Bill Lundeen
07-27-2006, 04:33 PM
The
Weekend Outlook
7-27-2006
Hi
Most of the reports are coming from the early morning and late evening/nighttime this week - not necessarily because these folks are following the "hot bite", rather, they're trying to beat the heat! Other than a handful of dedicated muskie hunters, the lake is pretty barren during the middle of the day. There is still a typical late July/early August bite on the lake right now - a few fish here, a few there but usually enough to keep folks satisfied. Erickson's, Seguchie and Blue Jug have been some of the better mud flats, while the Highway Bar and the gravel just northwest of Spirit Island and 3 mile are good alternates. Crawlers or rainbows/spinners (pink, gold, blue) or leeches are the best. The smallmouth bite has been generally good, but it's not every reef/every day - Be persistent and don't be afraid to try the deeper water adjacent to the reef you're fishing... we're still taking smallies as deep as 12 feet! The muskie bite is crusing right along - lots of follows, a good number of hook-ups (for muskie fishin'). Vineland and the north end have been the most productive spots.
Yes, we still have big leeches!
The most current "numbers" are in for Mille Lacs - anglers have taken nearly 380,000 pounds of walleye since December 1st. This leaves +/- 120,000 pounds available until the end of November.
The weather for the weekend (from the National Weather Service) looks like this:
Friday: Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 93. South southwest wind between 3 and 6 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming east southeast between 8 and 11 mph.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Sunday: Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 94.
The first quarter moon is 8-2-06.
Don't forget to check out our weekly "shop special" at http://www.lundeens.com/shop.html.
Kit Nelson retired as head of Aitkin Fisheries on July 5th of this year, after 32 years with the Minnesota DNR. We wish Kit a long and happy retirement, and thank him for his fairness and friendship - we will miss him.
A couple weeks ago, I included a piece about the lifecycle of leeches in the Weekend Outlook. This week I'd like to address a couple points related to that piece:
1. Keep your leeches cool - placing them in one of these "livewell leech bags" is great when the water is in the 50's. Now that the surface temps (remember, that's where your livewell water comes from) are running in the mid 70's, YOU will kill them in a matter of minutes. The same goes for leaving them in your trunk while you stop for a burger - once they’re damaged, they won’t come back.
2. Buy what you need - some folks go long on their leeches and then try to hold the leftovers from week-to-week in the fridge. Again this is ok early in the year, but this time of year it's more likely that you will come back to a container of weak or dead bait.
3. Give them some room - the little cups that leeches often come in are not meant to be a permanent home for them, rather, a way for you to get them to a decent size container that holds a fair amount of water. Styrofoam buckets or Playmate-type coolers work best AND they help maintain cooler water temps for the leeches.
Try these tips and keep those leeches happy!
Finally, Ole is driving home, when he is pulled over by a patrolman for a broken blinker. The cop looks into Ole's car and sees a collection of knives in the backseat. "Sir," the cop says. "Why do you have all those knives?" "They're for my juggling act," Ole says. "I don't believe you," says the cop. "Prove it." So Ole gets out of his car and begins juggling the knives. At the same time, a car with Sven and Lars in it drives by. "Man," says Sven. "I'm glad I quit drinking. These new sobriety tests are hard!"
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 2006, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved
Weekend Outlook
7-27-2006
Hi
Most of the reports are coming from the early morning and late evening/nighttime this week - not necessarily because these folks are following the "hot bite", rather, they're trying to beat the heat! Other than a handful of dedicated muskie hunters, the lake is pretty barren during the middle of the day. There is still a typical late July/early August bite on the lake right now - a few fish here, a few there but usually enough to keep folks satisfied. Erickson's, Seguchie and Blue Jug have been some of the better mud flats, while the Highway Bar and the gravel just northwest of Spirit Island and 3 mile are good alternates. Crawlers or rainbows/spinners (pink, gold, blue) or leeches are the best. The smallmouth bite has been generally good, but it's not every reef/every day - Be persistent and don't be afraid to try the deeper water adjacent to the reef you're fishing... we're still taking smallies as deep as 12 feet! The muskie bite is crusing right along - lots of follows, a good number of hook-ups (for muskie fishin'). Vineland and the north end have been the most productive spots.
Yes, we still have big leeches!
The most current "numbers" are in for Mille Lacs - anglers have taken nearly 380,000 pounds of walleye since December 1st. This leaves +/- 120,000 pounds available until the end of November.
The weather for the weekend (from the National Weather Service) looks like this:
Friday: Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 93. South southwest wind between 3 and 6 mph.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming east southeast between 8 and 11 mph.
Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Sunday: Partly cloudy and hot, with a high near 94.
The first quarter moon is 8-2-06.
Don't forget to check out our weekly "shop special" at http://www.lundeens.com/shop.html.
Kit Nelson retired as head of Aitkin Fisheries on July 5th of this year, after 32 years with the Minnesota DNR. We wish Kit a long and happy retirement, and thank him for his fairness and friendship - we will miss him.
A couple weeks ago, I included a piece about the lifecycle of leeches in the Weekend Outlook. This week I'd like to address a couple points related to that piece:
1. Keep your leeches cool - placing them in one of these "livewell leech bags" is great when the water is in the 50's. Now that the surface temps (remember, that's where your livewell water comes from) are running in the mid 70's, YOU will kill them in a matter of minutes. The same goes for leaving them in your trunk while you stop for a burger - once they’re damaged, they won’t come back.
2. Buy what you need - some folks go long on their leeches and then try to hold the leftovers from week-to-week in the fridge. Again this is ok early in the year, but this time of year it's more likely that you will come back to a container of weak or dead bait.
3. Give them some room - the little cups that leeches often come in are not meant to be a permanent home for them, rather, a way for you to get them to a decent size container that holds a fair amount of water. Styrofoam buckets or Playmate-type coolers work best AND they help maintain cooler water temps for the leeches.
Try these tips and keep those leeches happy!
Finally, Ole is driving home, when he is pulled over by a patrolman for a broken blinker. The cop looks into Ole's car and sees a collection of knives in the backseat. "Sir," the cop says. "Why do you have all those knives?" "They're for my juggling act," Ole says. "I don't believe you," says the cop. "Prove it." So Ole gets out of his car and begins juggling the knives. At the same time, a car with Sven and Lars in it drives by. "Man," says Sven. "I'm glad I quit drinking. These new sobriety tests are hard!"
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 2006, Lundeen's Tackle Castle. All Rights Reserved