Here it is the middle of July and it seems like summer is just getting started. I haven’t quite shifted into panic mode yet but it seems that after the 4th of July passes the summer season seems to speed up and many of the things that I had wanted to get done are still in the planning stages. I know for a fact I haven’t gotten up to the cabin as much as I’d like, but then there are just some things that I can’t seem to get enough of.
Once we pass the middle of July we head into what some may call the “dog days” which are usually associated with August. Over the years there have been a few old wives tales concerning the dog days of August. One such tale says that the northern lose their teeth in late summer which is supposed to explain why they seem harder to catch at that time. There is no scientific data to support this claim, but in more likelihood the fact is that the larger ones seek deeper colder water while the smaller ones remain along weed lines. One thing that is a given when it comes to fishermen is they can always come up with an excuse. Personally, I feel the challenge of finding the fish is really what makes fishing fun.
Whatever you believe, the bottom line is the fish are there to be caught if you can locate them. Over the years I have caught northern trolling deep running lures over 20-plus feet of water and I’ve caught August walleyes fishing open pockets in shallow weed beds. I believe each lake has its own particular pattern and that pattern can change not only from year-to-year but day-to-day. I have fished Spider Lake for many years and each year I find the fish may not be in the same place at the exact same time as the year before.
Each year on my first visit to that lake I would be thinking walleye first and at times I would be successful and other times not so much. The down part for me of seeking out the wily walleye is I tend to spend way too much time trying to find the hungry ones and waste valuable fishing time in the process. Spider in particular has some very good crappie fishing and when you get into a school of those hungry slabs there is no better table fare to be had.
I grew up fishing panfish with a simple hook, sinker and a bobber tipped with a minnow or a worm. Over the years I have gotten away from that method and have been using light tackle with a jig and a twister. I don’t feel that there is a better way to fish than tossing light tackle and when a fish hits it I always get tingle of excitement no matter what the fish. My favorite jig is a 3/32 oz. jig with a Northland swirltail twister. My favorite jig color is pink and the plastic color may vary from day to day and lake to lake but I do prefer the white speckled one.
Fishing kind of reminds me of hockey because both sports allow the participant to be creative. Over the years I’ve seen fishermen come up with some pretty bizarre lure combinations and thought to myself “this surely won’t work” only to have that person out fish me. I eventually learned that you’re better off not offering too much “free advice” to a fellow fisherman.
I would take my grandson Trevor fishing a lot when he was small and I like to think he learned a little bit about fishing from old grandpa. He wasn’t very old before I realized that he was going to be a very good fisherman as he was always changing it up and trying different things. When we were trolling he was never satisfied waiting for that big strike; he would be in the front of the boat casting while I dragged my lure behind the boat doing the anticipating. It seems that there isn’t a week that goes by when he isn’t texting me a picture of a big fish that he has caught and released on one of our area lakes. One day it could be a 28-inch walleye and the next a 34-inch northern and he has also caught some very nice bass.
I do believe that the one important thing that he may have learned from me about fishing is to not be one dimensional; change it up! I really think its Trevor’s turn to take grandpa fishing and show him a few of HIS secrets for putting fish in the boat.
Fishing report:
Albert Lea - Anglers are pulling some good-sized northern pike from Fountain Lake. Panfish have been active in lakes throughout the area. But the big news has been the number of large walleyes coming from the Edgewater Park, Island, and "The Mermaid" areas of Fountain Lake.
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Until next time, take a little time to relax and enjoy a little fishing and watch a bobber as it bounces lazily in the breeze; what a great way to experience the outdoors.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.