Another week of fishing is in the books and no doubt there are stories to tell.   The weather has finally turned for the nice and is allowing us to dry out.   Our lake level was going up to somewhat of a normal level but has now stabilized or maybe even dropped a couple of inches.  We should be ok if we get normal rainfall for the rest of the season.

In regards to the weekly fishing report it is always difficult for a lodge owner to judge overall what the weeks fishing quality was really like because it involves many fisherman's statements.  I have said this many times that while one person believes the fishing was unbelievably fantastic, another thinks it was average.  Which one is correct?  Everyone this week caught very good fish and the theme was that alot of fish are over "slot" size making them too big to keep.   I will always try to be as honest as I can so you get a very good idea as to what is happening on Perrault Lake and then you can make your own judgement when you arrive to fish with us.  The one thing we will say is that everyone should have a good time based on the fact that you are on vacation at Manotak Lodge and not at work.

The week of fishing was interesting for Walleyes as they started out the week very good and then became somewhat elusive during the middle of the day as the week went on.  We had our Mayfly hatch which we know contributes to the Walleye bite slowing down for a few days.  Early morning and evening were very good with our secret lure still working fantastic.  The great news is that the infamous Sandbar is kicking in big time and that is like music to my ears.  We are still catching Eyes in about 10-16 feet of water and live bait seems to be the best for catching numbers of fish.  Minnows, Leeches & Crawlers are all working with maybe Crawlers being slightly better during the middle of the day.  Minnows always work better early and late evening.  There is still some cranking going on for Walleyes but this seems to be best in early evening.  Wanted to mention about Merles 31 inch Walleye he caught in the middle of the day yesterday along with the other 33 Eyes him and his future son-in-law caught.  They believe the fishing this week was fantastic.    When Merle sends me the picture we will post it on our site.

Pike fishing was maybe average to slightly above average for the week.   There were some large fish caught but numbers were down slightly in my estimation.  Don't get me wrong, you can still catch quite a few Pike during the day but we have such fantastic fishing for the toothy critters that we get alittle bit spoiled.    The normal baits that you think will work for Pike are all working:   Rattle Traps, Mepps Spinners, Buzz baits, Spoons.  While casting in the preferred method most of the time, trolling can still produce alot of action.

Bass are in full swing now that they are done spawning.  Large Bass are still the norm as 16-18 inchers are common.   Leeches and crawlers are strarting to be the number one choice for Bass but the standard Tube or rubber tail type baits are still working.   Small cranks are also good such as fat raps and shad raps.  Topwater is still going strong and we hope this lasts as it is one of the best ways to make memories.   There is nothing like a big Bass boiling the water at your lure.  Everyone's heart starts pounding faster when this happens.

Muskie have slowed down from the previous few weeks but a few were caught this week.  All we need to do is ask Patrick from Chicago how the Muskie action is.  Patrick caught a 42 inch brute on light tackle while he was Walleye fishing.   Based on all of the stories from the other fishernan that were close by and could hear all of the excitement, it sounds like Patrick got alittle bit excited during the event.  Who wouldn't eh?

Perch fishing has been on the slow side for us.  We are picking up a few bigger ones in the 10-13 inch range but nothing in large numbers.  We thought the sunny days would really turn them on but they seem to have either gone deep or are gorging on Mayflies.  It has not been a big Mayfly hatch so Perch should get back to normal where lots of numbers can be caught.

On other news, our remote Walleye & Pike lake has really produced some phenomenal fishing this summer.  This can be some of the best fishing you will experience in your life so we hope all with give it a try while they are here at Manotak Lodge.  Our remote Musky lake is also seeing some good catches this week.   The Father & Son team of Rod & Art caught 3 Muskies yesterday in a short periond of time.   There are not many lakes that will produce 3  or more Muskies in one day so this lake is very special to us and we are very fortunate to have fishing rights to this lake.

We are still waiting for our pet Hen Mallard "Lunch" to show up with her young ducklings.  She has not been around for over a week so she should be showing off her new family very soon.   We really enjoy the comments on our blog from our guests and we hope it continues.   By all means share your stories or fishing experiences from your Manotak Lodge vacation.  If you have any questions I would be more than happy to try and answer them.

Thats all for now.  Off to the dock to shove off our "Crack of Noon" bunch for their day of fishing.

Dave @ Manotak