fishing report 7/2-7/16

[kimmerboo410]

Our group can attest to everything Herbie stated in his report. Our group of 12 was at Andy Myers Lodge from July 9 - 16. His latest fishing report is spot on. No fluff or BS. Sometimes lodge owners like to make themselves look good in their reports. The staff at AML does not need to do that. They let the results speak for themselves.

Our group usually goes the first week of August. Due to scheduling conflicts, we had to go earlier in July. The first day we went to our normal humps and fishing spots we have caught fish in the past years. There was not fish there. With the mayfly hatch happening or dragging on, the fish were in the weeds and flats instead of on the humps. With the help of Herbie, Danny, and the staff at AML it took until day 2 to get on the fish. They marked a few maps for us and pointed us in the right direction. When we found fish, they were stacked. There were good numbers of eaters present along with slot fish and over slot fish. A few times we would catch walleyes from 10" to 15", to 19" to 22" to 24" in the same spot. This speaks well for the fishery and the diverse year classes of walleye present in the lake. By days 5-6-7 the mayfly hatch ended and the fish were beginning to show up on the normal summer spots and humps. You had to check a few spots before fishing some days. Fish were here today, gone tomorrow. They were following the forage. Eagle Lake is big lake, with a lot of fish holding spots. Our group only kept walleyes from 15" to less than 18", and we had no problem catching enough to eat and take home our limit. We had to release many of these eating size fish to avoid being over our limit after day 4. All slot fish and bigger were returned to Eagle Lake to fight again another day. We hope they come back and see us again when they are over 30" and 10 pounds. We used 1/8oz jigs and lindy rigs with minnows, crawlers or leeches. The day and location dictated what worked best. We had 3 people to a boat. Someone used one of each and we let the fish tell us what they wanted. After 3 quick fish, the others would adjust.

Our group spent time musky fishing 5 different times during the week. A few times were an hour at a time, and one time was an all day guided trip with Steve Herbeck. I was lucky enough to win the Ice Out Contest last May. A Big Thank you to Steve for the opportunity to fish with you for 8 hours. We fished hard and for being walleye guys, hope we did not disappoint you in our efforts. We had musky action each time out, and saw numerous fish in the upper 40" to over 50" category. We managed to land a few northerns and 2 muskys at 38" and 48" and had plenty of other close calls and follows. When you have Danny saying, that was a big fish following, you know it was big! My best guess is we saw at least 24 different muskys + a couple chasing perch or small walleyes or northerns we had hooked. That is a pretty good average for the hours fished. Again a good sign of the fishery. Bucktails, bulldawgs, and top water got the most action. Fish were using both weeds and rock structure. One musky left a 5 1/4" bite mark on a 24" northern that was hooked. It attacked at boatside, and provided a big splash and a thrill for one of the boats. That was a big fish too. No doubt there are numerous BIG musky swimming in the waters of Eagle Lake. If you are after a 50" + musky. Andy Myers Lodge is the place for you. Steve, Danny and the guides there know where those big fish are. It is just a matter of getting them to bite and getting them in the boat. Take a quick picture and release them to carry on the fishery and provide someone else with the thrill of a lifetime.

Our group is already planning on how to make 2012 bigger and better.
Thanks again to Steve, Danny, and the staff at Andy Myers Lodge.
We had a blast.

Steve Winslow
Darlington WI