The word “humbling” comes to mind when I think back to my first week of fishing from Manotak Lodge in 2001. I now rate myself as a fairly skilled fisherman on Perrault Lake in terms of self-confidence and fish brought into the boat. I recently thought about the changes that I made that allowed me to move up my learning curve. In some respects, I reinvented myself as a fisherman. I present and discuss five of these changes as a way for other fishermen and fisherwomen to accelerate advancement along their learning curve.

Please note that I have now fished Perrault Lake for twenty four weeks, entirely during the months of August and September. Your experiences during other times of the open-water fishing season may be the same, or possibly different.

Canada Shield Lakes

I assumed during my first years of fishing on Perrault Lake that this body of water was the same as the lakes that I fish in my home state of Wisconsin. I now realize that there are subtle differences between lakes in the Canada shield (i.e. terrain that was scoured by glaciers eons ago; typified by a rocks, trees and water landscape) and lakes that I fish near my home. These differences can profoundly influence how one successfully fishes these waters. Recognizing these differences and knowing what to do about them is definitely a key to fishing success at Manotak Lodge. The waters of Canada shield lakes are typically less fertile than the lakes that I fish at home. Lakes in the Canada shield typically have fewer weeds than lakes in the mid-western United States, such that structure plays a greater role in fishing than most fishermen are accustomed. Even though weeds typically have less presence in shield lakes, they can profoundly influence fishing. Peak water temperatures are lower than the lakes that I fish at home.

Presentation

I mentioned above “knowing what to do” about the differences between lakes in the Canada shield versus in your home state. An appreciation of the concepts of “slow” and “light” in presenting my bait to the fish was critically important to my moving up the learning curve. By “slow” I mean keeping my bait in the strike zone as long as possible.

The structure that fish relate to changes throughout the calendar year. The fish that I am targeting in August/September typically relate to a specific depth of water associated with a piece of structure that is often off-shore. This preferred depth of water may be quite narrow – for example, the width of a boat. “Slow” can be as simple as casting in the direction that keeps my bait in the strike zone as long as possible, rather than in a direction that results in my bait quickly passing through the strike zone. “Slow” can also apply to boat control. Boat movement must be carefully controlled when vertical jigging to ensure that the bait is kept in the strike zone. I carefully consider whether I should be drifting, back-trolling or anchored in order to keep my bait in the strike zone as long as possible.

I am amazed when I consider how “light” my preferred fishing equipment has become. I long ago abandoned medium action rods, ¼ ounce jigs and 10 lb. fishing line when targeting walleyes. Now it’s light action rods, 1/16 ounce jigs and 6 lb. monofilament fishing line to ensure that I can feel the walleye bite at the bottom in thirty feet of water. I leave my big stick baits at home when targeting musky in favor of small to medium size bucktails and six or seven inch twitch baits. I offer additional thoughts on equipment later in this document.

A huge mistake that I made early on Perrault Lake was focusing on learning “spots”. I should have been focusing on presentation. “Spots” are easy to learn from Dave or fellow fishermen at the dock. Mastering presentation is like learning to ride a bicycle. Once mastered for the different species of fish, presentation can be applied to any “spot” on the lake. Countless fishermen have approached me to learn my “spots”. These fishermen go to these spots, use their “tried and true” presentations from back home and usually continue to struggle. They are simply pounding square pegs in round holes.

I strongly encourage newcomers to Manotak Lodge to hire a guide early in the week. This is money well spent. Forget about the “spots” and focus on what the guide is teaching in terms of presentation! Ask about how the reef is laid out. Why anchor and cast on one reef and then vertical jig the next reef? How deep are the fish? Are the fish holding on the upwind or downwind side of the structure? Does the preferred presentation change with time of day? If nothing else, enjoy the shore lunch.

Equipment

Guests are given a document entitled “Manotak Lodge Fishing Tips” in the packet they receive when their vacation is booked. Many decades of experience fishing on Perrault Lake went into the preparation of this document. A mistake that I made was bringing my favored equipment that was “close” to the equipment recommended in the fishing tips. My medium action rod was “close” to the recommended light action rod. My preferred 10 lb. test line was “close” to the recommended 6 lb. test line. My 3/8 ounce jigs were “close” to the recommended 1/8 ounce jigs. Pretty soon, the “closes” added up to me being close to almost catching fish.

Tackle that fits in a milk-crate and four fishing rods easily cover 90+% of my fishing on Perrault Lake. Fishermen will minimize their expenditure of money and get in the game quicker by closely following the suggestions in “Manotak Lodge Fishing Tips”. The best money I ever spent to fish on Perrault Lake was the purchase of St. Croix Avid Spinning 6’6” Light action Fast tip one-piece fishing rods (St. Croix AS66LF). St. Croix’s Premier fishing rods are similar in quality and performance to their Avid fishing rods line and are more budget-friendly.

Continue to Learn

I find that I have to adapt my fishing as things change on the lake from day-to-day, week-to-week and year-to-year. I learn something new every week that I fish from Manotak Lodge. Sometimes my learning comes from things that I uncover on my own. On the other hand, I am always receptive to new information from Dave and other knowledgeable fishermen at the dock.

A few years ago, a fisherman mentioned to me late in his vacation that he wasn’t catching walleyes. He listened to Dave’s suggestions on the first day at the lodge, yet told me that he was targeting suspended walleyes, as that is the way he fished on his home waters of Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. This fellow never had a chance as he wasn’t open to change.

Perspective

Clearly, the reason that people travel to Manotak Lodge is to catch fish – big fish and lots of them! The reality of life is that the species that I might want to catch may not be biting when I want to catch them. For example, a cold front might come through and slow down the bite. Another situation is having high winds and waves preventing me from fishing places that I want to fish.

I’ve learned that Perrault Lake is always showing a species of fish at any given time. I now go with the flow! If the species that I am targeting isn’t biting, I then fish for another species that is biting. I focus on walleyes in the early morning and late evening when they tend to bite. I pass on the walleyes during the middle part of the day and focus on perch, northern pike or bass as they tend to bite at this time of the day.

Fishermen and fisherwomen can put a great deal of pressure on themselves to catch fish, especially when they aren’t doing as well as they are accustomed to or expect of themselves. This happens to me as well. I’ve learned to deal with this by taking time to admire the beauty of everything around me. It’s amazing how much fishing improves when I am relaxed. “Kodak moments” such as these put fishing, and many other things in my life, in proper perspective.

Mark Melius
I welcome your comments and suggestions. Dave and Linda Becker have my contact information.