July ’26 Fishing Report

How to summarize July? Seems it was years ago, in a galaxy far away……but I do recall it starting out on the tail end of the mayfly hatch. The final week of the hatch and the aftermath can be challenging fishing and a level headed approach is required. A consistent route to success proved to be the old traditional back troll with a “Little Joe” spinner and minnow combo. Sticking to what you know should work is the key…..forget about emptying out the tackle box in a vain search for the magic combo.

We were fortunate enough to only experience a few days of smoke in July, as most fires seemed a ways off to the north and east. Much “to do” was made about that nasty Canadian wildfire smoke, which begs the question of why do we do it? As this picture shows we just love a good smokey sunrise. We do need some rain badly as things are dry and there is a fire ban on across our region. As I type this tonight we have had some showers and the heat wave we’ve been experiencing is behind us. Looks like a good week coming up!

Musky conditions were more favorable early in the month as the hot weather really warmed up surface temperatures towards the end…….not ideal conditions for catch and release. Here’s an early July musky caught by Brad Walker and a great “in the water” shot. A few more pics……

Hopefully as we move into August and water temperatures start to fall just keep in mind that releasing musky in water temperatures above 75 degrees is stressfull to these fish…….if you can stick to a quick in the water release and minimal photography you’ll be doing your part for the fishery…..and while I’m on a soap box, FFS (forward facing sonar) should have no part to play in musky fishing. We ask our VBL guests to not use it for musky…….thanks in advance!

When a musky wants your walleye…you can sometimes get an interesting photo if you’re quick enough.

Considering the scorching heat we’ve had in July the water levels have remained pretty normal……probably dropping a couple inches over the past month.

Big pike on the rampage! Actually we’ve had some better size pike this year which is a good thing!

A key factor this month to catching walleye is to get on the water early.

The Sandstone Mn gang was able to put a few in the pan…..

……and release a few bigger ones…

Luke with a 20 inch bass not far from the dock….

Some walleyes became dinner in July!

Speaking of eating, the gulls are very scheduled birds and appreciate breakfast before 7:00 a.m.

Here’s the original “lineman for the county” practising his northern catching skills…

Another smokey sunrise one morning in July. Where will the fish be today?

Walleye Madness Week wrapped up the month with a bit of competition, good food, and fun times!

I don’t know why but this picture kind of captures the essence of Walleye Madness…..the awards night and pot luck dinner. The brisket looks good and the excitement is ramping up! To be honest the three days of competition saw some pretty tough fishing with the large fish avoiding the hook……but, it seems spirits were high none-the-less.

Some of the runners-up consisted of new and old guests. In the midst of the tough competition one name stood out from the rest……..the winner of the 2026 Walleye Madness…….Norris Zehr!

Well, they say the sport is dying because young people aren’t interested in fishing. I beg to differ and Norris is the proof! Here’s some of Norris’s action pictures with his family…….

So, as usual with most fishing contests, the biggest fish are always caught just prior to, and just after the tournament….

Here’s Matt Haggart with a walleye that would have been a winner if he had caught the following day.

…and Mary Haggart with a definate winner had she only caught it the day before! Ah, that’s fishing for you! 2027 will see some rematches, and previous winners looking to reclaim their titles. If your interested in Walleye Madness 2027 (July 24-31) let me know…..it’s a good time.

So as we bid July farewell and welcome August, soon to be September, and then Mexico…….let’s check out a new twist on the lodge……fancy carpentry?, or fancy camera work?

This is a “new” addition to the lodge…..a neon VBL sign that I once took to sport shows and has been locked in a crate for the past 20 years. Here’s some VBL trivia….at my last All Canada Sport Show the “new” show director (she shall remain nameless) told be my sign was too bright and I couldn’t turn it on. Well, bugger her……..decided then I didn’t need to do sport shows anymore (at least that’s how I remember it). In retrospect, it is rather bright……