2006 Fishing Diary

 Week of May 21st - 27th:

Duck Bay Lodge is now open and fishing season is underway. With the early spring, everything is green and the weather is unseasonably nice. The last few days have been in the high 60's and low 70's, although the evenings are still cooling down and require a jacket. By the end of the week we had a day of much-needed rain.

Our first guests of the season have had great fishing for all species - walleye, northern, smallmouth bass and crappie. Guests Jace and Tom McDonald (Middleton, WI) caught over 100 fish during their 4 day stay. The guides are reporting that they are having a lot of action; their guests are catching 25 - 45 northerns each day. Some of the other nice catches were:

Mike Schneider (Downers Grove, IL), a 40' muskie while bass and northern fishing
Mike Kren (New Berlin, WI), two 28' northern and in the evening, a 12' bass off the dock
Kevin Klein (East Troy, WI), a 3 1/2 - 4 pound bass and a 26 1/2' northern.

From the John Klingenmeier/Michiana Insurance group, some of the nice catches are listed below. Some of the group, along with Duck Bay guide Dan Furyk, saw a bear, moose and deer all in the same day -a very rare occurrance!

Pat Gondeck (Michigan City, IN) a 12 lb. 29' walleye; as well, a 20' walleye, 26 1/2' and 25 1/2' northerns
Sean Mitchell (Michigan City, IN), 27' and 25 1/2' northerns
Tom Hunt (LaPorte, IN), a 24 1/2' walleye
Al Kepler (Michigan City, IN), 33' and 26 1/2' northerns
Rich Newenhouse (Michigan City, IN), two 26' walleyes
Rob Carlson (Chesterton, IN), a 39' northern
Michael Laingren (Valparaiso, IN), a 17' largemouth bass
Jeff Peckat (LaPorte, IN), a 26' walleye
John Klingenmeier (LaPorte, IN), 45' and 25' muskies.

Week of May 28th - June 3rd:

The week starts out with hot weather in the high 80's but then dropped to the 70's for the rest of the week. Perfect days with a mix of sun and cloud, but just a bit too much wind.

The water temperature on the lake is 65 degrees and in shallow bays is 74 degrees. Northerns are being caught in the shallow bays on spoons and spinnerbaits; five of diamonds is working well. The hot colours right now are orange lures, and lures with gold blades. Walleyes are being caught at about 25 feet and are starting to move to the reefs.

Some of this week's biggest catches are:

Michelle Corr, a 12 year old beginner fisherman from Oak Forest, IL, got a 46' muskie right up to the boat. On other days she caught 3 northerns, all around 23', a 21 1/2' walleye and a 15 1/2' bass.

Laura Corr (Oak Forest, IL), a 27' northern and a 22' walleye
Les Kren (New Berlin, WI), a 25' northern
Mike Kren (New Berlin, WI0, a 14' bass
Mary Jo Koch (Mequon, WI), two 29', a 27' and a 25' northern. As well, 21' and 18' walleyes. One afternoon they pulled into a quiet bay and Mary Jo caught 15 northerns.
Mike Schneider (Downers Grove, IL) and Kevin Klein (East Troy, WI), 27', 26' and 24' northerns
Ron Johnson (Summerfield, FL), a 26' walleye
Caroline Johnson (Summerfield, FL), a 26' northern and a 24' walleye.

And from the Strand/Olson group, Stephen Olson (St. Joseph, MN) caught a 37' muskie, Anders Olson (Des Moines, IA) caught a 33' muskie, 32' muskie and a 33' northern and Gary Olson (Mitchellville, IA) caught a 38' muskie, winning the 'biggest fish of the trip' award. On the last morning, Gary, Anders and Larry Olson fished Stoney Portage for a few hours and caught 25 - 30 good sized northerns.

Wayne and Mary Jo Koch (Mequon, WI), with guide Sean Humphries, limited out on walleye by 9:30 one morning. Then on the day they fished for perch, they caught over 35.

Week of June 4th - 10th:

Again the week starts out with temperatures in the low 80's during the day. By the end of the week, daytime temperatures are in the 60's. Evenings and overnight is cooling to the low-to-mid 50's, so is perfect weather for sleeping. It has also been a fairly windy week.

