Late-summer and Fall Fishing off Michigan’s Mount Bohemia
Frida Waara 08.30.13
As the hardwoods up the slope to Michigan’s Mount Bohemia catch fire turning red and gold, fishermen know that spray of color signals the start of some of the best fishing of the season.
Jim Junttila of Calumet has been fishing Keweenaw waters for over 60 years. In fact, as Michigan’s northernmost outdoor writer and member of the Copper Country Trout Unlimited chapter will confess, he lives to fish. Even his answering machine message says, “I’m probably out fishing or wishing I was.” And while he’s wet a line on streams and lakes around the world—spending winters in Florida—he still claims the waters at the foot of Mount Bohemia to be some of the finest.
“It’s probably one of the most unique fisheries in the country,” explains Junttila.
In the spring and summer he’s in waders luring brook trout with flies on the nearby Montreal river, but he also spends time in a canoe, kayak, float tube, or boat moving between inland Lac La Belle and Superior’s Bete Grise.
“You have the warm water fishery of Lac La Belle filled with perch, smallmouth, crappie, northern, and walleye, flowing into the cold water fishery of Lake Superior at Bete Grise where you can hook lake trout, steelhead, coho, and king salmon,” says Junttila. “Everything that swims out in Lake Superior can move up into the Mendota Ship channel and when I catch a real golden brown walleye, I know it’s fresh from Superior, because it doesn’t take long for them to darken up from the tea-colored tannins in Lac La Belle.”
Splake rank as one of Junttila’s favorite fish and he caught a hefty nine pound 30-inch trophy splake casting a Northland Mimic Minnow near the mouth of the Montreal River on Bete Grise, May 15, opening day of walleye season.
“Splake are a real success story for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources,” according to Junttila. “They bred a male brook trout with a female lake trout and started stocking them in Copper Harbor. In less than a decade it has become a hot burgeoning sport fishery producing tournament-winning fish along the north shore and around the peninsula.”
Throughout September and October, until the snow flies, Junttila tags are the hottest months for splake fishing since the males are “all dolled up in their fall spawning colors.”
“But they are willing biters year-round and through the ice, “ says Junttila. He has fished them near the shore trolling a spinner or spoon behind a kayak or in deeper water with Finn Spoons, Bay de Noc Laker Takers, and Swedish Pimples presented off downriggers, dipsy-divers, and planer boards.
“Casting and tolling baitfish-imitating lures like Rapalas, RJs, and Reef Runners also does the trick,” he adds. “There’s nothing tentative or subtle about the take, they hit it like they mean it.”
With fishing this good you don’t want to miss a minute. To make the most of your trip, use Mount Bohemia, an all-inclusive resort, as your base camp. Operated since 2000 as a winter ski resort, Mount Bohemia now offers year-round food and lodging for up to 120 guests.
First to fill are the cabins on the hillside divided into duplex units each with bunks for four along with a table, chairs, refrigerator, shower, toilet, and sink. The cabins flank a central commons area that makes a cozy meeting place with fireplace, couches, and cooking facilities. But no need to worry about bringing groceries, for $95 per day the resort not only provides lodging but also serves three meals from the kitchen in the central yurt with dining in the North Pole Bar where you’ll find Keweenaw Brewing Company’s Pick Axe Blonde or Widowmaker on tap.
If you want to get out of your waders and out on the water at Lac La Belle, Mount Bohemia has a fleet of five Wilderness Systems Tarpon kayaks specially-rigged for rods and gear available at no charge to guests. Fishing licenses are available down the hill at the Lac La Belle store.
To hit the big water, made a date with licensed charter boat Captain Larry Smith and travel out on his Fish On II Lund 1800 Pro V. He operates out of Lac La Belle and can be reached at 906-369-4341 or at fishon@pasty.net.
Whether staying a week or a weekend, options make Mount Bohemia the ideal staging area because if your crew chooses not to fish, they can visit the central yurt and check out bikes and helmets, stand up paddle boards, and kayaks. They can even make a day (and earn a good workout) hiking the 12 miles of trails that loop the ski slope. All gear and guides are provided at no charge from Mount Bohemia’s inventory of recreational equipment.
“I’d call this a true ‘Triple A’ resort,” says Ron Thorley of Marquette, who recently visited to sample all the fun. “As for adventure, adrenalin, and affordability.”
To book your reservation at Mount Bohemia call 231-420-5405 or key in www.mountbohemia.com. Keep track of what’s hitting in the Keweenaw through the Michigan DNR’s toll-free hotline at 1-855-777-0908, or access the information on line at www.michigan.gov/fishingreport.
