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Water Wolf

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My 2021 Open Water reports.
« on: Aug 08, 2021, 07:13 PM »
Hi All,
Attached are my open water reports for the months of May & June, 2021.

May is the start of a new fishing season here in SK, with lots of fishing opportunities ahead.
I have eagerly anticipated opening day since the last day of the ice fishing season.
May has seen a surge of bird life to the province. All the usual birds that migrate South are back now, in a burst of color and sound.
I am also looking foward to a new gardening season, growing both veggies and flowers.



May 5 (Opening Day).
The much anticipated opening day has finally arrived, and, I just had to test the waters at least for a while. My destination was the Fishing Lake area.

It was a nice afternoon to venture out and wet a few hooks. :)
The weather was OK, with sunny skies, and + 13 deg C / 55 deg F temps, however, a brisk wind from the NW still made things feel a bit cool.  At least it kept the now emerging mosquitoes in check.

Spot 1.
This has been my go to spot for several years now. It's a small creek that the fish use to move from the main lake, to and from their spawning areas.

There is no one else there so I fish from 5:10 pm - 6:15 pm.

As I fish, I can't help but notice how much the water level had dropped in the creek. You know it's shallow when you see snipes and ducks wading through the water that is only/almost up to their bellies. The deepest part of the channel would now be no more than 2 feet, at most. The water was a dirty brown color, and, full of old weeds, that I managed to hook on almost every cast. I fish for what I felt was a good length of time, and, not even a nibble, nor did I see any fish life swim past in the shallow water. Too bad, this spot has usually been good in the past, but, it was time to move on. :unsure:

Spot 2.
The 2nd spot takes me back into Fishing Lake, to another area where fish sometimes congregate after their spawn.

When I get there, I see part of the lake was still locked in ice, but, there is an area where a slight current has created an ice free zone.
A man and his 2 children are there fishing already, so, I socially distance myself from them, just far enough that we can exchange conversation comfortably.
He reported that the fishing was decent for them, and that they had caught a few pike and walleye already.

He was right, and, believe it or not, on my very first cast I hook into a pike. :w00t:
After a few energetic runs  I get close enough to net it, and now, land my first fish of the new open water season, Whoo Hooo!

That didn't take long, lol. :laugh:

I fish this area from 6:28 pm - 9:00 pm. and the fish continue to bite off and on the whole time.

Two other anglers join us later, so for a while, there are a total of 6 anglers out fishing.

The local conservation officers made their rounds that evening, doing their usual licence checks on all of us fishing.
My fishing licence was hot off the press, so to speak, as I just purchased it that day.
The officers reported that the bite had been a bit slow for other anglers that they had checked at the other lakes around the area. There were just 2 pike landed by a man off shore at one of the other lakes and that's all they knew about being caught so-far. After the chat the conservation officers continue on their way.

My luck continued on that evening and the final total was 4 pike and 1 walleye.
All the fish went for a Storm Wildeye swimbait.

The final resuls.








I was a bit worried that the fishing was off, after visiting the first area, but, was happy to find action in the end.  All in all it was a good season opener for me. 

I hope all of you had a good start to your season as well. ;)




May 6th.
With the action I had the day before, I decided I would return to that same area of Fishing Lake again.

Not too far from the lake I snap a long distance photo of a pair of swans and what looked to be their signet from last year.


The lake still has ice, but, during the night, it moved farther out, and now could only be seen off in the distance.


Once at the lake I find a spot and shore fish from 5:40 pm - 8:50 pm.

It was another Sunny day, with + 13 deg C / 55 deg F temps and some wind from the N.

One other angler was out in the general area and only quit a short time before I did.
While I was there I didn't see him land any fish at all.

I had slightly better luck. It took a bit of time, but, I did land 2 pike.
The first fish hit half an hour into the fishing .


The other just after sunset, bit of a night pike.


 I also had 2 fish that followed my lure right into shore, without biting. They were tight to the tail of the bait like they were glued to it, but, turned away just as I lifted the lures from the water.

Even though it was slower than before, I was happy to be out and not be skunked. :)


May 8th.
I am back to Fishing Lake, but, decided to try a new area this time.

The weather is a mix of sun and cloud, with some wind from the SE. and + 12 deg C / 54 deg F temps. A bit cooler, but still OK.

Spot 1.
I get to the area, but, found that the ice on the lake had shifted and blew what was left of the ice into the area, filling it up a fair distance out. 

The cement pads for the boat launch were also bent and buckled with the ice pushing on them.

I moved a bit further down the lake, but, it's still the same.
This small bay was really full of ice.


Spot 2.
I then try my usual spot on the lake and thankfully found it ice free.
I set up here and fish from 5:15 pm - 7:30 pm.

The action here is good, and in the time I fished, I land 4 pike and 2 walleye.  ;D
All the fish hit hard, and fought well, for such cold water. The water still feels like your dipping your hands into the lake while ice fishing, it's finger numbing cold. 

Up until now, I have released all the fish, but, this time I keep my limit of 3 pike.

When I caught the first walleye, milt flowed freely from it, as I lifted it from the net, so I decided to release that one, in case the spawn was indeed still on.

A few from the day. :)




This walleye had it's pectoral fin missing. It looked like it was ripped off, with just a nub left, ouch!


