We are now in the middle of the annual July heat wave and the “toothy and tasty” combo have gone back to school. We are seeing typical summer patterns emerge on the outpost lakes as the fish are schooling up in search of the cooler oxygen rich water. Dave of Cheyenne, Wyoming made his annual trip to Wilderness North and chose Zig Zag this time around. He was not disappointed (no shocker here) and found big schools of fish in the deeper water.
These are the types of things you will see throughout the summer in all lakes as walleyes will be in search of bait fish. The bait fish will be in search of the cold waters. And we all know who is lurking close by when you have bait fish and walleye together. I have spoken with several groups in recent weeks that have found fish schooled next to steep drop-offs during the heat of the afternoon, but they cannot get them to “turn-on.” We have found that these fish will move up into the shallow water (next to the drop-off) a few hours prior to dusk and feed. Typically, this time of the evening is a bit calmer and offers some great “kick-back” time. This is a great time to throw a slip bobber tipped with a nice fat-n-juicy leech and let them work their “wiggly” magic. Check out Chris Clemmons’ article on how to make slip bobbers work for you. Slip bobbers can be a very productive technique and may give you that little edge needed to win your “boat bet”. FYI: We here at Wilderness North do not in any way endorse “On the Water” gambling 😉
The Hilliard group that chose Ogoki #3 for their fly in adventure had another great trip hauling in 3 monster pike totaling 130 inches and a little over 85 pounds. Mark of Ramsey Minnesota, netted the largest big girl at 44 inches. Nathan landed a 43 inch, 28 pound beauty while Ryan tricked a 43 inch, 28 pound girl on a Mimic Minnow. This is the typical type of report from Ogoki as the monster pike are starting their mid season feed which should continue for the remainder of the season. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Have a great week and we will chat next week!
I look forward to hearing from you all soon! Send me an email.
…Joe Pichey
