Walleye: Relief Lake is a Walleye fisherperson's lake. It's just stuffed with Walleyes of many different sizes. There are big Walleyes in the lake but Relief is known for high numbers rather than size.
The Walleyes are common in the 1 to 3-pound range but there are still lots of big females over 5-pounds. It's a shallow lake and an easy lake to fish. Walleyes are everywhere. Relief Lake will make any fisherperson happy with its non-stop action.
For some reason the Walleyes taste incredible in this lake. Their meat is pure white and they cook up nice and fluffy. It's most likely from minerals in the water.
Click here to Print Fishing Map (Adobe .pdf)
Click here to view big satellite photo in new window (393 k)
Northern Pike: There are lots of Northern Pike in the lake but the dominant species is Walleye. Guests have pulled some big Pike out of Relief Lake. Big trophy Pike swim up and down the Drowning River looking for unsuspecting Walleyes. Many make their way up the Drowning River and swim through Relief Lake to Tooth Lake. Tooth Lake is just up-stream from Relief and is well known for having great Northern Pike fishing.
Brook Trout: In the spring, you can find nice size Brook Trout in the rapids at the north end of the lake. Brook Trout come up to the lake in the spring to feed on minnows. You can also take short portage to a boat and go down the Drowning River and catch Brook Trout. The Brook Trout are more common in the 1 to 3 pound range. By late spring or early summer, depending on the weather, all the Brook Trout take off down stream to find cooler water. At this time they are not accessible.
In the spring (at night when Pike stop feeding) many large Brookies actually swim up into the lake looking for food. We have had guests report catching big trout right off the shore/dock at the outpost cabin as the outpost cabin is located at the beginning of the narrows leading to where the Drowning River flows out of the lake. Put a worm on a hook with a small float and cast it off shore while sitting around the camp fire. You can also cast small glow-in-the-dark Cleos & Krocodiles.
Perch: Relief Lake has an unusually large population of big Jumbo Perch. When you find a spot where you are catching tons of Walleyes, go a little shallower or into the weeds a little deeper and you will start hitting the Perch. The Perch seem to prefer circling the schools of Walleyes. If you want to specifically target Perch, you will catch more if you put smaller jigs on. A 3/8 oz jig and full size twistertail may be a little too big for many of the medium size and small Perch. The bigger ones that are approaching one pound don't seem to have trouble taking a Walleye bait.
Cabin: The cabin sleeps 2 to 6 people comfortably. The cabin sits on top of a hill and on a point and has a view of both sides of the lake. The cabin is equipped with hot & cold running water with a shower, propane stove, propane refrigerator, propane lights & solar lights, dishes, pots, pans, plates, cups, cutlery, beds, inside table and chairs, gas for the boats and a BBQ. It's the only cabin on the lake.
