Bill Lundeen
07-14-2005, 11:45 AM
Hi
It looks like “hot + bugs = walleye” again this week on Mille Lacs – good catches continue to come at an “above average for mid-July” pace. This is not to say that everyone is enjoying the “bite of a lifetime”, rather that most folks who put their time in are hitting some nice fish over the course of their trip. The first light and last light periods on the day have been the most productive. This is probably driven by the fact that only so many folks will stay out in the blistering mid-day heat, otherwise I’m sure we would see more mid-day fish as well. Look toward the mud flats (7-mile, Needle, Boot) for your best daytime bite. The Highway Bar also had some good daytime fish on it this week. Much of the bite has been on crawlers/spinners, although rainbows/spinners, leeches (fished slowly on a floating snell) and deep-running crankbaits have all produced fish too. Toward evening, guess what – stick with the same leech/slip bobber rig you’ve used all season so far and anchor-up on your favorite reef... this is still the most active hour and a half of the day. The smallmouth bite is ON, Northern action is spotty, muskies are starting to heat up.
Beginning July 15th and ending November 30, the release slot on Mille Lacs will be changed to “Release immediately all walleye 22.0 inches through 28.0 inches”. According to MDNR Fisheries Biologist Tom Jones, the harvest as of June 30, 2005 rests at 95,000 pounds of walleye. The next survey will be totaled with data up to July 15th – that number will be available in about a week. Measure carefully!
The weather for the weekend looks like this:
Friday: Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...then a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. South winds 5 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows 60 to 65. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs around 90. South winds 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows around 70.
Sunday and Sunday Night
Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. Lows around 65.
The first quarter moon is 7-14-05
Don’t forget to check out our weekly "Shop Special" at www.lundeens.com/shop.html before your visit!
Each year we experience a shortage of big leeches about now. While this doesn’t mean that there aren’t ANY, it does mean that the supply is tight. For the past several years, I’ve re-printed a piece explaining the process - I’m pasting that piece below:
"Now that mid-summer is upon us, I thought I would explain a little bit about the life cycle of leeches. The ribbon leech is thought to have a 2-year lifespan. Around the middle of July, the mature leech will go into a spawn cycle and drop a "pod." Not long after dropping the "pod", these leeches will die. Over time, this "pod" will produce a new, almost microscopic hatch of leeches. These new leeches grow for a short time and then are thought to go dormant over the winter months. In the spring, they emerge as a "panfish grade." As the summer goes on, they will usually grow to a "regular grade" and by fall, a few will even make a "light large." Once again, they will go dormant over the winter, and in the spring they will grow to a "large" or even "jumbo." Around mid-July, they will go into their spawn and the cycle starts over again. "What does this have to do with the price of tea in China," you ask? As the large and jumbo leeches die off after they spawn, we are left with a much smaller leech to take their place. The overall supply drops dramatically, and the price goes up. This time of year is upon us now. The current supply of big leeches will dwindle away and we can expect to see the changes very soon. We should always have a meager supply of decent leeches, but expect these to be sold by the dozen ONLY. Any 1/2 pounds or pounds will soon be limited to a "first year" leech."
Finally...
Three tomatoes are walking down the street—a poppa tomato, a momma tomato, and a little baby tomato. Baby tomato starts lagging behind. Poppa tomato gets angry and goes over to the baby tomato, smashes him on the head and says, "catch up!"
Have a great weekend,
Bill Lundeen
Lundeen's Tackle Castle
38752 Twilight Road
Onamia, MN 56359
320-532-3416
lundeens@lundeens.com
www.lundeens.com
© Copyright 2005, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved.
It looks like “hot + bugs = walleye” again this week on Mille Lacs – good catches continue to come at an “above average for mid-July” pace. This is not to say that everyone is enjoying the “bite of a lifetime”, rather that most folks who put their time in are hitting some nice fish over the course of their trip. The first light and last light periods on the day have been the most productive. This is probably driven by the fact that only so many folks will stay out in the blistering mid-day heat, otherwise I’m sure we would see more mid-day fish as well. Look toward the mud flats (7-mile, Needle, Boot) for your best daytime bite. The Highway Bar also had some good daytime fish on it this week. Much of the bite has been on crawlers/spinners, although rainbows/spinners, leeches (fished slowly on a floating snell) and deep-running crankbaits have all produced fish too. Toward evening, guess what – stick with the same leech/slip bobber rig you’ve used all season so far and anchor-up on your favorite reef... this is still the most active hour and a half of the day. The smallmouth bite is ON, Northern action is spotty, muskies are starting to heat up.
Beginning July 15th and ending November 30, the release slot on Mille Lacs will be changed to “Release immediately all walleye 22.0 inches through 28.0 inches”. According to MDNR Fisheries Biologist Tom Jones, the harvest as of June 30, 2005 rests at 95,000 pounds of walleye. The next survey will be totaled with data up to July 15th – that number will be available in about a week. Measure carefully!
The weather for the weekend looks like this:
Friday: Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning...then a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 90. South winds 5 mph shifting to the east in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening. Lows 60 to 65. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. Highs around 90. South winds 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows around 70.
Sunday and Sunday Night
Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. Lows around 65.
The first quarter moon is 7-14-05
Don’t forget to check out our weekly "Shop Special" at www.lundeens.com/shop.html before your visit!
Each year we experience a shortage of big leeches about now. While this doesn’t mean that there aren’t ANY, it does mean that the supply is tight. For the past several years, I’ve re-printed a piece explaining the process - I’m pasting that piece below:
"Now that mid-summer is upon us, I thought I would explain a little bit about the life cycle of leeches. The ribbon leech is thought to have a 2-year lifespan. Around the middle of July, the mature leech will go into a spawn cycle and drop a "pod." Not long after dropping the "pod", these leeches will die. Over time, this "pod" will produce a new, almost microscopic hatch of leeches. These new leeches grow for a short time and then are thought to go dormant over the winter months. In the spring, they emerge as a "panfish grade." As the summer goes on, they will usually grow to a "regular grade" and by fall, a few will even make a "light large." Once again, they will go dormant over the winter, and in the spring they will grow to a "large" or even "jumbo." Around mid-July, they will go into their spawn and the cycle starts over again. "What does this have to do with the price of tea in China," you ask? As the large and jumbo leeches die off after they spawn, we are left with a much smaller leech to take their place. The overall supply drops dramatically, and the price goes up. This time of year is upon us now. The current supply of big leeches will dwindle away and we can expect to see the changes very soon. We should always have a meager supply of decent leeches, but expect these to be sold by the dozen ONLY. Any 1/2 pounds or pounds will soon be limited to a "first year" leech."
Finally...
Three tomatoes are walking down the street—a poppa tomato, a momma tomato, and a little baby tomato. Baby tomato starts lagging behind. Poppa tomato gets angry and goes over to the baby tomato, smashes him on the head and says, "catch up!"
Have a great weekend,
Bill Lundeen
Lundeen's Tackle Castle
38752 Twilight Road
Onamia, MN 56359
320-532-3416
lundeens@lundeens.com
www.lundeens.com
© Copyright 2005, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved.