Sunday, May 27, 2012

FISHING SEASON IS OPEN

The fishing season at Manotak Lodge has officially opened and we are catching fish.  The week started off with great weather and great fishing.  The weather turned cold as the week went on but the fishing stayed hot.   As we expected because of the warm weather this spring, the Walleyes were not in Ord River but out on the main lake.   We thought "Eyes" would be slightly deeper than usual because of the warmer water temps (as high as 61 degrees F surface) but we were still catching most in 6-14 feet of water.  We found some at 18-21 but the majority were at 10ish feet.  10ish must a word, google it.   Our secret weapon lure for Walleyes is proving to be exactly what we expected when we tried it this past Fall.  Two of our regular guests told me that they had days they believed to be some of the best fishing they can remember.  One has been here for over 35 years.   The other fisherman and good friend of mine Mark, had just a phenomenal last evening of fishing where he went through 4 dozen minnows in 3 hours and most of the Walleyes were 20-24 inches.  He asked me to go fishing with him that night but I made the mistake of working instead.   My loss for now but we will make it up in the Fall when Mark returns.  If you want to know what this secret lure is, email me at:  manotaklodge@gmail.com
Pike were also on a terror with a couple over 40 inches being caught.   The majority of Pike were in shallow depths chasing Walleyes, Perch and Bass.   Bass have come up shallow now which is slightly earlier than normal so Pike have a smorgasbord to choose from.   Spinners and Cranks are working but the majority of Pike have been caught on Suckers and Ciscos.   We have these live baits at the lodge and we can teach you how to fish this technique.  The season started with fisherman catching afew Bass and most were on the smaller side but as the week progressed, the size and quantity increased.    We believed that Bass would be spawning earlier than normal but we now have fairly cold weather so this might slow it down.  Perch have been quite active this first week.  We normally do not target Perch this time of year but they have been biting so guests are getting a bonus.  Muskie's have also been active with a 47 incher being caught on a minnow while the fisherman was Walleye fishing.  
As stated earlier, the weather has turned cold and rainy so we will see how the fishing goes the next few days.  We had planned on making our first video for the Manotak Lodge Weekly Fishing Report but we are in the final stages of some changes so stay tuned in the near future.  On a last note, I want to mention that many guests ask us if the water warms up enough to be able to swim at the dock during the season.  We always tell them yes that the water usually warms up in July & August to be able to swim comfortably.  Well, I need to change my usual answer now that Ken & Lenny have proven that swimming can take place in May.  Well, ok maybe they weren't really swimming.  It might be considered more like flopping & flayling in the water but none the less they gave it a go.   I will tell the stories when you arrive for your fishing trip here at Manotak Lodge.     One last comment, we have heard comments that our Live Webcams showing the lodge grounds and dock sometimes are slow to load.  We are sorry for this inconvenience and we are working on it but being in such a remote locations we know that we are pushing the boundaries of WI-FI.  Also, there are alot of people looking at the webcams so the server is being taxed extensively.   For the most part we know that guests are able to see them on a regular basis so we hope you enjoy the show
That is all for now.  Stay tuned for more.