Walleye Fishing on Lake Savant in Northwestern Ontario:

Lake Savant is not only a gorgeous Canadian Shield Lake located in the heart of Ontario's wilderness; it's one of the top Walleye fishing lakes in Northwestern Ontario. Mother Nature built it for Walleye with all its islands, shoals, humps and deep ridges that drop off into cooler water. There are also many weedy bays that are hot producers in spring and early summer. During the evening they come in from deeper water to feed then head back to deeper water in the morning. Lake Savant has been named as one of the top three fisheries for a combination of Walleye (also called Yellow Pickerel), Lake Trout and Northern Pike in Ontario but Walleye is the dominant species.

Because of our remote fly-in location the only fishing pressure comes from our guests. We have an outstanding repeat business so many of the guests already know where all the hot spots are and many have had days when they caught unbelievable hordes of them. If you are new to the lake or new to Walleye fishing we are happy to give you an orientation of the lake and the hot spots and what they are hitting on that time of year. Guests that are new to the lake have an option to hire a guide for the first day or two to get you rocking. If you want a guide please tell us when you book your fishing trip. You will catch a lot of fish and have a lot of fun.

Walleyes average between 17" and 22". With a lake this size there are a lot of bigger ones. Walleyes over 22" are most likely female and they tend to go deeper or head out into open water and feed on suspended schools of bait fish after the spring spawn. The big Walleyes do come shallower and close to shore and structure in the evening or on days when it's windy with big waves preventing deep light penetration. The big Walleyes will also come shallow when it's overcast / cloudy as long as the cover has not been produced by a low pressure system. Lake Savant does produce an impressive amount of Walleyes in the 24" to 30" range but they are not as common as the smaller good-eating sizes.

Spring Walleye Fishing:

In the spring the Walleye will be 2' to 10' of water and easy to find because they will be aggressively feeding after the spawn. They can be found along the shore, structure and many of the males will hang around the mouths of feeder streams even though the spawn is over. Another great place to find high numbers is in bays that will be chocked with thick weeds later in the summer. New spring weed growth attracts them.

Early Summer Walleye Fishing - June to mid July:

As the water warms up the Walleyes will move deeper to the 10' to 20' range. Generally the bigger females are the ones that go down to 20' because big eyes have high sensitivity to light. At this time you will still find any size Walleye in the 10' range in the morning and evening.

Late Summer Walleye Fishing - Late July and August:

In late summer the Walleyes will most likely be 20' to 40' deep but still along the contours of the shore and around structure. Many leave structure and head out to the open lake where the water is cooler. You can find them in schools feeding on suspended bait fish in the 25' to 35' range. Some will hang around open water humps as shallow as 20' because the water is so much cooler far from shore. The larger ones will be on bottom in the 40' to 50' range and generally only feed in the evening but will come shallower on windy days with big waves. This is not always true but generally it is. In this case you can find these humps with your depth finder and sink a big minnow on a hook and drift over the hump literally dragging the minnow on the bottom. The giant Walleyes go deep to conserve their fat stores and can be very lazy. Lake Savant can really surprise you with big Walleyes being caught in shallower water. Nothing is written in stone.

Fall Walleye Fishing:

As the water starts to cool down many Walleyes come shallow again and the fishing is fantastic. Many will stay deeper; as deep as 40'. In the fall they tend to be more sensitive to weather; especially fluctuations in atmospheric pressure. If the pressure is low fish deeper and on high pressure days you can fish shallower.

Walleye Fishing Tips & Techniques

It's highly recommended that you bring your depth finder. Seeing the structure under the surface will greatly improve your ability to target deeper Walleyes. We do not rent depth finders.

6 to 8lbs. test mono is recommended. Berkley XT and XL are excellent and resistant to twisting. Dark green is the best color because it has a low visibility.

Braded line is also popular and is what we use. Fireline is our favorite. Dark green is the best color because it has a low visibility. Power Pro is also a good line because it's highly resistant to oxidization and it maintains its strength for a very long time. With many of the high-priced braded lines you are paying for the cost of advertising; not the cost to make quality.

Please Note: If you use braded line and have been fishing in a body of water that has Zebra Mussels please change your line before coming to the lodge. Zebra Mussel eggs are microscopic and can get caught in the fibers of the line and survive on your reel for a year. It would be devastating if they got into Lake Savant.

Early Spring - May and June:

• Walleyes are caught at the north end of the lake, which is where they spawn. After the spawn they are hungry, therefore great fishing is expected.
• Fish shallow 2' to 10' of water (walleyes are tight to shore and structure)
• 3/8oz jig and minnow (Bright colors seem best)
• 4" to 6" shallow diving Rapala Husky Jerks (blue & silver or perch colored)

Mid Summer - July and August: - It's typically the most consistent weather, which will create good quality fishing.

• Walleyes start to move to deeper water 20-40ft. Use a 1/2oz to 3/4oz jig and minnow (bright and dark colors)
• 4" to 6" deep diving Rapala Scatter Rap (blue & silver or perch colored)
• 3/4 oz Rapala jigging rap
• 1 oz Berkley Vibrato
• Also bring some Rapala Down Deep Husky Jerks if you want to fish for suspended open-water Walleyes. (Best colors are Juicy Lucy, Clown Chrome, Blue Chrome, Perch and Firetiger) When using the Down Deep Husky Jerks you need to troll a little faster than normal Walleye speed (1.8 to 2.0 MPH instead of 0.9 to 1.3 MPH) and have 120' to 150' of line out to get down 20' to 35' deep. Adding weights and letting out less line can be done but the weights need to be at least 12 inches above the lure so the weights don't affect the action.

September:

Our favorite time of year; great fishing, leaves start to change color and water temperature drops so the walleyes start to move back to shallow waters like in the spring (Same recommendations as the spring)

Best Fishing Rods for Walleye:

You can use a 6' light action rod but a 7.5' medium rod is more practical as it can be used for pike and lakers as well. The 7.5' 1100 GX2 Series Ugly Stick is a perfect Walleye rod. It's much stiffer and more sensitive than the old school Ugly Sticks but still has that legendary strength. It's also a great rod for setting the hook.