Fishing Report August 2014

August 26 - 31, 2014

We fished up on Sand Point Lake for a week of wilderness camping, and the fishing was solid for both walleyes and smallmouth, as usual. This is stunningly beautiful country that is really only accessible by water and the fishing and wildlife is unparalleled. We heard a pack of wolves calling numerous times during the week, so they were clearly active in the late summer weather. Sounded like a large pack that was stationed at the south end of our bay. This is maybe my favorite sound in the world, or at least tied with the sound of a screaming drag on my fishing reel. We saw some huge northern pike, but did not boat any monsters.

August 8 - 10, 2014

The big smallmouth bass are still very aggressive on the rocks and nothing puts up a fight like a 5 lb smally. We are seeing some big walleyes as well in deeper water. Running crankbaits over the top of main lake sand breaks is also a proven pattern for bigger walleyes right now. Check out the pictures in the Catch Photos section of this web site to see what I mean. It has been a great time to fish the local area lakes with the mild August temperatures and low number of mosquitoes. Water temperatures have hit the 75 degree mark, as high as they will get this summer. We caught a 27.5" walleye over on Webb Lake this weekend, one of the bigger fish of the summer. Fishing should remain consistent now up through September.

August 1-3, 2014

The deep part of summer has arrived and the fish have moved out to the main lake rock structures. Big smallmouth bass, big bull bluegills (10+ inches), eating size walleyes, and the ever present northern pike are all actively feeding on the 12-14 feet rock piles that have immediate access to deeper water. We have caught them all with live bait rigs, but to avoid constant snagging the rocks and spooking the fish, slip bobber rigs with leeches fished right on top of the rocks is working well also. The big smallmouth have ranged from 18 - 21 inches in size and will get your heart pumping with the ensuing fight. Crappies are biting in the evening at the surface of many big cabbage beds from just before sunset until after dark, but we have not hit the real big ones yet. Toss a bobber rig with a small fathead about 20 inches beneath your bobber into the gaps of a large cabbage bed, and you can be frying crappie for breakfast the next day. Broadwater Bay and Bungey Bay are both good bets for finding such weedbeds.