Deer lake (Itasca county) Walleye/Smallmouth help

I’m an Iowa river rat and have been invited for a week long trip to Deer Lake in Itasca County this August. From what I have been told and researched, the lake is very deep, very clear, (20ft visibility), and very big by my standards(4200 acres).
My goal is to do battle with some smallies and finesse some walleyes or if i’m lucky a muskie. I just ordered gps lake maps for my handheld and have tapped out my online resources for clear water fishing info. Since most of the guys that will be there don’t really fish and I am by no means an experienced lake fisherman, I could use some advice.
I would love to put my brothers and myself on some good fish. Thanks in advance.

Hi uhlee1,
Deer Lake is a fun lake to fish. Great small mouth bass, walleye and lots of muskie. In August you’ll find most fish relating to rock humps and points. Because of the water clarity you will want to use light line such as 6 lb Gamma. It is a great line that is tough. Ben’s Bait in Grand Rapids carries it. In August I like to night fish on this lake for walleyes. There are also some great areas on the lake for day time fishing. Rigging leeches or crawlers will work great this time of year. I have fished alot of bass tournaments on Deer. Is one of the local favoite lakes. Have also chased alot of eyes on this lake. Make sure you have a good map as you cna get into trouble on this lake with the rocks. Good luck.
Hawghunter (Arnie Nichols)
Northern Minnesota Leagus of Guides

My cabin is 1 mi north of deer on another lake and I’ve fished that area for almost 30 years. I’ve fished deer and moose (it’s sister lake) quite a bit and I can tell you that deer can be an extremely tough but rewarding lake to fish.

There are indeed some quality fish in deer, but just as what was said above the lake depth is more erratic that you can imagine — you can go from 80ft to 2ft in just a handful of yards — almost spooky the way it can come up on you — a gps map is the only way to fly on deer.

If you are going to be on deer all week one option would be to hire a local guide the first day you are up there to show you around a bit. This could pay major dividends as the week progresses. Ben’s also has a bunch of knowledgable people and can either help provide you information or hook you up with someone who can.

If you want to go it alone, I have one word for walleyes in August on deer…. CABBAGE. If you find the right structure they’ll be there. You should be able to find the cabbage around the mid-lake humps. Work right on these weedlines in 12-16 fow. It’s also a great panfish and pike lake if you are interested in that.

I prefer a jighead, 3″ grubtail and a leech, others prefer a snell rig and a leech (bladed or not). You can also try shiners and crawlers. I like the leeches because of their durability. The water is very clear and sometimes the pumpkin seeds and oil colors tend to work better. You won’t need your bright color presentations on most days.

One more thing, if you choose to go shiners, buy them in town at Ben’s. Don’t buy them at God’s Country or 38 Outpost on hwy 38 as you’re making your final push to deer. One half will be DOA… even with ice, even with oxygen. I don’t like to mention names but I’ve been burnt too many times this year from Gods Country (who also supplies 38 Outpost) with dead shiners.

Ok last item… if deer is not producing, you are in luck.. moose lake is a great fishery and right across the road from deer. It’s a 2 for 1 that you should definately take advantage of. Moose is nothing like deer… few rocks, large basin with a soft bottom. Funny how that works!

Goodluck!

Are you at all familiar with Big Turtle Lake?

Same game plan?

Can’t thank you guys enough for your responses. The hunt begins the first week of august and it sounds like it’s going to be a challenge.

We will be staying in the southeast corner of the lake. So our first plan of attack looks like the area around Bear island, and the surrounding humps. We are pretty much prepared to do battle with everything from panfish to musky.
Sounds like jigs/rigs around weeds for walleye, wich is my main goal. Then its on to smallmouth and with alot of luck get a musky interested in a large crank or spinner(none of us have broken our Musky cherries yet). Most of our fishing will most likely take place in the early AM and late PM with some serious scouting during the day. I would love to hire a guide to show us around a bit but i have pretty much blown my budget(and then some) on gear. If we fail miserably it will be on top of the list for next year.

The only setback so far is that my boat decided it wasn’t ready for an eleven hour one way drive. So i am at the mercy of what boats are available at our hosts cabins. Which limits my ability to hop over to Moose. Either way my electronics will be on board.(gps,radar,camera,etc}.

As far as live bait goes it sounds like Bens is the place to go. Theres nothing worse than a bucket of fresh dead minnows.

Thanks again and if you see a bunch of lost Iowan tourists you may want to keep your distance(hehe) or flag us down and i’ll buy the first round.