks. Lots of fish nearby.
Thanks for the replies all. To answer some of the questions raised here:
- Will be there roughly July 8-12 - if anyone's around, let me know
- Using one of their boats
It sounds like they provide some baits - anyone know more? In your experience is it sufficient to use their baits + plastics, or is there any need to bring in live bait?
As far as specific locations, it sounds like the hosts and other guests there should be able to point us in the right direction.
For walleyes that time of year, is it really just jigs with a bit of live bait or an appealing plastic and try to cover as much water as possible?
The lodge will provide approximate locations.
Bring a sonar to find humps and shoals.
Jig, jig, jig....worms and leeches.
Minnows not allowed unless dead and bought in Quebec. Keep receipt.
As dusk approaches, fish closer to shore.
Welcome, you will really enjoy the area and find that the hosts are super. I will be there from the 10th to the 16th in cabin 6 feel free to stop by for a a beer and compare notes.
Greg is right on when he says it's a good area, he had some real nice ones last year.
Robert
3 or 4 inch Berkley Power Minnow is all I use in smelt colour. 1/8 or 1/4 jig head.
If you are going with a large group it would be beneficial to buy leeches in bulk before you go in. If just a couple guys not really needed. My wife and children use worms and catch just as many if not more fish during our week. I do take up a bulk container of worms in with me. We are there July 2nd to 9th in cabin 5. Stop in and I will let you know how our week went and leave any extra bait I may have. I also do quite a bit of trolling in deep water around the island with deep diving lures or harnesses.
Hi all,
Just wanted to check in on a few things before I go:
- what's an optimal kind of line to use?
- at Alwaki I know the host provides baits/boats/license (correct?).. is there anything at all in that vein I should bring?
- planning to jig and cast with bait and powerbait to cover as much water as possible and rely on local suggestions. Any other general tips?
Boy oh boy, I sure wish I was spending a week at Alwaki lodge again. Literally some of the best weeks of my life have been spent there. Also camped twice in the shortcut my first two times up there and stayed at Corbeau lodge a few times. Unfortunately I haven't been back since it was sold, so my experiences aren't recent lol. Carl and Mary were superb hosts IMO. A licensed bar overlooking the lake. OMG we had some good times in there every trip. On year we rented 3 cabins, which included a bunch of guys from the Carleton Tavern. Well they didn't fish very much lol, one guy actually ran a tab well over two bills that week. He loved it, one of his best vacations ever he said hehe. Back then it was $500 for the cabin for a week. So with four guys it was under $18/day. Amazing when you think about it nowadays. Carl being native had it's benefits as well. He was a good man with a great wife.
As for my fishing suggestion for larger Pickerel, the best hint I could offer would be to fish dusk till at least 2 hours after dark. The big boys come out to play at night. Go with the lightest line you can with a good sensitive rod. 4 to 8 lb max. My preference is to slow troll with the electric using a jig and/or bottom bouncer spinner rig or else anchor on/beside shoals and slip float or cast with light jigs and trailer or bait of choice.
As for spots to try...
The first easy spot would be the evenings at Sandbanks, you'll see the boats usually. Smaller fish. I always wanted to try trolling it at midnight with minnow baits but it never happened.
Next, there are two big main lake shoals between Alwaki and Corbeau. Most boats just go zipping by on their way around the hub. Don't neglect them, even in the daytime on a windy day. The bigger one is better. You can anchor and then let out rope as you work an area.
Lastly, my PB Walleye ever, 31.5 inches and 11.5 came from that little island on the extreme north west corner of Corbeau Island. It was close to 10:30 at night slow dragging in 8 ft with an Ugly Bug and a worm with 4lb copolymer on a ul lightning rod. Buddy missed it first time with the net. It's a great jig for rocky bottoms. There is plenty of other good structure on that west side of Corbeau too worth checking out including for Greys.
Enjoy your trip. Cheers
Thanks. So for line, aim for 6-8 lbs range? Any preferred brand or type?
I like Cabela's brand mono and Suffix for braid.
What's a good set up for walleye in terms of line? Just 6lbs of mono or add something on the end?
For the eye's I use Trilene 100% fluorocarbon professional grade both 6 pound or 8 pound tied straight to the jig, no leader. 1/8 oz. jigs gets 6, 1/4 oz. the 8. All my eye fishing is jigging.
john c
Tie your jig right onto your line; I've never understood the 'advantage' of having a flouro leader from the main line to the jig. Maybe less line twist...but I really don't know.
Good luck and stay on the water. The only way to 'learn' how to fish Kipawa is to put the time in. Considering your location, you should have no trouble getting into plenty of 'eyes.
Quote from: T-Bone on July 05, 2016, 08:50:23 AM
Tie your jig right onto your line; I've never understood the 'advantage' of having a flouro leader from the main line to the jig. Maybe less line twist...but I really don't know.
Good luck and stay on the water. The only way to 'learn' how to fish Kipawa is to put the time in. Considering your location, you should have no trouble getting into plenty of 'eyes.
T-Bone
I use a flouro leader only to separate the braid to the jig.
One, it give the invisible look and two, I want the lighter leader as a breaking point for snags.
thanks all - maybe some 6lb mono and 6lb fluro on different rods and see which fishes better? I don't usually think too critically about what line I'm using so I need to think this through a little.
