FISHING REPORT LAKES OAHE/SHARPE PIERRE AREA FOR JULY 13TH THRU THE 16TH 2018

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I guided the Zirbels from Wisconsin to possession limits of walleye for two days and then thinking I had a couple of days off started to relax but got a call from my friend Rich Smith from Ida Grove IA that he had boat problems. It isn't often I get a chance to fish with friends so I volunteered to spend time fishing with them. We had a great time and turned up limits for two days of walleye and a lot of catfish. I fished with them in the back of the Cheyenne one day and down at West Bend for a quick trip on their way home. On all of these trips we used nightcrawler bouncer rigs fishing depths down to 30 fow on both lakes. I am still running spinner/crawler rigs shallow in 10 fow or less however finding fish shallow is becoming harder as many fish are in the 20 to 35 fow range now that temps are up. It is summer and the fly's/bugs know it so wearing long pants and using bug repellant make for a more enjoyable trip. Lots of water/Gatorade etc. is also a requirement. As usual a bigger size catch is possible if you find fish away from community spots and especially if you fish around submerged trees/structure even if it is harder due to snags. I have always felt that eating walleye and catching them is great but the real sport is finding them and over my career have always respected the fishermen that take the time to learn how to hunt the walleye. That can be hard but the very best know how. It is not hard to put your boat in and find other boats but finding walleye can be challenging at times. The real sport to me is developing the skill to find the fish and it is also the best part of the sport when you find a batch of real nice fish and then bring home a nice bag for eating. Practicing the art of the hunt is time consuming but the reward of knowing that you can find them is worth it.

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