Amazing to think we are halfway through the summer! With the early struggles we had dealing with the flood this summer seems to be flying by. This past week finally brought some more consistent weather with sunshine being more prevalent than rain! Water levels are normal for this time of year and continue to drop. Sand bags are finally a thing of the past as most, if not all, have them picked up and hauled away. Good riddance to the flood of 2022!
Out on the lake, boaters are having a great time pulling skiers and tubers or just taking a cruise and sightseeing. Water temps are in the low 70's which is perfect for some swimming or just taking a dip on a hot day. The blueberry season is in full swing with a record crop and you can find them just about anywhere right now. It doesn't take long to fill up a bucket and you can't beat fresh wild blueberries in your pancakes for breakfast! Speaking of blueberry pancakes, the Kabetogama Town Hall will be hosting a Blueberry Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, August 7th from 8am-noon.
VNP has a new tour boat and it is quite impressive. After a little mishap recently they expect the boat to be back up and running early next week. If you have any questions contact the VNP or check for updates on their website and Facebook page. Most campsites are now open but also check the same resources for any closures. The VNP crew has worked hard to get them back in shape. Thank you!
Fishing has still been good throughout the area. We normally see a midsummer lull but that isn't as prevalent this year. Here are some great reports from area guides.
TRAVIS CARLSON
This week on Kab I did well in both deep and shallow water. Some days 10-16 feet of water just outside of weed lines produced limits of nice walleye. I did best using live bait rigs with either a leach or half crawler. At times also did good using spinner rigs with half crawler. On sunny calm days I did really well fishing mid Lake structure in depths from 24-32' using live bait rigs with a leach. What a great start to August!
WADE WATSON
Fishing was a bit hit and miss this week…for me walleyes came in schools when fishing windy bays with a heavy cabbage weed line. Was fishing in 9-15 feet and at that depth you won’t see much on your fish locator, so its a bit of try and trust…I marked a lot of fish in 22-30 feet but struggled to get them to bite at anything I set in front of them. My success with walleyes was in 15 feet and under! Bass are very active on top water, plastics or ratt L Traps all worked well!
DOMINIC RUIS
This week for me has been a steady dose of shallow weed edges or shallow break lines in 10-15ft of water. Pulling bottom bouncers with spinner and crawlers has been the go to. Best color blades have been pink white or blue or combination of them. Also perch and gold color doing ok. Namakan has finally turned on some with fish being found in 25-32' of water with Lindy and leech or minnows being best.
See you on the water! DOM
Here at Gateway we still have plenty of live bait including leeches which we expect to have well into August. Please be patient with the Gateway crew as we short staffed and they are doing their best as always!
Have a great weekend! Stay safe we'll see you soon!
GATEWAY