# Happy Days Lodge



## rweller (Jul 29, 2013)

I have a trip planned to Lake Windermere in a few weeks. I have been there few times in the past I am just wondering what is the best summertime tactics for lake trout ?
We do good on the Walleye and bass but I would like to at least catch a trout or 2 or even a whitefish lol .

Thanks


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## Quickster2 (May 18, 2011)

Will be there the week of the 26th (next week). Will be hunting the Lakers myself. Will try a few tactics. The Lodge owner will put you on fish I'm told.


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## kzoofisher (Mar 6, 2011)

Just got back from targeting walleye and bass there. We did see some fish deep, whitefish it turned out, and we never tried for any lakers. How'd you guys do? Sondra at the camp gave us some good starting points to find fish and we worked it out from there. It's a 12 mile run from the outpost back to the lodge so we stayed on the west end the whole week.

One of the issues with Windermere is that there is so much structure the fish can be hard to find, but we had a few waypoints for consistent spots, recommendations for some shore lines and played the odds as far as wind so we did fine. A cold front blew in on Tuesday with the wind holding steady out of the West Northwest, long points and boulder strewn wind blown shorelines with close breaks both proved very good. Weed beds in sheltered bays also offered a nice mix of walleye and bass when we were tired of bucking the wind. High summer is a numbers time, probably averaged 40 or 50 per day per rod with a couple days doubling that, though we didn't get any really big walleye. Most in the 14"-19" range with some dinks and some low 20's. Everything came on jig and plastic tipped with a small piece of crawler. Well, one exception was my kid who was dying to use his baitcaster and he got some on crankbaits. The program was to hit a spot and have everybody fish a different depth, if it didn't produce right away, move on. When it did produce it was usually good for a couple dozen fish before it slowed down. For example, we would roll up on a hump and hang at about the 20' mark. One guy would throw on top of it, one would fish 20' and one would fish deeper. Once we had had a few bites we would focus on that depth. Many spots just kept producing all day though the depth would change quite a bit, and we would make a circuit of points, shorelines and humps. It wasn't rocket science but I'll bet that if you just trolled the same depth all day long you could have slow day. We also fished for smallmouth and caught lots of them in the 2#-4# range with a few 5# mixed in. There is a portage lake near the outpost cabin and the bass fishing there was incredible. A river flows in one end and we caught smallmouth, pike and walleye non-stop for three hours, mostly smallies. I do mean non-stop. If five minutes went by without somebody having a fish on we commented on how it had slowed down. Naturally, we went back to that spot two days later and it wasn't nearly as good, still darn good just not like that. Timing is everything. 

We had quite the adventure on that second portage. The boats the lodge has stashed only have oars so we schlepped in a 6 horse and headed a couple miles across the lake to a fast moving outflow that can be very good as well. The outflow is fast and shallow enough that we planned to raise the motor and row our way through it. On the second pull one oar snapped clean in two and we went for a Missouri Boat Ride. After we floated out into the next lake the problem of getting back up the fast water presented itself. With a few hundred thousand square miles of Canadian wilderness available to us the task of finding a suitable piece of wood for a new oar didn't seem too daunting and we headed ashore. In ten minutes we had a branch and were whittling a spot in it with a rock for the oar lock. My kid felt like Bear Grylls and was having a great time. Dad was a touch more stressed than that until we got back up through the fast water and into the main lake. Of course, before we headed back we figured might as well fish the spot. It was pretty productive, too. 

The cabin itself was fantastic. Three miles from any privately held cabins (all vacant) and twelve miles to the lodge. *Quiet* doesn't even begin to describe it. The were two eagles hanging about and they happily fed on fish carcasses that we tossed up on a rocky point*. There were also moose tracks though we never saw one, loons and beaver. Comfortable, great view of the lake, well protected docks in the bay, a hand pump for water and a hot shower when the lake was too cold. I'll be headed back next year if I can swing it. 

* not at all sure about the legality of that


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## Quickster2 (May 18, 2011)

Fished Namakan Lake for 40 years off and on and went to Lake Windermere for 1st time this year (much closer to home). We had miserable weather rained every day water temps dropped to 63. Caught lots of walleye and smallmouth when we were targeting them. Trolling to locate fish and then jigging Fuzzy Grubs with leeches was the trick. Also caught lots of good 15 to 20" walleye casting crank baits against deep shorelines early and late in the day. Biggest walleye a measured 30" biggest smallmouth 19.5". Caught a few 20" pike. Never fished Nicholson Bay nor the lake west of there. Did go to the falls and marked areas for next year to fish. Already booked for 10 days next summer. Well run Camp with great hosts.


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## kzoofisher (Mar 6, 2011)

I really enjoyed it also. The outpost is very private, not quite a fly in but, my son and I stayed a week for $375.00 plus food and gas and bait which was another $300 or so. Hard to beat that. Even if we went just the two of us I could keep the trip under $1800 including boat rental, food, gas and bait, though that's getting close enough to fly in prices that I'd really have to weigh my options. Also pretty darn good fishing for a drive in and it's a day closer than the lakes north of MN or NY.


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## rweller (Jul 29, 2013)

After 4 years at Happy Days we got that lake figured out . As you said we can catch a ton of bass and walleye . The walleye always on the small side . The bass were all on the big end this year . Few nice pike 30" we have caught 40" in the past . But we are trying to target the larger walleye for fun .Catch eaters all day . We did end up catching 3 Lake Trout .Most of our fishing is done between the sand bar and outpost with the exception of the falls .We stayed at Base camp . Already put a deposit for next year .

We had a CO at camp last night looking for over limits and alcohol on the boats .
He checked our boats and live well when we docked and checked the fridge in camp looking for fillets .Good news is we were all legit . I had beer cans stashed in the boat from the shore lunch . We had 8 guys 3 boats .


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## Opey (Feb 15, 2013)

kzoofisher said:


> Just got back from targeting walleye and bass there. We did see some fish deep, whitefish it turned out, and we never tried for any lakers. How'd you guys do? Sondra at the camp gave us some good starting points to find fish and we worked it out from there. It's a 12 mile run from the outpost back to the lodge so we stayed on the west end the whole week.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The only thing missing from this adventure is "and we all lived happily ever after"
LOVE IT!!


The secret to life is to live..


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## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

Generally whitefish and lakers can be found in the same general area, I thought, so deep water fishing should gets you some of both if the stars are right, and the fish gods are kind to you.....


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