In the end I was happy with today's results.
Here's to more days like that. ;)


What a wild week it was from May 17th to the 23rd.
The week started off hot with summer-like conditions, + 30 deg C / 86 deg F on the 17th and even hotter, + 32 deg C / 90 deg F on the 18th. The heat sparked a lighting storm the next day.
On the night of May 19 the temps took a nose dive and on May 20th we received snow. I haven't seen snow this late for several years now. On the night of May 20th and into the 21st we had ice pellets and freezing rain. The freezing rain went for most of the night and into the morning. This gave us trouble, as the power was off for over 5 hours. Some areas in SK. saw power outages for a day or more.

There was quite a bit of damage to the trees in my yard and around SK in general.
A good number of my single specimen trees had broken or cracked branches. Sad to see when you try to take good care of them. :(
The frozen forest.






May 31st.
It been a fair while since I was out fishing, so, I though I would try Fishing Lake again, and, see what's happening, fishing wise.

I set up in my usual spot and fished from 8:00 pm to 9:15 pm, hoping for an evening bite.

It was a nice warm evening with the temps still at + 23 deg C / 73 deg F, with a mainly sunny sky and some wind from the SW.

There were 2 other anglers shore fishing a short distance from me.  They both reported that the fishing had been poor since that snow / ice storm and cold weather rolled through.  They said they had only been catching 1 - 2 fish from shore each of the numerous times they have tried. Not the best news. :-\

I must have had luck with me, as just a few minutes into the fishing, I feel a tap. I set the hook and fight a not too bad walleye into shore.

After a quick photo it went back. It's my largest walleye for the month. 8)

I though the action was off to a good start, but, that 1 fish would be the beginning, middle and end of the fish landed that night.
I did have 2 other nibbles that almost removed the tale from the swimbait, but, that was it. At least there was no skunk.

Hope that the fishing improves a bit in the coming weeks.


Here are few extra non fishing photos from May. 
A few backyard birds.  :)
Last year I had a pair of Baltimore orioles in the yard, but, this year I now have several pairs.


They enjoy eating orange slices and grape jelly.



There are a pair of osprey I always enjoy seeing each year, and, this May I managed to see them again. Their nest gets bigger with each year's add on's.
This year I got to see both of them in the nest together, and, sure enough, they were busy adding onto it.


They have tidied their nest up from last year.  The last time I saw it, the ospreys had managed to haul a pair of old long john underwear up into it, and, the long johns were flapping around in the wind. :laugh:
Much better job this time.






June 2021.
June started off hot, temperature wise, cooled to more normal temps for most of it, ending up hot again, at the end of the month.
The fishing was decent for me this month.
Following are my June reports.


June 13th.
This would be my first report for the month.
On this trip I decided to try a lake and species I have not tried for some time. I was off to Last Mountain Lake to try my luck at some carp fishing.

Mom accompanied me on this trip. Always good to have another person on the longer trips. :)

It was a nice afternoon with sunny skies, a temp at + 26 deg C / 79 deg F and some wind from the SW.

I decided to try the spot where I had luck for carp last year, around the same time.


When I get to Last Mountain Lake there are a few other anglers fishing for carp as well, but, they are further down from where I though I would try.

I set both of us up.  Now, we hurry up and wait for that 1 big bite.
We shore fish from 3:56 pm to 9:00 pm.

In the beginning of June I ordered 2 rods online.
One of them was the one I brought with me on this trip.It was a Shakespeare Ugly
Stik gx2, 9 foot spinning rod, which I specifically purchased with carp in mind.
I was hoping that this rod would be long enough and strong enough to handle these usually hard fighting fish. I also hoped that I would get to feel what it's like to catch a fish with this rod. ;)

While we fished I added some carp bait to the area, and the gulls were right there to eat the pieces that did not sink quickly. ::)


It's a while into the fishing before 1 of the anglers from the other group came over to see how the fishing was for us and chat for a while.
We had no luck so-far and his group was the same with just a few carp that bumped their bait or hit their lines, and that was it.

Mom and I also have a few fish, bump or swim into our line, but, finally at 6:50 pm, I get a strike, and what a strike it was. I had my rod sitting in an adjustable rod holder I use for ice fishing, anchored by 2, what I thought, was large rocks on each side of it. The fish sucked in my corn baited hook, felt the the hook, and bolted in a very powerful line burning run that toppled my rod holder over and sent by bite alarm ( a fishing bell clipped near the tip of the rod) flying. Even though I was sitting beside the rod the whole time, I still had to really scramble to catch the rod and reel before it was dragged into the water, and would have been gone. I grab the rod and set the hook, this caused an immediate reaction, and, I now see a carp make a big leap a long distance out from shore. Even with this more beefy rod and 40 lb test braided line, this carp would not give in, making several long line stripping runs. :o Just when I got close enough to almost see it, the fish could tell it was being pulled towards shallow water, and, was off again. This tug of war battle lasted until 7:00 pm when I finally got it close enough to shore to net. Mom was right there with the net, and was able to at least put the net over it's back and hold it in place. This was a large carp, but, I didn't know how large until we weighed it. She weighed in at 38.5 lbs. ;D
It's now my new personal best carp to date and also my largest fish ever, WOO HOO!!! :w00t:




After several photos, this hard to hold fish, was carefully released back to her watery home. 
She was so big, she had to swim sideways in the more shallow shore waters, but, once it was deep enough for her to rite herself, she shot out of there, giving me a shower in the process, lol. :laugh:


What a fish, she just made my open water season right there! :flex:

Later on mom had a nibble on her bait, and I had something bump my line, but, that was it for any more action. A that point I didn't mind a bit.