Fishing is extremely active. All of our guests are reporting that walleyes and northerns are being caught in large quantities. They say they are getting LOTS of fishing action, just not really large fish.

Some of the nice catches of the week are:
John Geshkewich (Wilmette, IL) and Jack Matkey (Valparaiso, IN), caught over 50 walleyes in one morning with guide Rob Fathers
Penny and John Lohmiller (Crosslake, MN), caught 25 - 30 walleyes on their first morning with guide Sean. On their last day of fishing they caught 47 walleyes, 11 perch and 1 northern, including a walleye which came with a souvenir - a brand new gold jig stuck in it's upper lip
Ben Mammina (Downers Grove, IL), a 26' northern
Brock Bobbitt (Naperville, IL), on the first day of his first fishing trip ever, he caught a 22 1/2' walleye, 24 1/2' northern, 14' smallmouth bass and a 12' perch. On his second day, a 21' walleye, 28' and 34' northerns.
the Schepp Family (3 generations fishing together, all from Wisconsin) boated approximately 45 walleyes and northerns on their first day of fishing
Jack Matkey (Valparaiso, IN), a 19' walleye
Mick DiSanto (Naperville, IL), a 17 1/2' smallmouth. Along with friend Ben Mammina, also caught 30+ smallmouth bass in one day.

From our corporate client Manitowoc CraneCARE (Manitowoc, WI):
Bruce Buchan (Kohler, WI), two 22' walleyes and a 29' northern
Ron Schumacher (Prairieville, LA), a 25' walleye and a 27' northern on his first day. On his second day, Ron caught over 15 northerns
Steve Lohr (Sheboygan Falls, WI), a 25' northern, one of over 40 northerns caught in the afternoon by Steve, Dave Pech and guide Sean Humphries. On the second day, Steve was with guide Robin Holden and they caught over 50 walleyes, including a 21'
Larry Weyers (Two Rivers, WI), a 33' northern, 22' walleye and a 17' bass
Gene Owens (Watsonville, CA), an 18' walleye
Bryan Carlisle (Union, KY), a 16' bass.

Week of June 11th - 17th:

The week brings days in the 70's and low 80's. Overnight temperatures are in the mid-50's. The windy conditions have finally stopped. Fishing is staying very active for all species.

Some of this week's nice catches are:
George Tesch (Olivia, MN), a 27' walleye, one of the 50 - 60 walleyes the Tesch/Molony families caught in one day
Brock Bobbitt (Naperville, IL), a 22 1/2' walleye and a 14' smallmouth bass
Helen Mennis (Staples, MN), a 45 - 50' muskie that broke her fishing rod in half
Mark Bernhard (Naperville, IL), a 22' northern
Rob Robinson (Downers Grove, IL), a 26' walleye and a 26' northern
Julia Molony (Neenah, MN), 20 walleyes in one day
Ryan Burt (Janesville, WI), a 28 1/2' walleye; just one of the 50 - 60 walleyes caught by Ryan, his father John and cousin Jon Burt-Olson with guide Bryan
Tracey Mehlhouse (New Ulm, MN), a 20' walleye
Tom Schepp Jr. (Brookfield, WI), a 20' walleye
Ben Mammina (Downers Grove, IL), a 19 3/4', 17 1/2', 2 16' and a 15' smallmouth bass
Brian Bobbitt (Naperville, IL), a 17' walleye
Ted Lelwica (Staples, MN), 36' and 27' northerns and a 22' walleye
Ron Molony (Neenah, MN), a 19' walleye
Kevin Duffy (Clarendon Hills, IL), a 39' muskie and a 35' northern
Jennifer Hesli (Linwood, MN), a 19' walleye
Jon Burt-Olson (Grand View, WI), a 21' walleye
Marge Lelwica (Staples, MN), 11 walleye by 11 a.m. on one day. On another day 19 walleye by noon including a 21'
Isak Sivi, 22' and 20' walleyes, 2 27' and 2 26' northerns
Rich Wisnieski (La Grange, IL), a 22' walleye
Harry Wolf (Coralville, IA), 27 1/2', 24' and 20 1/4' walleyes and a 34' northern
Mike Kroloff, a 23' walleye, 36' northern and raised 2 muskies, one of which was 50'
Rick Wisnieski (Glen Ellyn, IL), 17' and 16' smallmouth bass
Bill Mennis (Staples, MN), a 31' northern, 26' walleye and 17' bass. Bill and wife Helen caught over 50 walleye each day with guide Rob
Ken Duffy (Bloomingdale, IL), a 31 1/2' northern
the Christensen family (Green Bay, WI), 40 - 50 walleyes with guides Bryan and Dan.

