August! Hopefully this August's weather will return to more summer like conditions and be a lot less eventful and stressful then this last month of Julys weather was for us. This past week's weather, the last week of July was no exception. Monday thru Thursday was a real meteorological potpourri of you name it, we got it! Monday we had a cold front go thru the region that kicked up the biggest winds of the summer so far. The waves over the lake were just plain unbelievable! Worst then they predicted. No one fished. Tuesday morning they were calling for wind and waves to subside and only be 1 to 3 footers. I greeted my party at five o clock in the morning in dismay to the flags still snapping and standing straight out. The docks were rocking badly and the boats were bouncing uncontrollably. It looked hopeless. Most others sent their trips home. I decided to put a hold on things and see what happened after day break. Still rough! Another weather delay later and finally, around 10am we decided to just go for it. Waves were about 4 foot still at that time. It took a little while to get out there but we killed the fish and it ended up being a fun day!
Wednesday looked to be uneventful. WRONG! After checking all my live Doppler weather feeds that I subscribe to on my big electronics, everything looked good to go so we went ahead and cast off at 4:30am in the darkness as we have been doing so all summer long. After splitting the gap and starting out into the lake we see some flashes of lighting! What! After checking again the live Doppler, I just couldn’t believe my eyes! A line of nasty looking pop up thunderstorms had blossomed right over our heads and out into the lake where we needed to go. And just that fast! Crap. Back to the dock we go and again we find ourselves in another weather delay. The storm continued to intensify and our decision to return was a good one. After a spectacular lighting show and lots of rain, things finally let up and the remnants of the storm moved slowly eastward and away from us. Again with a much later then anticipated departure time we headed out but the fishing Gods were very kind to us and rewarded us with 24 beautiful Walleyes in a fairly fast fashion.
Thursday rolls around and things just have to be less dramatic, right? Wrong again! We make the long ride all the way out there, get all of our lines in the water under a ominous line of big dark black clouds and just as daybreak is breaking and our first Walleye is coming in, I look up and see a water spout! And another one! And another, and another, and another! They were EVERYWHERE! You just got to be kidding me! Man, I’m starting to feel more like a storm chaser then a charter captain. It really was tense with all the water spouts bearing right down on us at times. At one point, I had everyone up under the hard top as one bore down on us from the rear and coming right up my stern. I had my second engine fired up already and pocket knife handy just in case I had to cut the lines in a frantic situation. At the very last second and like a miracle it dissipated and the funnel retreated back into the clouds quickly. Thank you God! This continued all morning long and all around us. And through the whole show, we were netting Walleyes just as fast as we could go. What a morning!
Friday, August the 1st arrives and once again for the weekend crowd, the weather is delightful. No gale winds. No lightning. No downpours and no water spouts. Just great weather and even greater fishing! It was ALMOST boring! Lol! So, fishing continues to be fabulous for us. We have been fishing most days somewhere between 10 and 15 miles out. Not horrible but not good either. Especially when the wind is smoking out of the south or any other direction for that matter. Just a long way to be out in the lake everyday. I’m still looking forward to some dog days of summer yet this season as well. The 3 H’s. You know. Hot, humid, and hazy. We really haven't had any of that yet this summer. Very unusual. I don’t think we’ve even had a single 90 degree or more day this season. Like I said, very odd. Maybe this month. Well that’s about it for another week. Happy August everyone! Storm chaser Capt. Walt, over and OUT!
Capt. Walt
* It is imperative to be setting lines with the very first hint of daylight. And with that said, I would like to have all of my upcoming trips that might be reading this report to take note and PLEASE be at the dock between 4:30 and 5:00am at the VERY latest. Fishing is the very best the first few hours of daylight and we DO NOT want to miss out on that opportunity! Also, please remember that there are no fishing license sales at the marina and that those must be secured else where ahead of time. Any questions, call me 216-387-2656
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