Savant Lake Ontario

Just returned from a week at Wildewood on Savant Lake. It was a little too early to catch Lakers shallow, but they were getting ready and some others at camp did get a 38" and a 41" Trout. Our biggest was 29". We did catch many Walleyes in the 20" - 25" range. Our biggest northern was 37" but we didn't target them much. The weather was cold and we were blown off once. This lake really gets wild with a north wind.

The camp was very well run and responsive to our needs. The boats were gassed and baited every morning and the hosts were very helpful. Cabins were rustic but worked just fine. The ride in and out from the parking area was an hour-long trip on a all-terain vehicle, very bumpy but unique. As usual, friends and beer make a trip fun, I would go back in a minute and recomend it to anyone looking for a great trip. BFG

Sounds like it changed drastically as you said as the rule was quanity back then. We would catch 200-250 walleye a day per boat 15-19" three in a boat and three on were common just fish any narrows between islands and you were on them all day. Thanks for the info.

Percheye1, We stayed at Bauers Onaman Lake lodge. This is located on Picnic Island and the resort is run by some wonderful people. I did notice that there were other people who were coming into the lake on the far south end and others who were camping on some of the islands. I understand another resort has boats housed on the lake for their clients but I do not know the name of this resort. We fished Onaman for two years on the second week of June. The numbers of fish for a fly-in trip were much less than other fly-in trips we have made to Ontario but the quality of the walleyes was second to none! This year we caught about one third the fish we did the first year so I attribute that to weather and water temp. It was difficult to catch fish under 19 inches to eat so we ended up eating northern most of the nights. Bauers Resort is as well run as any camp we have been too. I highly recommend it. There are 4 cabins on Picnic Island and another outpost on the north end of the lake. It never really had a true fly-in feel to it for me but everyone in our group caught a 28 inch or bigger walleye...lots of them actually the first year. If you are looking for quality over quantity than this lake is a must. No bugs on the island either. Didnt believe it but it is true. My understanding is that the quality on this lake has probably improved dramatically since you fished it when catching walleye over 19 inches was apparently next to impossible. Great example of how proper management can improve a fishery. Good luck to you and I hope I helped you out with this information.

jtrain you mentioned Onamon. Again I fished that over 30 years ago. Is that still a walk in lake or can you drive to it now? At that time it was carry all your gear in 5 miles or get hooked up with a fly in service.

Bearfan do you know if they have an outpost cabin yet on Savant? I was there about 30 years ago and we walked into the lodge they hauled our gear and then we took boats north I believe to a cabin all by itself.

Thanks Bearfan! Our entire group is very excited about this trip. We look at it as a fly-in without dealing with the issues of weight and getting in and out due to weather. We have fished Onaman Lake the past two years and were very impressed with the size of our walleyes. Everyone in our group caught a fish 28 inches or bigger but the numbers this past year were down. We chose Savant due to the fact that we believe there is certainly big fish potential for all species including walleye. We also love to chase big northern which we never really found on Onaman. The lakers are a bonus for us and we have little experience fishing them. We are, however, very excited to try jigging for them in deep water which is the pattern we were told by Neufelds would be most effective at the time we are there. I want to thank you for your information and I hope to post some big fish pictures after next years trip. Good luck to you where ever you fish and be safe!

jtrain - There was a 29" eye caught by the other fishing group in camp, they also caught the big lakers. While our biggest eye was 25", we did catch a lot of them in the 22 - 25" range. We hit the walleyes in 20' to 40' of water and shallower in low light conditions early and late. It is such a big lake with a lot of deep water and plenty of structure, so a hot spot one day is the dead sea the next. Be sure to move around and play the wind. Speaking of wind, it can blow up strong and fast. we used a drift sock to slow down our drifts a little. While the camp supplies anchors, neither of ours were over 15'. Take some extra rope along, if anchoring is your cup of tea.

The bigger lakers were caught on 1oz dressed jigs with a stinger. These were baited with 4" - 6" sucker minnows which the camp has for $1.00/each. I caught 5 lakers (25" - 30") using a large sonar type blade bait near deep water structure, but the larger lakers were caught on the large jig. The popular method of fishing on Savant by the staff and experienced guys was to backtroll; holding the boat on top of the many humps or structure near or in deep water.

We were there during the 3rd week of September and the lakers were transitioning to the spawning reefs. In August, I'd guess the walleyes to be shallower and the lakers deeper. The staff is very helpful marking up a lake map for you with travel routes and fishing spots. If you do struggle, they can be very helpful. Post how you do, good luck - BFG

Bear Fan Gary, I have a trip booked at Wildewood for next August. Glad to hear it was a successful trip but I was wondering if anyone in camp was getting any bigger walleyes than what you caught? How did you fish the lakers? Looks like the ride in will be an experience in itself. Thanks for your help.