MAZINAW LAKE SHOAL - WHERE IS IT?
Looking for walleye maybe trout
The lake basically looks like a backward letter 'Y' to me, with the provincial park forming a narrow point around the middle. There is supposed to be a big shoal that goes from a very deep point up to 2-3 feet of water. There is supposed to be good walley fishing around this point. Can anyone give me the approximmate location. I will be in a 14 foot tinny / 8HP with a depth finder.
Cheers
Dances
MAZINAW LAKE SHOAL - WHERE IS IT?
-
Dances With Fishes
- Participant
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
-
Dances With Fishes
- Participant
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
-
Haybay Larry
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 143
- Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2003 6:22 am
- Location: Ottawa
Soal
Hi,
The parks people would probably be your best source for the information on the shoal. I can't think of any bait shops close by to ask...larry
The parks people would probably be your best source for the information on the shoal. I can't think of any bait shops close by to ask...larry
If the shoal/hump is the one I think it is (and is in the Eastern Ontario Backroads map book).
Its about 2/3 down the Lower lake on the east side. It comes up from approx 200 fow to about 6fow then back down to about 90fow.
The hump runs at a south west angle out from "Rekr Rock"
Depending on the date that you are going. You may want to look at the TraK maps ( a little pricey but good maps), if they have one in stock they can get it to you within 2-5 days. The marina south of the park may also have maps of the lake.
Its about 2/3 down the Lower lake on the east side. It comes up from approx 200 fow to about 6fow then back down to about 90fow.
The hump runs at a south west angle out from "Rekr Rock"
Depending on the date that you are going. You may want to look at the TraK maps ( a little pricey but good maps), if they have one in stock they can get it to you within 2-5 days. The marina south of the park may also have maps of the lake.
-
Dances With Fishes
- Participant
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
The best way to fish Mazinaw is to break it down into sections, too much water up there to learn in just one outing. I have fished it about 5 times now and have only concentrated on the south end (seperation being at the narrows in front of Bon echo), each time picking up another piece of the puzzle.
An example being the rockface, fished the entire lenght of it for smallies, some places are over 100ft deep straight down from the wall, others are somewhat more sloped, the key was to find the spot within the spot. Anywhere the water had abit of slope and had big ROCK piles that had rolled down from the cliff, held decent smallies tight to shore. Incidently I marked fish, most likely lakers, pretty much sparaticly all alone the rock wall, but found also that they were more concentrated in the deep water just off where the rock rolled down to the depths. Darker coloured tubes worked good.
Found that most of the pike hold in water around the 20ft+ mark, (this time of year) suspended for the most part. The key for finding them is bays that have some type of weed growth closer to shallower water. Husky jerks, hot n tots and spinnerbaits.
Ok, as far as I know Dartee is pretty much correct with the shoal location. I haven't had much luck with walleye, 1 was caught from around the shoal and other was caught opposite side of the lake towards the PP. There is a ridge (guess that is what you would call it) where the water starts getting deep beyond the swimming area for the PP and runs south for a ways down the lake, maybe try jigging the contours of it. Also both sides around the narrows I have heard of catches. The last 2 spots probably best done at night, better and less boats getting in the way. Jighead tipped with a minnow.
Good luck and look forward to a report!
The shoal I think you are looking for pretty much extents out from the edge of the cliff, in the right side of the pic. (pic was taken standing on the bon echo beach looking east) .....
An example being the rockface, fished the entire lenght of it for smallies, some places are over 100ft deep straight down from the wall, others are somewhat more sloped, the key was to find the spot within the spot. Anywhere the water had abit of slope and had big ROCK piles that had rolled down from the cliff, held decent smallies tight to shore. Incidently I marked fish, most likely lakers, pretty much sparaticly all alone the rock wall, but found also that they were more concentrated in the deep water just off where the rock rolled down to the depths. Darker coloured tubes worked good.
Found that most of the pike hold in water around the 20ft+ mark, (this time of year) suspended for the most part. The key for finding them is bays that have some type of weed growth closer to shallower water. Husky jerks, hot n tots and spinnerbaits.
Ok, as far as I know Dartee is pretty much correct with the shoal location. I haven't had much luck with walleye, 1 was caught from around the shoal and other was caught opposite side of the lake towards the PP. There is a ridge (guess that is what you would call it) where the water starts getting deep beyond the swimming area for the PP and runs south for a ways down the lake, maybe try jigging the contours of it. Also both sides around the narrows I have heard of catches. The last 2 spots probably best done at night, better and less boats getting in the way. Jighead tipped with a minnow.
Good luck and look forward to a report!
The shoal I think you are looking for pretty much extents out from the edge of the cliff, in the right side of the pic. (pic was taken standing on the bon echo beach looking east) .....
-
Pickerel Boy
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 157
- Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:05 pm
- Location: stittsville
I have a cottage on lake mazinaw. i know the lake pretty well. the shoal is on the lower part of mazinaw.
If you are going from the narrow you follow the like the rock cliffs all the way to the end where the lake will open up. when you get to the end of the rock you go off that point and about 200 yards out thats where the shoal is. i have cought pickrel and lakers off the shoal. It is a very hard lake to fish.
Also jebby i dont think there are any pike in there i have tried for them for a while and nothing. the main speices in that lake are bass, pickerel and bass. and sometimes when going for lakers you catch the odd cisco.
If you are going from the narrow you follow the like the rock cliffs all the way to the end where the lake will open up. when you get to the end of the rock you go off that point and about 200 yards out thats where the shoal is. i have cought pickrel and lakers off the shoal. It is a very hard lake to fish.
Also jebby i dont think there are any pike in there i have tried for them for a while and nothing. the main speices in that lake are bass, pickerel and bass. and sometimes when going for lakers you catch the odd cisco.
