Trophy Fishing and Fish Report Gallery Sagonto Named as "Big Fish Headquarters"   by the St. Paul Dispatch Pioneer Press

__See the Minnesota State Record Walleye!_>>>

Click to see the 2016_(and more)_Gallery__________________

__2011_Gallery__________________

May 2011: Don Weber trophy walleye, 29 inches (C&R) May 2011: Ray Brons trophy walleye, 29 inches (C&R) May 2011: Don Weber trophy walleye, 29 inches (C&R) May 2011: Don Weber trophy walleye, 28 inches (estimated at 10 lbs) (C&R) May 2011: Ray Brons trophy walleye, 27 inches(C&R) May 2011: Don Weber trophy walleye, 27 inches (C&R) May 2011: Don Weber trophy walleye, 27 inches(C&R) May 2011: Don Weber walleye, 24 inches (C&R) May 2011: Don Weber walleye, 24 inches (C&R) May 2011: Don Weber walleye, 22 inches (C&R) May 2011: Ray Brons with a great stringer of walleyes May 2011: John Schei guiding Baker Family (L-R) John Schei, Ken Baker, Corrine Baker, RuthAnn Baker Renee Baker and Marion Baker Great stringer of northern pike, smallmouth bass, lake trout and walleye. May 2011: Ben Dasovic, John Schwebach, Mike Halleckson with a sample of their great eater lake trout-opener catches. May 2011: Tom and Travis Florer with a sample of two of their great eater walleyes. June 2011 - Adam Peters with his trophy 19.5 inch smallmouth bass. June 2011 - Wil Peters with his trophy 36 inch northern pike. June 2011 - Jim Larson caught and released this northern beauty. June 2011 - Jim Larson and a nice smallmouth bass. May 2011 - Shane Larson: success on the lake trout opener. June 2011 - Emma Davies with her first fish!... a nice smallmouth bass. June 2011 - Gary and Terry Davis in from night fishing with a stringer of nice eater walleyes. June 2011 - Bill and Bob Davis with a stringer of eater walleyes. June 2011 - Bob Davis with a nice walleye. June 2011 - Terry Davis with a nice 25" walleye (C&R) June 2011 - Terry Davis with another nice walleye (C&R) June 2011 - Jack Valento and Dave Stoffel bring in a sample of some beautiful lake trout (12 caught that day) [As seen in the 18 June 2011 Cook County News-Herald] June 2011 - Dave Stoffel - 28 inch lake trout (15 trout caught that day) June 2011 - Don Weber and his 30 inch walleye; aka: a "hawg" (C&R) June 2011 - Don Weber and his 28 inch walleye (C&R) June 2011 - Don Weber and a 27.5 inch walleye (C&R) June 2011 - Bill Koch and a nice 26 inch walleye. June 2011 - Bill Koch showing off a stringer of early morning eater walleyes. June 2011 - Bill Koch and a nice 20 inch smallmouth. June 2011 - Ben Koch and a nice 25 inch walleye June 2011 - Ben Koch and Jake Weber with a stringer of early morning walleyes. August 2011 - Ginny Young and her brother Steven limit out on smallmouth. - photo: Michele Young August 2011 - Steven Young with a stringer of bass caught during a canoe day trip on a tributary to Saganaga Lake. - photo: Walter Young August 2011 - Steven Young and Marco Manzo III with lake trout. - photo: Alesha Manzo September 2011 - Nate Eckstrom (with a nice lake trout) and his brother John and friend Daron Smith September 2011 - Nate Eckstrom and his brother John Nate's lake trout netted and photographed by Marco Manzo III September 2011 - Donald "Skip" Lewandoski with a nice lake trout. September 2011 - Donald "Skip" Lewandoski with a nice lake trout. September 2011 - Donald "Skip" Lewandoski with a nice lake trout. September 2011 - Roger Wagner with a nice lake trout.

