As we venture into the “dog days” of August, I have to wonder what the fishing would be like for me if these days didn’t exist. I just spent another week in the north country with my son Brad, grandson Dylan and my wife Jean. The weather was just about picture perfect for August. In fact, I think I have read a blueprint of August days and these were it. We enjoyed warm sunny days and cool, comfortable summer nights. It was so nice up north that the mosquitoes even decided to take a few days off. The only downside to that was the abundance of over exuberant deer flies.
Those nasty little biters are bad enough when you are in the woods or sitting outside, but when they get you trapped in a boat with nowhere to run, it can be pretty uncomfortable. Our first day on the water, we experienced a swarm of them. Jean asked me where the fly swatter (which I usually keep in the boat) was.
It was missing. I knew that it wasn’t going to be a pretty experience, as she spent more time swatting them with one of her sandals than she did fishing. We did manage to get through the day, and from then on, that swatter was in plain sight every time we were in the boat.
If you like catching and eating fish, then the “dog days” would be perfect for you because we caught plenty of fish. We took a few meals home and enjoyed a fine meal of fish at the cabin. I just don’t think that you could wish for it to be any better than that.
Now, if you only consider fishing a success if you catch walleyes, then you don’t want to fish with me. I don’t claim to be a master fisherman and I am surely not a whiz when walleyes enter the conversation. But for some reason, I usually end up catching one or two. I have always said most of my fishing success is about luck and time spent on the water. If you put in the time and keep trying different techniques, then good things will usually happen.
It’s always fun to watch when Dylan’s grandma lands a northern. We already know what she will say: “it’s a keeper!” She did manage to get some legitimate keepers this week. All of us contributed to the weekly fish feed. Dylan caught some nice northern, bass, crappie and some dandy bluegill; it’s sure fun to see the smile on his face when he catches a fish. Brad was once again on top of the northern fishing and he landed some dandy pike during the week. Both were caught on his favorite lake using his favorite spoon (The Doctor).
We fished five different lakes in six days and had pretty good luck on all of them. Most of the fish caught were on our little lake that supposedly has no fish in it. The last evening there, Brad and Dylan took grandma out fishing for panfish. Only an hour later, she came walking back up to the cabin. I asked her why she was quitting already - “weren’t they biting?” I asked. She said that she had had it and was tired of catching fish; she said that she only reeled in twice without a fish.
After catching about 30 bluegills and crappies she had had enough. They didn’t keep any fish that last night because most of them were a little too small, plus we already had enough to take home. It’s not too often that a person experiences fishing like that.
The unique thing about the week and for the most part the summer, is that we very rarely use live bait. This week we used none at all and caught plenty of fish. I guess plenty is a pretty strong word because when you’re fishing, you don’t usually think that you’ve ever caught enough.
We kept enough during the week to eat and took a couple of meals home. We also threw back some “keeper” sized fish. I like to keep the “eating size” fish and return the larger ones to the water because they are the ones that lay most of the eggs and replenish the fish population.
I can still remember the old wives tale (can I still say that?) that northern always lose their teeth in August, which is why the fishing isn’t as good. August has always been good to me as far as fishing goes. I don’t think that my family will disagree with that as evidenced by the good week of fishing that we just experienced. It’s not all about fishing, but about spending time with family and enjoying the wildlife and all the natural wonders that surround us in the great outdoors. These are just a few more of the precious memories that we will have to cherish for years to come.
The fall months can also be very good for fishing and your chances of catching that “lunker” even increases as we move further into fall. The number of fish caught may not be like early summer, but there is some good fishing to be had at that time of year.
I was fishing on Lake Tetonka one late fall day. There was one other boat on the whole lake. I could see that they were fishing bass and seemed to be catching a few.
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later, when I read in an issue of Outdoor News, that the state record bass had been caught on Lake Tetonka on that day. The record held for a few years before being broken just a couple of years ago.
Until next time do a little fishing, take a little time to relax and get out and explore our great Minnesota outdoors.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers during the coming year.