On the lake(named Pike Lake)that I fish, It has for many years ( at least 50 from the people who live there ) has been known as a walleye lake. As such when the locals and the limited number of folks who come in to fish there catch anything but walleyes they throw them back and that may account for the size. I know that there are many very large SMB as well. I caught my biggest SMB there at 24 inches long.
There is also very very little pressure on this lake. In the early summer on an average weekday you might see 1 other boat out on the lake all day. Dusk and night is a different sory. You will see a massive 5 - 8 tin 12 ft fishing boats along the entire lake out trolling for eyes or over rocky shoals jigging with a worm or minnow.
The thing that the family and I love is that its peaceful and quiet and only $350/week for a cottage and boat. Add in that it has some of the best fishing I have ever had then you can understand why I have been going for about 28 years.
I am not sure if this will help explain things as well but here are the species in the lake that I know are there or have caught:
1. Walleyes - used to be easy to catch limit daily now more of a chore
2. SMB - easily catch 20-30 a day and of those about 10-14 will be 16 -19 inches
3. Northern pike - seeing more lately range from 18 inches to 35 inches on average. I have pulled a 43 incher out of there once.
4. Rock Bass - Tons of these now. They seem to be taking over the lake.
5. Yellow Perch - Not as many as there used to be but they tend to have good years and bad. No major size. Max is aroun 13 inches on a very good day.
6. Gills - A mix of bluegills, Sunfish and pumpkin seeds. Tons of small ones around the weeds and rock shoals and a good supply of larger ones as described before but deeper around 15 -30 ft deep.
7. Ling - Mostly very deep but come close at night to shore for feeding.
8. Whitefish - tons and tons very very deep somewhere in the 80 - 100 ft range.
9. A variety of minnows crayfish and other forage. Very abundant. Sometimes kills the fishing because so much is there naturally.
10. Large Mouth Bass - Starting to see some in the shallows and weedbeds. Started about 10 yrs ago when some fishermen brought some in from other lakes and now that there are more cottages around this lake there is more weeds and the LMB are taking hold.
Thus thats whats in the lake. In general the Eyes have been getting smaller even with the slot limit on the lake and the gills and SMB have stayed the same. The YP and Northern Pikes have gone up and down depending on the year and conditions.
