Well, the heat finally let up some and it’s made for a noticeably more comfortable time on the water. It looks like this week brings us a mixed bag of some cooler temps and some fronts which (hopefully) will include rain, before we warm up into the 80’s again. Water temps on the chain are in the mid- to upper 70’s range, which is typical for this time of year. The bigger, deeper lakes to the north are sitting in the low to mid-70’s.

Worth mentioning is that smoke that rolled in and turned our skies hazy and our sunrises and sunsets that deep orange color last week, which blew in from wildfires up in Canada and northern Minnesota. Some days it got bad enough up here that it was more than just a nuisance, especially if you’ve got asthma, a heart condition, or you’re older or younger and a little more sensitive to that stuff. If you were out on the water and it felt like it was harder to catch your breath – especially after a long paddle or a hike to your spot – that wasn’t your imagination. As of this writing, it’s not nearly as bad as the worst we got last week. Any rain we get will help – and more importantly, any rain they get up in Canada and northern Minnesota will help, too! Keep an eye on the sky – conditions here can change quickly, and if it looks hazy or smells smoky when you head out, it’s not a bad idea to check the air quality index before you commit to a long day on the water, especially if you’re fishing with kids or anyone who has breathing issues.

Crappie continue to hold on outside weed edges, though with the slightly cooling water some fish will likely start creeping a touch shallower than they were last week. Small jigs and plastics are still the ticket. Perch have kept up their surprising run this summer – anglers are still finding good numbers, including some genuinely big ones, in that 6 to 10′ weedy zone. Minnows and leeches on a light jig continue to be money. Bluegill remain steady just off the weed edges and around submerged wood, and a small jig tipped with a piece of worm will keep you busy all day if that’s the game plan.

Walleye have been making their move with the change, also, and that’s good news. We are still seeing some fish insanely deep, but with the cooling temps this week they will start working back up into the developing cabbage patches and weed edges in that 8 to 14′ range on most lakes. Leeches or a half a crawler on a light jig fished through those cabbage patches should work well, especially along any wind-blown edges where the bait tends to stack up. If you were fishing 25’+ last week, it’s worth working your way back up onto the structure this week.

The bass bite hasn’t slowed a bit, and they have provided some spectacular fun this last week. Smallmouth are still very much in their element on the mid-lake reefs, rocky points, and bars in that 8 to 15′ range. Topwater at first light remains about as good as it gets this time of year – keep the Whopper Ploppers, walking baits, and poppers tied on for that first hour. Once the sun’s up, switch over to Ned rigs, drop shots, and wacky rigs worked along the deeper edges of the same structure. Largemouth are still buried in the weeds and responding to frogs, buzz baits, and Hula Poppers. If you fished the bass hard last week and had a good time, keep it up – there’s no reason to expect that to change.

Northern remain a solid option, particularly around deeper weed edges in cooler water. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are still getting hits. With slightly milder conditions and the chance of some passing weather later in the week, keep an eye out for those pre-frontal windows – northern activity often picks up right before a system rolls through.

We continue to encourage Musky anglers to fish with caution. These fish are still coming out of a stretch of intense warmth, so please continue to handle them with extra care. When you catch them, keep them in the water as much as possible, support them upright and facing into any current to get oxygenated water moving through their gills, and give them the time they need before letting them go. It may take 10 or 15 minutes for a musky to fully recover coming out of the heat we saw, and that patience matters – they will tell you when they’re ready as, they “kick off” of your had with their tail to swim away.

Overall, this looks to be a nicer week to be on the water than the last one – and the fish will likely agree. Mornings and evenings are still your best bet for comfort and action, but with the heat backing off you may find the bite holding up better through the middle of the day than it has been. Watch the sky for any afternoon storms later in the week and get out there and enjoy it. We’re over ½ way through this short season and every minute out there is precious now!

Good luck and good fishin’!