Author Topic: Big Lake hints  (Read 4910 times)

Offline iced

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Big Lake hints
« on: Dec 28, 2020, 03:15 PM »
I hit up Big Lake this weekend. Fishing was slow. We tried several spots. My friend who fishes it religiously caught a small char, a small burb and a decent bow. We where checked by the trooper. It was nice to see her out there. She did say she saw a 26 incher caught but it looked to be slow for everyone. Does anyone have any info on the lake. Is there any lures that work better than others. I tried the normal spoons tubes and jigs. Is it better to fish shallow or deeper.   

Offline kwackkillncrew

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #1 on: Dec 29, 2020, 04:40 PM »
we fished saddle back last week and saw alot of fish on the vexilars and they didnt want to bite anything. we are normally lazy and going there just to get out of the house. Probably try to find some other spot to try out next time.
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Offline iced

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #2 on: Jan 04, 2021, 03:00 PM »
We fished it Friday the 1st. We did a lot more moving and it seemed to help. We caught fish in all depths. The big one for the day was a 26 inches. We also caught a 24 the was a football compared the the normal slender Char. We caught 8 for the day it was a cold day -6 for the high.

Offline Alcanzach

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #3 on: Jan 05, 2021, 11:15 PM »
Hi all I've never fished big lake but curious about what is a good depth to start at?

Offline kwackkillncrew

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #4 on: Jan 06, 2021, 11:22 AM »
any where from 15-40 feet i would say. look for breaks off of points
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Offline iced

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #5 on: Jan 06, 2021, 04:20 PM »
We did good this weekend as shallow as 8 feet and as deep as 45

Offline DucksAndDogs

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #6 on: Jan 08, 2021, 12:16 AM »
Any of y’all gonna be out there this weekend for the SCO?

Offline Bushwhack Jack

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #7 on: Jan 08, 2021, 05:14 PM »
any where from 15-40 feet i would say. look for breaks off of points

Hey man, if you want company the next time you go I would love to join you.  I've only fished big lake a handful of times but I would like to get more familiar with it.  It's a great resource close to home.  I just haven't taken the time to figure it out.  I'd say I would offer to bring some whitefish to share, but I know bait is illegal in Big lake.  Perhaps I can bring a six-pack instead.  LOL

Offline Akhardwater

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #8 on: Jan 08, 2021, 08:15 PM »
Any of y’all gonna be out there this weekend for the SCO?

I did that tournament a few years ago and was a little displeased with how they wanted us to handle the fish.  I never lay a fish on the ice that I’m releasing and that’s how they wanted us to photo and measure the fish.  This was like the second year they did the SCO so maybe they do a better job now.  Unless you have panoptix it’s almost pointless to enter because the guys with livescope dominate the tournament by a wide margin.  I think for tournaments they should be banned and I know in the lower 48 they are because it gives guys with money and no fishing skills an unfair advantage.  However I will be buying a livescope in the near future but I won’t be entering any comps because I do feel it’s cheating.  That’s just my opinion so take it for what it’s worth.
I was born an Alaskan I just didn't live here at the time.

Offline DucksAndDogs

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #9 on: Jan 09, 2021, 01:29 AM »
Hahaha.  I was looking at it and they have the measuring troughs now.

I have a Livescope and considered doing it, but committing to five out of the next ten saturdays is a tall order with a four year old and a nine year old at the house.

Offline Akhardwater

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #10 on: Jan 09, 2021, 09:20 AM »
Yeah the time frame was a big downer for me to, it really cut into my Louise time.  I also didn’t like the fact that they only fish big lake.  There are plenty of stocked lakes out there so why have it on an already overpreassured natural lake.
I was born an Alaskan I just didn't live here at the time.

Offline iced

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #11 on: Jan 11, 2021, 02:17 PM »
I am doing the SCO this year. It is my first year. I don't normally fish big lake. My partner lives near the lake and has it mapped out. We don't have livescope or Panoptix  but with his map we can find all the places to fish. He has put in over 90 trips to make the map. We did not do to bad the first outing. I out fished him LOL. I did not catch any tanks but I got all 6 biggest was 24 inches. Unfortunately, two of the fish where 13 and 14 inches but at least hey gave us some inches. They issue you a fish trough now. My friend and I pu tthe trough on a mat to measure just for extra fish safety. I have ignored the lake in the past because the ADFG map makes it look boring without a lot of structure. There is actually a lot of places to fish in the lake and it is quite complex. 

