Walleye at Lake Alice (aka Waterport Reservoir)

[idn713]

Hey guys I was just wondering if any of you know about the walleye in the reservoir above the Waterport dam on the oak. Now I know they are in there cause I have seen them stacked up on the a few key drop offs and points around the lake but I want to know if there are some concrete facts around targeting these fish regularly. Everyone seems to be super opposed to talking about the walleye in that body of water and all I could get out of a resident is that they were there but he would not say anything else. Gonna explore the lake a little bit but I was just wondering if you guys had any helpful info about the walleye there.

[Stinky Finger]

You're right about the locals. That's not unusual though, pretty much that way on any lake but definitely more pronounced on smaller lakes like Alice. Locals don't want "strangers" coming around. They don't want you on "their lake" taking "their fish".

Go look at the prices posted at the launch on Rushford Lake and you'll see exactly how that can be taken to the extreme. I lived on Rushford for a few years and IIRC launch fees went something like $5 for boats under 16' with less than 20 hp for purposes of fishing. Runabouts/ ski boats $45, pontoon boats $55, jet skis $75. The $5 fishing boat thing came only after pressure form the state because the state stocks the lake, originally it was outrageous like the rest of the fees. The high fees are ostensibly to reduce traffic because a small lake can get very crowded but I know a lot of the locals there and believe me, it's because they don't want YOU on THEIR LAKE, STRANGER!

My first wife had relatives with a cottage on Lake Alice. I did quite a bit of fishing there in the 90's. The large mouth bass fishing can be good, I caught quite a few 5 lbers there. The key always seemed to be finding the greenest weeds and drop shotting or Carolina rigging the deep outside edge. Surface plugs were good at night around the docks but oddly I never did well around docks there in daylight.

Walleyes don't seem to be there in huge numbers but there are some huge walleyes. I put together a pattern that worked well for me once I figured it out. I found that three things in combination made a good walleye spot on Alice. Along the cliffs find where you have shade, a point and a shelf with a drop off. Fish crawlers on slip bobbers at the level of the shelf and be within a few feet of it. Anywhere along the cliffs could be good but the combination of the other features really improved things. Use fatheads and you'll get walleyes and pick up crappies too. Through the 90's the perch there were runty but they are cyclical and their numbers and size may be better now.

You will have fits on Alice from the pleasure traffic and it doesn't take much. Because the "lake" is so skinny it only takes one or two jet skis or water skiers to make the whole place like a wave pool at a water park. That's what caused me to quickly abandon trolling there and drive me to the cliffs, out of the way.

Alice has a good pike population too.

[bloodshot]

ok ill give you just enough to get you started, I fish that lake alot for walleye. Are they there ,yes. Are they hard to catch, YES!!! Traditional walleye fishing rigs need to be tweeked. Forget about trolling, that lake will eat every lure in your box. I have caught them with worm harnesses and inline planers, but that too is a pain in the ass. In a nut shell WOOD,WOOD,WOOD!!!!!! Them walleys are in the wood after spawn and do not travel far from it even at night. Forget about pressure, that lake has none. Locals yes, if i see a few guys on the lake fishing walleye the whole season thats alot. You pass by and see a truck and trailor at night its prob mine. Almost the whole lake has good drops around it. Find the drops that hold a lot of wood and your in. I mean wood that is stacked and thick. Trees fall off the cliffs and sink whole, they make jiant piles and the walleye hold in them. That lake also holds golden shiners, a ton of them. I use slip floats and shiners with a light wire hook and fish it down in the wood on the drops. Thats how you are gona catch them there. Sometimes you get the schools of crappie too. The perch pop is doing alright, lots of small size that the walleye are eating. Gobies are there also, have found gobies perch and shiners in a single walleye. So they are eating it all. The walleye are mostly in the 1 1/2-4 pound range, my biggest from that lake was 9 1/2 pounder out of season. As far as finding the eyes use good sonar. I use my sonar and a camera rigged on a very long extention pole I made. Any ways, live bait is the key, fished in the wood. You will have to find your own honey holes

[idn713]

Bloodshot your the man! Thats exactly what I needed to hear

[reeldiel]

Bloodshot kudos for giving that info. That's more then enough to get anyone started! Love fishing Bass on that lake! After labor day normaly... Before then it's a zoo!

[Chas0218]

Everyone seems to be super opposed to talking about the walleye in that body of water and all I could get out of a resident is that they were there but he would not say anything else.

The problem with walleye fisherman is that they are like that everywhere not just in that body of water.

 

I can attest to being that type of person. I don't give information regularly about an area unless I know the person. It's like hunting public property, see a guy ask him to tell him where his spot is then go in there and jump it. If you introduce yourself maybe offer up your boat or tackle and see if they can show you a few things. That is basically how I got started into this walleye thing, make yourself approachable maybe try to make a fishing buddy or 2 that fish the area.

 

Disclaimer: I would offer info for this area but never fished it.

[bettieanne]

Yes definatly not a big water trolling guys lake. I trolled it at least a dozen times and only caught 2 eyes. Both on chartruse worm harneses with snap weights. I am a troller all the way so it is outa my realm. Would love to try the slip bobber thing someday. I guess I gota watch some you tube and figure out how its done. Definatly a beautiful place to be. Use to love bridge jumping there!

Edited April 23, 2015 by bettieanne

[King Slammin]

I used to fish there a lot 10-15 yrs ago. I've caught a few eyes there, and all were big (6+ lbs). We usually targeted bass and crappie on the drop offs and weed edges. Slip bobbers and drop shot rigs with live bait.

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