Redboat Lake

Bass Paradise in the Haliburtons

Just before pulling the white spinnerbait from the water, I spotted a 'follower', a brute far bigger than any of the trophy bass we dared imagine catching at this tiny bassin' paradise. Tauntingly, with each lunge at the lure, I pulled the spinnerbait away from that gaping maw. After all, who wants to lip a fifty pound snapping turtle! We were after bass - smallmouths, largemouths, even medium-mouths - the kind of fish that would establish unchallenged bragging rights back at camp. And such bass, fish of truly trophy proportions, 5-pound smallies and 7 pound-plus bucketmouths, were rumored to call Redboat Lake sanctuary.

The temptation to title this article 'Redboat Bass Getaway' was resisted because at Redboat Lake, the bass don't (get away). And, having fished nearby Smudge Lake, another fly-in hot spot the previous summer, we expected and enjoyed fine bass angling at Redcoat Lake as well. Nothing other than exceptional fishing will get me to spend valuable, limited summer vacation time at any location - period. But here I was, bass tackle in tow, eagerly anticipating a great 3-day stay the Redboat Lake fly-in bass outpost camp. In a word, the bass fishing in the Minden area (Victoria County, Digby Township) is exceptional and especially so in the area's more remote, less populated lakes. Oh yeah, I'm going back. For me, that in itself is a ringing endorsement.

The Haliburton Highlands, commonly referred to as 'cottage country' by thousands of summer vacationers, owe their popularity, at least in part, to two obvious factors: their proximity to the populous Metro Toronto area and the USA, and a myriad of pristine lakes which dot the landscape throughout. More importantly, to bass anglers anyway, these clean, clear lakes support healthy populations of both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Still other Haliburton lakes teem with trout (rainbows, speckles) and the hard-hitting, tackle-busting Esox maskinonge, the musky. And while many such lakes are ringed with cottages and are subjected to heavy fishing pressure, many small lakes are virtually unfished. Only available, until recently, to handy hikers/campers/canoeists, a few select lakes have now been established under MNR supervision, as fly-in outpost camps. Such sites, 'managed' and serviced by a single operator, offer consistent and exciting angling opportunities to fishermen looking for solitude and great fishing.

Redboat lake is a typical Haliburton Highlands lake - a small (1 mile long), clear, tannin-stained, warm water lake. With a gently breaking, rocky shoreline, the lake supports moderate weed growth in the shallower, soft-bottom areas and back bays. Mid-lake depths range to 40 feet but typically average 20 feet. With little mid-male structure, the shoreline structure/cover becomes the focus for bass fishing. This is comprised of pad beds, fallen timber, blowdowns, reeds, and cattails. Prime areas include the extreme ends of two bays which are littered with deadfalls and logs. Small near-shore weedbeds, while hard to locate, concentrated bass early and late in the day. By far, however, the more or less continuous margin of the lily pads which trace out long portions of the irregular shoreline are thick enough to extend outward into deep enough water that they always held bass, morning noon and night.

Although both bass species are plentiful, the largemouth bass were more so, and of larger average size. Of course, we tend to fish using techniques more conducive to catching the largemouth (e.g. Flippin', wormin' topwater approaches) than smallmouth. According to Barry Day, guests who prefer fishing live baits and deeper structures points, bars, humps) catch more and proportionately bigger smallmouth bass. Fish 'em anywhere, anyhow, because you're gonna catch bass (some big ones, too).

Shoreline Approaches

Having suggested earlier that most of the fishing will be directed toward shorelines and related structures, let's deal with bassin' tactics which will allow you to fish the lake's margin thoroughly and successfully. Redboat LakeÕs shoreline typically takes the form of weed-lined stretches (pads), accumulated logs, fast-breaking rocky bottoms, sheer rock faces and shallow, soft-bottomed back bays rimmed with standing weeds ( reeds, cattails).

Far and away, the most consistent shoreline bassin' came from and along the narrow margin of lily pads scattered about the lake's perimeter, but especially the sections furthest from the camp. Largemouth bass, in particular, were invariably holding in this cover or along the weedline at its outer edge. Outside these pad beds, early and late in the day, smallmouth bass were caught with regularity, especially over soft-bottomed areas. Proven tactics to fish the pads include 'squirting' weedless, topwater plus (Heddon Moss Boss, Rebel Talkin' Spoon, Strike King Grass frog, Mann Super Rat, Bagley Grass Rat, Heddon Zara Mouse, Burke Frog Bait) right over and through the pads. Irregular, 'pulsing' retrieves work best at channels, points, gaps and the outside edge of the pad bed. Remember, resist the temptation to set the hook at the swirl of a bass. Instead, wait until you feel the weight/movement of the fish (or see movement of the line) and then rear back, administering a crunching hookset. Once hooked up, use the rod to pull the fish up and out of the weedcover. Now keep him there and moving toward the boat. This hand-to-hand combat is best accomplished with a 2-handed casting (poppin') rod and low-ratio baitcasting reel combo.

