It was a normal summer week of weather and fishing at Silver Water Wheel Lodge. There were a few glass-flat sunny days and a few days of showers and Thunderstorms. We spent most of our time fishing walleyes on main lake sand and rock structures in 20 to 30 ft. of water. There were a few exceptions, both shallower and deeper, but jigs and minnows fished slowly in that zone were responsible for most of the walleyes caught this week.
Volume was good, with guide sheets averaging 30 walleyes over 18 in. per boat per day. We caught and released 32 walleyes over 27 in., including 6 – 28s, and 4 – 29s. A few of the big walleyes were caught using big Gulp, but the majority fell for small jigs and minnows.
Several groups spent a fair amount of time casting for pike this week. The volume of fish in the weeds was good, but the bigger fish were harder to find. For the week, we caught and released 6 over 37 in., including 1 – 38 and 1 – 40. Big spoons were most productive.
The lake level has remained high all summer and continues to be at 1170.
There is still more than a month left of the fishing season, but it is getting very close to time for me to start thinking about packing up and heading back to Iowa for my Fall deer guiding season. Over all it has been an excellent summer. The highlight for me was welcoming all of our old guests and friends back to the lodge. Many were surprised at the changes and improvements we made during the Covid years, but most were just genuinely happy to return to a place they love. Demand for openings has never been higher, but I will do my best to find some spots for guests on the waiting list.
