A Weather Reset:
Last week’s cold front settled into a new normal. Nights were cool, there was a fire in the woodstove in the lodge, and there were rain showers every day. It felt more like a normal week in June.
The major weather change and drop in surface temperatures scrambled the fish. Last week we caught walleyes in water depths of 3 ft.,13, 23, and 33. We caught walleyes on early spring spots, transition spots, and on main lake summer spots. If the unseasonably warm conditions during early June concentrated fish, then the cold winds and fronts scattered them.
We still had a few bang up days for volume, but there were also some very slow mornings where guides tried 6 different experiments before they settled on a bite. Guide sheets averaged 40 walleyes over 18 in. per boat per day. For the week, we caught and released 45 walleyes over 27 in., including 6 – 28s, 3 – 29s, and 1 – 30. When the fish were spread out and using different depths every day, it helped to cover water. Several guides had good results pulling plastics at speed, but there were also many groups of fish that required light jigs and live minnows to entice a bite.
The weather changes affected pike fishing as well. We had several groups that spent a great deal of time slinging for Northerns. There were some big ones caught, but objectively, it was a slower bite than expected. Last week, we caught and released 16 pike over 37 in., including 4 – 38s, 1 – 39, 3 – 40s, and 1 – 43. The weeds are topped out in the warm water bays but are only about ½ way up on the main lake.
The bass fishing took the biggest hit with the weather change. The drop in surface temps sent them deeper and less active. It won’t take much to bring them back up, but last week was tough. We caught and released 10 over 19 in., including 2 – 20s.
Early season results were off the charts, and we were due for a reality check. The weather reset brought us back to what we consider more “normal” production for this time of year.
