it's been since 1st of sept since posting a report main reason besides being busier than heck was conditions,patterns,water temps,and fishing remained remarkable stable throughout actually since mid aug.
the warmest spell and actually the longest period (over 3 weeks)and highest avg temps avg. mid 70's to mid 80's we had all season was from 1st part of sept through sept 25th extending the regular summer fishing patterns we have been reporting thru aug. the shorter days and longer cooler nights than mid summer helped keep water temps in the same ranges also despite the higher avg daytime temps.
early this past week a cold front rolled in,cold n winds,early morning frosts,dropping water temps into the high 50's has signaled finally a real fall period is now here.
the rapid drops and changes scattered fish a bit and have changed patterns quickly.
walleyes dropped off the bars into the mud/rock breaklines and deep flats generally deeper into the high 30'-40' + ranges though after a period of adjustment/stabilization and or some sunny weather they could move back up abit on structure.
bass have bunched up on the bars at 12-18' and very aggressive with avg size in the 16-20"+ and fat footballs.
for both walleyes and bass big chubs and jigs have been best.
the honiger group fishing thier first day with scott m yesterday had walleyes to 32" and weighed at 12# and 20+ bass in less than an hr to 21" and 6#.
most other groups are concentrating primarily on muskys.
the drastic changes did affect muskies somewhat scattering them ,dropping some deeper,and generally put them in an unhappy funky mood but showing signs of adjustment and i'm sure will jump into the fall bite within the next few days. stiil even with the changes fish were still being caught last week,lopresti's had 5 fish,ed had a 48,john k had a 45 and lost several bigger,harrimans some low-mid 40's a 48 and lost a great fish over 50,andy had a 49,swengals a 46 and a 50,scott had a 55" a few days before,other guests were boating somke 40-45" stuff and everyone was playing with some big ones so though even the slowest it's probably been this season because of the massive front and not a full camp it still was not a bust last week and we have a full camp of fishermen coming in this last week ,had some time now for the fish to adjust so we look forward to some big fish being boated this coming week.
weeds when you can find them as they are rapidly deteriorating will still hold fish though most activity has been coming off rocks with some fish holding deeper off breaks also. been alot of raiders,gramas,bulldawgs,and #10's slow rolled deeper.
we started goose and duck hunts this past fall and danny had some great shoots with guests the past 2 weeks as well as some mid day grouse hunting.
we will be in the woods after next week getting ready for the deer hunts coming up end of oct and nov.
i will post a seasons ending report and all i can say now is despite the seasons weather pattersn and such we are pleased and were blessed with a very good season overall which is a testament to the quality of the fishery,and outstanding guides and service.
we are currently taking reservations for 2010 with many already coming in so if you are looking for prime dates ,guides,and specific cabins /equipment now is a good time to start planning.
i am waiting for a bunch of pics to get posted from the past few weeks and now also have many more to add so they should be up shortly.
i'm sure many have seen the episodes filmed this past season with john gillespie if not you can get them off his site and some previews on you tube,also watch for a great show on the musky hunter to air mid jan.
take care and good luck to all for the remainder of the season both fishing and hunting.
