Here are some updates on the fishing and weather conditions
for passing weeks of the 2005 season. Feel free to check
the summaries from other years to compare with the same times
from different years.
September 3 - 10
The week was a little quiet to start, but many people got out fishing as
the week went on. Muskies were fairly active with one group of 4 anlgers
in 2 boats producing at least 11 fish in 3 and half days. Ther biggest
was 43 inches. Crappies were a little spotty in both normal areas. Walleyes
were around and people ate plenty, but sizes weren't overly impressive. Fall
patterns should start to kick in soon after the end of the week had middle
70s weather and the weekend was near 90 both days. That kept water
temps near 70 on Sunday and seemed to slow the crappie bite early in the
following week. Forecast is for more normal temps coming up so that
should start to cool the water down and turn on the crappie bite as well
as move the walleyes into their more regular fall patterns.
Labour Day Weekend 2005
The holiday weekend was fairly busy on the lake. People reported plenty
of walleyes for eating, but not a whole lot in terms of bigger sizes.
I did hear of a couple fish that were 26 inches being caught. One was
released for sure, but I can't say for certain on the other. Some
muskies were seen in both the weeds and on the rocks. Better action
was Sunday afternoon and Monday morning to the east. Rocks were more
productive than weeds. A few fish boated and a couple nice ones on,
but lost. Weather is looking good for the coming week. Crappies
should be hitting soon. Did hear a couple people say some crappies were
found on the weekend as well. OB and Miles should start to turn on
anytime. Check out some updates to the August 2005 Pictures and also
the July 2005 Picture Page for some additions to that as well.
Augst 13 - 20
Again the wind has been a factor this week. Cooler temps and some
rain for the first time in a long time made fishing conditions a little tougher,
but muskies were moving and everyone got plenty of walleyes to eat and take
home. Size may be a little less than average. Muskies have been
seen mostly on the rocks, but late in the week, a few anglers moved some
from the weeds as well. Had a few crappies come in near the end of
the week as well. Forecast starting Saturday shows mostly sunny days
so let's hope that holds.
August 6 - 13
The weather was a little tougher during the week, with some wind affecting
some anglers, but the bite seemed to hold for muskies and walleyes picked
up a little. The best action of the week was in the evening on topwater
baits. 46 inches was the largest muskie reported for the week. Walleyes
were off the edges of the rocks and some were found in shorelines along
the weeds.
July 30 - August 6
I'm writing this the night of Aug 4 so get it online before our webhost
makes his trek across country to stay with us for a week so I won't know
what happens the last day of the week yet. The week started off with
a huge bang, as muskies of 42, 43, 47 and 52 inches were landed by our guests.
Several more fish in the 40 inch class have been caught this week and
other groups have been having some luck as well. Most of the action
has been on bucktails of various colour blades and mainly black hair. Has
been a couple nice ones caught on topwaters before sunset as well. I
will try to post more accurate numbers next week when Bruce returns from his
trip. Walleyes turned back on a little bit on the edges of the reefs
again. They just have not been up on the shallow parts yet this year
so we have to assume it will be happening soon because it won't be too much
longer before the fall pattern will begin to kick in. Selling mainly
minnows as the leech trapping has slowed down. I may still be able
to get you some leeches, but you'll need to call ahead. We've been
getting plenty of nice minnows this summer so you can't go wrong with them.
The weather was great until a big blow on Thursday. Stable, hot,
a little cooler one day with some storm action over night, but it didn't
seem to hurt the fishing. Things were slower during the big wind so
we'll see what happens the last couple days of the week. Talk to you
in about 10 days. Enjoy the break! Check out some of the
August Pictures. If you like to muskie
fish, you'll be drooling over these.
July 23 - July 30
The walleyes were still a little on the slow side, but people got plenty
to eat and a few nice ones here and there. There was some heavy wind
one day early in the week, but otherwise the weather was pretty reasonable
and watersports, as well as fishing, was a big hit with the several groups
that had kids along. Muskie fishing started to pick up with one angler
having a 4 fish day.The biggest was 44 3/4 inches, which was also the biggest
of the week. Several more in the 36-39" range were boated as well.
Bucktails (black with silver blade) seemed to be the ticket. Not
a whole lot of northern action, except for one 38.5 incher that someone
landed while fishing walleyes. The coming week should be exciting
with a very big group fishing walleyes and a bunch of muskie hunters in
camp for the week. The next update will be early for a change as our
webhost will be making the trek from NY to Morson for a week of fishing.
I'll try to update the fishing, weather and activity by Friday so you
can get an idea of what is going on. Check out the
July 2005 Picture Page for some additions to
that as well.
July 16 - July 23
Fishing was a little bit of a challenge for some over the past week.
There was about 3 days of wind, including a thunder and lightning
storm that knocked the power out for several hours early in the week. When
the weather settled down, the walleyes were still on the edge of rock reefs.
