Shoal Lake Lodge – Packing Checklist

Essentials to Bring

  • Water bottle

  • Sunscreen

  • Clothing for all weather conditions (including rain gear)

  • Toiletries

  • Sunglasses

  • Personal medications

  • Insect repellent

  • Travel documents

  • Valid fishing license

  • Boater’s license (if applicable)

  • Rods, reels, and tackle/lures

Tackle Guide

Bass

General Notes

  • Early Season (May to early June): Bass are often deep. Vertical jigging and minnow presentations are effective.

  • Mid Season (June to mid-July): Bass are active. Most techniques are effective including finesse soft plastics and hard baits.

  • Late Season: Fish spread out. Be ready with various techniques.

Recommended Tackle

  • Soft plastics (natural colors: green pumpkin, motor oil, dark brown/green)

  • Jig heads (1/8 to 1/2 oz)

  • Minnow baits, swimbaits, Senkos, Ned rigs (Z-Man’s highly recommended)

  • Hard baits: spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits

  • Topwater baits (less common but effective in some conditions)

  • Hard bait color is not a critical factor

Northern Pike

General Notes

  • Our Pike population is largely unpressured

  • Early Season: Weedy, shallow bays

  • Later Season: Fish move to rocky areas, points, and reefs

Recommended Tackle

  • Larger versions of typical bass baits

  • Big soft plastics with appropriately sized jig heads and hooks

  • Large spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits

  • Color is less important than size and presentation

Musky

General Notes

  • Musky fishing success can depend on time of year, weather, moon phases, and more

  • Early Season: Shallow post-spawn areas, warm bays

  • Mid to Late Season: Fish spread to points, reefs, weed beds, and current

  • Fall: Cold water requires deeper, slower presentations

Recommended Tackle

  • Early: Bucktails (black, gold, red), suicks, topwaters, neutrally buoyant baits

  • Mid to Late: Tubes, swimbaits, Bull Dawgs, jerkbaits, crankbaits

  • Fall: Larger soft plastics, deep-diving cranks/jerks, trolling rods and gear

Rod and Reel Recommendations

Bass

  • Rod: 6’ to 7’4” Medium-Heavy

  • Reel: 2000–3000 size

  • Line: 10–20 lb test

Pike

  • Rod: 7’ to 8’6” Heavy

  • Reel: 3000–4000 size

  • Line: 20–40 lb test

Musky

  • Rod: 8’6” to 10’ Heavy

  • Reel: 3000–4000 size

  • Line: 65–100 lb test