2023 Fishing Forecast
Two Moon Outpost Lodge is now open for another great season of fishing and fun. We are looking forward to a busy season as some of our long-time friends who have been unable to come up for the past few years are excited about coming back this summer, plus those who have recently discovered the paradise of Lake Kipawa are set to return. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again and welcoming new friends as well and are anticipating some great fishing.
Walleye
It will be hard to top the excellent fishing we had last season. There was no question that the average walleye size and numbers caught were beyond expectation, and there should be no reason why this trend shouldn’t continue again this year. As an indirect result of pandemic travel restrictions, fishing pressure on the lake was reduced over the past 3 years. Walleye have been given a better chance to reach the safety of the upper slot size, meaning that more large fish will be reproducing from now on, year after year. Consider that a 3 or 4 year old walleye grows approximately 1.5 to 2 inches a year, three years of reduced pressure might mean an extra 6″ on the length of a walleye, or, that an undersized 14″ walleye is now 20″ long, or the 18 incher from a few years ago is now 24 inches long, safely above the keeper slot and protected so that it can reproduce. More fish live released means a healthier fishery. In short, the health of the walleye fishery on Lake Kipawa is better than ever.
Smallmouth Bass
After a number of years of ever increasing catches of smallmouth bass, it seems like the bass population might be levelling off somewhat. Last year was the first year that smallmouth bass numbers seem to be similar to the previous year, or perhaps down a bit. That’s not to say that the smallmouth fishing was anything less than extraordinary–large bass still averaged 19 or 20 inches and calm mornings bubbled with bass feeding on the surface. I believe that because smallies are relative newcomers to Lake Kipawa, it has taken up to now for the lake to reach a balance of the various species. Incidental catches of bass so far this season have shown the pre-spawn beasts to be healthy and chunky. Guests should expect another year of great bass fishing, opening June 15.
Northern Pike
Pike may not be the most targeted fish in our area, but they provide a fun diversion on slow afternoons or add some surprise excitement to when fishing for walleye. Our guests have been very cooperative with the lodge’s policy to carefully handle and live release any pike 38″ or larger, and this has worked as our guests have been able to hook the same lunker time and time again. Based on the size of the fresh bite marks we have seen on a 26″ fish caught this year, I suspect that another monster is out there.
Lake Trout
Each year the lake trout have been slowly creeping up in size. The 65cm (25 3/4″) keeper length for a lake trout, once a rare occurrence to land one that size, has become more common. So far this spring, the trout caught have averaged between 18 and 22 inches, with a lot of small shakers willing to take a bite a passing lure. After a number of years of rebuilding the trout fishery in Lake Kipawa, we are beginning to see spawning-aged adults as well as a great many young fish. A positive sign for a great future of lake trout fishing.
New Outboards
In anticipation of another season (our 16th since we took ownership of Two Moon Lodge and our 32 year as outfitters), we are continuing to upgrade and improve the guest experience. We have purchased brand new 20 hp electric-start Honda outboard motors for our 16 foot upgraded fishing boats. Now, the upgraded boats feature push-button starting, electric trolling motor, swivel seats, hummingbird fish finder, and 20 horsepowers of quiet, 4 stroke power.
In addition, we have added new gas barbecues, a new sit-on-top fishing kayak, and improved solar power. We continue to offer high-speed Starlink internet, daily morning yoga, mountain bikes and of course, our wood-fired pizza oven will be lit weekly for your own pizza cookout.
We are looking forward to having you join us here at Two Moon Lodge in 2023!