Week of June 18th - 24th:

The week starts out windy, cooler and rainy. But it started out right for 10 year old guest Nick Thompson (Grimes, IA); he caught something huge that bent his fishing rod right in half before it finally dove under the boat and broke loose. Another young fisherman, 11 year old Dan Settle (Gurnee, IL) caught a 25' northern, 2 18' northerns and some walleyes on his first day of fishing.

By the end of the week, the temperatures were back into the 70's but still cooling down overnight into the 50's. And the winds have finally died down.

Water surface temperatures are between 69 - 71 degrees. Walleyes are still being caught in large quantities and can be found off rocky points in 14 - 18 feet of water or on the reefs in 9 - 12 feet of water. Northerns are in shallow bays or in the weed beds in roughly 6 feet of water. White jigs are working well for walleyes and any spinner with a gold blade is working for northerns.

Some of this week's nice fish are:
Duane Kaiser (Bemidji, MN), a 46' muskie
George Van Dam (Detroit Lakes, MN), a 21' walleye
Ryan Burt (Janesville, WI), an 18' smallmouth bass
John Gorton (Staples, MN), a 25' northern and 21' walleye
Mike D'Amour (Racine, WI), 17 1/2' and 17' walleyes
Mark Johnson (Montreal, QC), 25 1/2' and 24' northerns
John Gabbey (Agoura Hills, CA), a 27' northern
Sam Crow (Mequon, WI), a 22' northern
Sally Gorton (Staples, MN), a 24' northern
Helen Mennis (Staples, MN), 19' and 18' walleyes
Tom Hinze (Franksville, WI), a 4 pound smallmouth
Dan Muller (Omaha, NE), 25', 22 1/2' and 20' walleyes
Dan Settle (Gurnee, IL), a 24' northern
Joe Hinze (Franksville, WI), 38', two 31' and 30' northerns and 33', 31' and 28' muskies
Don Anderson (Brookfield, WI), 36 1/2', 36' and 31' northerns
Mike Nerone (Champaign, IL), a 26' northern
Travis Quigg (Champaign, IL), a 25' northern
Jack Muller (Iowa City, IA), caught 7 species in one day - muskie, walleye, northern, smallmouth bass, sauger, crappie and perch; included in his northern catch was a 29' and 28'.

Week of June 25th - July 1st:

The week begins with temperatures back into the 70's and 80's. And it is still cooling down to low 60's/high 50's overnight.
Some of this week's nice catches are:

Don Anderson (Brookfield, WI), 44', 41', 37' and 34' muskies. Northerns were very active for Don on his last morning of fishing; he caught 15 northerns, and 9 of them were between 29' and 34'
RJ Quandahl (Omaha, NE), a 22 1/2' northern and dad Mark raised and lost a 40 - 45' muskie
Anthony Trudeau (Bemidji, MN), a 13' crappie and dad Steve, a 14' crappie
Lisa Zegers (Winneconne, WI), an 18' walleye
Bruce Gordon (Oak Lawn, IL), 36 1/2' and 33' northerns
Mel Zegers (LeHigh Acres, FL) and Bruce Gordon (Oak Lawn, IL), raised 5 muskies in one day
Peter Davy (Watertown, WI), raised a 40' northern and caught a 24' northern
Bill Kaercher (Watertown, WI, a 26' northern and 22 1/2' walleye
Brian Cummings (Dousman, WI), 31' and 28 1/2' northerns
Teresa Starr (Findlay, OH), 36' and 32' northerns
Jim Katzka (Muskego, WI), a 34' muskie and 27' northern
Jacob Lake (age 13 from Wauwatosa, WI), raised a number of muskies including a 48' - 52' muskie and caught 30' and 24' northerns
Jerry Starr (Findlay, OH), a 29' northern
Katy Cummings (Dousman, WI), 39' and 38' muskies, 28 1/2' northern, 16' smallmouth bass and a 20' walleye
Mike Hawkins (Waukesha, WI), 35 1/2' and 26' northerns
Jerry and Teresa Starr (Findlay, OH), raised 13 muskies on their first day of fishing and 18 on their second day of fishing with guide George.