The pads along Redboat's shoreline are sparse enough to allow sinking baits to penetrate them easily. Baits presented beneath the canopy of lily pads were greedily picked up by bass holding them there, out of direct sunlight. One exciting way to engage these bass was to cast sinking weedless spoons, usually tipped with an Uncle Josh #11 pork frog, back into the pad bed, allowing the spoon to settle a moment before beginning a lift-and-flutter retrieve right through the pads. Good choices for this approach would include the Johnson Silver Minnow, Mepps Timber Doodle, Northland Jaw Breaker, Timber King, Rebel Arrowhead, Eppinger DardevleWeedless, Some folks, however, just don't have any confidence in spoonin' for bass. They have this notion that spoons won't catch bass - just pike. Not so. But, just in case you'd rather penetrate the pads with another type of proven lure, try weedless tube jigs, spider jigs and soft-plastic 'flippin' jigs' (Stanley Jiglett, Mr. Twister Mean Dude, Do Sump'n, Poc'It Hopper).

Probably the most thorough and effective means of fishing through the pads is to pitch Texas-rigged, soft-plastic creatures (worms, craws, salamanders, frogs, leeches, reapers) to waiting bass. Inching these lifelike baits through cover will almost certainly entice fish to pick up the bait. With today's softer textures, flavour & scent impregnation, built in rattles and realistic forms, bass just can't help themselves. Hold the line between thumb and forefinger and watch the point at which the line enters the water. At the slightest indication of a pickup, tighten up a bit and set the hook hard! With zillions of great baits form which to choose, my personal favourites still include the Mr. Twister Poc'It Phenom (worm), Hale's CrawWorm (crawfish) and Berkley Power Lizard (salamander).

Having fished atop and under the lily pad canopy, subsequent efforts should be directed to the zone just beyond the weed edge. At times, some of the most active bass are ranging in open water, just outside of good cover, feeding on baitfish or craws. Begin by fancasting the area with deeper diving crankbaits, those which dig tot he bottom, kick up sediment and attract the attention of feeding fish. Effective plugs would include the Cotton Cordell Big O, Rapala Fat Rap, Rebel Deep Wee Crawfish, Bomber Fat A and Luhr Jensen Speed Trap in natural, crawfish or 'fire tiger' finishes. It seems that the short, fat 'alphabet' baits catch more largemouth bass than longer, thinner lures which perform well as topwater, 'twitch' baits. Next, move to medium-depth, rattling 'idiot' baits (Rapala Rattlin' Rap, Cotton Cordell Ratt'l Spot) to check for bass suspended off the bottom. Many times, fish will be near the top and, in such situations in open water, a spinnerbait (Mepps Bass Killer, Strike King Pro 38, Blue Fox Big Bass) tipped with a pork frog can be deadly efficient.

Of course, for some of the most exciting bassin' in shallow open water, topwater baits can provide thrilling fishing and good catches of active fish. Open water over weed flats or outside good cover will often serve as foraging areas for feeding bass. When conditions are favourable (calm water, overcast or cloudy skies, clear/stained water, midmorning or evening), cast a favourite topwater bait and enjoy the exhilaration of 'eyeball' bassin'. Watch the bait closely, allow surface disturbances to dissipate, vary retrieves and be patient. Dark-coloured lures seem to outperform lighter ones, but you'll have to experiment with size and retrieve patterns. With so many effective topwater baits, many bass fanatics like myself tend to become topwater lure junkies Classic topwater baits include twitch/stick baits (Hidden Sara Spook, plastic 'slugs'. Ozark Wood Dancer), prop baits (Heddon Tiny Torpedo, Smithwick Devil's Horse, Cotton Cordell Crazy Shad), chuggers/poppers (Arbogast Jitterbug & Hula Popper, Heddon Crazy Crawler & Lucky 13, Rebel Pop-R), floater/divers (Rapala Original Minnow, Cotton Cordell Red Fin, Storm Jr. ThunderStick).

Finally, a sometimes forgotten approach is the use of buzzbaits for shallow water bass. However, there's more to buzzing than traditional and well-known in-line prop-type buzzbaits. Try some of the other equally effective topwater buzzers like Floyd's Buzzer, Arbogast Sputterbuzz, Rebel Buzzin' Frog.

