Tips & Tactics

© Bill Rivers

Fishing Unknown & Unfamiliar Lakes

Upon Arrival

Arriving at your departure point or fly-in airbase, the work begins again. Now is the time to ask others about the destination to which you are headed, including:

• outfitter / air service personnel
• bait & tackle shop proprietors
• cottagers, campers, canoeists
• fishing / conservation club members
• lodge operator / guides
• camp clientele (especially repeaters)

A Fly Over

If your group is flying into a remote outpost or lodge, ask the pilot to do a "fly over" of the lake(s) you will be fishing. With a rough, photocopied outline map in hand, look for and mark any:

• congregations of boats
• adjoining back lakes
• inflowing / outflowing streams
• shoals, sunken islands, points
• large weedbeds / weedlines
• log jams / shoreline cover
• rapids, dams
• lodge / cabin location

Previous Party Info

Upon arriving and unpacking, with map in hand, talk to departing anglers about the lake, the fishing, and the camp, including:

• fishing hotspots
• proven baits & tactics
• reasonable expectations (numbers, size)
• boating hazards
• boats & motors
• camp gear & appliances
• portages / trails to back lakes
• shore lunch site(s)
• bait availability / minnow traps
• sanctuary areas

A Working Map