-
Pickerel Boy
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 157
- Joined: Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:05 pm
- Location: stittsville
-
Dances With Fishes
- Participant
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:27 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
Hi guys, first let me say this is a tough lake to try to learn in a few short outings. All the info I received was helpful but when it comes to fishing, the real proof is in the doing. I had maps, advice and sonar, but the best help actually came from fishing tips from a seasonal local I met by chance on the lake. He was coming off the lake with his son and daughter and they had a whack of fish in a cooler and lots shots on a digital camera. I think they took pity on me because my son (almost 4) was complaining that we didn't catch a fish. ANYWAY....they gave me the general location of a weedbed and shore line to look for and the direction to troll it, as well as what to use. I only got the fathers name, so Dave - whose daughter works at the park - if you read this thread ( he visits the site now and then) thanks very much for the tips, they really helped alot. 
There is a section of shoreline with lots of rocks and a long wide weed line that really produces lots of fish in the early evening. This is on the South Mazinaw Lake just past the New Beach. By the first point where the cottages. We caught over twenty fish in about an hour and a half, from about 6:30 to 8:00. All small mouth and rock bass. Here's where it gets interesting, the smallies were all about 1-2 pounds with one fatty at about 2.5 lbs, but the rock bass were the biggest I have ever seen! With out exception, we caught 7 - 8, they were all over a pound with one really big guy who was at least a pound and a half if not a little more and a good 12 inches long. The Rockies really fought to stay in the water and were lots of fun. We tried various methods (trolling and casting), cranks, spoons and jigs, but the best producer was a worm rig with a small spinner and the second was a bobber with a plain hook and worm. So without giving it all away, if you try trolling or casting along the south west shore of the South Mazinaw lake between the New beach (Bon Echo) all the way to the marina you should have some fun.
Now in answer to a couple of comments on this topic, I did locate the shoal and it is basically where it is described as being but I did not have any luck. A couple of different sources told me that the walleye fishing on the lake is inconsistent and better in the spring and fall when there is a LOT LESS BOAT TRAFFIC. Most locals give up on the lake during the vacation season.
Also there is a lot of diving activity on the lake, mostly in the area of the cliffs / rock walls at the narrows between the upper and lower (North and South) lake. I personally spoke to a couple who were just coming off a dive and they were exclaining about the huge "Muskie" they had seen suspending forty or fifty feet down from the rock walls. I suggested that these were probably Lakers, since I don't think Muskie are native to the lake - I could be wrong. In the end all they were trying to do was describe a big long fish, and they didn't think it was a pike so they thought it must be some other long fish. I wonder how often you get an inaccurate report by someone who is simply trying to describe what they see.
The guy (Dave) who shared the tips with my son and I, had a least one small pike in the cooler, 2-3 lbs. I did not know there was any controversy about pike in the lake or I would have inquired about it in particular. I will say that he was happy about the smallie action and that he also described the Rock bass action as well. He did not make any mention of the pike in the cooler or any others he caught so it must have been unremarkable to him. We do have some pictures that will follow. Sorry for not posting at this time. I am only allowed to take the film camera in the aluminum
so I have yet to get the pics developed.
Thanks again for all the help and interest we had a great time and I would recommend this lake and camp ground to anyone who likes scenery and good family fun.
Cheers
Dances
There is a section of shoreline with lots of rocks and a long wide weed line that really produces lots of fish in the early evening. This is on the South Mazinaw Lake just past the New Beach. By the first point where the cottages. We caught over twenty fish in about an hour and a half, from about 6:30 to 8:00. All small mouth and rock bass. Here's where it gets interesting, the smallies were all about 1-2 pounds with one fatty at about 2.5 lbs, but the rock bass were the biggest I have ever seen! With out exception, we caught 7 - 8, they were all over a pound with one really big guy who was at least a pound and a half if not a little more and a good 12 inches long. The Rockies really fought to stay in the water and were lots of fun. We tried various methods (trolling and casting), cranks, spoons and jigs, but the best producer was a worm rig with a small spinner and the second was a bobber with a plain hook and worm. So without giving it all away, if you try trolling or casting along the south west shore of the South Mazinaw lake between the New beach (Bon Echo) all the way to the marina you should have some fun.
Now in answer to a couple of comments on this topic, I did locate the shoal and it is basically where it is described as being but I did not have any luck. A couple of different sources told me that the walleye fishing on the lake is inconsistent and better in the spring and fall when there is a LOT LESS BOAT TRAFFIC. Most locals give up on the lake during the vacation season.
Also there is a lot of diving activity on the lake, mostly in the area of the cliffs / rock walls at the narrows between the upper and lower (North and South) lake. I personally spoke to a couple who were just coming off a dive and they were exclaining about the huge "Muskie" they had seen suspending forty or fifty feet down from the rock walls. I suggested that these were probably Lakers, since I don't think Muskie are native to the lake - I could be wrong. In the end all they were trying to do was describe a big long fish, and they didn't think it was a pike so they thought it must be some other long fish. I wonder how often you get an inaccurate report by someone who is simply trying to describe what they see.
The guy (Dave) who shared the tips with my son and I, had a least one small pike in the cooler, 2-3 lbs. I did not know there was any controversy about pike in the lake or I would have inquired about it in particular. I will say that he was happy about the smallie action and that he also described the Rock bass action as well. He did not make any mention of the pike in the cooler or any others he caught so it must have been unremarkable to him. We do have some pictures that will follow. Sorry for not posting at this time. I am only allowed to take the film camera in the aluminum
so I have yet to get the pics developed.Thanks again for all the help and interest we had a great time and I would recommend this lake and camp ground to anyone who likes scenery and good family fun.
Cheers
Dances