Week of July 2nd - 8th:

Hot, sunny and breezy is how the week started. By mid-week the temperatures are in the 80's, but the wind has finally died down. The surface water temperature is 78 degrees.

Walleyes are being caught at about 20 feet, muskies off the rocks and northerns are in bays in heavy weeds. Bright colours are working well for all species.

This week's nice catches include:

Jerry Starr (Findlay, OH), two 29' muskies and two 29' northerns. Wife Teresa caught a 36' muskie
Scott Quandahl (Omaha, NE), a 23' walleye
Shellie and Paul Reed (St. Charles, IL), over 60 fish in one day, including 22 1/2' and 22' walleyes and a 34 1/2' northern. On another day they caught 55 fish, including Paul's 23' walleye. Their biggest walleye for the week was a 26 1/2'
Gary Vet (St. Charles, IL), a 27' northern
Ken Orstead (Des Plaines, IL), a 17' smallmouth bass
Jessica Orstead (Des Plaines, IL), 28 1/2' and 28' northerns; as well she raised a 40' muskie
Erik Orstead (Indianapolis, IN), 36 1/2', 30 1/2', 28' and 27 1/2' northerns
Jason Glick (Las Vegas, NV), a 17 1/2' walleye
Dallon Glick (Henderson, NV), a 17' walleye, 25' northern and 14' smallmouth bass
Lee Arrington (Louisa, KY), two 31' northerns, a 31' northern and a 24' walleye
Armand Glick (Salt Lake City, UT), a 14' smallmouth
Steven Kowal (a young fisherman from High Point, NC), 11 walleyes in one day, a 29' northern and a 14' smallmouth bass. Little brother Alexander caught a 16' northern
Bob Stigall (Danville, KY), a 32' northern
Lloyd Browning (Louisa, KY), a 29' northern
Ruby Olson (St. Cloud, MN), a 28' northern.

Week of July 9th - 15th:

Temperatures are cooler at the start of the week. Day-time temps were in the 60's and overnight in the 50's. Temperatures are back in the 80's and low 90's by mid-week though.

Some of this week's nice fish are:

Dewey Johnson (Fresno, CA), a fat 28' walleye!
Andrew Jordan (Woodbury, MN), his first muskie ever, a 40'
8 clients and staff from Nor-Son Construction, over 30 northerns in one day, several of which were 30+'
Steve Frank (Brainerd, MN), a 28' northern
Dave Moline (Newport, MN), a 22' walleye and 26' northern
Leon Westbrock (Inver Grove Heights, MN), a 19' walleye
Pat Maki (Elk Grove Village, IL), a 26' walleye
Gary Maki (Elk Grove Village, IL), a 17' bass, 20' walleye and 27' northern
Colleen Moline (Newport, MN), a 24' walleye and 12' perch.

Week of July 16th - 22nd:

The week starts out with temperatures still in the 90's, and it stays that way most of the week. A couple of windy days, a couple of calm days, but no rain. Some of the trees are starting to turn yellow due to the very dry conditions.

Walleye fishing is extremely active this week. The Kraus-Anderson Construction corporate group (Bemidji, MN) caught hundreds of walleyes in two days of fishing. Everyone in the group took home a full limit of walleye and had great shorelunches each day. The most exciting fish of the trip was Bob Fitzgerald reeling in a walleye with guide Rob when a 44' muskie hit the walleye. Other nice fish were Duane Kaiser, a 24' walleye, Dick Widseth, a 20' walleye and Jim Golden, a 38' muskie.

Big fish also are active:
Mike Gazzola (Gilberts, IL), 37', 35' and 33' northerns and a 35' muskie
John Gazzola (Aurora, IL), 36' and three 32' northerns
Lynn Steyer (Wisconsin Dells, WI), a 39' muskie
Adam Kurkiewicz (Waukesha, WI), an 18' smallmouth.

