Our area is a fisherman's dream come true!

Wabatongushi Lake is 22 miles long, includes over 10,000 acres, and has an average depth of 22 feet. The basin in front of Loch Island is three miles long by one mile wide with an average depth of over 100' deep, and the deepest hole is just over 175'. This area is surrounded by points and sunken islands that are the perfect habitat for Walleye. Northern Pike are plentiful in the long, weedy, shallow bays that line the shore. Whitefish, Jumbo Perch, and Burbot also inhabit the lake. Click here for a detailed map of Wabatongushi Lake.

In addition to Wabatongushi Lake, we offer over 10 different portage lakes and streams that contain additional Walleye, Northern Pike, Whitefish, Perch, Speckled Trout, and Smallmouth Bass fishing. These lakes and streams are all easily accessible via portage, and all have either aluminum boats with motors or canoes to fish from. The fishing possibilities are limitless!

Our primary species of fish are the tasty Walleye and ferocious Northern Pike. Walleye average in the pound-and-a-half to two- pound range—the best eating size there is! Our clean northern water not only adds to the flavor, but it also eases the mind as to its freshness and absence of harmful contaminants. Fish fillets from Wabatongushi Lake are as clean and fresh as it gets!

There are many different techniques for Walleye fishing. In our area, it really depends on the time of year you are fishing. The most common question we get is "What is the best time to come up fishing?" Well, that depends! If you like shallow water fishing, then May and June are the times for you. That time of year, we use a lot of jigs with live bait—mostly minnows and leeches. Chartreuse or orange color in the 1/4-oz. range work well. During May and June, casting or "twitching" with Rapalas is also productive. Most of the fishing that time of year is done in 5-10 feet of water. Walleyes are numerous and easy to catch. It is a very popular time with fishermen of all levels.

Later in July, August, and September, the Walleye start to migrate into deeper water. This migration occurs sometime in late June or early July. During this time, the fish are leaving the shallow bays and heading for cooler, deeper water in the main lake. Sunken Islands, points, and deep water drop-offs are great spots that hold schools of Walleye this time of year. Our larger Walleye are usually caught during this period. Jigging with live bait is still a good way to catch fish, but you will have to use a heavier jig to get down to about 15-40 feet. Crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers tipped with night crawlers work very well for deep-water Walleye. Many people will also troll with weighted Hot-N-Tots or deep running Rapalas. Gold colors always seem to work well.

For Northern Pike, most of the season is pretty consistent. These monsters have been referred to as "assimilation machines." They will devour anything that crosses their path, whenever they feel like eating. At other times, pike just lay in the shallow water and "sun" themselves. They are at the top of the fish food chain in our waters, and anything else near them is fair game for a meal.

Our pike average in the four- to five-pound range and can exceed 20 pounds. Their long, powerful body is a naturally-designed aquatic missile perfectly adapted for quick attacks on their prey. We have cut open Pike in the past and found whole chipmunks inside!

Pike are plentiful in Wabatongushi Lake and are also present in a number of our portage lakes. Large Suicks, crankbaits, or big spinners with our without bucktails work well. Another easy way to catch Pike is a big sucker minnow on a bobber. It's a bit lazy, but what the heck?

In addition to Walleye and Northern Pike, we offer exceptional Whitefish fishing. During the month of June, which is usually when the mayflies hatch, these normally deep-water fish come to the surface to feed. That is the time that they can be caught on a fly rod or light spinning rod with artificial flies or a dead mayfly from the surface of the lake. They have very delicate mouths, so you have to be very careful not to set the hook too hard! Whitefish, when properly cooked, are fantastic eating. They are also wonderful smoked.

Speckled Trout, also known as Brook Trout, are found in several portage lakes and steams. They average 10-12" in the streams and larger in the lakes. We've had Specks caught up to seven pounds in some of our outpost lakes! They are extremely aggressive, and pound-for-pound will outfight anything else in the area, including the Northern Pike. Well known for their delicious fillets, they are well worth spending a day or more pursuing.

Perch...what more can you say? Perch are some of the best eating fish available anywhere. They are abundant in Wabatongushi Lake, yet they are under-fished. Their size is what limits most fishermen from pursuing them. Most Perch average in the 8-12" range although some get to be much larger. The small size requires more to make a meal.

Generally found in shallow, weedy bays and easily caught on spreader rigs with worms, larger perch sometimes forget their families and school with Walleye. Those fish can be much bigger. The largest we've had in our fish shack was a whopping 17"!

Another species of aggressive fish located in two of our portage lakes is the Smallmouth Bass. Similar to their southern cousin, the Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass tend to congregate around rocky points and will favor more flowing waters. They are an aggressive fish and can be caught with the same techniques used for Northern Pike. Spinners, Rapalas, and small spoons work well. We do have a two-fish limit on Smallmouth Bass, but you can catch and release all day!

With all the water we have in our area, it would take years to explore and fish the entire lake system. It would be easy to spend an entire week just fishing our portage lakes, then years to tackle Wabatongushi. All of this is yours to explore for three days, four days, a week, or more. Use of any of our portage lakes and equipment is free of charge, so get out there and explore!

Welcome to Loch Island Lodge and Camp Lochalsh!