Tomahawk Leader

The rain just started falling here in the Tomahawk area. Hopefully the forecasters are correct and it will stick around until early Saturday - actually had to get out and water the garden last night as we haven't seen the big storms that hit other parts of the state earlier in the week.
About the only stable weather pattern we've experienced lately is unstable weather followed by a few days of high pressure before the next storm system moves in. Not very enticing overall for the musky angler who has a day job, as most my fishing opportunities have included fishing after the rain or during bluebird sky, high pressure conditions.
The best time to be on the water is before or during the storms, which is evident in the massive musky Tina Frick boated last week on her fifth cast between storms Wednesday. What an impressive fish. I had to laugh when her husband told me she plans to start lifting weights (the fish weighs almost half her weight) as they've seen bigger muskies in Tomahawk waters.
Several opportunities might help "align the stars" to produce some more great fishing periods heading into this weekend. A full moon will occur Monday, which means action should start to increase tomorrow, when storms are expected to still be pushing through the area. There's also a two-hour major starting Friday at 9:41 a.m. During the evening the one-hour minor starts on Friday at 3:54 p.m. - check out the lunar charts to get additional times throughout the weekend.
While I spend most my summer chasing muskies, I have been spending a bit of time on the water getting a few perch for the Fry Daddy over the past few weekends. The fish were caught over weed beds on slip bobbers with chunks of nightcrawlers. The best times have been during the afternoon an evening. Keep in mind water flow rates on area flowages can change with the rain we've been experiencing that will impact fishing. If they open the gates on the impoundments along Hwy. 107 try a different body of water.
Hopefully the rain will continue to fall here across the Northwoods and we can fill up area lakes and flowages. The last I heard the Willow was only 4 feet down, which is a virtual miracle considering where it was to start the year.
Looks like it will be a great weekend to get out on the water and enjoy all the splendor that Mother Nature provides here in the Northwoods. Conditions look like they'll be favorable early in the weekend to even offer a shot at some great fishing action. Good luck to everyone heading out this weekend. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time!

Spent a considerable amount of time chasing muskies the past several days here in the Tomahawk area. Fishing proved to be slow, as a buddy and I were only able to boat one fish after about 20 hours on the water over a three-day span.
Tried a variety of presentations, including topwaters, bucktails, Suicks, plastics and just about everything else in the tackle box. The one fish caught was during a major Friday afternoon. My musky partner was throwing topwater over the deep edge of a weed point when the hefty 40-inch fish hit. She was released after a few pics were taken. The only other action came during a minor earlier in the day Friday. We had to cover a lot of water to find just a few active fish. We didn't try the night bite, which might have produced considering the time of year and how inactive the fish were during the day.
Despite the slow fishing, it was nice to be on the water observing nature and spending time with a good friend. I suspect heading into this weekend musky action should start to pick back up, as a new-moon phase is set to start later this week. Some decent times might also exist prior to any of these pop-up storms that are forecasted to move through the area until things start to settle down into Wednesday.
While musky fishing proved slow, another out fishing with us was able to have some decent success throwing for other species of game fish. I'm sad to report the B-1 minus Jeff gave to me to use was lost to a big, unidentified fish Saturday. The lure had been producing some nice smallies and pike before being snapped off. Thanks to opening my eyes to a new and productive lure, Jeff.
Walleye action has been picking back up around the dams. Congrats to Chuck from Chuck's Bait Shop on a 29 1/2 inch beast caught recently.
We really are fortunate to have some great fishing opportunities in the Tomahawk area this summer, as water levels are higher on area flowages than they have been in years. Make sure to get out and enjoy it while you can. Before long geese will be flying overhead and that first frost will be turning things from lush green to brown.
I'm already chomping at the bit to get back out on the water in search of the next musky.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time.

Took a little time off from muskie fishing as the family was in town over this past weekend. Ended up catching some very nice bull bluegills in the slack water along current on Lake Mohawksin. This is a fun pattern that proves a blast each summer. Fish were caught using leeches and slip bobbers in about 7 feet of water.
We picked up over 4 inches of rain out by the house in Spirit Falls. The Spirit is full again, which hasn't been the case this time of year for several years. It's remarkable, as the Willow is down only a couple of feet and Nokomis is almost full after starting the summer very dry. Hopefully the rain will continue into the fall and a good amount of snow is seen this winter. I think at that point we could start looking at possibly ending this drought. Some additional showers are even in the forecast for later this week.
Will be getting out on the water once the weather cools back down - the air temp has been around 90 yesterday and today here in the Tomahawk area. They're talking about a shift in the jet stream that is expected to change things considerably heading into the weekend. It will be interesting to see how this impacts fishing in the days to follow.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time!

What a relief to have some enjoyable fishing weather over the past few days after a summer comprised of mostly hot and muggy conditions.
The big cool down hasn't cooled off fishing, at least not any longer a few days into this pattern with highs in the 70s. Got out for a few hours on the Somo the other night and fishing partner boated a nice 20-inch walleye throwing the Big O in crayfish color along a weed bed that dropped into deeper water. As she pulled the fish from the water, it spit out what was either a six-inch perch or minnow that was still alive, which is always a good sign. She had a few other hits and caught a crappie in the short time we were on the water. I had a topwater whacked by a musky but wasn't able to get a hook in the fish.
The mosquitos are still bad, but at least with the cooler temps, we were able to put jackets and additional clothing on to prevent being bit.
With the lunes calling and a cool breeze blowing as the sun set over the Somo, it served as a reminder that the summer of 2010 is almost gone. We stayed out on the water a little later that night.
Some decent muskies were caught during the WMT's tournament on Lake Mohawksin over this past weekend, including 49 1/4 inch, 47 inch and a couple more fish in the 40s. Good luck to everyone taking part in this weekend's big MMM tournament out on Mohawksin.
A full-moon phase begins this Saturday, so fishing should continue to improve heading into the weekend. Summer is almost at the end, so make sure to get out and enjoy the some time on the water soon, if you can.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time.