Water levels receding, fish being caught in all depths
juil. 31, 2010
We have been experiencing some of the nicest weather we have seen in a while here at Aikens. Weather has been 75-80 for the past month, and the winds have been really light. The rain we have had is certainly intense, but it is limited to small pockets that move in and out in less than 30 minutes (mostly in the middle of the night)... then it's back to clear skies! It is a stark contrast to last summer's drizzly grip. This summer has been wonderful so far!
Despite starting off the year with really low water, it has since crept up for all of May and June. It finally seems to have peaked here in late July. That is a good thing because the water was licking the bottom of the dock planks just last week! The good news is that it has crested and is now back down about 4" under the dock. We are hoping that it drops quickly so we can complete our dock project at GGO this September. The water temps have been very high and are mainly in the low 70's. The thermocline is very deep (over 30'?) as we measured 57 degrees at a 25 foot depth the other day!
The high water of late has opened up more areas for our great walleye population to spread out. We are still catching walleyes in traditional spots, such as the Mouth of the River, Saddle, MOFN Reef. These pods of 'eyes are hanging out in varying depths, with each spot having it's own unique "magic depth". Fish at the Mouth are in 24-26 feet... on MOFN they are in 28-31 feet, and at Red Rock they are in only 16 feet of water! Other non-traditional spots are also holding walleyes right now. As you read about last week, there are some huge walleyes sitting the shallow bay around GGO. This has made for some interesting fishing during shorelunches as there was another 28" caught from the dock yesterday while the morning's catch was frying in the pans! Another fun bite has been to cast and troll rocky shorelines (4-12 feet) with shallow crankbaits. This has proved successful on the lake-side of Bear Island, at Toad's Hole, and around the Three Sisters.
Yesterday we landed 5 Master Angler fish - and all were in different depths! 42" pike at the Honeyhole. Trophy walleyes at the Mouth, Red Rock, Wet Rock, and the one at GGO. They ranged from 6 feet to 30 feet! Our inaugural Century Club campaign has been a very big success as well. The idea of the Century Club has been quickly adopted and adored by our guests! People love gunning for that 100" of walleyes every day... and if they get stuck at 98 or 99", it just makes them hungrier for it the following day! The Century Club has been moving at about the same pace as the Master Angler list with one or two anglers a day earning that distinction. It is certainly a program that has legs and will continue to grow and blossom in future years. With less than 7 weeks left in our season, time is running out for you to make it onto the website with either your Master Angler or Century Club designation!