This last week brought out Summer's true colors..."red hot"! The lake has been busy with recreational traffic during the nice weekends but the fisherman haven't been slacking either! To start last weekend right, the In Towne hosted & provided live bait & jig rods for the Waconia Lion's Take a Kid Fishing Day. The children showed up bright and early, were treated to breakfast and sent out on the water with their guides. Around 40 children were in attendance, making the marina a happening place. They had a blast out fishing (and catching). When they were done the kids had lunch, & all were handed prizes & could take home their filleted Sunfish. It was a success to say the least. To see more about the event-check out the following site : Trophyencounters.com/Travs-fishing-update. Thanks Lions, volunteers & fellow donors that make this event possible for Waconia area kids, each year!
The fishing has been pretty good, with Bass and Sunfish the best producing species, lately.
The Bass have been excellent on the deeper weed edges. Find a weed edge on any reef or shoreline and you are sure to get into some Bass. The go-to tactic is fishing plastic worms with a bullet weight or a bass jig. Key in on areas from 10-16 feet, right in or on the edges of the weeds.
Judging by the success of the Take a Kid Fishing outing the Sunfishing has been great. You might need to sort, but they're worth the wait. Kegs reef was the top producer on top of the reef in 9-15 feet of water. You can either fish with a slip bobber or even toss out a flu-flu with a wax worm right over the side if the boat. Center reef in the same depth will work too. Remember to move if action is slow- predators in your area, may be affecting the bite.
Walleyes have been slower, but people are still finding some fish deep. The best approach is to use a LindyRig with a crawler or a large leech. The more productive areas are the south side of Kegs' Reef in 20ft or more of water and Red's reef in similar depths. The time to be on the water for Walleye, is under the cover of darkness.
We're joining other area Muskie anglers to urge each other to put down their muskie rods for a while longer while water temps are in the 80's. Extreme heat is especially rough on Muskies. They have a difficult time recovering from the fight in "hot" water conditions. It shouldn't be too long before the water temps return to the 70's.
This is a good time to get caught up on other multi-species angling. Catch & release anglers can save a few $$'s this year in license fees. The DNR now offers an annual Individual Conservation Fishing License for only $12 if you choose to release all your catch. Those out for a meal- don't forget to keep your bait in a cooler right now, and add fish as you catch them to an ice chest. They will be nice & firm when you get home to clean them-& safer and more delicious to eat!!
Any way you want to enjoy the lake- swimming, skiing, cruising or fishing- we hope to see you at the In Towne. Our business is making your trip here, a pleasure! Happy Summer Boating!
