Lake of the Woods South Shore Fishing Report 7-29-09

Sportsman’s Lodge
www.sportsmanslodges.com
800-862-8602

Fish O’ Plenty!

Had a chat with our longest running guide, Kit Beckel this week. Kit has been guiding on Lake of the Woods since 1960 and at Sportsman’s since the doors opened in 1971! He boasts fishing has been fantastic! Yesterday, he took a crew out at 8:00 am and they were in by 3:30 with a limit of walleye! The walleyes ranged in size from fourteen to nineteen inches. Check out the picture of this nice catch!  Kit said bait fishing with hammered gold spinners and tipped with a minnow worked perfectly. Fishing has been the best in nine to eighteen feet of water in the sand. The super walleye fishing continues on legendary Lake of the Woods.

Late May Fly Hatch

The May Fly hatch has finally hit this year. It doesn’t seem to be too bad and definitely has not sent the fish deeper yet.  This hatch normally occurs around the fourth of July, but due to the cooler than normal temperatures it just started.

What is a May Fly & What does the hatch mean to fishing?

A May Fly is a benthic (bottom dwelling) invertebrates, the fly starts out as a nymph that crawls along the bottom, hiding in debris and vegetation. Walleyes don’t only feed on fish, they also feed on the marble eyed may fly. To effectively catch walleye feeding on nymphs, anglers need to do use a few tricks or hire a guide learn to master the technique.

The Technique

First you need to use lures that imitate the nymph so you can trick the hungry walleye into feeding on your bait rather than the nymph. Second, the location, nymphs tend to be in bays and flats with a soft mud and silt bottom, mostly in shallow to soak up the sun. Third you need to match your jigging with the erratic movement of a nymph. Vertical jigging also works well and is done by thumping the jig in place to kick up debris. This technique can be very effective in enticing a walleye to you. Walleyes also tend to suck in nymphs so hits can be light, so be ready to set the hook!

What happens next?

Usually after the May Fly hatch the walleyes tend to move deeper and the trophy fishing season really starts to hit. So start pumping up your arms, throw out a few shads and let the fun begin!

Looking for Perch

Some like them some don’t, but they sure can be fun to catch, especially when your entertaining kids on the boat. The best way to find some nice perch is to anchor fish and hone in on a school of them. Keep in mind perch tend to school tight in a close circle so you need to get right on top of them reel in this sweet fish. The perch is unlike the walleye which tends to school in a larger area and can be easier to find.