Chas Martin
08-12-2010, 10:29 PM
It has been a while since my last post… I have been on the water guiding and fishing every day and putting in 15 hour days has been the usual. The fishing has been simply incredible at times and we are starting to catch more and bigger fish as we moving into August. The photo-period is changing and the days are becoming shorter. Some of the biggest fish in our lake systems are going shallow to feed which is what makes this time of the year so special.
Water temps have been very warm at a blistering 80 to 85 degrees on the surface. With that said it is very important to try not to fight these muskies too long and only keep them out of the water as long as you can hold your own breath! Winds have been predominantly blowing out of the S-SW and lately the conditions have been warm, muggy and calm. Despite these typical “dog-day” conditions the shallow water bite has been surprisingly good. Bucktails, topwaters, glide baits and jerk baits are producing good action. Fishing the deep weed edge and also fishing suspended has been the ticket to catching these fish. In clear waters the deep edge is usually around 16 feet and in stained waters the edge is around 7-10 feet. Mid-lake humps are also producing well and we are getting a few good size bonus walleye fishing these areas at night with crankbaits.
The key to success has been timing your best spots with moon rise or moon set. If you have MR or MS in combination with SR, SS or a local thunder storm you will likely be in for some intense action but these feeding windows come and go quickly. If you are not on a good spot when it happens you might as well head in a pop open a beer! Multiple fish being caught off the same spot has been happening a lot and the action can be very intense for a short period of time. Staying on good spots instead of “run-and-gun” style fishing has lead to a better chance for success. The most consistent action has come during the evening lately when the MS is close to SS.
Northern pike have been active as usual in the shallow weeds but plan your assault on these fish on days with cloudy conditions. Morning periods have been the best although the pike usually feed throughout the entire day. Spinner baits have been working the best.
The bigger fish are starting to move!
Good luck and fish hard!
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com
Water temps have been very warm at a blistering 80 to 85 degrees on the surface. With that said it is very important to try not to fight these muskies too long and only keep them out of the water as long as you can hold your own breath! Winds have been predominantly blowing out of the S-SW and lately the conditions have been warm, muggy and calm. Despite these typical “dog-day” conditions the shallow water bite has been surprisingly good. Bucktails, topwaters, glide baits and jerk baits are producing good action. Fishing the deep weed edge and also fishing suspended has been the ticket to catching these fish. In clear waters the deep edge is usually around 16 feet and in stained waters the edge is around 7-10 feet. Mid-lake humps are also producing well and we are getting a few good size bonus walleye fishing these areas at night with crankbaits.
The key to success has been timing your best spots with moon rise or moon set. If you have MR or MS in combination with SR, SS or a local thunder storm you will likely be in for some intense action but these feeding windows come and go quickly. If you are not on a good spot when it happens you might as well head in a pop open a beer! Multiple fish being caught off the same spot has been happening a lot and the action can be very intense for a short period of time. Staying on good spots instead of “run-and-gun” style fishing has lead to a better chance for success. The most consistent action has come during the evening lately when the MS is close to SS.
Northern pike have been active as usual in the shallow weeds but plan your assault on these fish on days with cloudy conditions. Morning periods have been the best although the pike usually feed throughout the entire day. Spinner baits have been working the best.
The bigger fish are starting to move!
Good luck and fish hard!
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com