__2010_Gallery__________________

June 2010: Don Weber trophy walleye June 2010: Matthew Weber with trophy walleye June 2010: Bill Koch one eyed trophy walleye--Uno. June 2010: Don Weber hefting "Uno". Robert Hanson, July 2010, 31 inch walleye Robert Hanson, July 2010, 31 inch walleye (later that same day) Donald Hanson, July 2010, 31 inch walleye (next day) June 2010: Ben Koch with nice walleye. May 2010: Corrine Baker with her lively, trophy northern pike.   May 2010: Ken (with northern) and Marion Baker, day-trip canoeing at Maroboeuf . May 2010: Ken in canoe with northern, day-trip canoeing at Maroboeuf . May 2010: Renae Baker with her uncle Ken Baker with nice stringer of fish. May 2010: Marion Baker with his daughter Corrine with a nice stringer of fish. August 2010: Walter Young and son Steven and one of his many, many nice smallmouth bass, among other species. (There is not much time for pictures as it is all about fishing for  Steven--from sunup to sundown.) June 2010: Matthew Weber  with a bass, on a canoe day-trip to Maroboeuf . June 2010: Dick Lax, Steve Sauder and Craig Wells and nice eater walleyes. June 2010 - Dr. Kirk Clark with nice northern pike. June 2010 - Dr. Kirk Clark with nice northern pike. June 2010 - Dr. .Kirk Clark with nice northern pike. June 2010 - Holly Clark with smallmouth bass . June 2010 - Dr. Kirk Clark with smallmouth bass, day-trip canoeing on Maroboeuf Lake. June 2010 - Marco Manzo III with smallmouth bass, day-trip canoeing on Maroboeuf Lake. [Marco and Alesha joined Dr. Kirk and Holly Clark on an all-day canoe trip for some great catch-and-release fishing.] June 2010 - Alesha Manzo with smallmouth bass, day-trip canoeing on Maroboeuf Lake. June 2010 - Alesha Manzo with smallmouth bass, day-trip canoeing on Maroboeuf Lake. June 2010 - Don Weber and Bill Koch with some nice walleyes. June 2010 - Ben Koch with a nice stringer of walleye. May 2010 - Marion Baker with a nice eater bass. August 2010 - Marco Manzo III with nice eater bass. (Photo: Peter Clayton) August 2010 - Peter Clayton lands a nice smallmouth bass. (Photo: Marco Manzo III) August 2010 - Peter Clayton with a nice eater smallmouth bass. (Photo: Marco Manzo III) August 2010 - Peter Clayton with a nice-sized smallmouth bass. (Photo: Marco Manzo III) August 2010 - Peter Clayton and Marco Manzo III returned late with a mess of fish, as Peter wanted to fish until the last minute of his visit. (Photo: Helen Manzo) Mike Halleckson with a nice lake trout.

__2009_Gallery______________________________

May 21, 2009 - John Schwebach 31" walleye (Released) - St. Paul Park, MN - Photo by Marco Manzo III May 21, 2009 - John Schwebach 31" walleye (Released) - St. Paul Park, MN - Photo by Marco Manzo III As seen in the Cook County News-Herald (click for news page PDF) May 21, 2009 - walleye catches -  John Schwebach-St. Paul Park, MN, Justin Engels-White Bear Lake, MN, Matt Morrell-Woodbury, MN, Zach Goss-Woodbury, MN, Ben Dasovic-Hudson, WI, Mike Halleckson-Arden Hills, MN - Photo by Alesha Manzo As seen in the Cook County News-Herald (click for news page PDF)    See more! Gallery 2009 pictures >>>

__2008_Gallery_(and archives)_________________

MAY 2008 - Trophy 34 1/2" 14lb lake trout, caught by Al Roux (As seen in the Grand Marais Cook County Star) August 2008 - Trophy 28" walleye, caught by Eric Means May 2008 - Trophy 27" walleye, caught and released by Justin Engels May 2008 - Trophy 29.5 " walleye, caught and released by Ben Dasovic    See more! Gallery_2008_(and archives)_>>>

