Fishing Adventures
The Douglas Lake area is known for walleye, northern and lake trout. The lakes are deep but not huge and sit at the top of the watershed.
Walleye
In the early spring, right after the ice leaves the lake, walleye are typically gathered near their spawning area. In some lakes that is near the mouth of a river; in others on a rocky shore. After a few days, walleye start to migrate to other parts of the lake. I find early walleye fishing to be a challenge; the fish are scattered and are at various depths. In these conditions I would begin by trolling a Rapala; my fishing partner fishing either deeper or shallower than me. I would make a note of where we caught some walleyes and then would try jig fishing in that area. Trolling allows you to fish a larger area in a shorter time and locate the fish. My favorite time of the year to fish all species is from early July until September. Walleye at this time of the year are predictable; you will find them schooled on underwater rock piles 6 to 10 feet down. By late September, these walleyes are on the same structure but deeper down to 35 feet. Walleye seem to go deeper about 10 feet per month.
Northern Pike
In the early part of the season, northern are found in shallow bays near the area that they spawned. Like walleye, a week after the ice goes out, they start their migration to other parts of the lake. During summer, i.e. July to September, northern are similar to walleye. They become predictable; smaller northern tend to locate themselves in areas that are home to minnows. Any beaver house, tree fallen in the lake or mature perch weeds offer shelter for the bait fish and will attract the northern pike. In my 50 years of fishing, I have caught a number of 40 inch northern and most I caught while fishing on a rock pile for walleye. Small walleye are a major source of food for larger northern and many fishermen have had a larger northern grab a walleye they were bringing to the boat.
Lake Trout
Lake trout fishing, I feel, was the most misunderstood and many lessons were hard to learn. As kids, we were always told trout are in the deepest hole in the lake and short rods with metal lines and heavy weight were the standard equipment in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Many times we would be fishing deep with no success and decide to wind in and try fishing for some other species. Halfway to the boat we would get a strike and bring in a trout. We always assumed the trout followed the lure up and decided to strike, but the actual truth (later confirmed by fish locators) was the trout were suspended 40 feet down in 100 ft of water and struck the lure as it passed through their area. Early spring trout fishing can be very productive; simply trolling a floating number 13 Rapala with 150 to 200 feet of line will produce many trout. The trout in early spring have stomachs full of flying ants. I have always wanted to try a fly rod at this time of the year for surface trout but am always too busy getting the camp ready for the season. My favorite time of the year for trout fishing is just prior to spawn in the last week of September. Trout are on rocky shores and casting a number 2 Len Thompson 5 of Diamonds on the surface produces many trout. They seem to strike with a vengeance and fight like a fish three times their size. My record is 8 trout in 8 casts.