A second type of shoreline cover at Redboat Lake is fallen timber/blowdowns/logs. In some parts of the lake, timber has accumulated into a dense network which, as far as we could determine, always held some bass. Elsewhere, along the rocky shorelines, fallen trees and brush extending into deeper water create great holding areas for bass. Wherever we fished in the wood, we caught bass, including the largest fish of our stay. Having fished around this heavy cover with a spinnerbait or whatever, there is no better way to penetrate the sanctuary of fallen timber than with a flippin' jig of some type. When flippin', the right tackle is a must. Use long, heavy-action rods, stout abrasion-resistant lines. Powerful baitcasting reels (preferably with a line locking system) and large, supple jigs. From the outset, let me assure readers that a flippin' stick is not a necessity but rather a luxury. Most versatile anglers will already own a 2-handed casting/trigger/poppin' rod which will be just fine for flippin' tactics. Instead, invest a few bucks in a good selection of flippin' baits and pork trailers (Uncle Josh #14 Flippin' Frog or #34 Crawdad).

Two types of flippin' jigs are popular among experienced bass anglers - rubber-skirted jigs (jig 'n' pigs) & soft-plastic-bodied jigs. Most have either a wire, bristle or plastic Y-shaped weed guard to render them weedless and snag free. The rubber skirted type (Blue Fox Weed Sneak & Big Bass Willow Flip, Strike King Bootlegger) are invariably tipped with a large pork trailer to add bulk, silhouette, scent, texture/taste and to slow the rate of sinking. Popular colour combinations include brown/orange and blue black. You just wonÕt need many others.

The growing popularity of flipping for bass has also prompted the development of a number of plastic baits/lures designed for lighter gear (baitcasting, even spinning gear). For fishermen confident with plastic worms, craws or lizards, flippin' plastic baits just come natural. Some of the best include Mr. Twister's Mean Dude & Do Sumpin', Stanley's Jiglett and the more generic 'spider' or 'bassit' flippinÕ jogs which closely approximate the living-rubber-skirted types. These jigs, too, typically have a standup jigged, weedguard, skirt & trailer (both plastic). For guys flippin' to more forgiving cover, smaller soft-plastic jigs (tubes, worms, craws, lizards, Poc'It Hoppers, multi-tails) will also catch bass. Don't overlook the possibility of using pork baits for flippin' - as trailers on larger jigs or rigged/weighted on a weedless sproat hook/jig.

Open Water

Some of the approaches discussed above, in addition to being productive along shorelines or in/near cover, are equally effective tactics in open water bass angling situations - e.g. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater plugs. Don't abandon these proven tactics in favour of others just because you are fishing deeper or are more focussed on smallmouth bass. However, when such approaches prove impractical or unproductive, be prepared to switch tackle and tactics to stay on fish.

Live-bait rigging is, perhaps, the most effective way to fish deeper water/bass. Whether fish are inactive or have simply dropped back through the course of the day, most will still readily gobble up a live bait presented at their doorstep. Among the best baits (in order of personal preference) are crabs, small leopard frogs, minnows, leeches and worms. Commonly used rigs include snelled baitholder hooks, leadhead jigs, slip-sinker/Lindy rigs and floaters/bobbers. All can be effective, but I'd give the nod to slip-sinker rigs day in and day out. Slip rigs will allow you to troll or drift over shoals, flats, bars and points as you search for bass. Jigs enable anglers to pinpoint presentations once fish are located and yet still allow favoured casting tactics.

Over open water, locations become especially important because there's no visible cover and presentations are far less precise. Using a portable LCG like my X-40 or Ultra will make locating prime structures considerably easier. On small lakes like Redboat, an hour spent charting/mapping the bottom is a small price to pay for great-water bassing later. Extending out from shorelines, look for sunken timber (logs, stumps), tapering points, shoals and rock/rubble areas. Further out, look for mid-lake humps/sunken islands, gravel bars, island saddles and deep weedbeds(!). Once located, map or mark with a floating buoy, prime spots, dropoffs or weedlines. Mid-lake bass are the least-pressured fish in the system. They can be big and very catchable.

Bass fanatics take note. The thrust of bass fishing over the next couple of seasons will focus on locating and fishing deep-water bass. This is virtually an untapped fishery. As close-to home lakes are subjected to more angling pressure, bass will more and more revert to less vulnerable locations - i.e. Deep water. Fishing deeper breaklines, weedlines and bottom structures is the future of bass fishing. This season, begin devoting a proportionate amount of time and effort to deep-water bassin'. Adapt proven tactics and baits to new situations. Experiment with less traditional bass fishing approaches such as back-trolling slip rigs, vertical jigging flash baits (Cicada, spoons), or drifting Carolina-rig plastic worms.

Success breeds confidence and confidence, success. What better way to practice and perfect new tactics, enjoy success and breed confidence than by fishing the continent's best bass lakes? Southern Ontario bassin' is the best anywhere, especially on the many small remote lakes of the Minden/Haliburton area. Enjoy the tranquility and solitude of a near-north outpost, time with your bassin' buddies and great fishing.