Fishing Report by Capt. Walt Ermansons



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Fishing report for the week of August 18, 2013.

Jackets and sweatshirts... Is this really August or what ? The bizarre lousy off and on summer weather this year continued on this past week as a series of cold fronts dropped thru the north coast area up here at the lake and dropped temperatures drastically and once again kicked up the stiff north winds. To the point where that by mid week nobody could fish and everyone was all bundled up like it was a dreary cool late October day. Another lost day of chartering in a season where the lost days are beginning to really pile up. And the weather and lake conditions before Wednesday, the day that no one fished and Thursday, when everybody went back out again was no picnic either. Tuesday was cool and raw with very ugly winds and waves as was Thursday. Somehow, someway, though we fished thru those nasty days and somehow, someway we even did very good. Don’t ask me how. One thing that I do know for sure however. This summer is starting to wear on me.

And their BACK ! The junk fish that is. After a bit of a reprieve last week from all the nasty trash fish that we had been weeding thru the previous couple of weeks, the high winds have stirred the lake all up again and once again fired up all of the undesirable fish that makes for sooooooo much more additional work for us as we try to get our lines and baits set for the Walleyes. And its no longer mostly just the White Bass. The dreaded onslaught of Sheephead are starting to weigh in heavy in this potpourri mess of trash fish. Not the huge ones yet that are next to impossible to crank in as they spin and roll out there on the surface hundreds of feet away but still Sheephead in ever growing numbers. Not a good sign. White Bass, Yellow Perch, White Perch, Sheephead. All trash fish. If its not a Walleye, its trash.

But as I mentioned earlier, the Walleye fishing thru it all has remained very strong. There are plenty of good fish still out there if you can brave the conditions on a lot of these windy summer days and have the patience and perseverance to sort thru all of the other junk fish that has been attacking everyone's baits in ferocious vengeance. Things out in the lakes eco system must be changing. After chartering for nearly three decades now, I really don’t remember this trash fish situation being like this in all of the early years. It just seems like the last few years it has gotten worst and worst with each year. But what can you do ? The Walleye are still out there, everyone still wants them and to go Walleye fishing. I guess you just deal with it. That’s all you can do. If we were going thru all of this and not catching world class Walleyes like we are, then it would be truly insane. But at the end of the day we are still racking incredibly nice catches of Walleyes. I guess that’s the bottom line and all that really matters.

So as I study next weeks weather forecast it actually looks to be a thing of beauty. No cold fronts predicted and light winds with next to no chance of rain for quite a few days. Could it be really true ? God knows that we’re more then overdue for some kind of late summer like weather. Maybe with the calmer waters this will also back off all the other junk fish some like it did the week before. It does seem to be a trend that I am now noticing though. That is that when the water is warm and then we get a series of hard windy days, it seems to really excite and fire up all of the undesirable fish. Man, if you could only pick and choose a few days that you fish and not have to fish everyday like when you are fishing for a living, it would be a whole lot easier. Fingers crossed for everyone’s sake that this coming week finally brings fair weather with calm seas, not much junk fish and more racks and racks full of huge Walleyes ! Stay tuned...



Capt. Walt



*We are still in the part of the season now where it is imperative that we get out very early in the morning. With the very clear water out there, we usually get a strong morning bite before the sun gets up too high and then the action drops off significantly. WE DO NOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY! Plus, we have a lot of travel time now to the fishing grounds. Until further notice, we are still departing from the dock everyday at 5am sharp. Please if you have a trip scheduled, be here early and be ready to roll at such time ! Also, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR FISHING LICENSE ahead of time. There are no license sales at the marina. If you are getting just a 1 day license, make sure to get the 1 day “charter license” which only goes into effect if you actually get out and use it. Links on my website for online sales. Any questions, call me.



Source: Capt. Walt Ermansons August 18, 2013 at 08:08:55


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