Back to North Bay- introduction

Hello All, I have been lurking a bit lately, better say hello.
I rediscovered North Bay late last year, after a member in our Barrie Chapter of Muskies Canada did some fishing nearby and inspired my girl and I to look at places other than the Kawarthas for Musky. Had been many years since I had visited NB, and I am really very happy that I have come back. We have found a fantastic B&B to stay at while fishing the nearby lakes. Haven't been to Nipissiing yet but its on our list- likely launch into Callander Bay to get aquatinted with the lake- its size is daunting.
So honed my fishing skills around Huntsville as a youth, and Lake Muskoka as an adult, but been hitting Balsam Lake mainly the last ten years or so. Did really well for 'Ski there, best year showing 3 fish over 50", but no 50's for a few years now- thats fishing.
Balsam is quickly becoming a good Pike lake unfortunately...
Anyhow, managed a to pull a few Ski out of smaller lakes this season, and a couple of more trips planned for this fall as well.
Will try and post a pic of Kim's 45" from June.

Here is one of the Ski we pulled out in July, got two low 40" fish within a half hour on the same spot- moonrise just about to happen.

sweet looking fish great job

Back to The Nip - you may just end up getting back into the 50" range. I'm still working on my first 50. One of these days, it will happen. Good Luck.

Love the Kawartha Lakes.Lived in Lindsay for a few years while attending the Forestry and Fish & Wildlife programs at Sir Sandford Flemming College back in the early 80's.Rented a place from Gil-Mar Cottage Resort on Sturgeon Lake.The Musky fishing was decent.Nothing huge but plenty of 36" fish.I started fishing Lake Nipissing for the first time a couple of years ago.Last year I fished from South Bay while staying at 'Promised Land Camp'.I find the structure and habitat very good to hold large Musky amongst the many islands and reefs in this area.We also ventured out as far as the Manitou Islands,Goose Islands and even into the French River when weather conditions allowed us to.My conclusion after scouting these areas was that this lake has great potential for large Muskie year round but late fall would be a time to target the trophy females.The lake isn't extremely deep but as you enter the mouth of the French River the depths immediately drop to 100 plus feet making it a prime target area for large mid to late summer giants as there are large numbers of forage fish for the Musky to feed on in the deep cold waters.I will be returning this fall in mid October to hunt for the trophy fish.

See the following video for more detailed information:
[URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqGGadhwuVo]

Also,I lived in Kenora,Ontario on 'The Lake Of The Woods' for 12 years which I regard as being probably the best Muskie fishery in Canada.Dinorwic,Eagle and Wabigoon lakes which are about 1.5 hours east of Kenora in the Dryden area can also be considered as good a Muskie fishery as Lake Of The Woods.Lake St.Clair which I grew up on as a youngster also has great numbers of Muskie but the size average would be below that of Lake Nipissing and the previously mentioned lakes in Northwestern Ontario.I would probably rank Lake Nipissing & the French River #4 in Canada for Muskie fishing.

If you or anyone else who reads this are ever interested in fishing 'Lake Of The Woods' let me know as I have a friend who owns and operates a Fishing & Hunting Camp on a 10 acre island located on the western portion of the lake which has some of the best waters for Muskie,Smallmouth Bass,Walleye & Pike.

Last time we were there my son caught and landed a 15 pound walleye on a 10" black buck-tail Muskie bait,...go figure!

Muskie Hunter.....your forgetting to mention Georgian Bay (HoneyHarbour up to the mouth of the French), the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River....all considered by the top Muskie anglers in North America as top five waters in their own right.
Nipissing could rank up there with several of the other waterways.......but not before it consistently produces many 'certified' 58+ inch fish.
The MNR has sample netted several fish in that range (rumour is another 60+ incher just this past spring in Callander Bay) but as yet, few have been caught or publicly revealed. Until that happens, it's very hard to put Nip up anywhere as high as #4.
Will Nip eventually get that type of ranking?....it's possible some day....as the genetic make up of the it's brood stock has been verified as capable of doing so. But right now, it's really only wishful thinking that Nip could be ranked quite that high...in the same breath as LOTW, Georgian Bay or the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River systems.
As far as numbers of fish......yes, I agree....that Nip could sneak into exclusive water category (with St.Clair, as you mentioned, being the top producing system for numbers of fish). However, from strictly an overall ranking (size plus numbers).....Nip's not quite there yet.
Although, it continues to be my favourite system to fish for Muskie, particularly the West Arm portion.
Nipissing is a somewhat unadvertised gem of Muskie fishing right now (and as far as I'm concerned it can stay that way for the benefit of those of us that have regularly fished Muskie there for the past 30+ years).....a waterway that hasn't 'officially' been accepted, as yet, by the Muskie community as one of the very top systems.

Wow, lots of great discussion on Musky, love it. I will learn more about Nip in the years to come I hope, for now it will be the smaller lakes around her. I too like the remoteness and fairly light fishing pressure for Musky in the area, would hate to see that change.