That has been a trend for a couple of weeks. Muskie activity
was solid for seeing fish, but still a little slower for catching them. A
49 incher was caught and released on a smaller bucktail to take the lead
for largest release of the year. Forecast is or some cooler weather
this week, but that might not be so bad after the heat wave of the previous
couple weeks. If they weather will settle down for a few days, the
fishing should be fantastic again. Especially for muskies, since they
really haven't started eating yet! See you next week.
July 9 - July 16
More heat burned down upon Lake of the Woods this week! It was
hot and fairly calm all week long and that made for FANTASTIC walleye
fishing. Many boats were having 40, 50, even 60 or 70 fish days.
One angler had a personal best walleye day; cathing 30 himself. Phil
Dukes and his wife Caryl had their annual week long trip and Caryl kicked
some butt this week. I don't have the final tally yet, but she was
over 100 for the week and Phil was definitely lagging behind. We
won't even talk about total poundage! Walleyes were being caught
mostly on the edges of rock reefs; not right on top of the shallow parts.
Minnows, leeches and worms were working, with minnows being the
most popular. Jigs and spinners were the main tackle. Muskies
have been active as far as follows go, but not as much on the strikes.
There have been some caught, but nothing spectacular yet. Some
of the guys that spend most of the summer here have been saying for a week
now that they should pop any day. The water temps have been close
to 80 this week and that might be a little too warm for them. Forecast
for the coming weekend is hot and then somewhat cooler for the start of
the week. There are some openings due to cancellations for this week
so if you want to get it on the great walleye bite and time it right for
muskies, call and make a reservation!
July 2 - July 9
The week started out a little windy, but then calmed down and got
pretty warm. The water temp climbed and made the northerns and muskies
as active as they have been so far. The Drees Group had their annual
week of casting and 14 guys caught some decent numbers of fish. I can't
be sure if it was 3 or 4
northerns over 40 inches, with the biggest
being 43.5: inches to be the largest release so far this year. Dave
Drees put a
46" muskie in the boat to have the biggest release of
the year for muskies so far. Several other groups fished muskies last
week and had some good action. There was mention of 3-4 fish in the
50 inch class being seen, and two got hooked, before getting off. Thats
the way it goes. Walleyes seemed a little slower, if only because 8
of the 11 cabins we have were full of muskie hunters. However, the couple
groups of them we had last week caught more than enough fish to eat so all
was well. It's back to a mainly walleye week next week so we'll find
out where them walleyes are for sure! They have to be heading to the
rocks with the hot weather and warm water temps. We're in a bit of
a heat wave it seems with some temps close to and over 100 this past weekend
and 90's forecasted for a few days this week. I hope we can get it
over with and cool off a tad. Sleeping is tough when it's hot and humid
even at night.
We had several cancellations for the week of July
16, so if you're looking for a last minute trip to Lake of the Woods,
you have a great chance to get in during a time that is usually filled up.
Get in and stake your claim to a great summer week or weekend!
June 25 - July 2
Weather and fishing was fairly reasonable until a good storm and
rain on the Wednesday night of the week. The little wind early in the
week didn't stop someone from landing a 29" walleye that was released to
become the big walleye release of the year. The big honker even broke
the net upon landing, but I don't think anybody in the boat minded too much.
Some in the same group boated and released a 28" walleye the next day.
I'm happy to report the borrowed net survived that experience without
any truama. So more kudos out to the Anderson Party for catching and
releasing those huge walleyes. Most of the other groups in camp did
well on walleyes as well. Muskies were a little slow again, but there
haven't been that many peopel fishing for them just yet. We have a huge
group of people coming in for the next week so hopefully there will be lots
to report then. Sorry for the delay in the reports. See you soon.
June 18 - June 25
Muskie opener was a little slow with only a few fish moving and
a couple being caught. One very nice fish was hooked and lost before
being landed. Most fish were seen in the weeds while throwing spinner
baits. The walleyes were biting like crazy during the week of extreme
heat. One group alone, in two days with 4 guys fishing from two boats,
caught fish measuring 25, 25, 27.5, 28 3/4. All fish were released so
big kudos to the Berg Party for practicing catch, photo and release.
I have the polaroids on the picture board, but someone forgot the scanner's
power cord so they aren't going to be on the website just yet, but I
will get them here. The 28 3/4" walleye was the big release of the year
until... (see above.)
June 11 - June 18
Well the sun finally came out during the week and everyone enjoyed
some good weather and great fishing. Walleyes releases this week
were 27.5", 28", and 28 1/4". Laura Becker held the lead for the largest
walleye release early in the week with the 27.5" (tied with Mike Laird
from Memorial Weekend,) but then lost it to Rod Nemec, who released a 28"
beauty a couple days later. Not to be outdone, Laura pulled in a
28 1/4" walleye that she released to retake the lead. (Note: A 28
3/4" walleye was C+R on June 20 to become the biggest release so far in
2005.) So it was an exciting week for the walleye action and with
all the big releases, it was especially nice to see. Pictures have
been promised and I did see most of them on the digital cameras so I hope
to get them soon. I know I'm behind on pictures this year, but I
hope to catch up with those soon as well so stay tuned. A 27 incher
was also caught this week. Smallmouth fishing was pretty decent during
the week. There was a couple groups of guys out there working for
them and got lots in the 16-18" range. A couple 19 inch smallies
were caught the last day so that was a nice way to end the week. Bass
is catch and release only in June, but that doesnt take away any of the
fun of the fight. Muskie opener was a little quiet, but there was
some fish caught. Mostly mid 30 inch fish in the weeds. A guest had
a mid to upper 40 inch fish on and lost it while casting a spinner bait
on Saturday. The weather has been hot and humid for quite a few days
now so maybe summer has arrived. The water temp is up and great for
swimming and tubing if you have the kids coming up. So much more
to Lake of the Woods than just fishing. Remember to let us know if
you want leeches, potatoes or have any other requests we might be able to
help with. See you all soon!