(Camp) SAGONTO was named BIG FISH HEADQUARTERS in August of 1980, from the St. Paul Dispatch Pioneer Press World's Largest Fishing Contest when guest Pam Behan (age 11) of Norcross, Minnesota, caught a 10 lb., 13 oz. walleye measuring 30 1/4 inches long, and 18 inches in girth. Northern pike and lake trout can be caught all season, but the best time for lake trout is in the spring when they are near the surface and again in the fall when they are around their spawning reefs. Catching them on light tackle is a thrill you will not soon forget. They can also be caught in mid-summer when they are around their deep holes. Walleye fishing in the spring, during May and June, is very good and several nine-pounders+ have been caught. For the bass fishermen, we have swell small-mouth bass fishing. TIPS: Excerpts from "At Trail's End, the Fishing Adventure Begins" Minneapolis Star and Tribune (3/9/87) by Bob Schranck "When cirrus clouds drift above Lake Saganaga, the guides looking for large walleyes smile. They have a saying: 'Big fish in the sky, big fish in the boat.'" "We fish in what might be considered miserable weather--sunny days, hot and calm with thin clouds across the sky, " said Mike Berg and independent guide. "We like hog-walleye fishing with a bobber when there are cirrus clouds in the sky, " Berg said. He wasn't talking about 8-pounders. A few days earlier, a client landed a 12-pound, 2-ounce walleye. Any smaller, and Berg would probably have talked him into releasing the fish. "There's a lot of that happening on Saganaga now. "We don't get much credit for the big ones released, but it makes sense," Berg said. "A lot of lunkers have been caught since bobber fishing hit Sag about six years ago." "We realized about six years ago that Roger Campbell, another guide was catching nice fish on days when no one else was doing anything," Berg said. "Discovered he was throwing a bobber on top of the rocks. The first time I tried that method, we pulled out three 9-pounders from some reefs in eight feet of water and less." "It's a patience game, like hunting deer. Sit still and wait for that hog walleye to come by. You may get only one fish, but he'll be a good one." Publicity about the big walleyes on Saganaga has come during the last five or six years as bobber fishing became "the" technique. Berg believes bobber fishing works so well because "most people can't conceive what's under the water. After they catch fish, they know." His method is first to idle over a reef looking for fish. It doesn't seem to spook the fish if there are no bubbles from the prop, according to Berg. Position the boat upwind and "drop the bobber over the side, give it slack and let the wave action troll the bait over the reef," he said. "Let it drift to the walleye." Berg said that when the bobber goes down and pops up again and repeats that sequence, it's a small fish, when it goes down and stays down, it's a good fish. Then you reel down to the fish, when it's tight, set the hook. Keep it tight, and don't try to horse a big walleye." "You don't see a 10-pounder until he's in the net." Berg said the boat should be anchored at front and back when bobber-fishing a reef. He uses a 6-pound test line with a No. 8 or No. 10 hook. Leeches are used because Saganaga is a border lake, and live minnows can't be taken into Canada. "When I think the leech has covered the reef without anything happening," he said, "I move to a new reef." (Note: Current regulations: Minnesota leeches are not to be taken to the Canadian side of Saganaga, but are sold on the Canadian side.) "This late in the year, I fish two reefs that top off at 10 feet, one at 15 feet and another at 18 feet," he said. "it's three different depthss, but walleyes are all over, so if a rock pile holds food, the fish will be there." That's about a 4-pound fish, nice but not huge. The best walleye out of Saganaga this season has been a 14-2 monster taken in May. "They aren't all like that," Berg said. "Everybody wants action, so we try to get them some good eaters, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds for shore lunch, 2 to 2 1/2 pounders for dinner fish." (Guiding Available! click here )

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