I have a friend with Panoptix it is pretty cool. Last week we watched a fish come from over 30 feet away and smash a tube. We had a school of Salmon fry on the screen and we watched a big fish come in and chase them and one of the salmon was snatched up it was cool to watch. they are great units. I would say that I have confirmed a few thoughts that I have had  about fish behavior with it.   As cool as they are I am not going to be spending that much money on a unit. It takes him for ever to set up I am sure there are faster ways to get set up but I can normally fish for 15 minuets or so before he even has his in the water. The whole unit the black box and the battery is a lot of weight.  Perhaps if I had a boat to put in on in the summer but I just cant justify it. I have had a Marcum and Vexlar bolth lasted a few years. I few years ago I made the move to all digital. I use a Garmin 73 CV and love it. For ice fishing I use the split screen with the whole water column on one side with the traditional flasher. on the other side I have the bottom five feet zoomed in on a sonar screen with "A" fram on the side. The cool part is that if I see marks on the flasher mid water column I can use the touch screen and zoom into those makes. The best part of digital is that I no longer have to listen to the buzzing sound of the flasher units. Both the Marcom and Vex seemed to get louder and louder with time.       

Offline Akhardwater

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #12 on: Jan 11, 2021, 02:55 PM »
Good luck man I know you know how to fish so you should do good.  If you want any tips from a former winner give me a call and I can give you some tips.
I was born an Alaskan I just didn't live here at the time.

Offline iced

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #13 on: Jan 11, 2021, 04:26 PM »
I will give you a call later when I am not avoiding work. LOL

Offline iced

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #14 on: Jan 11, 2021, 08:30 PM »
Good luck man I know you know how to fish so you should do good.  If you want any tips from a former winner give me a call and I can give you some tips.

I sent you a PM

Offline Alcanzach

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #15 on: Jan 20, 2021, 11:17 PM »
So decided to hit the lake Sunday and stay close its gonna be first time.  I have different size tube jigs and weight but just wondering how big will be to much.  I got some 4 incheers and 6 as well as some way smaller ones I'd like to use but don't want to use to big and not catch anything.

Thanks for the help! 

Offline Alcanzach

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #16 on: Jan 24, 2021, 11:32 PM »
3 of us fished it today and everyone caught one.  2 char and one burbot. We let the char go and burbot will be dinner.  We were in 38 feet of water which I thought was a little deep but figured we try it. 

Offline GrayJay

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #17 on: Mar 16, 2021, 03:25 PM »
I've spent this winter trying to figure out Big Lake. Studied maps, photos, etc. Every time I go out I mark a TON of fish, from minnow sized fish to smallish trout. Bigger fish come and go (which I assume are char). Always end up catching a few burbot. No char though.

Got a chance to fish with a camera this weekend. Sure enough, the char and bigger rainbows are stopping by but after a quick look they are out of there. Fishing mostly plastic jigs, sometimes spoons. Focusing on 20-30 foot shelves and point next to deeper water. Maybe a foot or two off the bottom, been trying to keep the action pretty subdued, sometimes dead sticking.

Am I doing anything wrong when it comes to trying to catch char? Any tips on things I should be doing differently? Is that just the way Big Lake goes?

Thanks for any help. Got a couple of weeks left to try and finally get a Big Lake char.

Offline kwackkillncrew

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #18 on: Mar 16, 2021, 04:19 PM »
i know some people down size to 1-1/2" and 2" tubes when they arent getting bites. I have caught them on pink aero jigs with a plastic minnow tail off the hook. I would think fishing should start to pick up here with the warmer weather and longer days.
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Offline GrayJay

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Re: Big Lake hints
« Reply #19 on: Mar 22, 2021, 01:46 PM »
i know some people down size to 1-1/2" and 2" tubes when they arent getting bites. I have caught them on pink aero jigs with a plastic minnow tail off the hook. I would think fishing should start to pick up here with the warmer weather and longer days.

Thanks! I ended up catching some char last week on smaller stuff.

 



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