We left once the sun began to dip below the horizon and the mosquitoes, black flies and no-see-ums came out. :P

Since I caught the carp, I have purchased some pre-made carp boilies and a new carp net that will hold a large carp much better. Hope to test them both out maybe later on this open water season. ;)


June 22nd.
I decide to try Fishing Lake and see how the fishing has been.
I try my usual spot at the lake and fish from 4:10 pm - 8:00 pm.

The day was cloudy with some wind from the SW + 24 deg C / 75 deg F, but, it had been +28 deg C / 82 deg F, earlier that day.

On this day, I try the 2nd rod I purchased online. This one is a 7 foot Shakespere Ugly Stik Elite spinning rod. It seems to be a strong yet lite rod with good sensitivity when paired up with braided line. I put it to the test and could feel the action of the lures as I reeled them in. I was also able to test it during a fight with a fish.

For me, the shore fishing was a bit slow, for this time of year, and, it took a good while, (around 6:00 pm) before I got a bite.  A nice eater sized walleye was netted, but, jumped out of the net before I could take a photo. The 2nd walleye was half an hour or so before I left the lake, and, I finished off the night with a pike. :)

It sure had a full belly.

While fishing, I chatted with an angler in a boat who was trolling close to shore. He said that the fishing has been really slow so-far for him, from the boat and shore. Hopefully it picks up this season.

I was happy with how my 2nd new rod preformed, and, will continue to use it as my general go-to rod this season. 8)



June 27th.
I am back at fishing lake for a bit of evening / night shore fishing, trying my luck from 7:15 pm - 10:35 pm.

It was a sunny day with some wind from the N and + 28 deg C / 82 deg F temp earlier in the day, but, was +24 deg C / 75 deg F when I got there.

While fishing, I chat with a fellow angler walking by.  They reported that the fishing had picked up for them, from the boat, in a bit deeper water.

The fishing was better for me as well, and I was able to land 7 fish, 2 pike and 5 walleye. 8)






The flash is working! :laugh:




I had several fish short striking my swimbait, almost removing the tail completely, so, I switch to a smaller sized spoon, and that solved the short striking problem.  All the fish that evening were caught on the spoon.

I quit for the night once the mosquitoes got too nasty. :P

There is a hot week coming up with the temps in the mid + 30 deg C /80's deg F and the humidex is suppose to be into the high + 30 deg C / 80's deg F.
I am a heat lover, but, that's a bit hot even for me. ::)


June 30th.
Wow, is it ever hot out now! :o The predicted heat wave did set in for my area, and most of SK and western Canada for that matter. Right now we are all under a heat dome that is supposed to last for several days yet.

I decide to see if the fishing is as hot as the weather, so I am back to Fishing Lake for a bit of late evening / night  shore fishing.
Too hot for me to try at mid day. ::)

Earlier that day it was + 32 deg C / 90 deg F.
When I get to the lake it's sunny with some wind from the N.
The temp is still a hot + 28 deg C / 82 deg F even this late into the evening - from 9 pm - 10:20 pm.

The lake has warmed up a lot during this heat wave, and it feels almost warm at the surface.

There were several other boats out, and it appeared that most of them had caught fish as they trolled, by, just a bit further than I could cast.

Fishing was OK for me and while I was there I caught 4 walleye. :)
The walleye went for grubs on jig heads and also hit smaller spoons.


Surprise! :w00t:






All in all, I have been happy with how the first 2 months have been for me, and, hope for more action to come in the rest of the open water season. 8)

Here are a few other photos from the month of June.
They were all taken while fishing.

These first few photo were when I was carp fishing.
I had 2 species of ground squirrels visit me.
They eagerly watched what I was doing with the carp bait and my chocolate bar snack.

The first one was a thirteen-lined ground squirrel, or, striped gopher.

It was a nervous little critter who darted in and out for treats, but never really stopping too long in any one spot.  Good thing too, there were lots of other animals around that could make a meal of this little guy.

The next one was the much larger Franklin’s ground squirrel, or, bush gopher.


This guy was big and bold. He was comfortable being close to us and, at one point, even sat on the toe of my rubber boot, touched my leg and tugged at the lacing around the top of the boot.  Next we went on to explore what was in the net bag hanging off my chair.  He quickly decided there were treat-worthy crumbs and a wrapper from my already consumed chocolate bar that he undertook to help himself to through the netting. I spilled out the crumbs that were left and he eagerly ate them up. Apparently he also has a sweet tooth, lol. :laugh:


Near Last Mountain Lake, we had a rare sighting of a female pronghorn antelope.


I think she may have had a young one near by, as she kept looking at one particular area of the field.


The next 2 photo are of snowshoe hares or bush bunnys.
They were taken a far distance away, so as not to spook them.




WW

Raquettedacker

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #1 on: Aug 09, 2021, 04:38 AM »
More great reports and pictures. I always look forward to seeing them. 
Thank you very much and keep it up.👍👍👍👍
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

iceman260

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #2 on: Aug 09, 2021, 07:30 AM »
Nice report water wolf. Nice pics also.

zwiggles

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #3 on: Aug 09, 2021, 06:43 PM »
Awesome photos all around!

Raquettedacker

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #4 on: Aug 10, 2021, 05:27 AM »
 :thumbup_smilie: :thumbup_smilie: :thumbup_smilie:
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

Water Wolf

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #5 on: Oct 18, 2021, 10:08 PM »
Thanks Raquettedacker, zwiggles & iceman260.  ;D
Here are a few more open water reports.

WW


Water Wolf

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #6 on: Oct 18, 2021, 11:30 PM »
Hi All,
Attached are my open water reports for the months of July & Aug, 2021. ;D
This July we had quite a few days with above normal temps, and high humidex values.
July seen the start of air quality issues in SK. due to wildfires burning in northern SK., a few in MB and AB, but, the majority of it was coming from the BC wildfires.
Some days, there was just a slight hint of smoke in the air, covering the blue sky in reddish/orange/grey cloudy looking cover. Other days, it was very thick with thick blue smoke reducing visibility a bit, like fog, and a strong smell of it in the air.
I feel for all those affected, by the wildfires wherever they may be. :(

On the 11th of July, my area received some hail. It was quarter to nickle sized, and done some damage to the trees and flowers, but, really hit the garden hard. Some of the plants looked like they were chopped with a knife, not good, but, could have been worse. :wacko:





July 1st (Canada Day).
I went out on 1st of July to Fishing Lake for a bit of relaxing, and, some fishing. ;)

It was a hot sunny day, with the temps at + 33 deg / 91 deg F, and, some wind from the N.

There was lots of action out on the lake, with many boats, jet skies and even a few folks out kayaking. There was some action in every direction all over the lake.
Despite all the action, I saw a few boats bring in some fish.

The lake is also starting to warm up a fair amount, and the water level is dropping, with the heat and lack of rain.

Later on when it got cooler (+ 24 deg C  / 75 deg F) ,and, the sun was lower in the sky, I tried my luck off shore.

I fished from 8:40 pm - 10:35 pm. 

The fish let me know right away that they were around. I even had 2 fish on back to back casts. In the time I fished I landed 5 decent walleye, with several more that nipped and finally ripped the tail of off the jig and grub combo I was using.
I switched to a smaller spoon, and, no more short strikes.








All in all it was a nice relaxing afternoon / evening and can't think of a better way to spend Canada Day. 8)



July 2nd.
I again return to my usual shore fishing spot at Fishing Lake for some evening / night fishing.

It was another hot day with temps at +34 deg C / 93 deg F, and, the same N wind. I went out when it was just a bit cooler at +25 deg C / 77 deg F.

While I fished, the lake calmed down, both wind and boat traffic wise.
I fished from 8:35 pm - 10:00 pm.

The fishing was good and in that time I caught and released 6 fish, 1 pike and 5 walleye.
I also had quite a few lite nips to the swimbait as I retrieved it.







I also land one of my largest walleye of the season so far.


The boats that I saw trolling or floating by seemed to be having some luck as well.

All around, I had 2 good days of fishin'. :)




July 16th.
I am back to Fishing Lake to see if the bite is still on, despite the hot weather and wild fire smoke Saskatchewan has been experiencing.

The temp is + 31 deg C / 88 deg F earlier on, but is, + 25 deg / 77 deg F when I start to fish. There is some wind from the N to NE, but the smoke haze is so thick you can't see across the lake. :o

There were a fair number of forest fires going on in SK and other provinces around us. No matter which way wind blew it was smoky / hazy.
It was starting to become a bit bothersome to my eyes and nose. :pinch:


I found a spot along the shoreline and fished from 7:48 pm - 9:50 pm.

A family joined me to fish later on that evening. They tried shore fishing for a bit without luck, so they pulled out their kayaks and caught a few walleye that way.

Fishing was good for me that evening / night and I was able to land 10 fish, 4 pike and 6 walleye. :)

It was not long at all into the fishing when I land the first fish of the evening, this pike.


A few of the others.




The bigest walleye was last one of the night


All the fish went for a smaller sized spoon.
The fish were still biting quite well when I quit, but, despite the smoke, the mosquitoes were biting harder, and, I was forced to quit, but, it was still a productive trip out.



July 19th.
I return to Fishing Lake for another bout of afternoon / evening shore fishing.

The day is cloudy with a lite smoke haze over the water with some wind from the SE and + 18 deg C / 64 deg F temps.

I am out from 7:00 pm - 9:45 pm, avoiding the hottest parts of the day.

The water is a bit clearer than the last few trips out, but, still continues to warm, and, water levels are still dropping. The bit of rain that this area has had, didn't help to raise the water levels at all. :-\

The fish were really biting this time out, and, I had fairly consistent action the whole time I fished. In the end I caught 14 fish. 4 pike and 10 walleye. :)

I tried, a new to me, swimbait this time out, and, the fish really seemed to like it.
This new lure was called the "Lunkerhunt Shifter Minnow". I was able to cast it a fair distance and it had a tight tail kick when retrieved.
I caught 11 fish on it before one of them finally removed the tail, so, it has a fairly tough plastic as well.

The other 3 fish were caught on a spoon with my own paint job in half black and half neon yellow.


The walleye all seemed to be a bit larger size on average this season, which looks good for their population here. All the fish were released to fight another day.