Tom Sherman (Plainfield, IL) and his father-in-law John Gaydula (Oak Forest, IL) raised over 60 muskies in 6 days of fishing and caught 6. John caught his first two muskies ever - a 42' and 36' and Tom caught two 38', a 36' and a 34 1/2'. Only casualties were two broken fishing rods, lost two muskie lures and a bent pair of sunglasses.

from the Nor-Son Inc. corporate group (Baxter, MN):
Mark Spitzack, a 28' northern
Don Hines, a 45' muskie
Robb Rottelle, a 23' walleye
Floyd Jensen, a 23' walleye
Damien Williams, a 42' muskie
Jesse Hopkins, a 26' walleye
Ileen and Doug Lindner, over 20 walleyes greater than 16' in one day, including a 24'
Dutch Hempel, a 22' walleye
John Selisker, a 22' walleye
Dave Larson, a 22' walleye.

Week of July 23rd - 29th:

Temperatures this week are in the 80's. It is cooling off overnight to the low to mid 60's though. Fishing remains very active with lots of muskies being raised, and good quantities of walleyes being caught.

Action was fast and furious for Doug Cloud (Atlanta, GA); Doug caught three 22' walleyes and 20', 19' and 18' walleyes in a ten minute period!

Some of this week's catches include:
Vivian Kaiser (Bemidji, MN), outfished husband Duane by catching 28 walleyes in one day to his 19
Greg and Andrew Thompson, along with guide Sean caught over 40 walleyes one morning including a 22' (Greg & Sean), 18' (Greg) and 17' (Andrew)
Lynn Steyer (Wisconsin Dells, WI), a 49' muskie - her biggest ever! As well, a 35' muskie
Ileen Lindner (Warroad, MN), a 19' walleye
Maddie Cloud (Atlanta, GA), a 19' walleye and a 26' northern
Hal Bailey (Decatur, GA), 29' and 28' northerns and a 22' walleye
Ben Harrell (Marietta, GA), a 17 1/2' smallmouth
Wendy Cloud (Atlanta, GA), 25' and 20' northerns
Dave McDonald (New Lenox, IL), a 22' walleye
Greg Thompson (Marietta, GA), a 14' smallmouth
Bob Thornton (Inverness, IL), a 35' northern
Meredith Taylor (Marietta, GA), a 33' muskie; her first ever! As well, a 23 1/2' northern
Glenn Taylor (Marietta, GA), a 15' smallmouth
Allison Bailey (Decatur, GA), a 25' northern.

Week of July 30th - August 5th:

The week starts out hot (high 80's), but then cools to the high 70's for a few days.

Guests are raising a lot of muskies. One morning before breakfast, Max Lucanski (age 16 from Chicago, IL), caught his first Canadian muskie ever - a 34'. Max raised a total of 11 muskies, including 5 over 40', before catching his 34'. Then later the same day, he topped it by catching a 41' muskie! And a few days later, caught his third muskie - a 29'.

Young guests Nate, Zack and Seth Moline (Mendota Heights, MN) outfished their dad, uncle and grandfather by catching a 25' walleye (Zack), a 22' walleye (Seth) and a 24' northern (Nate).

Some of the week's other nice catches are:
Mark Mitchell (Chadd's Ford, PA), a 36' muskie
Dan Moline (Mendota Heights, MN), an 18 1/2' walleye
Ed Ettinger (Philadelphia, PA), a 31' northern and an 18' smallmouth bass
Brooke Silvernail (Baxter, MN), a 23' walleye and a 30' northern
Jim Steyer (Wisconsin Dells, WI), a 39' muskie
Donna Thornton (Inverness, IL), a 36' muskie
Chuck Wittman (Abington, PA), a 32' northern
Mike Molumby (Columbia Heights, MN), a 17' bass and on the last evening of his trip, a 37' muskie
Lynn Steyer (Wisconsin Dells, WI), 39', 37', 33', 32' and 30' muskies
Duck Bay guide Rob Fathers, a 48' muskie
Bud Cates (Chicago, IL), a 26' muskie
John Engstrom (Addison, IL), a 14' bass
Bill Cates (Addison, IL), a 27' northern
Ryan Engstrom (Addison, IL), a 28 1/2' northern
Renee Johnson caught 5 fish with 1 minnow!

