Lake of the Woods is an internationally acclaimed fishery and is home to several species. Our island is located on Lake of the Woods in Stevens Bay. There are numerous small islands in the Stevens Bay area that present ideal locations for the ultimate and traditional North Woods adventure, a shore lunch! Starting with an ample supply of freshly caught Walleye, Crappie or even the flaky and delicious Northern Pike for your group, add in (provided by us) fried potatoes and onions and baked beans complete with a dessert and you have experienced the best Canadian adventure ever!!
Springtime (May-June) is a favorite of many anglers in order to sample some (or lots) of virtually everything Lake of the Woods has to offer in fish catching opportunities. Crappie have moved in shallow (1-3 ft.) to spawn the latter part of May into the early part of June and can be easily caught in large numbers with a wide variety of crappie jigs, beetle spins, jigs tipped with minnows or small tube baits. Stevens Bay is filled with more prime crappie spawning areas than is imaginable, so finding loads of feeding crappie at this time of year is seldom a problem.
World-class Musky thrive in the waters of Stephens Bay on Lake of the Woods, as well as other areas close by. Musky season does not open until the third Saturday of June each year, but make their presence known prior to the official opening date. It is not uncommon at all to be fishing for Pike, Smallmouth, Crappie or Walleye only to have your rod bent double with the taking of your offerings by an aggressive and hungry Musky on the prowl for an easy meal. We frequently host Musky fishermen who come to this area from all over the world in hopes of tying into one of the many trophy-sized Musky's that can top out over 55 inches! Young's Wilderness Camp is a strong advocate of the catch-and-release policy to support the growth of the Musky population on Lake of the Woods and encourage each of our guests to join us in that policy. Some recommended tackle for these big girls include 6 ½ to 8 ½ foot heavy action rods with a minimum of 50lb. test line. An appropriate array of lures would include bucktails, top water, shallow- to deep-running crankbaits and an assortment of soft plastic baits designed for enticing the elusive Musky.
Walleye have typically spawned by the time our camp has opened and can still be found in good numbers as they recuperate from spawning rituals and begin to put on the food bag. During the daytime they can be found roaming the flats in the bays and along the edges of emerging weed beds in search of food to regain their strength. A ½ oz. or 3/8 oz. jig head with a 3-5 in. swim bait, such as a Fluke jigged just off the bottom while drifting along or through weed beds can produce some very nice Walleye. For early morning and late evening nothing beats a ¼ oz. jig tipped with a minnow and jigging them just off the bottom in one of several Walleye “honey holes” close to camp.
Northern Pike abound in these waters and will provide hours of fish catching fun for anglers of all skill levels! During the months of May and June, the many varieties of water weeds are just beginning to emerge and the favorite of the water weeds for the Pike to be found in or close to is the Cabbage grass which luckily is very prolific in this area. Casting or even trolling close to or through the Cabbage with spoons (gold/silver/green/red-white/black-white/yellow five of diamonds), rattle-trap style baits (chrome-blue/chrome-black/red/perch etc), weedless spoons such as the Johnson Silver Minnow (gold/silver/firetiger) will produce countless catches of Northern Pike ranging in sizes from 2-3 lbs. all the way up to some 20 plus lbs. behemoths! Once the water warms into the low 60’s, topwater baits such as Magnum Pop-R, Zara Spook and even buzzbaits worked alongside and over the top of the emerging Cabbage grass will draw some of the most explosive top water bites you’ve ever experienced!
Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass are also staging and moving into their respective spawning areas at this time and Stevens Bay is again, filled with prime areas for these species. There are countless small islands in the area that are lined with the perfect rubble/chunk rock banks that Smallmouth prefers for spawning. Fishing with small crawdad style/color crankbaits, 3-4 in. tube baits (green/brown/smoke/perch colored), 3-4 in. swim baits (white/chartreuse/watermelon/green/pink) and even topwater baits such as Pop-R’s, Zara Spook or similar topwater baits can produce fast-paced, heart stopping Smallmouth action. Many bays will contain some form of wood structure (beaver huts/ fallen trees etc.) which is home to the spawning Largemouth Bass. Fishing around these structures with spinnerbaits (white/chartreuse/yellow-black/fire tiger), jerkbaits (about any color) and, of course, 4-7 in. plastic worms in a variety of colors will pull them off their nests to slam your baits, bend your rods and provide some great aerial combat excitement
Whether you are a seasoned North Woods angler or a first time adventurer to beautiful Lake of the Woods, you will be making memories to last a lifetime. Young’s offer a wide variety of packages that can be streamlined to perfectly fit your needs!
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