Welcome back to another web article featuring a fantastic Fish’n Canada Show episode. In this one, Ang and Pete hit yet another lake they’ve never been to before. It makes shoots like this one challenging, adventurous, and, at the same time, extremely satisfying (when the fish bite of course)!
Our location was Lumberjack Lodge on Sturgeon Lake in North West Ontario. Now as an FYI, there are a bunch of Sturgeon Lakes, Sturgeon Bays, and even Sturgeon Rivers in Ontario as well as Canada, however, the Sturgeon Lake we’re on here seems to stay well under the radar… at least to travelling anglers!
We say “Under the radar” because the locals here truly know the potential of this great body of water. It holds a wide array of gamefish species including Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Pike, Lake Trout, Muskie, Sauger, Whitefish, and Yellow Perch.
As we normally do when visiting NW Ontario, we wanted to concentrate on Walleye, and Smallies, and cross our fingers that “incidental” catches of any other species will occur.
STURGEON LAKE
Sturgeon Lake is located northeast of the town of Ignace, Ontario. This cold, deep lake is approximately 55 miles long, has a maximum depth of 305 feet, an average depth of 44 ½ feet, and a perimeter of 399 miles.
On this Fish’n Canada adventure, we are gonna start out looking for Walleye, as there’s a very interesting story about this particular fishery which we’ll get into later.
But, in typical northwest Ontario fashion, you’ll see this lake has much more to offer than just Walleye.
STOP #1: JACKPOT!
Our first stop was Jackpot Lake, a backwater area with mostly shallow water. It’s a perfect post-spawn Walleye hang-out. The problem here is access in and out of Jackpot. It’s done through Darkwater Creek, a small stretch of water that normally only small boats venture into. We did it, but we barely got in and out.
Pete did his Jackpot damage on a Yo-Zuri product called a Hardcore Shad 75SP in Hot Tiger colour. A great alternative would be Yo-Zuri’s 3DB SHAD and 3DR-X Shad.
Now, if you watched this episode you might have noticed that something different was going on. It was kind of play time for Ang & Pete. Because they were Just looking for fish… pre-fishing if you will, Ang decided to test out his camera operating skills with a new “toy” that they recently purchased…
Ang states “Hey, sometimes, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,”!
They ultimately found a bunch of fish BUT, the trip in and out was so stressful that they decided that Jackpot was best suited for smaller rigs only.
A MOVE TO ANOTHER AREA
After catching a few, losing a few, and Ang honing up on his camera skills, the boys decided to pick up Vova, their real cameraman, and to move into bigger water.
They decided to take a long tour to an area of Sturgeon Lake that tells an interesting story of the Walleye here, and more importantly, how the population once crashed, and now has been rebuilt in phenomenal fashion.
During the early 1900’s, and through 1970’s to 1991, various mines operated on the shores of Sturgeon Lake. These mines have since been dismantled and complete reclamation of the area has taken place due to unfortunate poor water quality issues (contaminants etc.).
Unfortunately, the fish populations were one of the worst hit in this contamination onslaught.
Fortunately, a Walleye rehabilitation program for the south end of the lake was initiated in the early 1990’s. Traditional area spawning beds were cleared out of debris and loads of rock were brought to the sites in boats by area volunteers. For the last four years, volunteers have worked with the Ignace Ministry of Natural Resources and the Sturgeon Lake Advisory Committee to introduce Walleye fry back into Bell Creek flowing into Sturgeon Lake.
Each spring, a number of male and female Walleye are milked of their eggs and milt and transported to a fish hatchery in Atikokan where they hatch into fry. The fry are then transported into Bell Creek. Approximately 13 million fry have been put back into the creek, a phenomenal man-made effort to rehab a great past fishery.
FISHING, SHORE LUNCH & MORE FISHING
Just try and stop Pete and Ang from enjoying a northern Ontario authentic shore lunch… we dare you!!
Our boys hit a few main-lake areas and caught a bunch of Walleye (and incidental Pike) and mustered up enough for shore lunch (size limits sometimes make this difficult, Walleye here is 3 fish under 18” and 1 over 18” OR 4 fish under 18”). Honestly, a shore lunch is one of their absolute favourite events on a northern Ontario fishing trip. Walleye over an open fire is like no other!
Ontario’s “Fish Of The North”
Their last stop was up towards Bell Creek (the area mentioned above). Man, what a decision this was. Upon arrival they immediately caught a few Smallmouth however as they scoured the area more, it turned into an unbelievable fish-fest!
