Kabetogama-Namakan-Ash River Fishing Report 5-28-17
Memorial weekend greets anglers with continued good fishing and pleasant weather.
UPDATE: Monday 5/29/17 – 6:30am (When this was written the weather had been decent, but it has been raining now since sometime yesterday on and off and more on than off overnight – UGH – Sorry!)
You never know what type of weather you will get on Memorial weekend but so far it has been quite pleasant. As I write this we do have some minor thunderstorms moving through but not a wash out by any means and at and least it’s not snowing! (yes, we have had snow this late before).
We had our first major bug hatch of the year last week with black clouds of midges fairly common but they have died off now. A very minor mayfly hatch is the first of the season as well. It is quite a show to watch bats come out at dusk and feast on them. We have had dozens flying around on a good night. Even though you may not like them they are ecologically vital in reducing certain bug populations and the pollination of plants. Fawn deer are a common sight around the area now and eagles are aggressively hunting for their young. Hummingbirds and Orioles showed up a week ago and as soon as I put up the feeders they were almost knocking me over to get to them. Tree buds have all popped and its finally starting to look like summer!
Water temperatures are now around 54-55 and slowly coming up. Walleye fishing continues to be good throughout the lake with good reports coming in with fish being caught anywhere from 12 to 40 ft. Almost everyone is getting in on the action with no real hot spots to speak of and catching fish at just about all the popular hang outs. Use the wind to your advantage and fish the wind blown shorelines and funnel areas. Tom Cod has started to produce a few fish and it’s now just a matter of time before it heats up. It’s extremely encouraging to hear about the size variety anglers are seeing with fish anywhere from 6 to 28 inches. Moving slow or anchoring with a jig or split shot rig and plain hook tipped with a minnow is still the most productive with rainbows and shiners doing best. There has been good fishing in the current areas up towards Kettle Falls as well.
Northern pike and small mouth bass are still common and almost a nuisance. Perch are showing up in bigger numbers and the size is incredible. It is not uncommon to catch jumbo perch over 12 inches on a regular basis.
One angler was surprised when a musky made its way into the net. Very uncommon on Kab but pictures confirmed it was definitely a musky in the 20 inch range.
It is shaping up to an awesome summer in Gods country!
Lastly, tomorrow on Memorial Day don’t forgot to honor our fallen heroes who died bravely for this great country as we owe them for defending and preserving our freedom and democracy.
Thank you. We remember you. We are grateful to you!!
See You Soon,
Crabby Phil & Ellen Hart
Thank you Jason Cooper for your Fishing Report!
