|
|
Fishing - A Northern Minnesota Tradition
Date: July 26, 2010
The muskies have been moving. The weather has cooperated and the warm water temps have cranked them up in a big way. July last year saw water temps hovering in the 64 to 67 degree range, however this year, we're back to normal summer weather patterns and water temps.
In the last ten days, I've had several multiple fish days and most outings have resulted in at least one muskie. Many of my fish are coming off of deep weed edges, with some coming from inside edges as well as in the slop. The weed fish are definitely keying on points and inside turns in the weed lines.
Northland BTS 10's have turned the trick most of the time, however some days burning and bulging the smaller BTS 8 has been more effective. Grinding a Booty Call spinnerbait has also gotten a few reluctant followers to eat. Several muskies have fallen for slow moving topwaters and jointed cranks as well.
Rockpiles, islands, points, saddles, and deep water humps are all holding muskies. In other words, all the standard summer baits and locations are working right now. One thing I've noticed this season, is the number of fish that are hitting boatside. The best advice I can give is to sweep your rod into at least an L as your bait comes boatside.
Several 'skies have been following the bait low and slow and then closed the gap and hit as the bait approached the boat. Keep your eyes open and hang on! At night, it's a good idea to circle or figure-8 after every cast. You may get less casts in overall, but catching one or two fish an evening boatside is a worthwhile trade in my book.
Surface water temps are running 73 to 76 degrees. As water temps continue to become more tepid, fish mortality becomes a real issue. I always use the analogy - Run around the block 3 times, then have someone hold your head under the water. How long can you hold your breath? It's the same principle with a muskie that's just battled hard. Keep that fish out of the water too long and its dead. It may swim away, but it's a dead fish swimming...
When you land a muskie, KEEP IT IN THE NET, IN THE WATER! Extricate the hooks from the fish in the net. If you feel the need to measure the muskie, do it with a floating stick in the water. If you want to take a picture, ready the camera, THEN take the fish out of the net, hold it securely (no fingers in the gills), and snap a couple quick pics. There's no reason for that fish to be out of the water any longer than 30 seconds!
Summer brings out the people on Vermilion. With the beautiful weather, comes increased boating traffic. Back when I started fishing muskies, it was rare to see another boat more than an hour into darkness. We had the night bite to ourselves. These days it's a different story, with boats running around all night. Keep your eyes open and don't be staring at your gps. Make sure to use bow and stern running lights!
The other night, I was almost t-boned by a boat just after dark. I had both lights on and heard the boat approaching. As it got closer, I flicked my headlamp on and off, when this didn't deter him from his collision course, I let out a yell at the top of my lungs. Only then did he pull back the throttle, a couple seconds from impact. That was way too close!
We're enjoying a real summer again this year and the muskies are cooperating. Vermilion has been a fun place to be of late, and I'm looking for the good fishing to continue. Have a fun and safe time on the water. Catch a piggy and let it go, let all the muskies go!
Paul
|
This report, along with those of other guides, can be found
on the
LakeVermilion.com web site.
pauljpollock@yahoo.com
Home Page
Your Guide
Testimonials
Rates
Services
Fishing Report
Photos
Sponsors & Links
|
|
