FISHING TIPS:
The following may provide some guidelines that may help you in the selection of your tackle and in the enjoyment of your houseboat holiday.

Although these fishing tips may prove to be helpful in your fishing success, but, we do not guarentee any prize winning catches. Many factors and conditionscontribute to the sccesss of a fishing trip.

WALLEYES:
Tackle:
Minnows and jigs and nightcrawlers work all year long.
1/8 oz. - Spring - for shoreline fishing.
3/8 - 1/4 oz. - July and August
3/8 oz. - Fall
Jig Colour
Plain lead heads can be used all year long. Yellow and black without hair work well in the Spring.
A small snap is used to connect the line to the jig.
In July, the Walleyes are just off the bottom so jigging can be tough. At this time, use something like a Little Joe Spinner.
When casting or trolling a Rapella works well. Numbers 7 and 11 with black backand silver or gold sides work well. Divers can be used later on.
The Rapella works well on all types of fish.

Location:
Spring - Cast toward the shoreline, making as little noise as possible. The Walleyes pull off the shores if the bays after spawning and move to central areas in mid to late June. Smaller Walleyes move into the shorelines after the larger ones have moved out. If you are casting toward the shore and are only catching small fish, this is a good indication that you should be fishing deeper for the big ones. Weather conditions play a part in the movement of the fish as well, so experiment.

Summer - July and August. Fish off poins or if you have a depth finder, fish off the reeefs. Look for shelves. The depth varies throughout the summer and can be as deep as 40 feet even in July.

Fall - September and on. Same as summer, but 30 feet and deeper. Also, Walleyes will at times move back to the shallow bays.

NORTHERNS:
Tackle:
Northerns can be caught by jigging in the spring. When casting use Rapellas, Crank baits or Mepps.
Rapellas - same as for Walleye
Mepps - numbers 4 and 5, gold and silver with black or yellow bait

Location:
Spring - Cast the shorelines in bays almost anywhere.
Summer - July and August. Small Northerns are found in the weed beds and along the shorelines. The bigger ones are on the bottom in front of the weed beds. A bait will have to be dragged right across their noses. Look for breaks in the weed lines, these may not be obvious, as it could be as deep as 15 feet. Parallel troll weed lines with one person casting toward the weeds and the other casting out from the weeds. This is one method widely used.
Fall - the Northerns go deeper. The big Northerns come up the shoreline into the weeds for about 2 weeks sometime in late September. Use Mepps, Daredevils and Crank baits, fishing on top or off the sides of deep weeds. In late September to October, the Northerns will be 30 feet and deeper. The same places as Walleyes.

SMALL MOUTH BASS:
Tackle:
In the spring floating Rapellas and Rebels.
Colours:
Black backs with silver or gold sides. Use the silver in clear water and the gold in muddier water.

Location:
Spring - May-June, spawning time. Fish the rocky shorelines with a shallow sandy water bottom.
July - After the fish spawn, the rocky points down to 18 - 20 feet are good areas to try. Worm harnesses with worms work best. Cast toward the shore, let the bait sink to the bottom and retrieve to find the depth the Bass are at.
Late July - Early August - The Bass come back to the shallows. Fish are on the shallow reefs which taer off slowly with sandy or sand patches bottom. Also, the shorelines with sandy bottoms and slightly weedy patches are good places to look. The Bass can most often be seen. If the fish do not bite, anchor and use a worm on a small hook along with a bobber.
Mid August and On - Start at 10-12 feet and work to deeper water. Fish off reefs and points using a jig and a minnow, just like Walleye fishing. The Bass will end up with the Walleyes at about 30 feet and deeper in October.
Once a couple are caught, fish at that depth, because Bass are very structured and swim in tight schools.

CRAPPIES:
Tackle:
1-16 oz. Pinky jigs in spring. Pinky jigs are pink with white hair.
1/8 oz. Jig, white, yellow, and pink in June and on.

Location:
Spring - May to early June - Fish very shallow, 1 foot over weeds using a pinky jig and a bobber. If the crappies are off the weeds, use a pinky jig dressed with minnow, worm or chunk of worm without a bobber.
1st week of June and the rest of the year - The Crappies start going deeper 1 - 12 feet on flat bottoms. They tend to be suspended off the bottom a lot. Locating crappies is tough because they tend to school up quite tightly, but this is your only problem. Once you have found them, a bobber works well for holding the jig at the right depth.

TIMES OF DAY:
Generally early morning (sunrise to 8 a.m.) or late evenings are best for all species of fish. These times seem to be the major feeding times of fish. The bigger fish have generally been caught early in the morning. The major advantage of a houseboat is the ability to fish early in the morning and late into the evening. We hope you can take advantage of this.