Lake Condition After Floods

[JCreek]

Hope all are well.  I haven't been on the lake in some time.  Back, knee, attitude, you name it.

But, got the boat ready last week!  New tires on the trailer, new oil, etc.  Found under the cover a broken bottom

half of the Minnkota top shell.  Shattered like glass from something.  Easy enough to fix (shipping was as much as the part).

So here we go - flooded.  Looks to be about twice coming in as they are letting out.  Anybody doing anything on the lake?

The forum has certainly been quiet.  Everybody go to Facebook or something?

 

J

[top_dollar]

I was there this past weekend.  It was up several feet with water way back into the bushes.  We were mostly down around Orleans trail and Crabtree cove and it was pretty clear still.  Mutton and Ruark had more stain saturday, but not muddy, might be worse now though.  

[waterpossum]

The lake is in excellent shape right now. At 875 it's 8' above normal. The best species to fish for at present are walleye and catfish bottom bouncing nightcrawlers. The white bass are surfacing in the last hour of the day in a lot of places. Day time bass fishing is probably best flipping the 100 miles of buckbrush. One other type of fishing which is seldom done is using a long pole with a pinch of worm and bream fishing shallow water. They are spawning now. Stockton has some really nice ones. 

[JCreek]

I remember as a youngster teaching myself to cast a fly rod from Western Auto.  Bluegill was about all I ever caught in ponds of that area.  Used to gut them and put 'em on a stick to roast over a small fire until the skin pulled off.  Tasted great.  No grease, salt or anything.  Still rather have one in a skillet as a crappie.

I didn't stick with the fly rod.  Some day need to revisit that.  I really need a hobby!

[bfishn]

1 hour ago, JCreek said:

I remember as a youngster teaching myself to cast a fly rod from Western Auto.  Bluegill was about all I ever caught in ponds of that area.  Used to gut them and put 'em on a stick to roast over a small fire until the skin pulled off.  Tasted great.  No grease, salt or anything.  Still rather have one in a skillet as a crappie.

I didn't stick with the fly rod.  Some day need to revisit that.  I really need a hobby!

Western Auto was where my childhood gear came from too. Purple Creme worm harnesses w/spinner & beads, Red & white Daredevil spoon (good for snagging snapping turtles) a small tin of Mustad hooks that rusted faster than you used them, a Hula Popper, and a floating Rapala. Zebco 202s on 5' 'glass rods. They worked.

And I'll second the whole, skin-on bluegill as one of the finest fish to eat. Get it right and the skin, flesh and bone practically sort themselves.

As close to fly rods I get are the pair of 8' 8wts I converted to spinning for slip-float duty. Work great for that, but unless I have at least a 1/2oz of terminal weight, I'd be lost. Now, wading around with a 15ft cane pole in the bushes is a different story.

 

[JCreek]

19 hours ago, bfishn said:

Western Auto was where my childhood gear came from too. Purple Creme worm harnesses w/spinner & beads, Red & white Daredevil spoon (good for snagging snapping turtles) a small tin of Mustad hooks that rusted faster than you used them, a Hula Popper, and a floating Rapala. Zebco 202s on 5' 'glass rods. They worked.

And I'll second the whole, skin-on bluegill as one of the finest fish to eat. Get it right and the skin, flesh and bone practically sort themselves.

As close to fly rods I get are the pair of 8' 8wts I converted to spinning for slip-float duty. Work great for that, but unless I have at least a 1/2oz of terminal weight, I'd be lost. Now, wading around with a 15ft cane pole in the bushes is a different story.

 

Those purple worm rigs caught bass in any pond I ever visited.  I pulled one out of the bottom of the tackle box on Pomme back in the 80's and got laughed outta the boat I was in.  Those two guys had never seen anything so goofy looking.  Jinxed me for life.

Still have Dad's Wizard tools, though.  Used the big sockets last week.