Fishing Update

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post....

Hey - remember when I was spouting off that ice was out on time....the pike & walleye all spawned on time....the first couple of weeks looked like it would be consistent & predictable? Well....

The problem was that, although things happened on time, we still continued to have colder than usual weather.....after all those first benchmarks of the season, the weather stayed cold (& wet) and in a nutshell, the water took forever to warm up.

The result? Well, for the most part, the walleye fishing was pretty good throughout.

The pike though.....many groups, starting with the Krings reported that they were lethargic - acting like musky....lots of follow ups ....not a lot of action. Even when they bit, many didn't fight like they usually do. Miranda Lake was great for pike action though for the Krings....

The bass seemed to be taking longer to get up to their spawning beds....water warmed up quicker upstream, so that action was a little quicker there......

The Frazier / Epley group did very well...mainly looking for smallies....they were the first to find the warmer water. Gary & Lisa stayed 4 or 5 days longer than the rest of the group, and it really paid off. They did amazing their last few days.....on the one day they counted, they landed 80 fish...some great sizes.....and they were all released to grow even bigger for next year.

The Schroeders' were back....3rd or 4th trip ....first one in a few years. It was great to see them again. They had some good walleye, and a some nice lake trout at Big McCauley Lake....

The Otto group was up for pike & encountered the situation I described above.....kind of lethargic...

The Lynch family did very well......the kids in the Powell group seemed to have a lot of fun with topwater smallies (based on the number of topwater plugs that they bought)...

The Greenwell brothers were up....Bill for the 1st time....I think it was Paul's 3rd trip....they did good with the 'eyes & got some really nice pike as well. Paul's really worked on his walleye jigging technique & it seems to have paid off.

Rick Stewart was up...Daniel couldn't make it this year.,...Brandon Candler came with him. They had a great day pike fishing on Miranda & got some nice smallies.....really nice smallies....did I mention that Rick caught a 7 pound smallmouth?

Most of the groups found the walleye slow during this period....when I mentioned this to the Flier / Finlayson guys though, they looked at me like I was crazy. They did very well upstream with walleyes, even better downstream plus had some great 'eye action on some nearby lakes as well. When I said that others were finding that the walleyes weren't biting well, Josh said "I've never seen them not biting here!"....'Course they've been coming for years & years to the area and ALWAYS do great......even in -40 in January when they come ice fishing.

That's the thing with the walleye - they're finicky, and usually take the longest to figure out. Once you do, the action can be fantastic....lots of the "system veterans" find that the walleye are almost "too easy" to catch. At the same time, many newer groups often struggle.

Talking to our great MNR Area Biologist Brian Jackson (who always seems to have time to patiently answer my barrage of questions), walleye nettings on the system last year(?) showed stable numbers versus 1999......that's good news....but the real good news is that the number of 'eyes over 18" increased by 8%!

So basically, the walleye are there....the people that are consistently having trouble getting them should mainly look at where they're fishing, and technique (including bait / tackle). They're obviously doing something different than the vets who have no trouble most times......most times it seems to be location.....and many times it's just not getting your bait down deep enough. I've seen "new guys" from a few years back struggle with the 'eyes, but work at it....try different techniques / tackle / bait / locations etc....now a lot of those guys are the "system veterans" I talk about.

Right now, about half the guys in camp are doing really well with walleye. The Murphy group is back...they're trolling & getting some great walleye & pike....using plugs I believe....Thundersticks.....they're getting nicer fish with the artificial bait than the guys using jigs / Little Joe's & live bait. The live bait guys tend to do much better with numbers, the artificial guys do much better with size.

The Mitchells' are here now ....in their second straight week of hard fishing. The fishing has gotten better & better for Steve & Debbie over the last week and a half. They're mainly smallmouth anglers and are literally tearing them up......I've never seen numbers like they're getting....plus lots of big bass too. They fish hard & it pays off.....they work the shore....they even have been catching some great wallyes working the shoreline(!). Steve has kept stats this year & I'll post them....like I said they're doing great....somehow the smallies are getting even more numerous & bigger....

The Milow group is in camp....a big group....having some trouble with the 'eyes......that's only a matter of time....some nice pike & lots of nice smallmouth. Mike & Kyle K were tearing up the smallies & pike the last few days.....Chad actually beat his record of a 38" pike .....he had caught a few 38"...thought he was cursed...finally got a 39" this year! 40" + can't be far behind! Betsy caught a great bass - 6 lbs I believe...Jarrod Olson got a real nice 29" pike - way to go Jarrod! They're all out fishing right now ....Gerald & Terry were out for a bit this a.m. & said that the 'eyes were starting to cooperate for them....should be interesting to see how they do.

Joe Sell & Co are in camp....haven't spoke to them in a couple of days, as are the McKenzie group for the 1st time....lots of lines in the water, so should have lots to report....plus the Killeaney's are coming todays, the McNabbs & Haulotte group Saturday etc etc....lots of fun coming up....

The pike by the way are back to their normal, vicious, aggressive selves. People are catching lots.....some nice ones too....the usual activity...attacking walleye & other pike as you reel them in.

The bass continue to be amazing.....they always have been, but I've never seen the action like some of these groups are getting....loads of numbers, 18" 19" - 20" 21" ......loads of 3 lbers, 4lbers....a bunch of 5 lbers...even 6 lbers & 1 that hit 7 lbs. And they're topwater...loads of action.

Anyway - gotta go....talk to y'all soon!

Now though?

Well,