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Thanks to all those posting May reports. It's great to have as many people contributing as possible.
June started off with some tough fishing conditions, but looks to be a great month with lots of anglers and muskie season opening soon.
Post your reports. What worked? What didn't? What went right? What went horribly wrong!?!?
Good luck on the water.
Hey Justin, we kicked off here... Kinda lackluster! Got a couple but looking forward to hittin' the woods! How's things looking weather and water wise? May come up for opening week.
Later, Jerry
Hey Jerry,
14 day trend showing temps coming up a bit this weekend and then average (around 70). Water temps got to 64 in the warm sun on Monday, but dropped back to 59 the next morning with a cool night. Rain and N/NE winds yesterday and today won't help the water temps much.
Weed growth seems behind according to a few guys out in the shallow bays casting for northerns and looking for shallow spawning crappies.
If the temp trends hold, we might have some good stable weather leading up to opener.
Keep me posted on your plans. We'll have to try to sneak out sometime this summer. I need to put an order in with you for another custom Sondag Special DCG...My original met an early end when it got hooked to another bait I pulled out of the box quick to hook up for a throwback on a fish last August. :confused: I heard the splash and figured it was a lure, but I didnt know which one it was until I went to grab the "sure-thing" lure a bit later. AHHHHHHHHHHH. I'm down to my spare now so thought I should try and secure a back-up now that it got moved to primary status.
Hey Justin -
When will the fishing be really good for us "non-fishing" types?
Love reading your comments.
take care.
Hey Jabsis,
Thanks for joining the forum and taking the time to read and post on the board. The question about the best time of the year to catch fish is one I get asked often often. I wish there was an easy answer, but there just isn't. The biggest factor in determining a "hot-bite" will always be reasonably stable weather patterns. Unfortunately, that's impossible to predict of course, but there are different times of the year that the fishing is often considering better than others for different reasons. Fishing can be dynamite at any time during the season when there is stable weather for 3-4 days in a row and more. Severe changes in weather from cold fronts bringing high winds (with multiple changes in direction), as well as temperature and air pressure changes are the only things that can really slow down the bite in a big way.
Some like the early parts of the season so that walleyes will typically be along shorelines, points and sandbars. This can be a good time to fish because there can be less snags when fishing sand, gravel, etc.
Mid/late summer walleyes (early/mid July through into mid August) are normally using rock structure. This can sometimes be harder for beginners and "non-fisherperson" types because jigs and spinners can get hung up more often in the rocks. This can be a frustrating situation for someone until they get the feel for the bottom and how to avoid hang-ups when possible to do so.
It's hard to beat Lake of the Woods walleye fishing when they are using mid-lake rocks (reefs, humps, etc) because you can pick virtually any spot on the map that shows a reef or hump and expect to find some fish there. In the last many years, walleyes have been found in different parts of these structures so you have to work an area to find the "sweet spot." When I was a kid, I remember my Grandpa tri-angulating a high tree, bald rock over yonder and an eagle's nest to try and find the shallow spot of a reef. Once we found it and marked it, we'd just work around the shallow spot and start to pick up fish. It seems more likely now, that the fish will be off the sides using the slopes and breaklines anywhere between the top of the reef (shallow) and the deeper water around it.
The most important thing for someone new to the area is to spend a day or two with an expereienced walleye angler or guide and learn both how to work an area and how to to get feel for the bottom. Constant contact with bottom is essential to having great walleye fishing when jigging or dragging spinners.
Coming up to chase the eyes this weekend! Can't wait! Just something to pass the time till musky season! Was at the cabin memorial weekend chasing 'em around in miles bay. Haven't seen that much boat action in years! Used worm harnessese on rock shores in 12 to 18 feet. Hammered silver lindy rigs with red beads was knockin em dead. Hope for more of the same this coming weekend.
JSONDAG - as in Jerry from DL area??? We've never met but I know Setty and Kelsey B. from the DL Z. Setty showed me a pic of him on his celly holding a monster 52" that he caught with you (if this is the right Sondag...). Anyway, my name's Tony and I bounce at the DL Z on occassion. Say hi if you see me. Would love any tips on how to find one like Setty's cell phone pic!!!
Well here's what I got.
Windy, Windy, Windy, Wet, Cold!
Started working the typical early June spots for walleyes and crappies the first few days with less than typical results. We caught fewer than normal walleyes (but nicer average size) and no crappies to be seen. The water was still very cold and seemed to be delaying the the crappies from moving shallow. The middle of our trip was more productive once we got
on a pattern. We found walleyes and numbers of them, trolling spinners, deep off the rocks. They were all full of bugs, (not mayflies) so we stuck with that pattern for walleyes the rest of the trip. I tried a couple hours every morning for crappies, but they just weren't where they were supposed to be. I spent a few afternoons fishing bass and did very well on both numbers and size,(I had one day where we pulled 14 bass over 17" of of one point). That's no BS. On the last day I got tired of playing cribbage and waiting for the wind to die down, so I bundled up and went out to battle the wind. I thought Iwould try to get to one of the few calm spots on the lake. We pullled up into a little protected bay and noticed the screen wall crawling with suspended fish. I thought "crappies? couldn't be,this is a July spot?" Well, that's what they were. Big fat females! Boated twenty in an hour and kept ten. All but one had eggs, so they must have been just holding there. For how windy, wet, and cold it was it could have been worse. Heading back up in the middle of July maybe the water will warm up a bit.
