Kabetogama the week of opener 2016, Anyone else going to be there?

Headed up on Monday after opener for the week.
Camping on an island up there.
will be my 16th year for this trip.
couple of the guys have been doing this 20.
Will have my black Lund 1675 impact up there again.

Anybody else going to be around?

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I’m not sure yet. I’m either going up early before opener or staying a few days after. Depends on my schedule.

Not going north for the opener, but we have a houseboat reserved on Kab for July. Not the best fishing time, I’m sure, but it’s a family vacation and I can’t freaking wait. Been 20 years since I’ve fished up there.

Grouse

I’ll be up first week of June! Cannot stop thinking about getting up there. Stayed on McManus island this year. 10th year in a row for the week in vnp. We pick a different site each year.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Not going north for the opener, but we have a houseboat reserved on Kab for July. Not the best fishing time, I’m sure, but it’s a family vacation and I can’t freaking wait. Been 20 years since I’ve fished up there.

Grouse

Using Ebels?

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Not going north for the opener, but we have a houseboat reserved on Kab for July. Not the best fishing time, I’m sure, but it’s a family vacation and I can’t freaking wait. Been 20 years since I’ve fished up there.

Grouse

Actually July is my favorite/best month on Namakan for numbers/eaters. I’ve got 14 days on Nam and 5 days on Rainy already booked from July 4th to August 21st, with 10 of those on Nam in July (next year I should put in my 400th day camping there since 1997).
If I go in June nowadays its with just my 13 y.o. son and we fish smallies and northerns almost exclusively. Eye’s and smallies in July/August. Fish will be heading for/on the reefs by the 4th, and always fish the windy side of the rocks.

Nowhere else I’d rather be in the summer than in VNP!

Will be coming in behind you on the 21st thru the 27th. Bringing my little brother this year, he’s never been up there before.

I’ll be up Tuesday thru Thursday after opener. Second time up, first time this early.
Really looking forward to it.
I’ll be the guy sitting in the Red Lund Pro Guide.

I’ll be up for the opener! Heading up Friday to open up the cabin and plan on fishing Saturday and Sunday. Water levels are up compared to last year at this time, will make getting docks in easier. I can’t wait to get back up there, the days are dragging by already.

Will be up on Friday morning through Tuesday. Staying at Arrowhead Lodge. Been going their for the opener for 20+ years and look forward to it every year

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Don’t worry about the photo Rich. Hardly any load correct.

Have fun at the Lake!

Dutchboy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Not going north for the opener, but we have a houseboat reserved on Kab for July. Not the best fishing time, I’m sure, but it’s a family vacation and I can’t freaking wait. Been 20 years since I’ve fished up there.

Grouse

Using Ebels?

Yes, using Ebels. Hope they boats are good and comfortable, like a lot of stuff these days everything was booked by website, so I hope they’re good.

Would love to hear recommendations for best houseboat camp sites. I was kind of favoring going down to Namakan lake first as it seems a little less wind prone, but would love suggestions. Scenery and protected, kid friendly beach type areas trump everything else, but if possible would like proximity to good fishing if that can be part of the mix.

xplorer wrote:

Actually July is my favorite/best month on Namakan for numbers/eaters. I’ve got 14 days on Nam and 5 days on Rainy already booked from July 4th to August 21st, with 10 of those on Nam in July (next year I should put in my 400th day camping there since 1997).

Nowhere else I’d rather be in the summer than in VNP!

I hope to tap you more experienced guys for advice before we go. Numbers is exactly what I’d like, I’ve got 2 kids and 2 grandparents with us that don’t have the patience to fish big fish or do a lot of technical fishing that requires a lot of high-accuracy casting and fussy technique/

Being on a houseboat in July, I’m also worried about live bait needs and how we would keep the “live” in live bait. Are minnows a must have in July? How does one keep them alive all week?

Would love to hear general advice on must have tackle or techniques for mid July.

Many thanks.

Grouse

I’m going up this week and will shoot you a bunch of photos of different houseboat sites. In Ebols you have picked a first class operation. You will NOT be disappointed!
Will you be bringing your own boats or using one of Ebols? Reason I ask is site proximity to good fishing, although there isn’t any real bad spots there. Also, how big is the group? What date are you up there? I will spend much of the month there I think and can help out with the live bait situation if need be.

I’ll keep in touch, you will love it but more importantly Mrs. Grouse will love it.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Yes, using Ebels. Hope they boats are good.

Would love to hear general advice on must have tackle or techniques for mid July.

I think you’ll be happy with Ebel’s, they are good people and have nice boats. As far as bait in July I would not bother with minnows that time of year. Crawlers and leeches are all you’ll need. I keep crawlers in the cooler and leeches I keep in a mesh bait bag in the live well. This has worked for me up there in July for years. For techniques, a lot of things work up there. I would suggest for you and your family, slip bobbers and basic live bait rigs. Be careful anchoring up there as the rocks have claimed many anchors over the years. I like bobbering in the soft bottom areas in the bays and along weed lines, and rigging over rocks or deeper water. Keep moving until you find fish on your electronics and you’ll do fine. Good luck! I hope this helps.

