August 2014 fishing trip

[Pescatore]

Happy New Year Everyone,
I wanted to get some opinions for a summer trip. I'm going with my brother-in-law and he doesn't want to fly anywhere. We're going to tow our boats. He also wants to be able to carry a firearm and he tells me that he can legally carry in Minnesota. That sounds like a great musky destination to me, so I've been researching Leech Lake or Vermillion. Has anyone here been to either of these lakes? I'm looking for a good casting and remote destination. Any suggestions on a lodge or guide? Vermillion looks a little more interesting than Leech. Are we better off renting a boat for the week. The rates I've seen, for a decent boat, are around $1000 for the week. I don't think our increased gas consumption will surpass $1000? We'll be driving up regardless. Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Jason

[Red Childress]

We dragged my buddy's 19ft. Lund out to Vermilion 3 years ago and stayed at Spring Bay Resort for a week in late-July. It was an awesome trip. At the time, Spring Bay's largest rental boat was 17ft. We knew that lake could get rough with the right weather pattern so we decided to pull the bigger deep-V out there instead of taking the chance of not being able to fish after driving 1,008 miles.

If/when we do another long trip like that, we will likely pull the bigger boat with us to increase our chances of being able to fish in bad weather. We also felt that the cost of towing our own boat was as cheap or cheaper than renting. The cool part was we only used 1 tank of gas the entire week. (Some of the largest fish caught that week were caught within 1-3 miles of the resort.)

[ClintV]

Red is correct. I have fish both may times and the V, in my opinion, would make for a better trip. Spring bay resort would be a great place to stay and I know a couple guides up there that do a fantatic job. It would be smart to get a guide for your first day just because that lake can jump up and bite you if you dont know it well and they will show you a good amount of spots to stay on fish for the remainder of your trip. If you come through the twin cities or Duluth on your way through and want to hit some more great musky lakes you should let me know. I guide both areas and would be glad to take you out. Let me know if you have any more questions about your trip to MN, I am more than happy to help out with any information you might need.

[Red Childress]

BTW, Steve (owner of SBResort) provided us a half day of guided fishing which was included in the week long stay. He drove us around to some areas and we plotted our GPS. Very helpful crew at Spring Bay for sure.

[lowbidder]

If you come through the twin cities or Duluth on your way through and want to hit some more great musky lakes you should let me know. I guide both areas and would be glad to take you out.

I second that. This past summer a friend and myself fished a metro lake with a local guide the evening of our travel day after a week up North. You guys are very lucky to have so many great, well-stocked lakes in the twin cities area. I shouldn't say lucky... I know you guys put a lot of time and money into keeping them stocked with adult fish.

[Rich W]

Jason,
You wont be disappointed in Vermilion or Spring Bay, as Red has already stated, Steve (the owner of Spring Bay is a very good guy).
I've been to Spring Bay twice and would love to get back there someday.
I'm assuming your brother inlaw has a non resident carry license from another state because MN doesn't honor a PA license to carry.
If you drive, consider going up through MI especially if someone is wanting to carry a firearm, IL is not a firearm friendly state, plus the tolls on the toll roads will put a hurt on the wallet.
You may want to consider Vilas county in WI, we've been making a trip to Presque Isle, WI in late October for the past 9 years and it never ceases to amaze me of the very deep muskie culture of the area, everyone talks about muskie fishing.
Hope this helps.
Rich W

[ClintV]

I second that. This past summer a friend and myself fished a metro lake with a local guide the evening of our travel day after a week up North. You guys are very lucky to have so many great, well-stocked lakes in the twin cities area. I shouldn't say lucky... I know you guys put a lot of time and money into keeping them stocked with adult fish.

We really do have a number of fantastic musky waters here in the metro and clients are always suprised by the caliber of fish that these lakes hold. We have great stocking programs and equally important, great maintenance. Anglers do a great job with catch and release and except for a hand full of lakes state wide, we have a 1 over 48" regulation. All in all, the Twin Cities metro is a spectacular musky fishery.

[Pescatore]

Thanks for the help guys. I had my sights on Spring Bay Resort or Vermilion Dam Lodge. That little 4 mile stretch of river below the dam caught my attention. Some of those monster fish Vermilion holds have been caught below the dam. Maybe, a secondary fishing option?