Boleau Lake is actually two small lakes connected by a narrow navigable channel. Their
combined length is three miles, and they are much less than a mile wide. Boleau Lake
features clear, warm water and extensive weed growth, especially in the shallower, soft bottomed back bays which interrupt the shoreline. In those same areas, many logs and
blow downs litter the bottom and shoreline, creating excellent cover for largemouth bass.
Bucket mouths to six pounds are caught every season, with most groups topping 4-1/2
pounds over the course of a short stay. The biggest bass caught during our 2-day stay
was a hefty 20-inch, 4-3/4 lb. beauty taken on a plastic worm.
Jottings left in the camp journal made it clear that many visiting anglers used live-bait
tactics at Boleau - worms, craws, leeches, frogs. This assessment was further
confirmed when, upon our departure from the camp, the incoming group brought in with
them, buckets of live craws and frogs. Rigging live baits on snelled hooks, Lindy rigs or
beneath floats / bobbers is a very effective means of putting bass in the boat. Fishing
along a weed line or drop off, over a submerged weed bed, or adjacent to good shoreline cover will put anglers in touch with Boleau Lake bucket mouths.
Tossing spinner baits is one of the simplest, yet most effective approaches to bass
fishing, especially for shoreline or cover-oriented fish. Good choices for Boleau Lake
would include 1/4 or 3/8-ounce, white, single spin or tandem willow leaf spinner baits
tipped with a pork chunk or plastic trailer. Use steady retrieves near cover or in the open,
pump and flutter baits down weed lines and break lines.
In the heavily weeded back bay near the cabin site, a weedless spoon tipped with a pork
chunk is an exciting way to go after bass that have buried themselves in pads, cabbage
or coon tail. On top, a weedless plastic spoon or creature bait is best; in pockets of open
water, a metal spoon (Johnson Silver Minnow) will tempt bass.
Whether you prefer worms, crawfish or lizards, impregnated soft-plastic baits are terrific
bass baits and ideally suited for fishing in weed cover or timber. For Ontario bassin', stay
with dark 6 or 7-inch worms and lizards or 4-1/2 inch craws in blue/black or
pumpkin orange. Flippin' jigs, either the rubber-skirted or soft-plastic types, are designed
to be pitched or flipped from close range into the thickest cover – blow downs, sunken
logs, weed clumps. Worked slowly, repeatedly, Flippin' jigs catch bigger bass.
An effective approach to shoreline or object fishing is for two anglers to adopt a tag-team
approach - the guy up front tossing a spinner bait to pick off aggressive bass; the angler
in back tossing' a plastic worm or Flippin' jig to less active and/or deeper bass. On small
lakes like Boleau, there is a tendency to fish only shorelines and visible cover. However,
don't overlook the possibility of mid-lake spots - humps, shoals, weed beds, islands. At
Boleau, one of the best spots was a weed line adjacent to a small island point. On three
separate occasions, our group caught and released limits of bass from this one small
area.
Bill Rivers