Bob and Bryan Scott and their sons Austin, Aaron and Adam from Wisconsin, over 45 walleyes and numerous smallmouth bass in 2 days of fishing.

Week of August 6th - 12th:

The week starts out with stormy weather with thunder and lightning. A tornado touched down in several spots about 40 miles away and brought high winds to Lake of the Woods for about 24 hours. By Monday and Tuesday the winds have died right down and the daytime temperatures are in the high 70's. Overnight is cooling to high 50's and low 60's.

Muskies are continuing very active. Tom Batina (Wayzata, MN) raised 8 and caught a 40' in 2 days of fishing. And his young son, 12 year old Thomas caught his first muskie ever - a 34'. Another morning Tom caught two before breakfast - a 39 1/2' and a 35'.

Jim and Lynn Steyer (Wisconsin Dells, WI) had 41 follows, 13 hits and boated 14 muskies during their stay at Duck Bay. The fish caught ranged in size from 49' - 28'.

Other nice catches include:
Bill Cates (Addison, IL), a 37' muskie and 26' northern
Greg Batina (age 6 from Wayzata, MN), a 14' crappie
Bud Cates (Chicago, IL), a 24' muskie
John Van Cleave Sr. (Winnetka, IL), a 36' northern
Marion Richmond (Plymouth, MN) with grandson
John Van Cleave Jr. (Winnetka, IL), an 18' smallmouth bass
Glen Baines (Indianapolis, IN), a 28' northern
Billy Eikmeir and Billy's cousin Mike Eikmeir caught 65 - 70 walleyes on their first day of fishing (with guide Bryan). Billy also caught a 16' smallmouth and a 25' walleye; Mike also caught an 18' walleye.

Week of August 13th - 19th:

Temperatures are cooling and it is beginning to feel a bit like fall. Daytime temperatures have been in the 70's for about a week now, with cooling overnight. The fishing remains active.

During his muskie trip, Tom Batina (Wayzata, MN) caught 7 muskies, lost 3, had 11 strikes and 16 follows for a total of 37 fish. The muskies caught were two 40', a 39 1/2', 36', 35', 34' and 33'.

Some of the other nice catches this week are:
Cody Wing (age 13 from Staples, MN) caught his first two muskies ever - a 35' and a 27'. As well, a 31' northern
Marty Jagust (Lockport, IL), a 41' muskie
honeymooners Denny and Janet Dennis (Fenton, MO), 50 walleyes on their first day
Jeff Hamblin (Hayward, WI), 39', 33', 30' and 29' northerns and a 37' muskie
Josh Jagust (Lockport, IL), a 20' walleye
Don 'Cowboy' Hamblin (Hayward, WI), 42', 37' and 35' muskies
Jake Jagust (Lockport, IL), 31' and 25 3/4' northerns
Tim, Matt, Chris and Kelsey Rice and Cody Wing (Staples, MN), 45 northerns in one day
Cathy and Bob Hamblin (Hayward, WI), 23 northerns in one day
Marty Jagust (Lockport, IL) with sons Josh and Jake and nephew John Ramirez caught over 25 walleyes in one day. The next day they caught over 50 northerns and lost another 40 with guide George.

Week of August 20th - 26th:

The weather is typical fall weather. During the day, the temperatures are in the low-to-mid 70's, and overnight it is cooling to 50 - 60 degrees. If your trip is coming up, we recommend layers, and a jacket for the morning on the water.