June 4 - June 11
More challenging weather made for a bit slower week on the lake.
There was some wind and some rain after a couple nice days to start the
week. Although, those that went out seemed to have some decent action.
There was a 42" muskie caught while one group was casting for northerns
up in Obakikon, as well as plenty of walleyes to keep everyone from going
hungry. Common depths again where the 18'-25' range. Structure continues
to be the more rocky shorelines and points. Quite a few comments about
the fish not being in the sand where they typically are at this time of
the year. You have to consider the early ice out as possible reason for
a different pattern and move around to different areas if the "normal"
places aren't working. There is ample evidence that there are lots of
fish in the lake, it's just a matter of finding where they are hiding
sometimes. So far for the week of June 11, there has been 27", 27.5"
and 28" walleyes caught. Only the 27" was kept so the 28" release is the
big walleye release of the year. Huge kudos to those anglers releasing their
big fish. It is always great to see. Also a nice 37" northern caught this
week. Should have the photos online soon. I have been promised pictures
of both the big walleyes released so far this week and will post them as
soon as I can. Muskie opener is this weekend (June 18) so maybe we'll have
a few stories to tell from the great muskie hunt. It's time for the big
hawgs to bite so get your big rods ready!
May 28 - June 4
Despite weather that hasn't been the most cooperative, the fishing
was very good the past week. After two nice days to start the week,
it turned to wet, wet and more wet thereafter, but the fish were biting
so that made everything ok. The most common depth for walleyes was 18-25
feet and structure was rocky shorelines. Some anglers had good luck
on the windy side of islands on the rubble. Smallmouth were biting along
the rubble and boulder type shorelines and it seemed that if the water was
a bit warmer in places, it helped the smallie bite. Smallmouth of 18, 18-3/4
and 19.5 inches were all caught and released for the week. The 19.5 incher
leads the way for the gift certificate from Moores Lures. The big northern
release, from what I have been made aware of, is 38" and the largest
released walleye is 27.5 inches. Keep throwing those nice fish back
for a chance to win the tackle gift certificates. You can get everything
from assembled lures to all the components you need to make your own
spinners, spinner baits, muskie plugs and more. More rain in the forecast,
but the fish have been biting for the new group of guests already. Hopefully
the stable wind patterns will continue and keep the bite on.
Memorial Weekend 2005
Memorial Weekend came and went in a blaze of business again
this year. The usualy large group of RV's, along with all the cabins
being filled, and many people coming and going to cabins on the lake
made it almost a non-weekend. Friday's fishing started things out a little
slow, but Saturday and Sunday more than made up with it as everyone seemed
to catch a lot of fish. There was a 28 incher brought in and a 27.5" walleye
was released so that is the top release so far this year. Remember to
throw them back if you want a shot at the $50 tackle gift certificates at
the end of the season! The most common depth mentioned was 20'-25' of water
and the structure was said to be rocky shorelines. The evening bite tended
to be hotter and a little more shallow. Minnows were being used up left
and right, but some groups did ok on the leeches they purchased as well.
Fishing has been fairly good again to start the week. The forecast for the
coming weekend is looking a little wet, but hopefully it will change before
the time comes. See everybody soon.
Opening Weekend 2005
Well the 2005 Walleye Opener is history and will be considered
quite successful from the fishing standpoint. Despite the steady rain
on Saturday, the fishing was good. Walleyes were mainly along the
rocky shorelines in 10-15 feet of water. Minnows seemed to be the more
popular bait. I heard a few groups say they caught some crappies in Miles
Bay so that would have been a bonus. The wind changed direction on Sunday
and the weather calmed down a little and that seemed to slow the bite
down a bit, but the experienced anglers did well again. Monday was downright
gorgeous on the water (at least I was told; it seemed kinda nice on the
dock too!) The fish were biting again and some of them even a little
deeper; down to 25 feet. Nearly all the walleyes were caught jigging
the bottom. Our minnows and leeches have been great so far this year
so you do let us know if you want some leeches by the pound. We'll do
our best to make sure we have them waiting for you when you arrive. In
a non-fishing related note, the dock bumpers have already been a big
hit so that is great to hear. We're looking forward to another crazy
busy Memorial Weekend so we'll see everyone that is coming for the holiday
soon.
