Even though I live on Rainy Lake I still find various opportunities and enjoy guiding on various lakes; like being a Mille Lacs Lake Guide. I recently spent a few days down there with a group that was from the Detroit Michigan area, and the fishing was fantastic! I was able to locate fish right away, figuring out exactly what they wanted was a little bit of a challenge. We managed to put quite a few fish on the deck of the boat, and when I dialed into exactly what they wanted the walleye fishing turned into a lights out excursion! Locating the fish on various lakes comes with spending an adequate amount of time on the water and understanding you electronics thoroughly. I currently use 2 graphs on the front of my boat (HDS Gen 2 -7″) and on the dash I use one HDS Gen 2 – 10″ and one HDS Carbon (12″). If you haven’t checked them out yet, HDS-12 Carbon | Fishfinder & Chartplotter | Lowrance | Lowrance USA – Your missing the boat. This type of technology is what will allow you to accurately understand what’s happening underneath you. This was also pivotal in my success on Mille Lacs lake by allowing me to locate fish quickly.
Being a mobile guide comes with some different kinds of opportunities for both myself and my clients. Example, Mille Lacs Lake Guide – I have roughly a 4 hour trip one way to get to the lake. With this comes packing for a several day guide trip and is very similar to living on the road as I did when I was fishing Walleye Tournament Trails. Being that I lived this lifestyle for a number of years it has been an easy transition moving to being a fishing guide. As a Mille Lacs Lake guide or when fishing tournaments I usually like to stay at Red Door Resort. Mille Lacs Lake Resort – MN Fishing Resort | Red Door Resort (thereddoorresort.com) I find that being on the central north end of the lake allows me to be more mobile and adjust to the winds on the lake easier by changing where the launch point will be. This is an opportunity that is an advantage to both my clients and myself. In addition to that, being that I am not on this lake daily, I will have several different approaches/presentations that we will work through during our trip. As you know it takes several approaches to pattern fish, and when you have it figured out most people will not transition from that one type of presentation. This is where I provide different opportunities as I will not stick completely to one presentation right away and provides a new learning opportunity for the clients that book with me. During this trip alone we had gone through 11 different presentations and learning opportunities, in which the individuals fishing with me took the time to learn. During the 3rd day on our excursion we ended up relying on 3 of those presentations, all produced quality fish. I truly feel that this provides a better experience for everyone involved and is an added benefit to working Northern Water Excursions LLC. If you are interested in booking with Northern Water Excursions LLC you can contact me – Captain Jason Ellman – at Northern Water Excursions LLC – Rainy Lake Guiding, Tours, or Training (northernexcursion.com)
Tight Lines,
Captain J