They caught and released so many Smallies that they couldn’t count. As well they caught a few quality Walleye, a Sucker, and even a couple of Northern Pike, one of which had an interesting story.
They boated a Pike which spewed eggs into the bottom of the boat. The boys were perplexed in that the Pike spawn would have happened at least a month previous and more than likely even earlier.
Then, out of the blue, Pete came up with a possible theory.
He said to Ang, “hey, since there’s suckers in this creek spawning, would it be possible that the Pike (as well as the Walleye and Smallmouth) are eating the sucker eggs?”
Ang came back with “well, anything’s possible I guess, they’re not normally known as egg eaters but who are we to say no”.
The things these two fella’s encounter over a season truly are fish stories to the max!
They ended the program with so many fish from 3 distinctly different areas of the lake, and all producing beyond expectations.
LUMBERJACK LODGE
Lumberjack Lodge is situated in Northwestern Ontario, 42 miles (68 km) north of Ignace, Ontario on Hwy. 599, in the heart of the beautiful Canadian wilderness. Whether you want to experience the great outdoors, or some of the best fishing and hunting this country has to offer, you will find it all there!
Although they do not offer an all-inclusive “American Plan”, their housekeeping plan is outstanding. Their modern cabins sit on the southern shore of the famous Sturgeon Lake. The 65-mile-long lake is home to trophy lake trout, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, whitefish, and perch. With their own private launch right at the lodge, your access to great fishing is simple and convenient.
There are also dozens of other nearby lakes to fish and explore – and the scenery is spectacular!
Cabins
Lumberjack Lodge’s cabins are completely furnished, including full kitchen facilities, washrooms and showers. Bed linens, blankets, pots, pans, dishes, coffee makers, and cutlery are all provided. However, don’t forget to bring your own personal items!
You will feel right at home in one of their brand-new or fully renovated cabins! All construction is now completed on cabins, the new lodge, RV facilities, and laundry, as well as our new playground for the kids!
Camping
If camping is your preference, they now have sites available with full hookup – or just electricity and water if you prefer. They also offer showers and laundry facilities for all their guests, so whether you travel in an RV or with your trusty tent, they have a place for you.
Everything You Need
Lumberjack stocks premium gasoline, ice, and everyday essentials for their guests’ convenience. All you need are your personal items. The coffee pot is always on in the Lodge – go on in to socialize, watch TV between boat trips, or do a little merchandise shopping to find that perfect item to remember your trip to Northwestern Ontario.
Fish Fry
As a bonus to their customers, Lumberjack Lodge holds a weekly fish fry held either in a huge, enclosed building or if weather permits, outdoors. It’s a great way to reflect on your fishing, meet new people and, of course, enjoy a delicious meal of fresh caught fish. This was such a bonus to our team… we loved it!
GETTIN’ THERE
To get to Lumberjack Lodge, Ang and Pete first drove north on hwy 400 which eventually turned into hwy 69.
They next turned west on Trans Canada hwy 17.
They continued on 17 all the way to the town of Ignace and then turned north on hwy 599.
They followed 599 for approximately 65 kilometers until we hit the Lumberjack Lodge turn point, and then turned right for a short drive to the lodge.
HOTSPOT
This episode’s HotSpot is a slow tapering point, on Sturgeon Lake in North West Ontario.
This area is probably the most consistent Walleye producer of the entire season.
Try trolling Walleye-style crankbaits, slowly pull spinner rigs with live bait, or jigging with either plastics or live bait.
By the way, this spot replenishes with Walleye all day long.
We believe they come into the shallower water to feed and then retreat back to deeper water to digest.
The bonus is this is also a great shorelunch area.
Depth: 12 – 20 ft
Baits: Crankbaits, Spinners, Jigs
Presentation: Slow and Steady
Ang relied on Yo-Zuri’s Yo-Zuri 3DR-X SR in Red Crawfish while Pete threw the 3DB Shad in Real Perch throughout this trip
For the GPS coordinates to this HotSpot and so many more, go to our Fish’n Canada HotSpots Page
CONCLUSION
So as you can probably tell, the Sturgeon Lake Walleye population has rebounded in a fantastic manner. In fact, in our opinion, Sturgeon Lake is comparable to any and all of the fantastic Walleye fisheries that we’ve encountered in all of northwestern Ontario.
Well done to all involved!
SPECIAL THANKS
Destination Ontario https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca
Sunset Country https://visitsunsetcountry.com/
Lumberjack Lodge https://thelumberjacklodge.net/
Fishing Guides: Allan Sawdo and Patrick Lands