No worries...at least not yet... musky66. Nipissing is anything but overfished musky fishing waters. And there's obvious reasons for that.
Nipissing can be a difficult lake to fish for musky right out of the box. It's not lake St. Clair or LOTW or even the St. Lawrence River where you can pretty much follow the masses and target areas where everyone else is fishing and still fill your boat.
Nip is rough and unpredictable most of the time and there's more than just one seasonal pattern to catching fish on the lake......there's fish following the deep pelagic bait fish schools all year and there's other populations of fish relating to home bases and tradition spawning habitat all year round as well. At certain times of the year you can find numbers of fish in the same locations year in and year out depending on weather, water and bait fish (food) conditions. The ecology of the lake and it's food chain is also changing and having an effect on the fish feeding and migration patterns.
But until you've fished the lake for a while and understood the various fishing patterns it holds....it can be a daunting task finding fish consistently.
That's why many Muskie anglers included several high profile Muskie fishing experts have had trouble fishing the lake and getting the type of results they're use to elsewhere. So for now...Nipissing doesn't get the type of hype and press other easier to fish systems do.
But that will change if someone pops a 60 incher out there at some point. Every Muskie angler in North America is looking for that new virgin, supposedly untapped water system that's proven to produce giant Muskie....like it happened on the the Moon River in the early 1980's or Lac Seul in northwestern Ontario in the 1990's.....if someone hits a really big fish or several huge fish....the Muskie crowd will descend on the lake like a plague of locust.
So for now....enjoy the virtually unexplored and lightly fished Muskie waters of Nip....the hidden gem of Muskie fishing.

This would be one area that I would have to disagree. Nipissing is quite well known for it's Muskie Fishery. Every year I see many articles like this one putting Nipissing in the 5 lakes in Ontario. With all the bad publicity this lake gets over it's apparent demise of Walleye fishing. I believe that turns people away from other game fish like Pike, Smallies and my favorite Largies!

Muskies have always been the real trophy in this lake. It takes a special bread of fishermen to hunt for these beauties and just plug in "Lake Nipissing Muskies" and look at all the articles and huge Muskies that share these waters.

The story always seen to be the same. It's always better somewhere else. Sometimes, often times it's right under your nose.

http://northernontario.travel/fishing/onta...ve-muskie-spots

Love the discussion points on Nipissing's Muskie potential..West Bay Cottages.
When I started Muskie fishing on Nipissing back in the late 1970's....few people even knew Nipissing had a healthy Muskie population, walleye was the attraction and Muskie were the fish that fishermen occasionally ran into......so the lake's clearly come into focus as a stand alone Muskie fishery since then.
I saw the Drew Myers article but in the authors own words "not necessarily the best spot(s), but ones he'd fish each season".
Part of me wants Nipissing to stay as a lighter fished, quietly spoken about system for Muskie.
But I also recognize advertising the Muskie potential on Nip will benefit lodge owners, charter operators and all the other commercial enterprises that prosper from the influx of Muskie fishermen into the area.
You can't hide water systems and fishing potential in this day and age. Within minutes of catching a trophy Muskie the internet and fishing message boards are all highlighting the achievement.
But the fact of the matter is........to the best of my knowledge.....and definitely correct me if I'm wrong.....only one, we'll say 'verified' 58" plus fish has been publicly submitted to any recognized fishing authority from Nipissing's waters. A lot of the other systems mentioned in the Drew Myers article and many other articles before his, have numerous 58" plus fish verified over many many years. Consistent catches of fish with 60 lb plus potential or a nearly guaranteed multiple fish reputation (like St. Clair) puts a system in a top 5 or even top 10 category.
Now why hasn't Nip yielded more fish in that category?....my personal opinion has always been...because it's a somewhat difficult system to fish (topography and water conditions make it difficult for more fishermen to be able to reach some of the best Muskie fishing spots on the lake)....and generally lighter fishing pressure for the species entirely. There's 60 pound Muskie in Nipissing....anyone that's familiar with the lake is aware of that fact.....but until a few more real monsters come out of the lake.....it will stay as one of those lakes with the potential to be a top five lake.
And as I stated previously......from a strictly selfish perspective.....I hope it stays that way.
Keep the muskie discussions coming......its great to hear and see there so many people now interested in the sport.

Great comments Grumpa.

I would agree that Nip has the large fish but as you know she is not always the easiest lake to fish. I have a home on Hinchberger Bay and a 22 foot boat but when the wind blows, it is tough to get to many spots. I fish Eagle lake(another top Muskie fishery) every October for a week of musky and even in the worst conditions we can still hit all the spots. However, I do love that about Nip as it protects the fishery.
I also believe the walleye fishery is really benefiting the musky. I don't typically target walleye except winter...but I will take the kids or friends in the soft water season and the ridiculous number of 12-17 inch fish is crazy. And we know the musky are feeding on them like crazy. Just last week, my dad was pulling in a nice walleye when a good 50 incher grab it at the boat. I don't care how many times you see that happen, it pumps the adrenaline and for me, makes me pound even harder for musky. As well, the herring population is strong which the musky love....follow the herring, find the musky, especially in fall.
I have fished Nip for 40 years and I know she has trophies of all species as I have caught them..Bass, pike, walleye, musky. Hence why we need to ensure she is protected for the future. Catch and release all big fish is my approach.

