Rob Manthei
07-10-2014, 06:38 AM
Sorry for the delay in reports, but guiding two trips a day, resort work, etc. doesn't leave much time for anything else.
WALLEYES:
Bite is good depending upon lake choice. Bug hatches are still messing with the bite, some lakes are having huge hatches, other(Big ST), are having a slow 3 week trickle of Mayflies. Pay attention to your electronics for larvae coming from the bottom, and also use the obvious(your eyes). Avoiding the bug hatches has been the key to my success on walleyes. My action has come from coontail edges on most lakes, deep grass, and recently some mid lake gravel/rock bars. Night crawlers on small jigs(1/16 oz Bait Rigs slow pokes) and slip bobbers with leeches has been my approach. Some of the days when the fish have been really active, we've gotten them on Gulp! and Uncle Josh Pork Crawlers. If you are stuck on a lake with a hatch going on or just finishing up, move often. The fish will still bite, there's always a glutton or two in the group. I've been catching several year classes of fish on many of our lakes, with some real quality fish up to 28 inches.
While I've been walleye guiding, we are picking up several nice LMB's and SMB's and pike in these areas too. Weird to see SMB's sometimes in shallow weeds. They are nice bonus fish and always fun.
PANFISH:
Fished crappies here and there over the past couple of weeks to finish out the trip, been finding them on weed edges suspended half way down. Most days they are acting like walleyes being most active in the morning or early evening. As my usual approach, plastics, small Gulp!, or Kalin's crappie scrugs under a stick bobber is all you need.
MUSKIES:
With the full moon period approaching, the bite has been good for me over the past 3 trips. 6 fish boated up to 47", 2 others hooked and lost, and 3 hits that didn't find home on the hook set. Watching the majors and minors on my Isolunar App has been spot on. Finding muskies on weed edges on the shallower lakes, however the suspended open water bite has been the best for me. Locate baitfish and go after them. When fishing the open water, Bulldawgs, Medussas, Mo-Jo's(Live Action) have been best. Getting some action on DDD's, but mostly large rubber. Suicks and double 8's to double 10's have been working good for me in the weeds and edges. Wind blown edges have been the best.
WATER TEMPS:
temps vary from 67 to 72 on lake depth and size, I am sure they dipped a little after last night. Woke up to 41 degrees.
GOOD LUCK!!
WALLEYES:
Bite is good depending upon lake choice. Bug hatches are still messing with the bite, some lakes are having huge hatches, other(Big ST), are having a slow 3 week trickle of Mayflies. Pay attention to your electronics for larvae coming from the bottom, and also use the obvious(your eyes). Avoiding the bug hatches has been the key to my success on walleyes. My action has come from coontail edges on most lakes, deep grass, and recently some mid lake gravel/rock bars. Night crawlers on small jigs(1/16 oz Bait Rigs slow pokes) and slip bobbers with leeches has been my approach. Some of the days when the fish have been really active, we've gotten them on Gulp! and Uncle Josh Pork Crawlers. If you are stuck on a lake with a hatch going on or just finishing up, move often. The fish will still bite, there's always a glutton or two in the group. I've been catching several year classes of fish on many of our lakes, with some real quality fish up to 28 inches.
While I've been walleye guiding, we are picking up several nice LMB's and SMB's and pike in these areas too. Weird to see SMB's sometimes in shallow weeds. They are nice bonus fish and always fun.
PANFISH:
Fished crappies here and there over the past couple of weeks to finish out the trip, been finding them on weed edges suspended half way down. Most days they are acting like walleyes being most active in the morning or early evening. As my usual approach, plastics, small Gulp!, or Kalin's crappie scrugs under a stick bobber is all you need.
MUSKIES:
With the full moon period approaching, the bite has been good for me over the past 3 trips. 6 fish boated up to 47", 2 others hooked and lost, and 3 hits that didn't find home on the hook set. Watching the majors and minors on my Isolunar App has been spot on. Finding muskies on weed edges on the shallower lakes, however the suspended open water bite has been the best for me. Locate baitfish and go after them. When fishing the open water, Bulldawgs, Medussas, Mo-Jo's(Live Action) have been best. Getting some action on DDD's, but mostly large rubber. Suicks and double 8's to double 10's have been working good for me in the weeds and edges. Wind blown edges have been the best.
WATER TEMPS:
temps vary from 67 to 72 on lake depth and size, I am sure they dipped a little after last night. Woke up to 41 degrees.
GOOD LUCK!!