First one of the day.


This one wanted that swimbait.






While fishing I was a bit surprised to see a 12" or so, garter snake swim past me, dive, and then resurface further out. It then proceeded to swim out towards the middle of the lake. Last I saw of it, the sake was swimming off into the sunset. Not good news for this snake if a pike spots it - lunch time. :whistling:

In the end it was a very good evening of fishing for me.



July 26th.
I return to Fishing Lake. This time I decide to take the boat with me, for the first time this year, and see how the fishing is in a bit deeper water. :)

There was thin smoke haze high up, blocking the blue sky, with temps a + 28 deg C / 82 deg F. The lite breeze started off from the W, but, moved to the S later on.

Once in the boat I fish from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm coming in just before dark.

I motor over to a promising area of the lake and then begin to troll there.

There were quite a few boats out this time and I count a dozen or so, plus a few jet skiers. Most of the boaters were water-skiing or tubing. I only saw a couple that were actually fishing, and, I only saw 1 boat pull in a fish this time.

I found consistent action trolling not too far from shore. They were really going for the, new to me crankbait, a 4 1/2" Berkley Hit Stick. Walleye of different sizes and pike all went for it and I had a great day. The new lure had quiet a few battle scratches and chips by day's end. ::)

I also stopped for a bit, and cast from the boat, catching a few more fish that way with the Lunkerhunt Shifter Minnow swimbait.

By day's end I caught and released 19 fish. 7 pike and 12 walleye. ;D

The first one.


A few more from the day.








This walleye had a bit of a split on the dorsal fin.


A view from the boat.
It felt like I was in some exotic country with that view. 8)


The largest walleye was the last one to bite.


In the end, I was very happy with the fishing from the boat, and, I am hoping for more days like that.



July 27th.
With the action I had the day before, I was eager to get back in the boat and try my luck again at Fishing Lake, fishing from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm.

The sky was a bit cloudy with a bit of smoke haze. The temp was a hot + 34 deg C / 93 deg F, and only a degree or 2 cooler by the time I went out.
The wind was lite from the SE switching to N later on.

Once out on the water I motored over to the same general area I found them before, but, also trolled a bit further as well.

There were a fair number of boats out this evening. I counted 13
+ several jet skies. Only 4 boats were actually fishing and I saw 2 of them bring in walleye.

It was another nice late afternoon / evening out on the water, and, the fish were eager to bite. All the fish were caught trolling a really beat up old Storm Rattle Tot. They hit consistently the whole time out, and, didn't stop.

The final total for the day was 22 fish, all walleye, not sure where the pike were this time. All fish were released. 8)

First one to start things off.


A few of the others






Smile for the camera. :laugh:


The last one.


All in all it was a great 2 days of fishing for me, and, as it turned out, this would be my last day for July.


In conclusion, for me, the fishing in July was as hot as the weather, and that's a good thing. :azn:




August has seen a continuation of normal to above normal temps and sometimes smoke filled skies.
Most of the lakes in SK. seem to still have their water levels dropping and in some lakes, summer die off is starting to occur, which is not good news at all. :P
The little bits of rain we have been getting are doing nothing to bring the lakes up to normal, nor are they helping the forests or farmer's crops. We are in a drought situation now.
I know at Fishing Lake it's starting to get a bit hard for some of the larger or deeper hulled boats to launch from the boat launches, they have to be careful not too hit the rocks now sticking up out of the water or scrape their propeller in the sand. There are some more shallow points in the lake that you don't want to get too close to when boating.

The heat / drought has caused an early harvest in my area with some of the farmers starting by the 2nd week of Aug., earlier than normal for sure.

During the last 2 weeks of Aug. we finally got some rain. It was welcome for the gardens and flowers, but, too little too late for the farmers, and trees, that are now starting to shutdown for the fall season, earlier than usual.

With all this going on, it's good that we can still fish. ;D




Aug. 2nd.
This was the first trip of the month for me. I once again go to Fishing Lake later in the afternoon to avoid the mid day heat.

I was out in the boat from 6:31 pm - 8:40 pm.

Since I was last out in July, the water level in the lake has continued to drop. The water was quite warm on the surface and had a fair algae bloom. You could smell the algae on the wind, it has a distinct odor. :sick:

It was another hot day + 34 deg C / 93 deg F, only cooler by a degree or 2 when I was out. The SW wind did help to cool a person down a bit, and the sky was cloudy and hazy.

There were hardly any other boats out there, I only saw 3 in total. They were all fishing, but, didn't see anyone bring a fish in.

I decided to try a new area this time, and, found decent fishing action there too.
Most of my luck was on the Berkley Hit Stick. I also caught a few fish casting the Lunkerhunt 4" Shifter Shad.

The final total for the afternoon / evening was 14 fish, 1 pike and 13 walleye. :)

First fish of the day, and, the only pike.


A few of the walleye caught.








A good start to the month. 8)


Aug. 9th.
This would be my next day out and again I returned to Fishing Lake to do some boat fishing.

I am out from 5:10 pm - 8:30 pm.

The weather was + 21 deg C / 70 deg F, with some wind from the SW shifting to E near dark. The sky was cloudy and there was even a sprinkle of rain near the end.

The water is still as warm, but, slightly clearer than before.

I saw no more that 3 other boats out on the water, but, didn't see any fish caught.

