Three Lakes
Fishing on the Three Lakes Chain is, by some folks definition, as the epitome of the "north woods experience". Nestled within the tall pines is this 20 lake chain and 7,000 acres of water teaming with pike, walleye, large and small mouth bass, panfish and of course the "king" of freshwater fish...the muskie. And even though the chain has been built up with homes, the wilderness setting is still perfect for those muskie anglers who are looking for the perfect muskie fishing experience.
The Three Lakes Chain is the upper part of a larger chain that includes the lakes of the Eagle River Chain and are both accessible by way of a boat hoist at the Burnt Rollways Reservoir Dam. Even though both the Three Lakes and Eagle River Chains contain muskies and share some of the same characteristics, the Eagle River Chain has more muskies per acre but the muskies in Three Lakes Chain run larger and fish in the 30# class range are caught there every season. One reason for the better than average growth rates on the Three Lakes Chain is the larger, deeper lakes contain cisco that fatten up these toothy giants.
The water color on the Three Lakes Chain is slightly stained. For the first few weeks of the muskie fishing season, start out with smaller size baits in natural to neutral colors near the structure adjacent to their spawning areas. Small bucktails, jerk baits and twitch baits will attract the attention of a hungry muskie.
As the season progresses and the water gets a little cloudy, add fluorescent colors to your arsenal. You can add larger bucktails at this time but stay with the smaller jerk baits and twitch baits that can be worked faster and more erratic and search for those active muskies. Top-water baits shine here on the expansive vegetation flats and edges in the mornings and evenings but don't overlook the night bite on the chain, it can last all night long and produce some surprising results. And during those dog days of summer, fish for suspended fish along the breaklines, extended long points in to deeper water, and adjacent to but not on top of the many humps found throughout the chain.
When fall approaches, break out the big baits that you can work slowly, keeping the bait in the muskies strike zone for a longer period of time and hold on for that fish of a life-time.