Love the Muskie info Cranman.
Sounds like you started getting interested in the species around the same time that I did.
And I completely concur. I too have fished Eagle, Wabigoon, LOTW, the St.Lawrence, Lac Seul, the Ottawa River, St. Clair and pretty much every recognized Muskie fishery in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec over the last 40 years..... but next to the wide open waters of Georgian Bay with it's unobstructed six footers pounding down on the exposed Bustard Islands at the French River Outlet.....Nipissing to me.....is the one of most difficult water systems to consistently 'safely' fish. It's no mystery to the Muskie crowd that the waters in and around the mouth of the French harbour great potential.......but try and fish those reefs and shoals with a 30 km northwester blowing down on you. Being a relatively shallow west to east topography...Nip sets up poorly to provide maximum shelter for many of the main lakes best muskie fishing spots.
With that said there's still more than sufficient prime locations throughout the western basin and up into the West Arm, not to mention South Bay, that can be easier and safer to fish.
Only two water systems have ever given me pause to reconsider what the heck I was doing fishing Muskie in the worst of conditions....that's Georgian Bay in October and the main lake basin of Nipissing.
Great observations also on the food chain connections. I might add another one that's just now starting to develop on the lake.....roaming schools of perch that are evolving to take advantage of the introduction of the invasive spiny water flea. In the eastern basin of the lake where I reside.....very evident 'growing' schools of perch are showing up each year now.....and consequently, providing another prey option for roaming and suspended predators.
Your recommendations on catch and release of all trophy fish is entirely appropriate as well.
Enjoy the fall bounty of Muskie fishing on Nip..... the biggest fish in the system will once again become accessible to many of us as the fall progresses.
Enjoyed your input Cranman......keep it coming.

Would anyone like to share a spot or two with me? I am heading up Thursday 9/18 for 4 days. Staying at sunset cove. South shore I believe.

Hi Joegriffin.
It will be tuff to get any of the diehard muskie guys to give you 'exact' locations to find fish. Sometimes it takes years of fishing to find spots off the beaten path that aren't getting flogged to death by other muskie fishermen. Consequently, most long time muskie fishermen keep 'their' very best locations fairly close to the chest and treasure them like gold.
I'll try and help you a little bit in general.
If you're new to the South Bay area......be very, very careful regarding the wind.
You'll probably have to determine where you're going to fish most days dependent on the wind direction and velocity. The reefs and shoals at the mouth of South Bay past Lonely Island are always good during the summer and especially coming into the cool water period of the fall as some of the bigger immigrating fish start to move back in closer to shore as they follow the schools of herring/cisco and whitefish spawning later in the fall........but those areas are only accessible with calmer steady wind conditions. If you're fishing out of Sunset Cove maybe your best options are falling back into some of the sheltered waters in Hunters Bay or try any of the bays on the eastern side of South Bay up to Deep Water point. As the water continues to cool some of the weeds in the shallower bays will be starting to die. Look for any bays that still contain healthier 'green' weeds particularly if they're adjacent to structure and deeper water. The green weeds will still hold bait fish this time of year. Work the deep weed edges coming out of the bays and troll any structure away from the shore that doesn't top out real close to or above the surface. And lastly.....if you notice any concentrated groups of fishing boats catching numbers of pickerel, smallmouth or perch..... particularly if it's near structure ...there's a real good probability that there's big pike and muskie hunting in those same areas as well. Food attracts predators...the more food....... the bigger chance the predators will be there as well. The lodge and some of the other fishermen there can probably give you an idea on some specific spots as well. And make sure you have that hydrograpic map with you at all times.
Good luck and let the board know how you made out.

joegriffin,how was the Muskie fishing on Lake Nipissing during your 4 day trip?I will be staying at Sunset Cove Lodge from October 4-12.Can you please share your thoughts of the area in terms of fishing success,water conditions(i.e..level,clarity,algae blooms,temperature) and areas to target in the South Bay area.Did you venture out to the Manitou or Goose Islands,Gull Rock,Gull Islands or mouth of the French River?

What type of baits were you finding to be successful and did you notice any sign of the Herring/Ciscoe migrating to the shallow reefs and rocky areas to spawn?

Can you also give your opinion on how you felt the accommodations were at Sunset Cove Lodge.I will also be renting their Deluxe 16 foot Grumman aluminum boat with the 40HP motor.Did you happen to rent this boat or another in the fleet and did you feel their boats are adequate for navigating the big water of Lake Nipissing?

This will be my fourth trip to fish Lake Nipissing and my third to the South Bay area.I wish I would have seen your pre-trip post earlier as I would have shared some information with you of what I have learned about the area thus far.

Last but not least,...please post some pictures of your catch!

Thanks in advance.