It was another warm and relatively dry week on Lac Seul. Water surface temps are up to the 70s in areas of the main lake. Lake levels are still creeping up and many of the weed beds are fully grown and the rest are just a little behind. We are still at least 2 weeks ahead of “normal.” The walleye and smallmouth bass bite was very strong again last week. In fact, we are beginning to change our base line for what is considered normal volume.
We found walleyes in many different areas. Many fish were found in typical transition areas in the 8-14 ft. zone. We also found the first waves of fish on the shallow side of many main lake summertime spots and there were fish caught down as deep as 25 ft. At the same time, we are seeing the first signs of an early weed bite. The walleyes aren’t thick in the cabbage yet, but they are showing up fairly consistently. We are running about 1/3 spinners and bouncers and 2/3 jig/plastic/minnow combos. When the fish are active on the flats we opt for the bouncers and when we are dealing with neutral fish or precise structure, the jig gets the first shot. We have only seen a few productive pitching bites for active walleyes shallow. It usually takes several days of light winds and bright sunshine to produce a full blown shallow water bite complete with big walleyes and we just haven’t had it. Most of the bigger fish have been caught between 12 & 22 ft.
Volume was once again ridiculous for the week. The average daily guide sheet reported more than 50 walleyes over 18 in. per boat. The highest daily total was 145. For the week, we caught and released 40 walleyes over 27 in., including 11 – 28s, and 4 – 29s.
The smallmouth bass bite remained excellent again this week. There were 47 bass over 17 in. caught and released, including 11 – 18s, and 5 – 19s. The highest daily bass total was 61 over 15 in. including 12 over 17in. The topwater bite has been great during calm conditions. Plastics are also turning lots of bass and small cranks and Mepps are rounding out the line up.
We were too busy with walleyes and bass to bother chasing the pike around. There was one incidental 39 reported for the week.
*** Cancellation Notice ***
I did receive a cancellation for the outpost on Vaughn lake for the week of July 8 – 15. This housekeeping cabin on Vaughn has direct boat access to Lac Seul and this time spot is prime for guys targeting Big walleyes. Call the lodge at 800 567 8538 for details.
Most of our groups fish on the fully guided plan using our boats, but I do have a time slot available for a group of 2-3 unguided that would like to fish with their own boat. The time frame is Aug. 11-16. The package would be American plan (all meals provided)and would include all gas, all live bait, con Fishing license, fish processing, ice, etc… $620 per person plus tax. I would also be able to include the option to use a guide for the first full day at no extra charge.
