The summer heat hasn’t kept the fish from biting on Lake Waconia! While July can often be pleasure-boating season, many anglers continue to have success with a variety of species. Water temperatures have been in the low-to-mid 80’s since the humid, heat wave earlier in July. Sometimes temps that high can mean a quieter period of fishing, but not this July. Sunfish are still the best bet for those looking to bring some fish home for the fry pan. Crappies too have continued to be good. Both of those have been found in a variety of locations, generally along the weeds or weed edges in 12 to 16 feet of water, with crappies occasionally being suspended in deeper water over 20 feet as well. Anglers have had reasonable success with walleyes of late too, mostly late evening into the night! Fishing off the weeds in 14 to 20 feet of water in locations like Keg’s, North and Red’s Reefs has worked for many, with the bait of choice usually being fatheads or leeches. Expect a mix of sizes, as many are below the Waconia length regulation of 16 inches, but enough keepers over 16 have been biting to keep people coming back. We’ve also had some big ones reported in the 24 to 28 inch range that have been caught, a picture taken and released! As for bass, it’s that time of year where shallow, sloppy conditions are great for topwater action! What’s more fun than watching your bait get exploded on the surface by a largemouth? Not much I’d say! For those wanting to fish a little deeper, try areas like Pillsbury Reef, Center Reef, North Reef and Cemetery Reef and work in the weeds or just off the weeds before the depth drops off. Northern pike have been caught in many of the locations mentioned above as well. We’ve had limited muskie reports of late, but have heard of some near catches.
We are over the halfway point of our fishing boat & motor and pontoon rental season. There are still several more weeks left to get onto the water by renting one of our 4 pontoons or 3 fishing boats. Take advantage of the 14-day forecast with nicer weather predicted and give us a call at (952) 442-2096 to reserve! Here is a link for all of our pontoon and fishing boat & motor rentals we offer … https://intownemarina.com/Pontoon&BoatRental.htm
We had our yearly celebration last Sunday, July 21st to thank the many families who chose our marina to keep their boat in either a slip or a mooring buoy! Over 120 people were here and enjoyed getting together for a buffet lunch, many drawing prizes and a quick informal fishing contest. There were some impressive fish caught this year in a short period of time! The winner of the Gamefish division, Eric Bressler, caught a 4 pound 14 oz. northern pike. The winner of the Panfish division was Audrey Bauer who had a near 6 ounce sunfish. Our Grand Drawing Prize winner was the Feller family who won a nice $100 gift certificate to the marina!
One other local note of importance to report; earlier in the week Carver County had a ground-breaking ceremony to kick-off the improvements to the Lake Waconia Regional Park and the Coney Island extension of the park. Unfortunately, with the immense undertaking needed to get the project going, the park will be closed starting August 1st while heavy equipment is brought in. The portion of the project that includes Coney Island is going well, as trees, brush and other vegetation has been removed, getting it prepped for the creation of the trail system on the island which is all part of Phase I of the development. There has been continued archeological work done recently as well. Keep in mind, Coney Island remains off limit to the public, and is posted as No Trespassing. We all look forward to the completion of these projects as they will greatly improve the usability of the lake and park many of us love! To read more about the project, click on this link…
https://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/public-works/parks-recreation/parks-trails/lake-waconia-regional-park/coney-island-project
We’ll see you at the lake!
