2023 Season at NSLL
Ice hung on until May 15, looking like it was going to stay around another week or two. Wind direction and warm weather made short work of that! We flew into NSLL May 20, with water levels a bit low for spring. Nothing like we encountered arriving in 2022. Water levels stayed at medium levels most of the summer. Mid-September water was quite low, but still able to make it up the river to Margot Lake. Let’s hope for snow to bring water levels up for next spring.
Hot Baits of 2023
Every group was having luck with their favorite lure. Jigs, crawler harnesses, crank baits, twister tails, and gulp. Frozen minnows were always on the walleye’s dinner plate. Spoons of different types and colors drove the pike crazy.
Fishing Was Unbelievable
The size and numbers of fish carried over from the 2022 season. Some guided boats hit numbers of 240 walleyes in one day! The bigger fish were aggressive, at times making it harder to catch the limit of “take homers”. We had the most 30 plus inch walleye this season, with the largest at 34 inches. Northern pike were in a feeding frenzy. The bays are big pike “hang outs” early in the season, many over the 40-inch mark were caught. Both big pike and quality walleye were caught off rocky points. Trout Lake produced two 34-inch Lake Trout with many 6 to 10 pounders, for fast action. And the nice size walleye’s of Trout Lake are always a great distraction.
Superior Airways New Plane
Superior Airways has added a Beechcraft King Air to their fleet. This plane hauls eight people and gear. Arrangements can be made for pick up at a local airport, flying your party direct to NSL. Pricing available upon request.
Garmin and Navionics a BIG plus for 2023
Guide boats have been outfitted with Garmin 106SV fish finders… what a difference! Linked with the Navionics App, this duo proved to be a great combination.
Catch and Release Update 2023
Congratulations to the Pro Anglers who caught trophy Walleye 26 inch and over, and Northern Pike 40 inches and over. Wear your Pro Angler caps proud! Catch and Release hat pins were awarded for the release of trophy fish. 99 percent of these trophies were returned to be caught again another day. Thanks for making the Catch and Release system work. We will be awarding hat pins for catching trophies in 2024 with multiple pins for each species.
2023 Camp Improvements
We constructed 4 new floating docks to replace the aging docks. New walkways from the main boardwalk to cabin 5 and cabin 6, and a new roof on cabin 5. As always, general maintenance of walkway, railings, and painting. A new Manitowoc Ice machine was added in early June. The new Yamaha outboards worked out well. The 450 CanAm 4x4 ATV brought in last winter, proved itself on the board walk, moving baggage and camp supplies.
The Most Asked Question...
Though our years of operating NSLL we get the same question season after season….
When is the best time to come fishing?
Every month, week, and day is a bit different. We use our expertise of operating the Lodge for so many years to point you in the right direction. Late May and early June the fish are shallow. Moving water such as rivers and shallow bays are your best bet. And always play the wind. Windblown bays is where the feed ends up and the feeding frenzy is on. Mid way through June and into July we start to see weed growth and our focus turns to either fishing in the fresh cabbage or on the outside edge of the weed line. Once again, we play the wind, when we get to August and Sept. The weed beds congest, and mature fish will move to the rocky points in deeper water. At that time, we fish low and slow, and produce some of the lunkers we dream about. So, getting back to that question when is the best time to come fishing? Every day is a good day to fish at NSLL. Just at times, some are exceptional days of fishing.