On this trip I try one more, new to me crankbait, the Berkley Wild Thang. :w00t:
This fat body crankbait really has a wide wobble with good hunting action, and fair rattle. It looked like something the fish might like.

The fish were a bit off this time, with lots of bumps and nips to the lures, without any hookups. The fish that did commit where just lightly hooked on the tail hook of the wild thang crankbait. It was like they gave it just a lite nip and were hooked.
In the end, it was still good action with 11 fish caught, 2 pike and 9 walleye + 2 fish that threw the hook half way in.

Some fish from the day. :)
1st fish.




Pretending to be the fish whisperer. :D




I left the lake to the peaceful sounds of jumping fish, hooting great horned owls and the lite patter of rain on the water. :)


Aug. 15th.
I am back to Fishing Lake for another afternoon / evening of boat fishing.

The weather was + 30 deg C / 86 deg F with a lite wind from the NW, switching to N near dark.

I was on the water from 5:08 - 8:15 pm.

The water was still warm, and had alot more algae in it this time again. I could smell the algae even before I was on the water. :P

There were 8 other boats out on the lake, as far as I could see. Most seemed to be fishing, and, only 2 were water skiing and tubing. I did see someone kayaking as well.

I maneuvered my way to a likely looking area, and began to troll with a crankbait.
The fish seemed to be out in slightly deeper water this time, possibly due to the heat.
Out there, they were fairly active. I caught 13 walleye in total + 2 walleye that threw the hook, just before I could net them.
A few of them were caught casting a lipless rattle bait.

Some of the days action. :)




Mr. Split-Fin X2.
It looks like this walleye had 3 fins on it's back instead of the usual 2. :w00t:


Hellooo. ;D


I was in and off the water before it got too dark to see.
In the end, another good day on the water.



Aug. 25th.
This finds me returning to Fishing Lake for another bout of fishing for the afternoon and evening.

It's a decent day temp wise at + 18 deg C / 64 deg F and mainly sunny skies with just a lite wind from the SE.

The water was still fairly warm with a fair amount of algae in it.

I had the boat out again, and, once on the water, fished from 6:05 pm - 8:11 pm.

I cruised for a bit until I found an area that has produced for me in the past, and, then troll there with a rattling crankbait.

There were only 2 other boats out while I was there, and, I didn't see any of them pull in a fish, but, that didn't mean the fishing was poor.
I had good luck, catching and releasing 13 fish, 1 pike ( the first fish) and 12 walleye after that. :)

First one of the day


A few of the others.




A good end to the day.



Aug. 29th.
This would be my last trip for the month of Aug.  I am back at Fishing Lake for the afternoon, and, am boat fishing from 4:56 pm - 8:20 pm.

This time, I try an area of the lake that I have not been to this season, and, slowly troll along, looking for fish close to shore, and, further out.

The weather was nice with + 22 deg C / 72 deg F temps, a mix of sun and cloud and a wind that was lite from the W, but, shifted to the E near dark.

The water had a fair amount of algae, and, looked like a green felt carpet. It's amazing that fish can still find the lures and food in all that. :-\

There were a good number of boats out this time all enjoying the late summer afternoon. I counted 18 for sure, but, there could have been more. Only 1 boat was water skiing, the rest were out fishing.  I did see a few boats pull in some fish, all walleye from what I could tell. :azn:

There was lots of bird life out there fishing as well. There were pelicans scooping food in the shallows, double crested cormorants flying to and from their fishing areas, grebes diving for fish, and, gulls looking for floating or injured fish. Near dark, a large flock of mixed purple martins, and, swallows also flew over the area, and, all around the boat. It was like being in a snow globe, but with birds. They are gathering together for their long flight south.

Fishing was again good with 12 fish caught, 3 pike & 9 walleye. :)

First fish of the day (this pike).


A few others.






I thought I would try a cast by the dock before leaving, and, found this one last fish.


This was a perfect day for me to end the summer fishing.

We shall see what the fall fishing brings.

I hope everyone had good summer fishing as well. ;D


Here are a few non-fishing photos from July and Aug. ;)

On my travels this summer I came across a pair of copper's hawks and their young. 8)

The young were hopping about on the ground and amongst the branches.




They were also learning to fly, in fact, one of them came so close to hitting my head as it sped by, I had to duck. :o


Nearby, the parents kept a watchful eye on the chicks, and, me.
It was not easy keeping up with the brood as they were going in every direction.
The parents looked quite stressed. :D

WW

ran7ger

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #7 on: Nov 14, 2021, 11:12 AM »
nice work ww, you sure had some good luck so far this season!  hopefully that carries on to the hardwater!
got a fish on the line and my boat on the water
and it's gettin' near time to take the cows to the slaughter

Water Wolf

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #8 on: Dec 23, 2021, 11:23 PM »
Thank you ran7ger.
I hope so as well. :D

Good luck to you this hard water season too.  :)

WW

Water Wolf

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #9 on: Dec 23, 2021, 11:59 PM »
Hi All,
Attached are my open water reports for the fall season. ;D

September started off with normal fall temps, but, in my area, it started to warm on the 15th, and, we then had real hot summer temps. On the 18th, we hit a high of 31 deg C / 88 deg F, and on the 28th of Sept., several areas in SK., set new record high temps. In my area it was +32 deg C / 90 deg F. That's a hot summer's day. It was unexpected, but, well received. :)

All the migratory birds are on the move now. The humming birds were the first to leave some time around the 6th ( labor day). We are now seeing fair numbers of geese, both Canada and snow geese, and, some sandhill cranes and ducks moving into the area.