Justin, I'll see you on Monday the 20th. Kyle, Dave, and I are coming your way. Heat that water up for me. I'll see what I have left of the secret stash of magic DCG's.
Pro - yes, you've got the right guy! I can give you the best tip of all to catch a giant like Setty - Hire me to take you out! ;)
See you at the DLZ!
Jerry
Hey Jerry - Will do our best to get the sun out and warm the water up for you. I can't stop and whiz in every bay from here to the Litte Traverse so will need some help from Ma Nature on that one.
Projones - Good advice from Jerry! You can pick his brain all day long and likely learn enough in one day to have a chance at a big girl every time out from then on. Hiring a guide in an investment in future trips out on the water. Good luck out there.
We were up at our place across from Mylies the 10th-13th and fishing was very good. The walleyes were on the sand/rock areas and on the reefs. We caught them on pretty much anything we put down - crawlers, leeches, minnows, gulp.
2 24", a 26", 28", and a 30". Back up the 24th to fish muskies. Cant wait.
Jason
Had a very fun weekend. We fished traditional mid-June structure, points and rip rap shorelines and some humps off the shore. Caught a lot of 12-17" trolling spinners with minnows, leeches and/or twister tails, anywhere from 6-12 feet. Biggest fish of the weekend was only 18", but made up for quality with quantity, which was perfect with my two boys and their Grandma fishing. We fished around the Sunset Channel, Myles Bay and north of Rabbit Island. Caught fish at every spot. I know a lot of folks got walleyes out on the reefs, too.
Also fished for smallies, but struggled to find anything but a couple small northerns.
Back up over July 4 for more walleyes, attempt smallies again - and now this year, my 10 yr old really wants to muskie fish, so we're going to throw that into the mix.
If anyone wants to share a few muskie and/or smallie spots, please do (of course we C&R)!
Was up June 10-12. Caught a lot of walleye in deeper than usual water on reefs using crawlers and hammered silver lindy rigs. Went out saturday evening to stir up the pike population in Burrow Bay. Had AWESOME action in the hour and a half we were out. They hit top water and smaller bucktails. Lots of follows on bigger double cowgirls but absolutely murdered small mepps #5s. Work the DLZ the next 3 weekends so will be back up to the cabin mid July to chase muskys around.
Sondag - Thanks for the tip! :) I might have to take you up on that offer! Our place is right across the bay from Mylies so maybe I'll see ya up in Sabaskong some time! Good luck this weekend!
P.S. I'd like to to put an order in for a couple of these DCG Specials I keep reading about :D.
Was up for Musky opener. Did well I am happy to report. Windy, wet and cold but it worked out ok. Ended up catching 8, all in the cabbage. Seemed like the fish were buy reeds, rocks or anything else associated with the cabbage. After getting past the excuse of its June, and start fishing like its July I started seeing fish. Might not be quite as active but they still have to eat.
See you up there again at the end of July. Let me know what you think of the fishing rod.
Paul
Well, we made it down monday evening and headed home friday. We got blown around a couple days and the crap weather broke just in time to head home. We managed to go 5 for 9 and top out with a 50 that ate a Phat Daddy. The fish quality varied to the structure. All of the rocks seemed to hold dinks up to 40 - the new weed growth on some of the points and turns inside of the shallow bays held bigger fish. Although we didn't see a ton of fish, we did see some decent ones. Everything came on wooden baits - Suicks, Gliders, and Phat Daddys. Blades fell short, nothing on rubber, prop baits had a couple blow ups but no takers.
NICE LUNGE SONDAG!!!!! Thanks for the report too! Ironically, I was at Woody's in Fargo last night with Setty and he showed me that pic on his phone. That guy's got more nice musky pics on his phone than Dick Pearson! Glad to hear you boated a Canadian supertanker and good luck on the water the rest of the year!
-Tony
Thanks for the report, Jerry. We spotted a couple of those fish you pointed us towards. Had one of them hit and fall off a twitch bait. The other chased a Doc to the boat and around a couple figure 8s without eating. Very nice fish indeed. There is something really special about a LOTW 50" with 1 million acres for them to roam around in. Although that 50 was just a like a peanut to a man becoming accustomed to landing fish 55" and up!! See you next month.
Jones: I'm sure everyone with a picture on their phone has more big fish pictures on their cell phones than Dick P. I doubt it would ever occur to him to use a cell phone to take a photo, if he even bothers to take pictures at all anymore.
Just returned from fishing the Morson area. Had a fantastic time staying at a friends cabin. We fished 6.23-6.26. The weather was perfect. Minimal rain and wind for all days. Focused on walleyes and caught all we wanted using bottom bouncers and crawler harnesses. Color of spinners and hooks did not seem to matter. Focused mainly on reefs but hit some shorelines. Fish seem to have moved out to the reefs. Fished many different from parts of the lake and did well most everywhere. Biggest walleye was 26" with many 15-17" eaters for fish frys. Attempted to fish Lake Trout in WFB but Turtle Portage was broken. Sitting at work on lunch break wishing we were back up there! Hope to get back up in August.