Kabetogama/Namakan Fishing Report 8/2/09
Once again our beautiful area showed some promise that Summer may make a showing, but it didn't happen.
Cool temps, 60 - 70's daytime and spring-like showers make themselves known each and every day.
Water temperatures remain spring-like in the mid to upper 60's. Compare lake temps now to last year's 78 degrees and you'll understand why successful anglers adjusted themselves to late spring techniques.
Slip-sinker rigs with a leech and a short Snell, 36" with a bead or two, was the most consistent presentation. On the occasional sunny day, night crawlers met up with some success.
Structured shorelines, reefs and sandbars fished at 22 to 28' with a slip-sinker rig worked consistently for walleyes.
Many anglers that preferred casting light jigs tipped with a minnow or leech in shallow water, shorelines or rock piles, also boated lots of fish both walleye and smallmouth bass.
Northern pike bite remains quiet with anglers reporting very hit and miss catches and no consistent presentation.
This week's weather offers a similar pattern to the previous week so I don't expect many pattern changes.
Some guides are suggesting using artificial lures trolled between15 - 18' on shorelines or deepen your presentations to 25 - 35' if sunny or a warm day.
We stock (at Gateway) the new Navionics 2009 revised chip that now features Namakan, Sand Point & Crane in high definition. Namakan is done in one foot increments to 20+ ft and then advances to 3 foot increments. The new chip has great definition.
See you soon!
Phil and Ellen Hart
Gateway General
Lake Kabetogama
(218)875-2121
www.gatewaygeneral.com
www.kabfishingreport.com