back . The thing is , there are probably millions of spots like this up here . It ’ s amazing to think you could fish the entire pre-spawn never fishing the same spot or the same lake twice , and not even scratch the surface of what ’ s out there .
I ’ d put the smallmouth to bed then tackle the most popular fish in Sunset Country , the walleye . I can see the spot I ’ d start on , a big sand flat near a river mouth . I ’ d have on a 1 / 4 oz VMC Mooneye Jig with a 3 ” Big Bite Baits Jointed Jerk Minnow . Snap jigging ’ over the flat would produce a handful of eaters for shore lunch . It ’ s something you have to do in Canada , bust of the beans , onions , potatoes and fry some walleye over an open fire . With a full belly , I ’ d search out some newly developing cabbage beds for the big gals . I ’ ve had some really hot bites for big walleyes snap jigging cabbage in June and it ’ s a lot of fun . But , early June is also when the crappies are spawning so I ’ m guessing I ’ d probably get distracted sniffing out some spawning crappies in the reed beds . After catching who knows how many walleyes and some monster crappies it would probably be mid-June . Hmmm …. what to catch next . Well mid-June is a dynamite time of year to catch just about everything so maybe I ’ d head out for some brook trout .
I ’ d make my way east over to the north shore of Lake Superior and Lake Nipigon , the water temps would be just right for monster brookies cruising shallow rocky shores . I ’ d tie on an X-Rap and a jig with a paddle tail and cover water . What I love about the brook trout is the techniques for catching them are so much like catching smallmouth . Yet , brookies are a bit harder to come by so every encounter is memorable . A couple weeks of this and I ’ d be ready for another change up .
So now it ’ s about the 4th of July , what ’ s next ? Well how about muskies and largemouth ? There ’ s not a ton of largemouth water in Sunset Country , but where I ’ ve found largemouth it ’ s absolutely stellar ! Frog fishing shallow slop produces some real pigs . So I ’ d spend the days catching bass on topwater and evenings chasing muskies , on topwater too . It always seems like there ’ s a switch that goes off for muskies around the 4th of July , they just start to kick it in high gear . Oh ya , smallmouth on top this time of year is also phenomenal . So I guess , I ’ d probably have a topwater of some kind on for the entire month catching Largemouth , Smallmouth and Muskies . That sounds like a perfect July !
In August , I ’ d hate to say I ’ d be sick of catching fish on top , but I ’ d be ready for some variety , maybe say hello to my old friend the walleye again . In August walleyes are all over the deep humps , it ’ s as simple as driving around , looking for schools and dropping a # 7 Jiggin ’ Rap on them . I ’ d do plenty of walleye fishing while still chasing some smallies and muskies on the main lake rocks . I might even drop a Jiggin ’ Rap down in some 100 foot holes to see if I could scratch out a laker or two . One last thing I ’ d have to do before fall would be to visit the brookies again when they are in pre-spawn with their beautiful colors . I might have to fly into one of the rivers in the north and take advantage of some of those monsters in the current before the season closed .
Onto the fall season , and that of course is big fish time . Time to cast big baits and pull plugs for walleyes , pike and muskies . I ’ d picture the last day of the trip trolling giant crankbait for muskies and end it on a 50 ” plus fish . I can only dream of a season like this ; the problem is always time , there ’ s just not enough time to do all of the things you want . But over my lifetime , I ’ ve had the time to fish all of the scenarios I dream about in this bucket list trip . From a lifetime of fishing around the world here are a few things I can share with you about the fish in Sunset Country that make it a bucket list dream destination .
WALLEYE The best place on earth to walleye fish ! There are places where you can catch 100 ’ s of walleyes per person per day with lots of fish from 18 ” -24 ”. There are also places where just about every time you set the hook it ’ s a 6-10 plus pounder . Sunset Country has shallow water , deep water , clear and dark bodies of water and also incredible river systems . Walleyes are everywhere up here and they love to bite . It ’ s truly remarkable .
SMALLMOUTH Sunset Country might not have the biggest smallmouth on earth , but in terms of quality it is way up there . There are so many fish in the 2-4 pound range it ’ s amazing and there are places where fish over 5 pounds are common . What I love most about the smallmouth here are they not heavily pressured and they are aggressive . In a lifetime fishing smallmouth , my best smallmouth experience is from Sunset Country .
LARGEMOUTH BASS Largemouth bass aren ’ t present in most waters in Sunset Country , but if you find yourself on a lake that has them , you must fish for them . The average size of the fish is impressive and you ’ ll be blown away on the look and build of them . It ’ s probably not worth planning a trip specifically for largemouth , but pack your flippin ’ sticks if you ’ re going to a lake that has ‘ em .
PIKE Many people would drive or fly over Sunset Country searching for a world-class pike destination . The reality is Sunset Country has world-class pike fishing . Many of the moderate to big lakes have true giants and the action can be off the charts . If you ’ re looking for big pike , generally look to bigger waters . What ’ s great about the pike fisheries is most of them are drive to , so you can fish out of your boat .
MUSKIES This really is the epicenter of muskie fishing . In my home state of MN , we have the best muskie fisheries in the lower 48 . That said , given the opportunity we prefer to fish muskies in shield water . Chasing wild fish is special and the environment they live in only adds to it . It ’ s every muskie fisherman ’ s dream , amazing habitat and a history of giants make this the coolest place to fish muskie in the world . I mean it , Sunset Country is hands down the coolest place to fish muskies on earth .
LAKE TROUT There are so many trout lakes it ’ s hard to pick one but Crow Lake , Clearwater West , Manitou and Whitefish Bay on Lake of the Woods hold enormous lake trout and definitely stand out . Lake Nipigon and Lake Superior are also fantastic lake trout waters . But there are countless of other trout lakes that also offer the possibility of a true giant of the north . There are also tons of lakes loaded with 3 to 20 pound fish with a shot at a fish pushing 30 . Spring , summer & winter lake trout fishing here is very good and also very addicting . It ’ s the best place I know of with access to incredible lake trout fishing three seasons of the year .
BROOK TROUT While technically east of the Sunset Country region , Lake Superior , Lake Nipigon and the region north of Lake Superior offer some of the world ’ s best brook trout opportunities . This is home to the world record . Our staff have done trips here where 2-5 pound brookies are the average with some over 6 and the shot at a double digit . The rivers in the far north that flow into Hudson Bay are also famous for huge brook trout .
With a line up of fish like this , combined with the scenery , habitat and variety of incredible lodging this is the greatest place to fish in freshwater I ’ ve ever experienced . If you ’ ve fished here , you know what I ’ m talking about , if you haven ’ t you owe it to yourself to experience it . A trip traveling to Sunset Country for a season exploring its waters , meeting the people and catching countless fish sounds like heaven on earth .
2017 Sunset Country Guide | 13