Bass in Moose Bay

[Fly Eagles Fly]

Just caught a bass for the first time in Lake Kipawa in the Jawbone Bay area. Specifically Moose Bay.

Has anybody else fishing in the area run in to them?

[RHYBAK]

they are everywhere now , especially the north end.
Don't be surprised if you see more

[Greg]

Yep... what Rhyback said is what many have been experiencing - our group caught a handful this year in our mid-July trip.  More than any other year and one was fairly large (almost 3lbs).

Greg

[Fly Eagles Fly]

Hi Greg, Where on the Lake did you catch yours?

I was pretty surprised to catch one while trolling for pickerel. I had heard they were down the North end like Rhybak said....and slowly working there way down but had no idea they were this close.

Meat was nice an clean as well. No worms at all.

[RHYBAK]

We fish from 3seasonscamp and north
We have been catching large numbers of them for at least 4 years.
My group experienced a lot more than usual this year.
We are catching then up to 5 pounds.
Very big and very health smallmouth.
Check out 3seasonscamp facebook page to see the sizes being caught this year

[Greg]

Central part of the lake - this year - mostly in dead bear bay - doing the same thing as you (trolling for walleye).  See my trip report from a few weeks ago for a few more details).

Greg

[puckster_guy]

 I hope I never see them at Red Pine.

[crackers42]

Caught a 3 lber there a couple weeks back puckster while trolling around the corner from there.  Started catching catfish a couple years back both of which I have never seen at this end of the lake

[smitty55]

That doesn't surprise me, I believe there was a report last summer about catching them around Bronson I.

Crackers that is very strange that one would be caught down by Red Pine when the migration clearly started at the top end and is just recently reaching the hub, hopefully for now it's purely an incidental. I follow Kipawa Lodge closely and I have never seen a pic or mention of SMB at all, so from Hunters and East lets say. Wayne would know for sure though.
I have no doubt though that bass will be come common throughout the whole watershed eventually, sorry Joe. The whole ecosystem will take a good long while to adjust to the major increase in predator fish over time as there is only so much of a forage base available for the most part, so I can't see them not have a detrimental effect on Walleye populations in particular. Plus they will target the pelagic forage base to some extent, so that will affect Lakers. Now for sure bass will have the crayfish population pretty well all to themselves, so that may help. I can recall only once ever noticing a crayfish in a Pickerel from Kipawa, I don't think they're high on the menu, but still on it for sure.

The best bet is to make the most of it I figure. 3 Seasons largest is over 8 lbs, average fish are 3-5. That is some darn fun catching during the day, or even maybe some beauty flat water surface fishing on the shoulders. Then there's some real good eating from cold water lakes.  Nice clean firm fillets.  Plus every bass kept is one less to compete with the rest of the native ecosystem. That's a good thing.
Plus they could also be a great contribution to the weekly lodge fish fry if that still happens anymore. Anyone here remember the huge deep fry pan that Corbeau lodge had? Biggest I've ever seen in action, sitting on a major rack.  Ahhh, the good old days eh...

Cheers

[Mattie]

Between me and T-Bone we caught 7 last week while staying at Alwaki. The past few years we catch 1 maybe 2 at most if that says anything. furthest we caught one down the lake was the island in the middle of the lake outside of the bay going to turtle chute.

Even caught one off the dock of camp while using a slip bobber for walleye one afternoon.

[puckster_guy]

I've been catching Catfish for the last few yrs. Something new here. Bass? They'll be here sooner or later. Let me know when they reach Grindstone, I'll bring dynamite lol. Or put a dam across the narrows lol

[T-Bone]

I wonder what the Ministry thinks about this...

I wonder how they got in there... 

[RHYBAK]

I wonder what the Ministry thinks about this...

I wonder how they got in there... 

I have been told that a few back lake over flowed a few tears back and bass escaped into Kipawa and have thrived

[WillageD]

Our family camp is on Coe's Island just out from Kipawa Bait and Tackle.... my nephew caught one off the dock this past weekend.... I was hoping we still had a few years before we saw in our end, but not to be, they've made it.

[limacharley]

A guest of mine caught a 5 pounder last September in Hunter's Lake.
We stayed overnight at Wayne's (Kipawa Lodge) due to a bad storm...the one that did a lot of damage in Ottawa.
Wayne keeps tally sheets in his cabins and his guests have been recording bass for awhile now.

Bass and walleye co exist in plenty of lakes-no problem here. If anything, the pike will thrive as they will eat the fry in the shallows.