Fun Event on Lake Waconia!

A big thanks to Avtex , who brought 100's of employees to Waconia on Friday, 7/22. One of the lucky groups was bused to the In Towne Marina. About 80 lucky guests enjoyed fishing Lake Waconia out of our marina. Travis Frank of Trophy Encounters Guide Service, along with several other local guides he recruited, showed the Avtex group a good time on the water.

Our 4 Marina Rental Pontoons were also filled with groups touring the lake & having fun in the sun! Island View Country Club hosted a coinciding golf group while more were bused to visit the Arboretum. All joined together at 1pm for lunch at Waconia s' Regional Park & Event Center- & also to share games at the beach & grounds ! What a great business - and lucky workers! Thank you especially to Keith Rachey, Waconia resident & Avtex exec, for introducing your company and employees to Waconia for their fun day!

End July 2011 Waconia Fishing Report

As July 2011 wraps up, this month will be remembered for weather extremes! Changing strong winds, heavy rain, temperature & humidity spikes kept us watchful while on or in the water!

This past week it either felt like or was 100 for a few days!

High temps can be good and bad for fishing- some species get much more aggressive- making for great fun. However, if you intend to catch & release- take extra care not to overtire fish before releasing. Heat makes it tough for fish to recover from battling your hook. Live bait & fish kept for a meal, will stay more lively & fresh if kept in a cooler or on ice, rather than on a stringer or in a live well. Keep fish & bait cool, & the fish will stay firm, fresh & safe to eat. Also, bait kept cool [we share refrigerated water for FREE] won't have to be disposed of if it's NOT held in lake-water [new exotics law]. Drag out the old Coleman cooler for hot days, you'll win all the way around!

Bass

These fish have been the go-to fish for a few weeks now! Their numbers have been excellent this year. Guys are finding them in all types of terrain, such as reefs shallows and break-lines. To start the day, grab a top water bait -throw it in the shallow shorelines or move to

Cemetery, Reds or Center Reefs to try a spinner-bait or a jig and a leech.

Sunfish

Sunfish are as active as ever, if you don't mind waiting to find the ones to keep & release the young for future outings. Those finding sizable fish to stay in the boat, locate them in weed pockets near or on reefs, in 12-15 feet of water. Most productive reefs have been Center, North, and Kegs. This week those using a small jig tipped with a small leech or wax worm, had luck.

It's good to finally complain about "hot" weather- it seemed like it would never arrive! There's lots of Summer left, and fun to be had! Hope you come here to enjoy it!

See you here, on beautiful Lake Waconia!

The Mase Family & Staff,

In Towne Marina

Slip & Buoy Customer Appreciation Day 2011

Saturday, July 16th we enjoyed gathering with our slip and buoy members and their families to thank them for choosing to share their boating summer with us at the In Towne Marina. It turned out to be a great, albeit hot day for the festivities. We started the day with a "laid back" small fishing contest for them. The winning bass was a 3 lb 8 oz. lunker caught by young Haileigh Norling (see photo), representing the Wong family. Jon Ragnow was the winner in the Crappie portion by catching a 5-ouncer. The Wellhausen family had a hoot watching their granddaughter Dyllan catch the winning sunfish that weighed near 4 oz. Marina Gift Certificates were awarded in all 3 categories.

After the contest, we provided lunch for all attending, as members listened for their name to be drawn to win one of over $600 total value in FREE drawing prizes. There were lots of smiles, especially on the faces of the kids when their name was called. Every child received something! The Grand Prize ticket ($100 Gift Certificate) was awarded to sailors Dave and Jane Shaw (see photo).

All in all, we couldn't have been happier with the turnout and the day. Thanks to those who could join us and also those who couldn't make it. We can't thank you enough for the opportunity to do business with you. We are blessed to say, ALL our marina customers are the BEST! Slip and buoy members help make it possible for our family to continue serving all lake users. Thanks for partying with us! See you at the lake!

July 6th Fishing Report

Summer is finally here! We want to thank everyone who celebrated Independence Day weekend with us! It was an enjoyable and problem-free weekend, with a spectacular fireworks show as always on the 4th. Special thanks to the Waconia Lions Club for their great work putting on the show, as well as the Waconia Chamber of Commerce and the many who donated to the effort.

The last few days have been great for boaters of all kinds. Water temps are in the mid to high 70's, which makes for excellent water sports and summer pattern fishing.

Panfish

If you're just looking to keep busy, smaller sunfish will always be hanging out by most docks in swallow water. Now that the spawn is mostly over out here on Waconia, we need to start thinking deeper water. Sunfish will hide themselves in the weeds on the reefs such as Center and Keg's. If you find a weed line and drop down a small jig and a wax worm, or a small chunk of angleworm you'll have a good chance to find a few nice sunfish.

Bass

Since there is a lot mid lake structure there are a lot of areas for the big bass to take cover. Cemetery and Red's seem to be producing the most fish off the points and where you can find a few rocks. Bright spinner-baits and lip-less crankbaits have been the most popular choice while a Texas-rig worm wouldn't be a bad try. The most popular live bait continues to be large or jumbo leeches.

Walleye

Water temps are rising which sends the walleyes deeper. Like every year Keg's is a great spot to hit every night with a jig and a leech or a jig and a minnow. Most reports are coming from 14-16 feet of water on the edges of the reefs.

