Bass Fishing Lake Joseph
I quickly saved my first waypoint on the Lowrance HD unit for future reference. Little did I know that this very first fish spot would ultimately become my most consistent and memorable place to catch big bass on the entire lake!
We were staying at the beautiful Delta Sherwood Resort – not far from
the village of Port Carling in the beautiful Muskoka Region of Ontario.
Earlier in the year, I was thrilled to learn that the Muskoka Region was
voted Number One on National Geographic Traveler magazine’s list of the
10 best summer trips of 2011. It beat out popular destinations such as
Patagonia, Argentina and the Azores in Portugal. I’ve had bass fishing Lake Joe on my bucket list for quite some time and when the opportunity to fish it and stay at Delta Sherwood came, I jumped in with both feet. The accommodations and service were outstanding. The smoked duck appetizer and rack of lamb was not something we will soon forget. Of course I really appreciated the nearby covered boat slips where my bass boat would reside for two nights while we slept. Plug-ins were handy to charge my batteries overnight while my boat remained safe and dry when it wasn’t out with me fishing this new lake.
Fishing A New Lake: Needless to say the scenery around the lake was gorgeous and although fall colors were still not prime … it sure was pretty!
As I covered water, I considered seasonal patterns and the shift that takes place each fall amongst many northern bass populations. Smallmouth that were cruising the shallows looking for crayfish weeks ago are now visiting the deeper edges of offshore humps, shoals and extended points looking for cisco. This meant they were looking up for food, so topwaters were thrown constantly. The fish soon developed a preference for the Storm Chug Bug over my trusty Skitter Pop –so I would throw it religiously. My gameplan for that first day and half of the second ... was basically to utilize a run and gun approach from one new spot to the next, followed by slowly covering water while watching my electronics and looking for fish. As with so many northern lakes, I found some steep breaking shorelines produced if they had baitfish on them but major points and secondary points with rocks were also key holding areas. So too, were obscure offshore humps.
Even if cisco and bass were present it still didn’t guarantee success so
other lures and techniques were necessary. As I moved along looking for fish I would often cast a Rapala X Rap ahead of me. However I soon learned that these smallmouth have no aversion to the X Raps’ larger cousin the 11cm Clackin Minnow so I soon switched to it with gratifying results.
If I found fish directly below the boat I would toss a Voodoo jigging spoon and try to get the aggressive bass that way.
If fish could not be spoon fed, I would stop and drop shot for them ... My most productive drop shot bait was the new Trigger X four inch Fluttering Worm in shad color. Although typically rigged wacky, weightless and tossed in the shallows, I nose-hooked the bait and used a ¾ oz dropshot weight to fish it from 20-40 feet deep. For those fishing the lake for the first time be prepared to use several baits and techniques. Work hard to decipher the movements of this lake’s robust smallmouth population- and the cisco they feed upon. Rest assured however, the reward for your hard work will indeed be well worth it. It wasn’t until the afternoon of my second day that I began to reap the rewards when I developed a milk run of areas all within a 20 minute boat ride of home base at Delta Sherwood.
One of those areas was a large hump that topped out to about 14 feet with nearby deepwater over 30 feet. Twenty feet at this particular area was especially productive and for whatever reason a one ounce double willow leaf Terminator spinner bait was the hot ticket. Here the key was to not just toss … but to throw as far as you possibly could, this heavy blade bait to cover water quickly and efficiently. The amazing thing was to have smallmouth after smallmouth chase down and try to kill that lure - nearly ripping the rod out of my hands every time. Even though you can technically use your waypoint mark on your Lowrance unit, for a reference I like the addition of the more visual marker buoy in the lake – so I would always toss it once I got the bass going.
Last Day = Best Day On Lake Joseph: I offered Ty the hot Chug Bug and gave him a description of the area I had saved just for him … An extended point, with fairly deep water near shore (12’ or so) and much deeper water (25-40’) nearby. There were some big rocks below too, ideal structure that can hold bass even if ciscoes weren’t around. The Lowrance soon told us otherwise however, as we marked both baitfish above and bass beneath.
The first couple of hits came instantly but these hyper-active smallies sometimes don’t have the best aim when they’re skyrocketing to the surface from 30 feet below! A huge splash – followed by a swing and a miss on Ty’s part and no fish to show. After a bewildered look I recommended, “Just wait a second or two after it hits Ty before you set that hook – then see what happens”.
I more or less admired the action for the next half hour as he battled one big bass after another … all coming from deep water to attack his bait. Then I got in on some of the feeding frenzy myself and enjoyed similar success. Admittedly I also had my share of blow ups that resulted in swings and misses. Sometimes waiting is easier advice to give then it is to take! All in all, we landed 10 smallmouth in the 4-5 pound range in less than an hour – Ty on his Chug Bug and mine from a Rapala Skitter Pop. It was the perfect ending to wonderful little vacation! For those interested in booking their bass fishing get-away at Delta Sherwood, mention that you read about the resort and the fishing on this website in Wil’s article, and you’ll receive a special discount. This will apply to those interested in purchasing a Delta Sherwood gift card for your favorite bass angler as well!
For more Information: You can contact Wil, through his Focus on Fishing website at: www.wilwegman.com
Tyler’s dad Wil, get’s in on some of the Lake Joe action using his Rapala Skitter Pop to pull bass from 30 feet below. Even with a thriving smallmouth population, he advises that anglers practice sound conservation principles like catch and release (especially for bigger bass) to help sustain this remarkable fishery for generations to come. “Big ol fish like this six pounder are just too precious to catch only once,” says Wegman Wills Upcoming Ice Fishing Seminars ● Sat Dec 10-
Radio World in Toronto at 1:00pm
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I
was on the lake for less than an hour and was working my Rapala Skitter
Pop across the surface in 30 feet of water. I had heard beforehand that
“ drop shotting is definitely the way to go on Lake Joe”. My choice of a
topwater lure to entice these deep may have been the last choice for
many anglers … but I knew from past experiences in similar lakes… the
rewards can be remarkable.
I
had fished “Joe” plenty of times in the past … but that was all while
walking on water and ice fishing for lake trout. Joe had already shown
it could provide great hardwater action for beautiful lakers but now I
was interested in bass. This time I came to fish open water near the end
of September and I was there with my wife Loretta and oldest son Tyler
(aged 25). 
Left:
A view of the only luxury boathouse suite on the Muskoka Lakes. With
panoramic views of Lake Joseph, this suite is by far the most unique
guestroom on the Delta Sherwood property. 
Moments
after the advice was given there was a chance to put it to the test. The
result was Ty battling a sweet looking four pounder that didn’t know
when to quit or what it wanted to see more, the sky above or the very
bottom below. 