There are hardly any sloughs or marshes left, due to the drought conditions. The birds are crowding into any substantial bodies of water they can find, including Fishing Lake and surrounding lakes.

Hot on the heals of the water birds are the bald eagles, moving from the N following the flocks, always on the look out for weak or injured birds.


I was out a few times this month for some fall fishing.



Sept. 8th.
This would be the start of my fall fishing.

I am back to Fishing Lake for an afternoon / evening of boat fishing from
5:30 pm - 7:25 pm. The shorter days are quite noticeable now.

It was a nice warm day at + 24 deg C / 75 deg F with a lite wind from the W and mainly sunny skies.

I motor over to a new area of the lake and troll with a crankbait.

There are 4 other boats in the area and all of them were fishing.
I did see 1 anchored boat bring in a walleye.

It was a bit slower day, but, I did find some fish as well.
I catch and release 5 fish - 3 pike and 2 walleye. :)

A few from the day.








In the end it was a nice relaxing day on the water with nice temps, sunny skies, lite winds and a few fish. ;)





Sept. 12th.
I am back to Fishing Lake for the late afternoon / evening out of the boat.
I fished from 5:15 pm - 7:30 pm.

It's a nice day out with temps at + 19 deg C / 66 deg F with some wind from the SE. It started off mainly sunny, but, then clouded up before dark.

It's starting to get hard to launch the boat now, due to the low water levels. Not sure how much longer before I run the risk of damaging the prop on the bottom. :o

I didn't see anyone else out on the water this day nor did I see anyone fishing from shore.
Once Sept. hits everyone seems to leave the lake.

Several decent sized flocks of Canada geese passed overhead, as well as a few smaller flocks of snow geese.
These are the first flocks of snow geese I have seen this fall, and, the first of many to come.

I trolled over spots that produced in the past, and marked a fair number of fish on the fish finder, but, they were a bit tight lipped and would not bite.

I finally got 5 walleye to hit 2 different types of crankbaits and a spoon. :azn:
I really had to work for them this time and they all went back.

2 fish from the day.


This walleye had a misshapen rear dorsal fin.


All in all a nice time out on the water. :)



Sept. 19th.
I am once again back to Fishing Lake, for what would be the last trip of this month.

It's a warm, but, really windy day, so, I was shore fishing this time.
It was + 18 deg C / 64 deg F. The winds were stronger from the NW and there was mix of sun and cloud.

I shore fish at my usual spot from 5:33 pm - 7:00 pm.

In the water, I can still see green algae, even in the churning surf, and, the lake is even lower than before. Lake levels will continue to drop until it freezes for the winter. :unsure:

Out in the distance, were large white caps, and, closer to shore, foam lines stretched across the waves that came crashing onto shore. The built up billowing foam on shore looked like someone added soap to the lake.

I didn't see anyone else fishing from shore, or, from a boat, as far as I could see, that day.

It was hard to cast regular weighted lures with the strong winds, so, I went with a bit larger spoon for a while. That was the ticket. It cast much better, and, I was able to get it a decent distance out. Later on, I switched to an even more streamlined lipless rattle bait, and, could really cast with that, but, had to watch for snags with the extra treble hooks.

Despite the bit tougher fishing conditions, the fish were around, and, were feeding. Some hit a distance out, but, most of them hit quite close to shore, right in the surf zone. It was interesting how they could find anything in those churning waves.

In the end, I had a good day, catching, and, releasing 10 fish - 6 pike and 4 walleye. 8)
5 fish went for the spoon and 5 for the lipless rattle bait.

It was only a day before the full moon of the month, so, that may have helped the bite,but, who knows for sure. :whistling:

Some of the action.






In the end, I was happy how the day went, and, felt it was a good way to end the month. :w00t:



During the month of October, I did not do any fishing at all, but, did fish a bit in November.

Oct. for the most part, had normal temps for this time of year, but, there were 3 days in my area where the temps were above normal. Oct. 16th was +15 deg C/ 59 deg F, the 17th was + 23 deg C / 73 deg F, (that felt like a nice summer's day), and, the 18th was +17 deg C / 63 deg F. The migratory birds continue to pass through the areas in decent numbers, they haven't all left yet.

Nov. had some nice warm days in my area as well at the start of the month. Nov. 4th was+10 deg C / 50 deg F, and, the 5th was + 13 deg C / 55 deg.

The migratory birds are still around a bit, but, definitely not seeing as many as in Oct. The few sloughs that are left have now frozen over. They still gather a bit in our lakes and rivers, but, soon winter's chill will force them to move from there as well.



Nov. 4th.
This would be my first day of fishing for this month.

It was a nice warm day, so, I had to try fishing for at least a bit. Not sure how many warm plesent days there may be left to open water fish, so had to take advantage.

My destination was Fishing Lake. I thought I would try 2 different spots, from shore, in different areas of the lake, and see if I could find a bite.

I fished from 3:15 pm to 5:15 pm.

