Chas Martin
06-29-2012, 12:32 PM
Wow! It has been a while since my last fishing report - with back to back WMT and PMTT muskie tournaments and guiding over the last two weeks I have been on the water 10 to 15 hours a day and it has been time well spent! The fishing has been great for all species.
Lets start with the basic info: Water surface temps have been in the 72-78 degree range on the Eagle River and Three Lakes Chain. The weather as of recently has been partly cloudy (sunny) with highs around 75-85 but the nights have been fairly cool. Winds are currently blowing out of the W-NW at 10-15 mph. Weed growth on the chain is beginning to reach its peak as many areas have weeds breaking the surface. The deep weed edge is around 10 feet.
Over the last two weeks the muskie bite has been awesome! My partner and I took 3rd place in the WMT muskie tournament on the Three Lakes Chain June 16-17. We registered 3 fish measuring 40.50, 36.25 and 34.25 inches- these fish were all caught in 3 to 5 feet of water in thick weed cover and the shallow weed bite is still going strong! Small bucktails, spinnerbaits and topwater are dominating. Fishing these small spinners over the top and right through submerged weeds has been working very well. Anything that runs in a straight line seems to been getting the most attention. Don’t make things too complicated! Focus on shallow weedy areas that are holding baitfish and which have access to deep water and you can’t go wrong. As for color mix it up but choose baits that have good contrast.
The walleye, northern pike and perch have also been hitting well. Fishing the deep weed edge in 10 to 12 feet of water with a 1/16th oz jig or leech has been taking fish. Also check for active fish shallow in the middle of weed flats jigging in and around pockets and holes in the weeds. Smallmouth bass have been hitting well too and we have been taking some very nice ones on the ER and TLC, some over 20 inches!
Good luck and fish hard!
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com
Lets start with the basic info: Water surface temps have been in the 72-78 degree range on the Eagle River and Three Lakes Chain. The weather as of recently has been partly cloudy (sunny) with highs around 75-85 but the nights have been fairly cool. Winds are currently blowing out of the W-NW at 10-15 mph. Weed growth on the chain is beginning to reach its peak as many areas have weeds breaking the surface. The deep weed edge is around 10 feet.
Over the last two weeks the muskie bite has been awesome! My partner and I took 3rd place in the WMT muskie tournament on the Three Lakes Chain June 16-17. We registered 3 fish measuring 40.50, 36.25 and 34.25 inches- these fish were all caught in 3 to 5 feet of water in thick weed cover and the shallow weed bite is still going strong! Small bucktails, spinnerbaits and topwater are dominating. Fishing these small spinners over the top and right through submerged weeds has been working very well. Anything that runs in a straight line seems to been getting the most attention. Don’t make things too complicated! Focus on shallow weedy areas that are holding baitfish and which have access to deep water and you can’t go wrong. As for color mix it up but choose baits that have good contrast.
The walleye, northern pike and perch have also been hitting well. Fishing the deep weed edge in 10 to 12 feet of water with a 1/16th oz jig or leech has been taking fish. Also check for active fish shallow in the middle of weed flats jigging in and around pockets and holes in the weeds. Smallmouth bass have been hitting well too and we have been taking some very nice ones on the ER and TLC, some over 20 inches!
Good luck and fish hard!
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com