The week's nice catches are:
Mike Flynn (Hillsboro, OR), 35' and 34' muskies
Steve Kruse (Sunset Hills, MO), a 17' smallmouth
Pat O'Brien (Ballwin, MO), a 4-pound smallmouth and 38' and 34' muskies
Aaron and Pat Marsh (Manchester, MA), 17', 18' and 19' walleyes
Becky Gorman (Downers Grove, IL), 36' and 34' muskies
Dan Haas (Jefferson, WI), a 36' northern
Lloyd Anderson (Jefferson, WI), a 16' crappie
Pat Wagner (Madison, WI), a 25' northern
Brian Zimmermann (Jefferson, WI), a 15' smallmouth
Brian Harrington (Geneva, IL), a 29' northern
Joe Mancino (Hawthorn Woods, IL), a 19' smallmouth and a 20' walleye
Pat Harrington (Geneva, IL), 30' and 29' northerns
Tom Reek (Deerwood, MN) and Dutch Hempel (Nisswa, MN), over 80 northerns and bass in two days of fishing.

Week of August 27th - September 2nd:

The fishing is active right now for both walleye and northern. Duck Bay guide Sean and his guests Lloyd Anderson and Dan Haas limited out on walleye by 8:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. The walleyes are on rock points and rock shelves in about 18 - 22 feet of water. Chartreuse and white jigs are working extremely well on sunny days.

The crappies also are starting to school up and are being found at about 25 feet. The surface water temperature is 73 degrees.

Wildlife is more visible as they prepare for winter. We are seeing a lot of squirrels, otter and raccoons; as well, guests Elroy and Bruce Forland (Webster, MN) saw 6 bears in one day with guide Dan.

Some of this week's nice fish are:
Mike and Becky Gorman (Downer's Grove, IL), a 29 1/2'
(8 1/2 pound) walleye and a 24' walleye. As well, 35' and 34' muskies and a 19' smallmouth
Chuck Christofferson (Oconomowoc, WI), a 32' muskie
Dan Haas (Jefferson, WI), a 17' walleye and 13' crappie
Lloyd Anderson (Jefferson, WI), a 17' walleye
Brian Harrington (Geneva, IL), a 24' walleye and a 15' smallmouth
John and Mike Schmitt (Nisswa, MN) and Troy and Tyler Steele (Pequot Lakes, MN), over 40 northerns in one day, and the next day, over 70 walleyes including a 21' caught by Tyler
Mike Flynn (Hillsboro, OR), 40', 35' and 34' muskies and a 38' northern
Kim Kubousek (Oconomowoc, WI), a 31' northern
Duck Bay guide Rob Fathers, a 49' - 52' muskie; they kept it in the water, so it was difficult to get an accurate measurement.

Week of September 3rd - 9th:

The beautiful fall weather is continuing. The days are still in the low-to-mid 70's, and the nights are in the 60's.

Some of this week's nice catches are:
Tyler Steele (Pequot Lakes, MN), a 15' smallmoth bass
Jane Zewers (Lino Lakes, MN), a 25 1/2' walleye
Becky Nicpon (Bolingbrook, IL), a 30' northern
Steve Hendrickson (Lake in the Hills, IL), a 27' northern and a 19' walleye
Millie Segal (Golden Valley, MN), 44', 34' and 29' northerns
Mike Flynn (Hillsboro, OR), 37', 35' and 34' muskies. Plus he had 2 others right up to the boat, both in the high 40's
Nik Zewers (Lino Lakes, MN), two 42' muskies and 39' and 37' muskies
Gary Maki (Elk Grove Village, IL), a 22' walleye
Kurt Krauss (Lexington, KY), 37' and 34' muskies
Lou Nicpon (Bolingbrook, IL), a 25' walleye
Diane Hendrickson (Lake in the Hills, IL), a 27' northern and a 42' muskie - her first ever!
Pat Maki (Elk Grove Village, IL), a 40' northern on a jig and minnow!
Millie and Howard Segal (Golden Valley, MN), 70 - 80 walleye on their first day of fishing (with guide Dan.

Week of September 10th - 16th:

The days are still fairly warm (60's and low 70's) with lots of sun. Overnight has been getting very cool (high 30's to low 50's). Crappies are schooling up and being caught in large quantities. The water temperature is 65 degrees.

Some of the nice fish caught this week are:
Steve Trudeau (Bemidji, MN) caught a 38' northern on a jig and minnow!
Tim Hopkins (Elburn, IL), his first muskie ever - a 35'. Among the other fish he caught with friend Jeff Cebrzynski (St. Charles, IL) and guide Rob were 140 northerns in 2 1/2 days of fishing
Mike and Buck Kucera (Elk River, MN), 35' and 32' northerns
Karen Bauman (St. Peters, MO), a 26' northern and a 18' walleye
Fred Rushin (Elk River, MN), two 17' smallmouth bass
Buck Kucera (Pine City, MN), a 31' muskie.

