Last week saw storms rolling through the north, but we were fortunate that they didn’t hit hard at Makok. While we did get some rain, showers didn’t last more than a half hour at a time giving anglers plenty of time to dry off!

Air temperatures have remained in high-70s to mid-80s; while water temperatures have been sitting between 66 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. The water levels have slowly been dropping, with a 5ft decrease since May 18. Currently the entrance to “the cut” has only 1- 1.5 ft of water! Always make sure to engage your engine tilt tabs before you head out!

If you’re on the prowl for walleye, we’ve been having success trolling the shorelines and casting the river outlet on the east side of the lake.

Great news for those on the hunt for water wolves! We are seeing an increase of numbers being reeled in, with the largest being a Master Angler at 41.5”. Popular lures are continue to be jigs with either a single or double twister tail. Rapalas are starting to become a hit with the bigger pike in deeper water.

-Nick, Dockhand

Mim continues to produce good numbers and trophies of all three species of fish. Northerns are beginning to head to deeper locations as the water temperature creeps into the low 70s. Consider slow rolling spinnerbaits and cranking large lipped stick baits to get a little deeper. Brook trout are still spread out in the tributaries of the Albany and are ravenous on summer terrestrial patterns including grasshoppers, mice and bigger bugs. Walleye are consistently hitting jigs tipped with twister tails. Hot spots this past week are all related to moving water including Ferguson Bay, downstream of Mim Falls and the Walleye Mine. Congrats to Paul Johnson who released a Master Angler, 24” brook trout from the Freestone River this past week! A true fish of a lifetime!

The water has been slowly warming here in the channel and the fishing is still on fire. Guests have been specifically targeting walleye; however, there have been some noteworthy accidental pike caught and released! Anglers will have to adjust their techniques and fish locations as the water temperatures are creeping higher. Slow things down and hit the deeper holes. Big fish are a bit slower than last week; however, this is directly due to anglers having to adjust their patterns. Numbers of big fish are now rebounding back to spring-early summer numbers. Guests have told me how impressed they are with sheer numbers and size of fish being released a Mojikit!

-Bob

News from the Lodge:

Strikers saw consistent walleye action this past week with many bigger fish being released. Deeper holes around Bay of Pigs are a sure bet with many fish over the 20” mark being caught and the largest being a Master Angler fish taping out at 26”!!! Trophy northern pike in the 40 plus inch class are chewing to the delight of SPL guests! We have seen a rush of larger pike attacking stringer walleye as well, then turning onto lures which definitely makes the adrenaline pump! Larger lipped stick baits or jerkbaits running deeper will have you target fish that have gone deeper with the warming of the water.
– Dockhand, Matt

News from the guests:

The weather was fantastic – 70’s all week. Fishing was very good, everyone caught a tremendous amount of walleye, with over 100 on the first day alone. Evenings at points were great, with walleyes reeled in on every cast. Largest walleye measured to 25 inches (Robert Crane) and a number of walleyes in the 22 to 24-inch range. Kirsten’s largest was 24 inches. All of the larger walleye were caught in the channel of the Bay of Pigs.

A number of pike were caught in the mid 30 range with Tim catching a 40-inch pike at the back dock and Stuart reeling in a 36 incher. Pike were found in their normal hot spots, as marked on Wilderness North maps found in each cabin. Par and his group caught their big numbers of walleye, always catching enough for Par’s famous shore lunch. The wildlife viewing was top-notch. We took hundreds of pictures of eagles. On the same day we saw two Caribou mothers and their young standing on a large rock, very cool for sure. The camp has new motors and they are fantastic! Much lighter, faster and efficient – great new addition to the camp. Mosquitos were not so nice !!!

Water levels at Whitewater have dropped considerably over the past little while! Make sure that engine tilt tab is engaged and take it slow. You don’t want to meet any new rocks!!! Fishing on Whitewater is fantastic with many fish being released from the river inflow, both northern pike and walleye! Guests have been putting in their time and seeing great success with fish, of significant size in the deeper holes on the lake. Use your fish finders to locate those holes and mark the waypoint so you can return again and again.