Thanks guys. Really looking forward to this and Ebels looked to me like they had everything we wanted. We’re going to be up there July 23 – 30 this year on the houseboat.

Would love any/all help on this trip. Really want to try to get the kids and the grandparents into some fish. Walleye, panfish, whatever.

We’re taking my father’s fishing boat, a 17 Alumacraft Lunker, but he only has a 25 Merc on it, so we’re not going to be setting any speed records, but she’s a good deep boat and the 25 trolls down nice which is great where there is no option for trolling motor battery charging. Not a lot of sophisticated electronics. Navionics mapping and a color LCR, can’t remember what unit. Not top end for sure, but I think it marks fish OK.

Will have 2 anchors in boat, plus I will throw in a spare just in case rocks eat one. Good advice, thanks.

We have one of the big dogs when it comes to the houseboat. There are 8 of us total. Me, 3 grandparents, Mrs. Grouse, 2X Grouselets age 7 and 5, and my sister. Getting enough food and drinks stored on the boat will be interesting.

More than anything I want the kids to have nice sandy beaches to play on and swim and to catch walleye. Doesn’t matter how big, really, just want them to catch walleye.

Is the slip bobber action just a single hook and a split shot, or is it some other type of rig?

I’ll have plenty of lindy rigs and spinner rigs. Got lots of flicker shad for trolling. Big stockpile of jigs in 16th all the way up to 1/2 oz and a reasonable variety of walleye plastics, but mostly common stuff, twisters, shads, moxies, and a few others. Got a reasonable stock of panfish gear.

Any must haves I’m obviously missing so far?

Grouse

Single hook, split shot & bobber. All you will need. Right now there is a 90% chance i’ll be up there that week. As I mentioned earlier i’ll shoot you some site photos for you to look at. Some great spots on Namakin, i’ll try and find something decent thats near the Eagle nests. They are always fun for the kids to watch. Your boat will be more then adequate for Namakin although I would be careful venturing on the bigger part of Kabetogama. When looking at your maps look for the Kettle Falls hotel. It likely will be a pretty long ride from your site but will provide a nice afternoon for your group. Nice trails for the kids and the dam to look at and of course the food & drink at the hotel its self. If interested i’ll come over and we will load everybody in 2 boats and run them up there. It’s a nice boat ride! I’ll send the bill to IDO Just kidding, it’s a freebe. Be sure you bring plenty of sunscreen not much pollution in the air up there so if the sun is out the kids will burn easily. Do you have paper maps you can study? If you get a map from the park showing the houseboat site numbers we will be able to ID the spots for you by number. Try to make a complete shopping list. Ebols can bring you stuff you forget on a resupply boat but thats expensive! Weather can switch at the snap of your finger even in July, pack summer stuff but also hoodies and stuff thats warm for mornings and evenings.

Let me know if there is anything I can help with.

Nearly forgot, shoot me a PM with either a email address or cell number for the photos.

I’ll be up there the week prior to your trip in July. I can give you a report when I get back.
You’ll be better off chasing smallies instead of panfish up there. There are a few crappies but they can be challenging to locate that time of year. For bass with kids you can’t beat bobbers. Same rig as for walleyes bobber, hook, split shot, and leech or crawler. Get near (but not to close) to the rock piles and boulders and you should find plenty of action.

Grouse,
Me, my wife and 13yo son will be up camping the 23rd to 27th, staying in the Wolf Pack Islands (FYI, there is a nice HB site on the east side of McManus island, huge beach and very protected). You should have a great week, we go that last week in July every year and have had alot of great trips. One other thing that you will want to do is go pick some fresh blueberries on your trip. That week is usually prime for berries!
Agree with Dutchboy and Grubson, smallies and eye’s will be your targets, along with casting shorelines for small pike for the kiddo’s. Crawlers and leeches is all I use. There was a good population of 12-13″ eyes last year, so they should be in that 14″ range and perfect for the kids. There is also sauger, but they tend to be in 40′ and small. Sounds like you have all the gear needed, and if you want we can exchange cell #’s before the trip and compare notes.

Water temps were high 50’s in the bays and low 50’s on the bigger water. I expect a drop in temps as it’s getting into the 20’s next 2 nights.

Little snow on the ground, 20’s for air temp & windy. Don’t you wish you were here?

Thanks for the report.
Yeah, still wish I was already there.
Be there Monday 11 AM

Spent 3 hours in Nam on Thursday foolin around. Got 1 21″ Walleye and a dozen Pike. I’m getting to old to be fishing in the snow.

How deep are the walleye?

Picked it up trolling in under 10′.

From the reports and results we were getting,
this was the worst opening week in 20 years.

It only snowed Sat & Sunday mornings.

Yes, I have also heard it was slow this week. Should get some temp stability now though.

I was up until Wednesday. Water Temps were climbing up to the mid 50’S and catching them in 35 – 40′ of water in cutovever and between little and big Martin