And from corporate client Hammel, Green and Abrahamson:
Betsy Ellis (Tyler, TX), a 27' walleye
Dan Polachek (St. Paul, MN), a 27 1/2' walleye and a 36' northen
Barry Graham (Eagan, MN), a 37 1/2' northern
Nori Umemoto (San Jose, CA), a 30' northern
Robert Layton (Whitehorse, TX), lost a 44' muskie right at the boat
Stan Pehling (Apple Valley, MN) and Michael Woodson (Maple Grove, MN), with guide Rob raised 6 muskies in one afternoon. On another day, they caught over 60 walleyes.

Week of September 17th - 23rd:

Fall weather is here. The high on Sunday was 60 and even colder the next few days. The water temperature is about 63 degrees and the 'hot' lure for northerns is white spinnerbaits with silver or gold blades.

This week's nice fish catches were:
Karyn Tiffany (Hayward, WI) caught her first northern pike ever - 4 fish around 24' each; also a 17' smallmouth bass
Peter Gorecki (Northbrook, IL), a 25' walleye and a 19' smallmouth
Jim Machacek (St. Joseph, MI), a 28' northern
John Pirro (Solon, OH), a 19' smallmouth
Doug Gish (Bemidji, MN), a 20' walleye
Carl Boutilier (Wheaton, IL) and Marc Hansen (Lee's Summit, MO) boated 7 lake trout in one day
Lowell Weaver (Fort Myers Beach, FL), a 36' muskie and a 38' northern
Jim Sayre (Union Town, OH), 38', 34', two 28' and a 27' northern
Carl Pirro (Forest Lake, MN), a 42' muskie
The M. Holland Company group of Steve Tue, Peter Gorecki, Jim Machacek and Mark Tushar caught over 100 northerns in an afternoon with guide Rob and about 140 in the next two days.
Jeff Jewell (Willoughby Hills, OH, 40' and 31' northerns and his first muskie ever - a 31'
Nick Picone (Solon, OH), a 31' northern and a 17' smallmouth.

Week of September 24th - 30th:

This will be our last week of the season and it is unbelievable how quickly the summer went by. The weather is staying relatively nice for late September. The week starts out with daytime temps in the low 60's. As the week progresses, the temperatures have moved into the 50's. The water temperature is 61 degrees.

Some of the nice catches this week are:
Dave Ninni (Akron, OH), 30' and 29' northerns
Mike MacCormac (Hawthorn Woods, IL), 42', 41', 40', 38' and 35' muskies
Bruce Wasson (Yorkville, IL), a 30' northern and a 32 1/2' northern while jigging for walleye
Bob Wahlbeck Jr. (St. Charles, IL), a 37' northern and a 27' walleye
Gino Groff (Chagrin Falls, OH), a 17' walleye
Rick Lucas (Strongsville, OH), 32' and 29' northerns
Jeff Jewell (Willoughby Hills, OH), a 34' northern
Phil Pirro (Brecksville, OH), a 37' muskie and an 18' walleye
Lowell Weaver (Fort Myers Beach, FL), a 33' northern
Duck Bay guide Rob, a 26' walleye
Bob Wahlbeck Sr. (Poplar Grove, IL), a 39' northern and a 22' walleye
Marv Gilbert (Clinton, IA), a 15' smallmouth and a 31' northern.

Many muskies are being raised and the largest two boated in the last few days was by Dr. Ken Gregie (Bloomingdale, IL), with a 46' fish, his biggest ever. And Jack Salava (Manhattan, KS), with a 49' muskie, his first ever!

And walleyes are also extremely plentiful. Bruce Wasson (Yorkville, IL) and Mark Scoughton (Sandwich, IL) caught over 80 walleyes in one day, with the largest being 25'. Also Becky and Marv Gilber (Clinton, IA) caught over 80 walleyes in two days, with a number of the fish being between 19 1/2' and 22'.