As one might expect...

The second half of summer has been unfolding as it should. The walleye are moving deeper, the pike are carving out their turf among the weed beds, and some BIG fish are taking a brief break from their underwater world to make friends with some hospitable fishermen.

The past week has showcased what summer up here is all about: some days warm enough to warrant a swim, some mornings cool enough to tempt a fire, some thunderclouds that made a good excuse to fall asleep with a book, and some fishing so good you didn't even realize it was raining. 

Guests from all 6 lakes have reported great catches and many sent photos to prove it (THANK YOU!) The biggest pike last week (42") was caught at Burnt on a 1/16th oz. jig (perch fishing, I presume) and no doubt made for an exciting fight on light gear. Several other upper 30" and lower 40" pike were boated around the park. Silver spoons like a Johnson's Silver Minnow with a twister tail (white) seemed to "net" the most consistent results. 

While the pike are stacked amongst the weed beds, a lot of longtime guests are noting that the weeds have developed differently than in years past due to the low, low water. Some spots that are usually meccas have not matured as one might expect, meanwhile other areas that are often weed free are now matted up. 

Lot's of big walleyes have been caught too. South lake remained the hot-spot for big marble eyes with 8 fish measuring between 25-29". Several in that trophy class were also raised at Burnt, West, Cocos, and Central.

Most fish are now in about 10-15' of water. The adage of bright colored jigs on sunny days, darker colored jigs on cloudy ones seems to be holding true. Crawler harnesses have been deployed with great success too. 

We were thankful to get a moderate amount of rain through the week. The fire/smoke situation up here has improved immensely, although there was a new fire reported just east of The Park today. 

With the rain came all the bugs early season guests noted as peculiarly absent. We all knew it was just a matter of time, but bug spray has become a required piece of equipment. I imagine their reign will be fairly short lived, however, as the days are getting noticeably shorter already. 

As the season continues to mature, the berries are really starting to pop. Wild mountain strawberries have been a great addition to morning cereal and the raspberries are on the cusp of surrounding outhouses everywhere (they love the additional "nutrients" left by our guests). Blueberries won't be far behind either. It is definitely fun being able to enjoy such a diverse bounty up here. 

We'll try to keep you up to speed on all things Big Hook. Thanks so much for taking the time to follow us. 

Happy fishing, 

Ryan