Outpost Tackle Tips by Jeremy Dickson

I prefer a 6 foot medium action spinning rod with 8 pound test clear monofilament line loaded on the best spinning reel you can afford. Put your tackle in a small flat plastic packable tackle box or one of those nylon soft boxes, and remember to include pliers, 3 or 4 foot measuring tape, filet knife, sunglasses, stringer, and a nail clippers. For the floatplane flight, avoid rod cases; remove the reels, and make a bundle of rods alternating butts and tips.

Baby Torpedoes, Skitter Pops, and Poppr's are my favorite topwater plugs. I use silver/chrome and light colors in the day, and dark colors or black in the evening. Jigs work all season long and are the best walleye lures. Use 1/4 ounce heads with 'tubes' or 'grubs' or 1/8 ounce fluorescent green or orange heads with 4 inch Berkley Power Worms. Best body colors are black, white (bring 3 different white/silver color variations; but not dayglow), yellow, motor oil, and pumpkinseed. Sassy Shads, Beetle Spins, and Twister Tails work too, and these patterns work well for walleye and smallmouth. If you use live bait, you may import nightcrawlers as long as they are in bedding not soil. Leeches are the best live bait for walleyes and are available locally by the pound. Remember to bring light colored 1/4 ounce jigs, or weighted spinner rigs to use eith crawlers or leeches. The best crankbaits are 1/2 ounce Hot N'Tots, Rapala Shad Raps, Rapala Husky Jerks, and #11 jointed Rapalas. Silver, shad, gold, and fluorescent colors are best. Real Eppinger red and white Daredevil spoons, and plastic skirted spinner baits are best for big pike, and bass too! My favorites are 1/4 ounce Strike King or Stanley Vibra-Shaft spinner baits with charteuse or white skirts and tandem willow blades; one silver blade, one gold.

Lake trout hit crankbaits, Cleo, Daredevil and Sutton Spoons when they are shallow in the spring and fall. In the summer, troll a 3 ounce bead chain sinker 4 feet in front of a deep diving crankbait; Hot N' Tots are best. Vertical jig for trout with Heddon Sonars, white jigs, airplance jigs, and jigging spoons.

If you use a fly rod, bring a 7 or 8 weight rod, 8 - 9 1/2 feet in length. You will need a fast sinking line, and floating line with 5 to 7 foot leaders and an 8# tippet. Bring bunny leeches, muddler minnows, Mickey Finns, and Clouser deep minnows for walleye. Use yellow hairy bugs, mouse imitations, poppers, and Dahlberg divers for topwater bass.

Barbless hooks are a great idea, but not required. You can crush the barbs flat on most hooks, with a needle nose pliers. I use the rear treble hook only on my plugs and crankbaits; removing any others. Multiple treble hooks tend to snag fish injuring eyes and gills, and snag fishermen too! Keep a fish or two to eat, quickly releasing all others. If you want to anchor, bring along a small stuff sack or mesh bag with 50 feet of ¼ inch rope. Use with a few rocks in the bag as needed.

We Will Show You Our Best “Fishing Holes”

When we do your map routing in Atikokan, we will show you our best "fishing holes" along your route, and you'll discover many new ones on your own! Remember that "barbless hooks" and a needle nose pliers makes a live release of the fish you don't need to keep much easier.