Hi all, first post, great forum for information on Lake Vermilion.

My question--My wife and I have a trip planned for a week next July o9. We will be staying on the far West side of the lake.

I will be fishing hard, almost exclusivly for Musky's and will be fishing for a 50++ incher.

Will be going out with a guide the first day (I have never fished the lake before) but I'm wondering if staying on the West side is a good idea. Does the West side produce some of the mid 50s monster's I see and read about? Or should I book a week on the East side also.

Is it realistic to even think about running from one side of the lake to the other? Seems more than enough good water on the West just by looking at the map.

Many thanks for your replies.

Bob,
Welcome to FM/HSO!
The big gators are found on both ends of Vermilion!
It is indeed feasiable to fish both ends while staying on one end or the other if you have a decent sized boat and motor.
I do not fish for muskie but if you check the Vermilion web site you can find a few very good guides that do.
FM's Musky Tom is one of the best on this end!
Cliff

There are plenty of big fish over on the West end. The East end gets all the attention due to the Main Lake basin that is Big Bay. Lots of structure and deep water to hold yummy baitfish

There is some very good water in Niles and Wakemup Bay that will hold big fish. Especially during your time frame when the fish will be relating more to weeds.

Billy Rosner of Wild Country Guide Service guides muskies out of Norwegian Bay at the far west end. He knows his onions, and there are plenty of lunker 'skis on the west side (not to mention great weedy cover).

Alot of big fish on the West end. Seen a few this summer on the west end.



Brian

...and to answer your question, it's not too hard to go end-to-end depending on your boat. With my 35hp and 16' boat, I can get from one end to the other in 45 minutes to an hour. If you have a more modern boat with a bigger motor it's much faster.