It looks like the forecasters are predicting continued "Summer-like" weather and temperatures in the low to mid 80's for the next week. Take advantage of this great weather and join us on Lake Waconia for continued boating fun and fishing!

June 26th Fishing Report

The weather hasn't been what we have been hoping for this summer yet, but it's been favorable for good fishing. We have been seeing a variety of species being caught on a regular basis, with sunfish and bass biting best most recently.

Panfish

The sunfish are still trying to spawn in the shallows within the pencil reeds and bulrushes. Wax-worms and angleworms have been the go to bait on beetle spins, while jigs with small crappie minnows have been producing larger sunfish and some crappies.

Bass

Many reports that have been coming off of the lake are that the bass numbers are great. If you're looking for numbers, guys have been working the shallows with plastic worms or top water baits on calm days. If the lunkers are more your style, deeper water is the place to be. Try to find points off of reefs such as red's and cemetery with jigs, deeper crankbaits, or a bobber with a leech, fathead or a small sucker minnow.

Walleye

Low light periods during the early morning and evenings have been a huge factor in producing fish. We are starting to see some smaller walleyes off most reefs, with the best bites being on Keg's, North, and Stone Reefs. Keepers (16" and over) are also being caught as well. The preferred bait is a jumbo leech and a jig while working a weed edge in 12 to 14 feet of water.

Muskie/Pike

We have not seen the numbers of Muskies we are used to, but guys are still catching a few out there. Some of the successful fishermen have been using cowgirls and bulldawgs off center and Pillsbury reef. The pike reports have been up from past years, where guys are finding them on red's, cemetery and the break-line on the south shoreline. Both species, being the predators they are, have also been spotted in the shallows preying on smaller fish that are spawning.

If your wanting to get out on the lake, but don't own a boat, remember we have boats and pontoons to rent. Just give us a call or stop in to reserve a time that works for you and we will have the boat ready to go when you get here. Hope to see you out here!!!

Don't forget, the Lake Waconia Fireworks Festival presented by the Waconia Chamber of Commerce and Waconia Lions, is coming up on the 4th of July. Join us here for some of the best viewing on the lake!

Mid-June Fishing Report

After the excessive heat for a few days last week and a drop in temperature soon after, we have finally found ourselves in a fairly consistent weather pattern. And a consistent weather pattern means consistent fishing.

The sunfish are easy to find as they are in the shallow waters preparing to spawn. Within the last few days the females have been shallow and are full of eggs. You can also find some big males in shallow ready to take over the beds as soon as the females are spawned out. Areas to find them are along the west and northwest shoreline in and around the pencil reeds and also along the south shoreline. The preferred bait is wax worms, crawlers, or leeches. If live bait isn't your thing then some Berkely Gulp or a beetle spin will work wonders as well. Crappies have moved out deeper but are still catch-able. Try to find a solid weedline on a reef and that is where the crappies will be hanging out.

Walleyes have started to head out to their summer areas now that the water has warmed up. Their preferred meal is a jig and a minnow, jig and a leech, or a Lindy rig with a leech. Low light around dawn and dusk have been the key times in catching walleyes. A lot of the walleye fisherman have been fishing the reefs; including Kegs, North, and Andersons along the weedlines in 14-18 feet of water.

The first two weeks of the muskie season has been a challenge for most anglers. The fish haven't been as active as they usually are this time of year. There have been a few reports of guys catching a muskie or two around the moon phases and low light hours. A bucktail or large plastics have been working the best.

Bass fisherman have been having very good luck catching fish. You can find some up shallow in the pencil reeds and along the docks around Harm's Point. If you like fishing deeper water for them try throwing a jig or a worm along the weeds out on Cemetary, Center, or North Reef.

Fishing Report 6-12-11

Now with all fishing seasons open for Lake Waconia, it's time to update everyone on the bite. With the funny weather patterns we have be noticing, where temps would reach 100+ degrees one day then fall to a high of 65 the next, the water temps have been fluctuating between low 60's and mid 70's in different parts of the lake.

Walleye

Early in the season the walleye fishermen were encountering big walleyes on a nightly basis. Lately the bite has slowed, but anglers are finding the walleyes on the corners of the island, as well as the mid-lake reefs such as Keg's and North. We're still waiting to see the variety of walleye sizes being caught. It seems when you get one, it almost always is at least 18 inches, with fewer young fish being caught. Don't forget that walleyes must be at least 16" to keep on Waconia, with one over 20" being allowed.

Sunfish

Sunfish are attempting to get into their spawning routine and are being found in shallow water. Most guys are catching sunfish in the area that they would make their beds. The females (which have huge bellies full of eggs right now) should be moving in, in a few days. The preferred bait is anything that can fit into a sunfishes mouth, such as angleworms or wax-worms on a small jig, beetle spin, or a small fly. The crappies have for the most part moved off their beds and into deeper water but some are still being sighted in the reeds on the northwest shoreline.

Bass

With the water temps doing what they have been doing the Bass have been working the shallows around their spawning areas. They are hitting all your typical bass lures like plastic worms, spinnerbaits, but there is nothing wrong with throwing a leech out on a jig with a bobber. Those targeting big bass have had more success fishing reefs like Center, Pillsbury or North.

If you are looking to get on the water, but don't have a boat, don't forget we rent Fishing Boats with Motors, as well as Pontoons. Check out our "Pontoon & Boat Rental" page for rates and descriptions.

We hope to see you on the lake!