Eagle Lake is one of the top drive-to muskie fishing lakes in Canada. You can expect to catch good numbers of muskie and run into some trophy-sized fish too.
Catch Big Muskie
Eagle Lake is one of the best big fish lakes that you can drive to for muskie. Anglers catch lots of muskie in the upper 40 inch range and 50 inch plus fish are not uncommon here. If you put in the time, don’t be surprised if you run into some fish in the low to mid 50 inch range as well. Many people wouldn’t be shocked if the next world record muskie came from here.
Catch Lots of Muskie
Eagle Lake is definitely known more as a trophy muskie lake than a numbers lake, but if you put in your time here and hit it right, you can put up some pretty good numbers here too. Reports of anglers catching 3 to 4 muskie in a day are not uncommon, but don’t be shocked if you have some tough days where you won’t be so lucky. For the serious muskie anglers that come here for a week trip, they will usually catch quite a few muskie.
Fish the Bays
The bays are home to plenty of muskie and lots of northern pike, so don’t be shocked if you catch some nice pike while throwing muskie baits here in the bays. Many of the bays have a lot of good vegetation in them and most of the walleye anglers will be nowhere near them, so have fun throwing all types of excellent shallow water baits here.
In some of the bigger bays on Eagle Lake, they will fish more like smaller lakes, so eliminate water quickly like you would while fishing a smaller lake.
Fish the Islands
There are so many islands on Eagle Lake and you have a lot of shallow water plus deep water here. Be careful around some of the islands with shallower water because there are a lot of rocks that are found very shallow quite a ways away from the islands. From summer through fall, the islands with deeper water close by will usually be the better islands to fish, especially for quality muskie.
Fish the Points
You can fish points all day long here for muskie. Plan on catching plenty of pike too while fishing this pattern. Find the points with deeper water nearby and you’ll have more success. Be careful around the points though because on many of them, you will find some shallow water rocks quite a ways away from the shore.
Fish Reefs
The reefs are home to some excellent walleye fishing on Eagle Lake and the mighty muskie will be close by as well. The reefs with deeper water that drops into the 20 to 30 foot range are great spots to throw your muskie baits. From summer through fall, these spots will usually hold schools of walleye, big pike and some monster muskie.
Fish the Rocks
There are so many rocks on Eagle Lake that you will definitely have the rocks as part of a pattern here if you are going to hit a lot of spots throughout the day. Whether you are fishing points, islands, or reefs, plan on finding a lot of rocks.
Fish the Weeds
Eagle Lake has a lot of weeds in it as well. There are so many bays to fish. Some of them are fairly shallow and they do not have deep water close by. You may find some muskie in these areas, but the better spots will almost always have some deep water close by, so search for the deeper weed edges in bays, around islands and off of points for the best success.
Fish the Wind Blown Structure
Wind blown structure will be a huge pattern on Eagle Lake for walleye fishing and plenty of muskie will follow these schools of walleye. On windy days, fish the wind blown structure and you’ll usually have better success.
Using Leaders for Muskie
Muskie have some serious teeth. Use quality steel leaders to avoid bite-offs. If you are fishing clear water, you may need to go with a fluorocarbon leader to get bit. Most anglers will not go any lighter than 100 lb. fluorocarbon for muskie and don’t be shocked if you lose a big fish due to a bite-off. Some anglers go as heavy as 140 to 150 pound fluorocarbon. Ideally, you want to be as stealthy as you can so you can get more bites, but if you go too light with the fluorocarbon, you risk losing fish and possibly killing some big fish due to the lures getting stuck in their mouths.
Best Baits for Muskie
There are many types of baits to target muskie. Anglers don’t have as many options when using live baits since many of the fish that muskie eat can not be used as bait. Suckers and big chubs are usually the best options for most anglers that want to use live bait. For artificial lures, there are a variety of big baits to throw. Most anglers fish with bucktail spinners, some type of swimbait, topwater lure or jerkbait when chasing muskie.
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Best Rigs for Muskie
There aren’t too many different rigs for muskie fishing because you only have so many options for throwing some of the gigantic baits needed. Also, most anglers use lures for muskie or big sucker minnows, so you really don’t need too many rigs to target muskie. However, there are still several rigs you should know about, especially if you are going to be using live bait.
The Carolina rig, drop shot rig and quick strike rig are some of the best rigs for muskie.
Best Techniques for Muskie
Anglers use a variety of techniques for muskie. Casting is most popular, but jigging and trolling are also very effective techniques. Learn more about some of the best techniques for muskie page.
Learn More About Muskie
Our muskie fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our muskie fishing website to learn more.
