Kabetogama/Namakan Fishing Report 7/20/09

[Gateway General]

Kabetogama/Namakan Fishing Report 7/20/09

This past week was quite extraordinary; unfortunately I'm speaking of the weather, not fishing.

Record overnight low temperatures and record daytime lows combined with wind and rain kept most anglers off the lakes.

Anglers that challenged the elements found fishing to their liking. The walleye bite remained strong on the west end of Kab, amongst one of many delayed mayfly hatches.

Reports from angler using jig and minnow, as well as slip sinker rigs, on mid-Kabetogama and Namakan fared good as well.

Water temperatures, still hovering around 65 degrees, has kept active walleyes shallow at time to an average of 18 - 25'.

Favored bait as of last week was leeches, but with oncoming summer weather a switch to crawlers is inevitable.

As with last week, look for walleyes on wind-blown shorelines and sandbars on the West end. As the bite moves towards mid-Kabetogama, seek walleyes on reef edges and rock pile drop-offs.

Northern pike will sometimes show up with a vengeance. As Fall closes in expect them to hit stick baits, spoons and X-Raps at shallow depths down to 12', weed edges should be terrific.

Smallmouth have come on strong. You can find'em on shorelines and rock-piles feeding on crayfish.

A good area for smallies now would be Lost Bay, Blind Ash, Nebraska Bay and on West Kab, surrounding Cutover Island.

Perhaps with the summer weather outlook, visitors will again appreciate the beautiful National Park we have here in the Northland.

Hope to see you soon,

Phil and Ellen Hart
Gateway General Store
9378 Hwy 53
Kabetogama, MN 56669
(218)875-2121
(218)875-3011 FAX
www.gatewaygeneral.com
www.kabfishingreport.com
www.voyageurscountry.com
info@gatewaygeneral.com