How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Fishing Reports and Lake Conditions Only. Ask your questions and post remarks in the General Forum Please.

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mitchr
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How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by mitchr » Fri Sep 15, 2017 12:28 pm

Hey Everyone,

I normally head up with a group this weekend every year but we always run into water that looks like pea soup and poor fishing conditions. We decided to wait until the end of the month, Saturday the 30th to head up hoping the water would be clear again and fishing start to pick up. Does anyone know how the water is looking right now and where the water level is at?

Thank you!

Fishpro
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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by Fishpro » Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:16 pm

Was up to my camp yesterday. I am situated across the lake from Log Cabins. Most areas around me were free of the usual green color near shore. This year we had way too much rain in the North Country and now we are seeing what is usually natural during July and August. Cooler temps are now settling in and there shoudn't be many algie blooms. Good luck and have a great time!! Remember Bass have to be 15 inches to keep at Black Lake. Catch & Release!

mitchr
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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by mitchr » Sun Sep 17, 2017 4:48 pm

That is great to hear Fishpro and thanks for the report. We are staying at the Log Cabins, good to hear the water is clear.

We release 95+% of what we catch typically keeping only a couple for dinner one evening. A couple of our guys don't even eat fish, just enjoy being on the water, drinking beer, and have some good laughs with friends.

Dreadnought
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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by Dreadnought » Mon Sep 18, 2017 10:25 am

Arrived for a weeks stay Sept 9th and the surface temps were 64-65. By sat. 9/16 temp was 71. Bass fishing was very good for size and numbers. Smallmouth were very aggressive on my favorite shoals especially loving crayfish and goldens. Largemouth were throughout the weedbeds hitting surface and sub surface baits during lowlight periods and worms/jigs during the middle of the day in the deeper weeds. Summer patterns! Doesn't look like the water will be cooling off anytime soon with this weeks warm weather. Caught a few pike as well while fishing deeper weeds for lagemouth. Didn't spend much time on panfish but picked up a few for a dinner. Perch and sunfish were running small for this time of year...........but again didn't spend much time searching for them. Lots of floating algae near the surface, and algae growing on the shallow, dying weeds. Overall water was stained, visibility about three feet down most days.
Several fisherman staying at our camp were doing very well on crappie in and around the mouth of Fish Creek. Some bigger fish too........12-14".

mitchr
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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by mitchr » Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:12 am

Hey Dread,

Sounds like you guys had a decent trip, thank you for the detailed report! As I said we usually go up this week starting the past weekend and it is usually worse than you described. Often the water is like pea soup with a foot of visibility at most. Hopefully another week and a half will allow the water to start clearing up a bit more.

We generally always fish the shallows but I keep hearing about people have a great time catching small mouth out on the rocky shoals in a little deeper water. Does anyone have any information they can share as to a decent depth and areas to try if we wanted to cast some deep diver crankbaits for smallies?

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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by MrSimon » Tue Sep 19, 2017 1:17 pm

For deep smallies, focus on main lake islands and rocky points. Slide down the slope until the bottom levels out .... the fish like to sit right there.

If you can find a spot like that that also has boulders scattered around, you'll find lots of smallies.

Dreadnought
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Re: How is the lake conditions and fishing currently?

Post by Dreadnought » Wed Sep 20, 2017 2:06 pm

When surface temps do start to drop with the coming cooler weather. Smallies will stack up near vertical drops. That may be a rocky point or mid lake shoal. They can be on top, along the ledge or at the base of the structure depending on the weather and where the bait is. A good sonar unit is invaluable! If they are on or near the top, try crankbaits (brown crayfish colored or flashy minnow patterns). Along the drop try jig/grub combos or jigs tipped with small minnows. If they are at the deeper base of the structure try jigs again or live bait rigs with 3-4" shiners.

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