bowstring area

our family has a cabin just a bit north of bowstring……..and Jessie lake. last year mother nature hit it with a knuckle ball and it had a severe winter kill. not to mention another favorite little lake 2 miles away we fish is completely dead. looks like it finished the job this year.

I was up over the weekend, and went out on the cabin lake, drilled holes in 4 different areas ranging from 7 ft to 14 feet. had my underwater camera down and all I seen where DEAD FISH on the bottom at every spot. looks like i’ll be dragging the boat to search for new fishing waters……..not that’s entirely a bad thing. very inconveinient if ya just wanna scoot out for a little bit.

That’s a bummer for sure. Sorry to here that.

today i sent the fisheries people in Grand Rapids an email with a polite email explaining the situation.

basiccly the response i got back translate to this extent………. we arent going to to an effin thing………..your on your own.

Feathers wrote:

glenn57 wrote:

today i sent the fisheries people in Grand Rapids an email with a polite email explaining the situation.

basiccly the response i got back translate to this extent………. we arent going to to an effin thing………..your on your own.

Not trying to be rude but what exactly did you expect from them? Stock your lake because of the winter kill?

Winter kills are a natural cycle on lots of lakes. I actually search out lakes that winter kill because they can provide amazing fishing and size structure when the lake bounces back. I know that doesn’t help you in the short term but something to consider.

Winterkill lakes are awesome because they winter kill. When you remove a huge portion of the biomass the remaining fish and subsequent spawns have lots of elbow room and a lot of food per mouth to go around. I feel for you. But give it three to four years and your lakes will be back as strong as ever.

i’ll agree with you to an extent, but a severe winter kill last year and now this, i’m totally convinced after I seen what I seen its a total loss. if there isn’t any fish to reproduce…..hows it coming back?????? it sounds like they wont even go take a look. that’s the part that really urinates me.

to have a moderate kill I can see your guys point. they restocked the lake back in 1996. and i’ll argue part of what I pay for a license is supposed to be used to keep a healthly population. it has a DNR access, a warden I know up there says if there is an access they should take some stock in the lake.

well the word is now out…….bowstring has zeebs in it.

to be perfectly honest i cant believe it took this long since it is connected via a river to sand lake. zeebs have been in sand for about 10 years. now we fished sand this spring and they are noticeably a lot less then several years ago!!!!!

just an ice report…..the lake the cabin is on was iced over monday when i left for home from deer camp 2020. all the little slews and pot holes where froze up. geigers on bowstring and the williams narrows cams had ice forming on the shorelines.

@glenn57 Anything more on the winterkill and how significant?

I know last winter was a long one with early heavy snow. Still a little surprised after looking at the contour map. That’s not particularly small or shallow.

Reason I ask is a friends place is just a bit north of you with similar size and depth as Jessie. Wondering if something similar?

patk wrote:

@glenn57 Anything more on the winterkill and how significant?

I know last winter was a long one with early heavy snow. Still a little surprised after looking at the contour map. That’s not particularly small or shallow.

Reason I ask is a friends place is just a bit north of you with similar size and depth as Jessie. Wondering if something similar?

what lake would that be if you don’t mind me asking??

Well the fisheries people did in fact check the lake out. Some of The crappies and pike survived. They did not find any sunfish or bass. They were going to meet this winter to set a plan if they are going to do something with no real assurance of doing anything, but I think enough of the landowners put enough heat on to hopefully do something.

From what I have been hearing the bigger lakes faired ok

anybody been up in the area lately. hows the ice making doing??? plans are to head that way on the 14th. only hitting the smaller lakes.

Spear chucking, 3 guys. 9 inches of ice in the area.

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Good to hear Glenn, I’m heading up next weekend to Winne.

John Rasmussen wrote:

Good to hear Glenn, I’m heading up next weekend to Winne.

good luck.

Went up Thursday and I had to deal with this. Wasn’t froze hard enough till Sunday to take wheeler out so needed to us the access

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My grand catch for the time spent up there. The nord is from cabin lake that had winter kill last 2 years. Crappies from a lake nearby. I did add 5 more crappies for a limit.

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anyone headed up there and planning on hitting small less frequent fished lakes….beware of slush…….it wasnt pretty this past weekend.

Agreed, I’ve been hitting some pretty crappy slush holes lately .

Anyone hear anything about a bite on Bowstring? Was thinking of hitting it in a week or so.

John Rasmussen wrote:

Anyone hear anything about a bite on Bowstring? Was thinking of hitting it in a week or so.

yea,i know i guy that went out of Geigers this past weekend…..very poor fishing success and they didnt dare venture off there roads!!!!!!

they had the same luck on winnie out of highbanks!!!!!!!

Thanks for the info Glenn.

so finally open water season and my first chance up. come home today to avoid amateur weekend but fishing was less then impressive. i did get a supply of pickling nords but everything else was non existant. didnt try panfish.

my brother was up week of opener, did ok. he thinks some of the lakes turned over with gunk floating in the lakes and that weather was fickle and not consistent!!!

some seem to think there 2 weeks behind normal?????

Hey Glenn, did ya see any sasquatch on the way up there or back??
I was wondering if with all of the high water up there chased them down south.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

Hey Glenn, did ya see any sasquatch on the way up there or back??
I was wondering if with all of the high water up there chased them down south.

Yea I think I seen a glimpse of one headed for higher ground. It was around be outing though!;

Ya, I heard that too, found out later it was EPG standing on top of his SXS trying to find his way home from the bar in the tall grass.

Came back today from the cabin, we did ok fishing.

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Some sunfish. The mosquitoes were just about as big!

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Two of tastiest fish! IMO

Craig Sery wrote:

Two of tastiest fish! IMO

i agree. most my pike gets pickled or smoked!!!!!!!!

if i get one big enough Y-bones come out and fried up!!!!

Pike is the best tasting for me too. I pickle the small ones but I don’t think I’ve had it smoked. I’ve heard that it’s good baked. I’ll have to try it in my Traeger. Get it baked with a little smoke!

got back from the cabin yesterday……lotz of rain and the lakes are really high.

fishing was so so………all together 19 sunfish and 5 pike…..2 of which were 27 inchers.