RECOMMENDED TACKLE
Pack your single-barbless hooks and gear up for unforgettable trophy pike and walleye fishing at Ontario’s premier fly-in lodge!
NORTHERN PIKE
Spinner Baits are a very popular bait and a guide favorite at Kesagami . A versatile Bait that you can fish in any conditions. Black Skirts seem to be the best but white, green, and pink are very successful as well.
The bait you see is from a company called mega strike. The chrome and blue blade is a hit for those trophy Northern Pike. The walleye love them too. Booyah, Strike King and many other companies make baits that are similar and effective.
We sell Mega Strike spinnerbaits at the Kesagami Tackle Shop at the Lodge if you have trouble finding these baits online!
Weights – 1/2 or 3/4 ounce
Buzz baits are another very popular lure at Kesagami.
These baits are suggested for anglers are visiting Kesagami after June 10th.
The water usually needs to warm up a bit before the fish come up to the surface. Yes, you heard that right the buzz bait is a surface lure used for Pike fishing at Kesagami Lake. It is probably the most exhilarating way to catch one of the beautiful Trophy Pike.
Cavitron is the most popular brand.
Weights- ½ or ¾ ounce
Swim baits are another very successful bait that has a high success rate at Kesagami. 6 inch is a good size, and we suggest buying Number 7 Swim bait hooks. ¼ to 3/8 weight.
They are also weedless so you can cast them into heavy cover and not get snagged. There are many different swim baits that are
effective at Kesagami.
Spoons and the classic Johnson Silver Minnow you see are a classic Northern Pike bait that has been attracting big fish at Kesagami since they
were invented.
A true classic that you can’t go wrong with, you can cast them far, they are for the most part weedless, and the fish go crazy for the flashing action. Tipped with a white single twisted tail you can’t go wrong.
Walleye, Walleye Walleye!
The walleye fishing at Kesagami if you haven’t experienced it, is likely the craziest fishing experience you will ever encounter. 100-300 walleye per boat per day is a common occurrence.
You don’t have to get too fancy with the baits used to catch walleye at Kesagami. Using a jig head, the most popular color at Kesagami is pink, white, chartreuse, black and yellow. Tipped with a single twister tail you shouldn’t have any trouble catching shore lunch!
Weights-1/4 to 3/8 ounce
Single tail twister grubs are the simplest bait to catch walleye at Kesagami Lake. There are so many fish, and they will bite on almost anything. Popular colours are pink, white, chartreuse, yellow, and black.
As long as you have a jig with the weights mentioned above and your bait is at a good depth you will catch fish!
Size: 3 – 4 inch
These baits and other pre rigged grubs are also very effective in at Kesagami. The fish love the paddle style tail, and they work well for Pike fishing as well.
Some years at Kesagami more Trophy Pike are caught on Walleye baits than Pike baits.
Rods & Line
Braided line 20-to-50-pound test is the best line to use for Pike fishing at Kesagami.
Its durable and has very little memory. It can be used on your pike or walleye rod.
Many anglers use the braided line and tie-on fluorocarbon leaders when they fish for walleye.
Fluorocarbon or monofilament clear line is commonly used on walleye/jigging rods at Kesagami.
It has very little visibility in the water and is proven to get more hits than tying braid straight to jigs.
You can tie your jigs and still catch lots of fish! As long as your drag on your reel is set right you can land pike up to the high 40 range even if you are
targeting walleye!
Fishing rods, where do we begin with these? Fishing rods and the main tool that connects you and the fish. There are a million different varieties and I’m sure many of you have quite the collection as do I. At Kesagami lodge we use a variety of rods ranging from medium light action to heavy action.
Spinning rods are more commonly used and much easier to handle than the casting reels you see above. Casting reels can be very effective at Kesagami if used properly. Many experienced anglers will use their casting rod combos for Pike fishing and have one spinning reel combo for walleye fishing. You can get by with one rod at Kesagami if its medium action with braided line 10-20 pound test. We always suggest if you can bring two rods to do so that you can have one rod for Pike fishing and one rod for Walleye fishing. This saves time with re-tying lines when changing the type offish you are targeting.
When you purchase a fishing rod its just like anything else, you pay for what you get. Typically, the more expensive the rod is, the longer it will last, and it will increase the quality of the fishing experience. There are some great medium action combo sets for purchase in popular fishing stores such as Sail and Cabela’s.
Our favorite brands are G-Loomis, St.Croix, Shimano, and Abu Garcia. We have some great rods for rent at our tackle shop if you don’t have one when you come up. Please see our suggested set ups for casting and spinning rods below!
Casting Rod:
Length- 6’ 7 to 8
Action – Fast
Weight- Medium Heavy to Heavy
Line- 20-50 Pound Braid
Spinning Rod:
Length- 6’5 to7’5
Action- Fast
Weight- Medium light to Medium
Line- 10-to-20-pound braid or 8-to-12-pound floro/mono line.
We have everything you need at our tackle shop so no need to worry if you don’t have these baits when you come up to the lodge.