Fishing Report June 2012
June 22-24, 2012
After a massive 9-10 inch rain earlier this week, the walleye bite and fishing in general was still reasonably good. We have been finding nice sized walleyes consistently, and the northern pike are definitely on the prowl. We caught walleyes up to 23 inches with the smallest in the 18-19 inch range - very nice walleyes, but no trophy sizes boated. They are still holding in the 14-17 feet deep range for the most part, but should be moving a little deeper soon. The northerns will readily chase crankbaits around these same depths and can be found along shoreline breaks and mid-lake structures. We caught many northerns with the largest being 9-10 lbs (31.5 inches) and it doesn't matter what time of day you are fishing. Water temps remain in the 68-69 degree range and will gradually increase this week due to the warm sunny weather. Try fishing crankbaits for walleyes, too. We were running Rapala Tail Dancers that run about 10-11 feet deep when trailed about 120 feet behind the boat and found no shortage of good bites.
June 15-18, 2012
The mayfly hatches are winding down now and the walleye bite has picked up accordingly. I saw a big caddis fly hatch begin on Friday afternoon, but not much since. The walleyes seem to be somewhat schooled up right now so when you find one, you will find a bunch of them. We took easy limits of nice plump 16-18 inch walleyes in 13-15 feet of water on both Saturday and Sunday on Woman Lake, so it appears good bite has returned. I also found a very scrappy 23 inch walleye just up the break along this same main lake reef. Algae has started to grow on the deeper rocks, so you need to check your live bait rig regularly to clean off any accumulated weeds. The water remains very clear, and the lake weeds got an early start this year, so we should have a bumper crop of weed growth and fish cover by mid-summer. The number of loons on the local lakes seem to grow every year. While there have always been abundant loons in my recollection, I have never seen so many single (unpaired) loons gathered up and swimming about like a bunch of teenagers going to the mall. Last night from my cabin deck, I listened to quite the loon chorus as I watched a line of thunderstorms roll in around sunset.
June 8-10, 2012
Summer weather seems to be arriving early this year and so are the insects. We have begun to experience the larger lake fly hatches on the local lakes and this has slowed the fishing from what has been a very strong bite this spring. The big ephemeralla (mayfly) hatch is usually one of the last big hatches on Woman Lake each year and it is in full bloom. These mayflys are almost 3 inches long from bow to stern and make for a substantial snack, changing the pace of most fish feeding patterns. The good news is the hatch typically only lasts a few days each year. You can still catch walleyes, but you will spend more time searching for active fish. Northern pike don't seem to be affected, as it seems like they are hungry 365 days a year. Most bass have finished up spawning and will start to settle into their summer time haunts. I have noticed a fat 3 lb largemouth has been camped under my boat dock all weekend. She may eventually provide the ultimate surprise to some youngster fishing under my dock for perch and sunfish later this summer. The duckling hatches have now arrived, seen paddling furiously along the shoreline behind Mom, and occasionally chasing a bug scurrying across the water surface. I have a hen goldeneye nesting in my wood duck house, but I have not seen any signs of hatching yet.