The weather was great for this time of year, with sunny skies, + 10 deg C / 50 deg F temps., and, a lite breeze from the S, with calm spells at times. It was also a new moon that day, so, that might help.

Spot 1.
I get to the first spot, grab my rod, a lure, and, the net, and, head down to the shoreline.
When I get there, I see another angler has already been there, and, left 4 filleted pike bodies on the shore. They still had color to them, and, looked very fresh.
Too bad the angler didn't take the remains when they left. They could attract scavengers, like racoons, skunks, fox, coyotes or even a bear right into the beach area, not good news for people or pets. :P

Even though this area was recently fished, I though I would try it, as I have had luck in the past here. I try this area for 45 min without so much as a nibble, humm, time to try a new area. ::)

Spot. 2
This is on a different area of the lake. It was very peaceful.  The only sounds heard were that of nature.  Canada geese and trumpeter swan calls echoed across the lake, a raven croaked as it flew by me, looking for a meal, and the tranquil paddling sounds of 3 ducks as they slowly swim past in the still waters provided a most calming atmosphere. ;D

The calmness turns to excitement, as on my very 1st cast, I feel a tap, set the hook, and, wrestle a pike up to the shore, and, into the net. It's a decent fish, if you wanted a meal, but, lucky for it, I was catch and release fishing today. It's off after a photo. :)


Some time later, and, a bit further down the shoreline, I get another tap, and, hook into a another fish. This one is a bit smaller pike than the first fish. I would have taken a photo of this one too, but, it jumped out of the net and was off. :P

That would be it for the action that day.
I left when the sun began to set below the horizon, but, I was still happy to take in such a nice calm afternoon and even find a few fish in the end.



Nov. 9th.
On this afternoon I went to Fishing Lake for possibly the last time this open water season for some shore fishing.
The weather was predicted to turn nasty the next day with cold and snowy conditions, so, I thought I would give it one more try while the weather was still OK.

It was nice out at + 8 deg C / 46 deg F, with just a lite wind from the SE, and, mainly clear skies, however, the clouds did roll in at the end.

Spot 1.
I thought I would first try a smaller bay, but, found it to have some ice already covering it, as far out as I could cast. I did do a few casts to test the thickness of the ice with a heavy spoon, but, it just bounced off and skidded on top of the ice. Even if I could break through, there is no way I could have retrieved my lure through it, so, time to try a new area. :-\

Spot 2.
This was my usual shore fishing spot on the lake. It too had a thin sheet of ice 10 feet or so out from shore, but, it was much thinner, and, with 3 well placed large stones I was able to open up a channel through the fresh ice layer, that I could cast and retrieve my line through. The slight wave action blew the broken ice chunks away.
I fished in this area from 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm.

Not surprisingly, I was the only person out fishing that day.
The only other life out there was in the form of water birds that were using the lake as a water stop before moving on. While I was there I had some Canada geese and ducks fly past going out to the fields to feed and back, plus, 6 swans who flew by me very close. They did that twice that afternoon. They are big birds when you see them up close.

An hour into the fishing and I feel a tap tap, set the hook, and, bring towards shore, the first fish of the day. I try and maneuver the fish ( a pike) through the narrow passage I made in the ice sheet, but, it has other ideas and swims under the ice. It then proceeded to do several jumps, and, came up right through the ice. I don't think I have ever seen a fish bursting through the ice like that. Instead of water flying it was little chunks of ice. :o I really wish I could have had a photo of what I saw.
I was also a bit concerned that moving through the ice like that would fray or cut the line, but, luck was on my side and I was able to turn the fish into the open water close enough to net. By this time, I was almost to the top of my rubber boots in the lake to get it. After a photo it was off. :)


On the very next cast, into the same area as before, I feel another tap, and, hook into another pike.
This one didn't jump as much, but, did more of a bulldozing train through the ice, kind of like a mini ice breaker, lol. :w00t:
I was also hoping that this fish would not cut the line on the ice, but, again I was able to get it into the open water near my feet and net it. It was also released after a photo.


After those 2 quick catches the area went quiet, and I had no other luck after that. I must have found the only 2 active fish. I think they are now setting up for the winter. The pike are still a bit shallow, but, the walleye have moved to the slightly warmer depths.

Even though those were the only fish caught, I was still happy with the results, and, enjoyed being out for the last time this season, after all, "Winter is coming". ;)

Thanks to all of you for joining me during my open water season. :thumbup_smilie:
I hope everyone has been able to stay safe and happy.
I will be in touch again, on Ice Shanty. Until then, be safe and have fun. :azn:

Water Wolf out!

anglerbrian

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #10 on: Jan 02, 2022, 12:45 PM »
Hey WW I had not been on this site for quite some time. Out of boredom I stopped in. Enjoyed reading through your posts. Thanks for sharing. My Ice fishing season was just getting started before the cold set in. hope the fish are still biting where I left them  just before Christmas, Have a great year Happy new Year...

Water Wolf

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Re: My 2021 Open Water reports.
« Reply #11 on: Feb 24, 2022, 07:09 PM »
Thanks anglerbrian glad to post them. :)
Yeah, the cold and heavy amounts of snow is really playing havoc with me getting out this winter. It's either too cold to go or on a nice day a blizzard. ::)
Looking forward to hopefully nicer weather in March and a bit more active fish... :-\

Happy New Year to you as well, and, good ice fishing.:tipup:

WW

 



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