Big Fish & A New Boat!

I'll start this post off with the big news... I'm really excited to announce the purchase of a new boat!  Ben Beattie Outdoors is now rolling in style with a 18.5-foot Alumacraft Tournament Series Tiller.  The boat is powered by a 2010 Yamaha 90HP 4-stroke motor and also features a colour Lowrance GPS/Sonar unit.    

Getting it wet for the first time.

Jigging walleye with Kelly.   

It's a big, spacious tiller with lots of room for fishing out of.  It's rigged with splash guards for backtrolling for walleye and come spring will have a bow-mount trolling motor for casting.  

So far it doesn't have a name, but sometimes these things need to be earned.  At any rate, it will be tough to top the name I gave my old boat! :)  


On with the fishing report... I'll start off with - what else - muskies!  It took a bit of work but the new boat got slimed in fine fashion.    This chunky 47-incher slurped a top water bait off the surface at primetime.  Textbook!  

A real pretty fish for Bryon Cole - I just love the look of Lac Seul muskies.   

These last 2 fish were part of a 4 fish night... ALL of them caught on top water!  

As always a few nice pike are caught while chasing muskies.  Most muskie nuts disregard pike as the lesser of the Essox family but who can argue with gators like these!

That's my good buddy Mike Willems who owns Silver Water Wheel Lodge on Lac Seul.  The pike was his consolation prize after we watched his 50+ inch muskie hit on the figure-8 then throw the hooks on a thrilling boatside jump.  We'll get em next year buddy!!  

The walleye fishing remains excellent on both Lac Seul and Minnitaki Lake.  Summertime patterns of catching fish on main lake basin structure is still holding up.  All the typical stuff holds fish - humps, reefs, prominent points, steep drop offs, deep flats, etc.  

My wife, Kelly, shows off a nice Lac Seul walleye and an even nicer baby bump!  :)  

Another walleye hits the Beckman net.  Overall its been a great year for catching walleye in NW Ontario.  

Fall is in the air up here.  Water temps are slipping out of the 70's, the nights are getting cool, the days are getting shorter and there's a smattering of yellow on the birch and aspen trees when you look in the bush on your way across the lake.  That means a couple things... moose hunting and fall muskie fishing are just around the corner.  I'm also looking forward to some late season lake trout fishing on Minnitaki Lake.  So much to look forward to in the fall!!     

Coming up, I've also got a fly-in booked for an Ontario Out of Doors article that will come out this winter.  Stay tuned for some pics from that trip and more.  

Cheers and good fishing,

Ben