Tuesday, May 21, 2019

In Towne Marina Lake Waconia Fishing Report and Updated Summer Hours - 5/21/19

Our regular summer hours begin this Memorial Day Weekend! Starting this Saturday, 5/25 our bait shop will be open from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm every Saturday during the heart of the summer. Hours Sunday through Friday will begin this weekend too and are 7:30 am to 8:30 pm. Boat & Motor and Pontoon rentals begin Saturday as well! Call for reservations at (952) 442-2096. Our gas pump, with 91 octane, non-ethanol marine gas is fully going too! Gas service ends at 8 pm each night.

We currently have a great price on Regular/Medium Leeches (15 per container). Buy 2 containers for $5.00 (regularly $3.99 each)! Great for walleye, bass or panfish!

This spring has been a rollercoaster of weather with Mother Nature throwing curveballs at fishermen. Water temps had begun to climb into the 60’s and we were seeing panfish start to move into the shallows. With air temps drastically dropping recently, combined with high winds and rain, water temps are now back into the low 50’s with fish moving back out. Because of the extreme fluctuation, fishing has been inconsistent on the more dreary days. Even when it’s nice, you might have to adjust your fishing style or location following a cold/windy day. We hope to get out of this funk of cold wet weather soon and expect the bit to pick up when it gets more consistently nice.

So far, this spring there has been a very good crappie bite despite the odd weather. Many anglers have been finding them on the edge of Waconia Bay suspended off the bottom (as your bait drops) in 8 to 12 feet of water. The Clay Banks have been good as well. Sunfish have been mixed in too when it’s not cold and windy. Many have taken advantage of a strong catch-and-release bite for bass since the walleye opener. This Saturday the 25th is the official Bass Opener, allowing those of you hoping to keep a few to do so. Generally speaking, for a strong bass bite, stick to the shallows for the first week or two once we get some consistent weather and water temps warm back up. As for walleyes, the first week-and-a-half of the season has been good when the weather allows. Many have found good action working in typical spring locations such as the Carp Trap/Peterson’s Creek inlet on the NW side of the lake, the Clay Banks on the NE side, the Rock Dock on the west side and Harm’s Point. Best times have been at low light or dark. Expect weeds, specifically curly leaf pond weed, to continue to grow rapidly and change “fishability”. Many times normal weedlines that would be at 12 to 14 feet get extended out to 16 or 17 feet because of the curly leaf. That weed grows fast, but lays down later in June into early July and reverts the lake back to normal weedline depths for fishing. While fishing for all of the above, don’t be surprised to hook into a nice northern pike. They are expected to continue to be active as they were all winter. A friendly reminder…Muskie season begins Saturday, June 1st.

We look forward to nicer spring weather soon and hope to see you at the lake!