Stupid question - is it frowned upon or okay to bring beer in the boat (as someone who won't be driving)? I know in Ontario it's generally not allowed though on smaller lakes no one cares... don't want to do anything disrespectful in the host's boat so if anyone could generalize best practices that would help.
Also does anyone know if Alwaki's boats are meant to be used after dark? A lot of people on here talk of night fishing even up to midnight.
@RHYBAK...I've tried braid and just don't like it for a number of reasons. I know many of you swear by it (not sure why...but many of you do). I prefer a little 'give' to my line and I think it makes a different in how many fish you get into the boat...and less knot tying means more time the jig is in the water.
@WalleyeSashimi, beer on the boat seems to be the norm up there (not at all like Ontario where you get a ticket if you have a single empty in the bottom of the boat), but don't be loaded driving around the lake. We've had beer in the boat before when conv officers "stopped us", they didn't seem to mind....again...as long as you're not impaired. A couple cold pops while enjoying that spectacular lake via boat is as close to heaven on earth as you'll find, in my estimation.
Alwaki boats do NOT have running lights (not sure any camp boats do), so you'll be out there on you're own. I'm confident Brian wouldn't tell you what to do or not to do, but you're responsible for yourself...and the boat/motor I would imagine.
24.65 days until I'm icing down those Bleues for the trip into camp...
Most of my questions have focused on targetting walleye... I am also hoping to take a shot at some lakers, can anyone generalize the best way to approach this?
Whenever I fished Lake Kipawa after dark, I placed a battery powered Coleman lantern near the stern so that other boats could see where we were. I learned my lesson one night returning to camp when I almost ran into the back of one of the other boats in our group. They had stopped in the blackness to do some jigging. Since then, I always have a light in my boat.
With respect to lake trout fishing, here are two easy approaches. The first approach would be to jig them off the bottom on long points protruding out into deep water basins. It'll be trial and error to establish the productive depth. A second approach would be to troll a lure (Sutton flutter spoon # 71, Original Doctor's Spoon P275-406 or a jointed Rapala) behind a #1 Dipsy Diver. My target depth for the lure would be between 35 and 55 feet over 75 to 100 feet of water.
Jay
We were up at the end of last June and the Lakers were in 20-30 FOW - which surprised me, I normally would have targeted 40-60 FOW. We trolled a total of 4 hours over two days for them using our regular spinning rods. We caught 6 Lakers. To get the lure down we simply used a rubber band to attach a 2-3 oz. weight to our line about 6-7 feet from the lure (basically the rod length). Let out at least 100 ft. We trolled with spoons - I used a Lucky Strike Half Wave spoon and my brother used a Sutton 44 spoon (half nickel, half brass).
Never tried jigging, but there are some really great spots to do so if you have calm conditions or a long enough anchor rope.
For walleye, we caught them using jigs+worm, slip bobber with a simple Aberdeen hook and a worm and trolling crank baits. They were still shallow for us (8 FOW or less) and only active at night.
Hello all, thanks for your help so far.
Got here yesterday and hit the water around 6 or so. Was raining fairly hard but eventually let off. Only caught some small eyes -- I think 10-11 inches and they went back. Also caught a couple pike which were cool and a few folks here sounded surprised to hear that.
Today it was absolutely pouring to start -- we fished about 11-1 and got soaked and didn't catch anything so I was getting a bit nervous about the trajectory of the fishing.
Got back out for about 6 this evening and it was slow for about an hour -- again feeling a little nervous. Then my dad got two nice eyes back to back trolling a lure that looked most similar to a hot n tot that I could find in our box (word was they were hot for trolling but I didn't have any). The eyes were about 15.5 and 18 inches respectively.
Hit another lull and about a half hour before coming in I hooked up with a great eye just across from Alwaki's dock -- it clicked in about 18 inches as well on a jighead with a leech.
So very happy with how the fishing has trended upward. Tomorrow will be our first true nice day so planning to troll/explore the lake a little. Given how low everyone seems on daytime eyes may focus on taking a shot at lakers for an hour or two during the day.
Thanks again to everyone for all their help. Incidentally Brian and Tina run a fantastic operation here though I'm not terribly surprised after everything everyone else has said.
On the back side (southeast corner) of Thompson Island there is a nice little Laker run that I like to do for a quick troll, like that early morning before breakfast run, or when the lake gets a west wind picking up as the day progresses, as it's nicely protected. It doesn't show on the maps, ;) but there is a steep ridge that runs perpendicular to shore out a fair piece into deeper water off that back corner of the island. First I would always give it a quick tour with the sonar to get my bearings, then tour along and past it out to deep water, do a u turn, drop the gang trolls and try to nail the run in tight to the ridge and then basically try to make a sharp right while keeping our trolls in the inside corner as well as we could. Then parallel the island at 60 - 80ft. I don't agree with the avionics map, we were closer to shore from what it shows. But whatever
What I'm getting at, is that if you want to try jigging for Greys in calm water, that inside corner area back there would be a good spot to try. It was always a good area for marking bait schools as well, so if you find them where they intersect structure that would be a great place to drop jigs down and pinpoint structure.
Good luck and enjoy the rest of you trip.
Cheers