Timber Trail Lodge is located on Farm Lake, one of four lakes on the White Iron Chain of Lakes "the Chain". One of the most frequently asked questions is when is the best time to come? Well, as you will see below every month has potential to being the best time to come. It depends on what you are most interested in, quantity of fish, size, best weather, no bugs, less people?
Spring (May and early June) walleyes and northern pike are usually the targeted species early in the season. Most walleye fishing is done with live bait, either with jigs or Lindy rigs tipped with minnows. Areas with current are typically the best place on the chain during this time of year.
The rapids at the southern end of White Iron referred to as the "hole" and the bridge that separates White Iron Lake from Farm Lake are two of the best spots for current on the chain early in the year. Great walleye fishing can also be found in the "Ring Rock Narrows" on the southern third of White Iron Lake, where you will find plenty of current. The "Garden Lake Narrows" between Farm Lake and Garden Lake can be a sleeper spot, as many guests have caught some big walleyes here over the years. Get there early; there areas of current are best in the early morning or in the evening.
If you are the adventurous type we have canoes pre-staged by the entrance of the North Kawishiwi River. By taking a motor boat across Farm Lake and entering the Boundary Waters through entry point 31, the North Kawishiwi River, you can access some seriously great fishing as well. As you paddle up the river there are several spots with current and rapids. Try fishing below some of the rapids and in some of the deep narrows for walleyes.
Don't rule out fishing the main parts of the lakes such as points, bays, shallow rock humps, islands and reefs as there are walleyes there, too.
Northern Pike: As the ice goes off our lakes the northern pike are in the shallow bays and they tend to stick around these areas for a while. Our guests have success fishing for pike in the shallow bays on Farm Lake and South Farm Lake this time of year. Pike can be targeted with either live bait (suckers and shiners) or frozen ciscos under a bobber. A trophy over 40 inches can happen this time of year. Please remember to catch and release! Take a photo, measure the fish and have a fiberglass replica made. These big fish are valuable to our lakes and it takes a long time for them to get this big!
June
Once our water starts to warm up, in the early part of June, the smallmouth fishing heats up. Smallmouth bass spawn when the water temps reach the low to mid sixties. When they are spawning, Farm Lake and South Farm Lake are some of the best areas to fish smallmouth. In the peak of the smallmouth spawn 100 fish a day can be realistic, with an occasional trophy bass over 20 inches. Remember to release these big female bass. A 20 inch smallmouth bass is an old fish and is extremely valuable to the lakes. It takes a ling time for them to reach this trophy size. Casting the shorelines with top water baits, tube jigs, grub tails and stick baits usually work the best. Some of the best colors are purple, smoke, gray, blue and pumpkin.
In June walleyes are feeding as the water is warming up. Some of the weeds in the bays are staring to grow and the bait fish and walleyes will be in this new weed growth. Walleyes can be found shallow on some of the shorelines and bays. Trolling spinner rigs with light weights and drifting with live bait rigs can produce great success.
The pile can still be aggressive as they start to move out of the bays and move deeper towards some of their summer spots. Casting and trolling spoons in 6 - 12 feet of water can trigger some of these pike to bite.
The pan fish such as crappies and blue gills can start to be caught more readily in June. Crappies will be anywhere from 12 feet to 20 feet off islands, points and bays.
July
Once we get to July the fish tend to have found their summer spots. Walleyes are on deeper points, rock reefs, sunken islands and deeper shorelines. This is a great time of year to catch some seriously big walleyes, as they are concentrated in these spots and not spread out all over the lake. A trophy walleye this time of year in the 30 inch range can be realistic; of course not everyone will catch one this big. Again remember catch and release these big fish. A 30 inch walleye can be 20 years old. Eat the smaller ones and release the big ones for someone else to catch and release.
The smallmouth can be found in some of the same spots as walleyes. Usually, if you are fishing walleyes in 20 feet off a point or a reef the smallmouth are just a little bit shallower in the same location.
Pike fishing in July can be rally good as well. Pike will be anywhere from in the weed beds to hanging around deep main lake points and reefs. Trolling the main lake areas can work as well as casting the weed beds with spoons or spinner baits.
August
August can be the dog days of summer. August can be some of the best fishing of the year or it can be the slowest. The weather in August can be the nicest and the most comfortable! The water temps can be the warmest of the summer. The fish are in their well established summer spots and tend to feed very aggressively or not at all.
The cabbage or pond weed found on the chain in the bays and on shorelines in 4 feet to 6 feet of water can produce fish in the heat of the summer. Slip bobbers, jigs and lures fished off of the weed edges can produce walleyes, pike and bass.
Pike can still be found, but the big ones tend to seek out the coldest water and only occasionally come up to feed.
September/October
September is the beginning of fall fishing. As the leaves change to their fall colors, the fish tend to school up in deeper water sometimes as deep as 30 feet. Walleyes feed on steep vertical drops at this time of year, coming up and out to ambush their prey. They are opportunistic predators and will move a great distance in a short time to feed.
After the water temp starts to drop, typically in mid September the lakes turnover and the walleyes will go bananas. Once the water has turned over and there is no temperature difference from top to bottom there is oxygen in all depths. Walleyes can be caught in the deepest holes in the lakes, to shallow shorelines and rock humps. The late fall fishing can be the best time of the year to catch numbers of big aggressive walleyes.
The fall can be the best time of the year for pan fish. White Iron Lake, Farm Lake, Garden Lake and South Farm Lake are all excellent crappie lakes. The crappies generally will move towards the deeper basin areas of the lakes. They will be located anywhere from the bottom to suspended half way up in to the water column. Jigs tipped with minnows or plastics are the best presentations for finding these fish and getting them to bite.
There are a few things to remember. The White Iron Chain of Lakes which includes Farm Lake, White Iron Lake, Garden Lake, South Farm Lake and the Kwishiwi River up to the first 210 rod portage has special slot limits. Walleyes between 17 inches to 26 inches must be immediately released back to the water. Northern pike between 24 inches and 36 inches must also be immediately released back to the water. Check the DNR regulations for State wide rules.
Minnesota's daily/possession limits:
Walleye: 6 Northern Pike: 3 Bass: 6 (catch and release in September) (check with the DNR for specific dates) Crappie: 10
While slot limits and daily/possession limits on this site are believed to be true they may change. Be sure check with the DNR or local facility for current regulations. This information is also available online at the link below.
Again we strongly encourage catch and release. Help protect our resources for future generations to come. Take what you can eat and release the rest, don't waste the fillets in you freezer.
