[Saturday Feb 8] Muskoka laker and whitefish

Fished THE lake in Muskoka region today, with a buddy. There were lots of snow on top of ice. Couldn't walk to where I wanted (where I usually fish) on the lake (felt completely exhausted), so settled down somewhere half way.

And literally within one minute after I dropped my vibrato down the hole, a laker (a quite big one) came up from bottom of the water, chasing then biting my vibrato. Fish on.

Then landed a whitefish and another laker.

And lost a laker and a whitefish at hole.

All in all, a quite productive day:-)

Also talked to Flutes (John) who was also fishing on the lake with family but was close to the launch/shore, while I was like 800 meters away from him on the lake...

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pic (including one laker my buddy caught)

last one

Well done gentleman.

Arnie

Ooooooo. Glad you guys got some even though you couldn't get out further. I was very happy to have caught one given the short time we were there and not being mobile at all. We just waited and had a good time and loved that my son was right beside me to be right in the action.
Very well done out there. I am hoping to be able to sneak out early tomorrow morning for another quick fish and be back home before lunch...will see if I can get a bit further out but then again, maybe that is not needed anymore ....and yup, that snow has gotten a bit deeper to walk in and hiding alot of the ridges of the ruts in the snowmobile tracks

Hold on, we no longer have to walk 2km to get to the fish??
Nicely done!

Way to go James, productive day out there .
Marking any smelts hanging around?

That's right Sir. Only half way to where we usually fish!:-)

Thanks, and yes in the afternoon I think I constantly marked thick layers of smelts close to bottom of the water (and I was fishing around 32 fow), and I had to keep moving to avoid the smelts. To me, if there are lots of smelts down the hole, there aren't any lakers nor whitefish nearby (or else, where lakers and whitefish are, smelts don't dare to stay too close?:-

I’ve found the same. If the smelts clear off your screen, there’s a fish nearby, get ready.

That's right! And as you said, if those smelts down the hole all of a sudden disappear, it is usually because a whitefish or laker (or two) are coming in....

Out fishing for a couple of hours again today. I "saw" smelt as well (some marks strong enough to keep me interested in the marks)....but not in dense schools just a few here and there but the sonar screeen was rarely "clean".