Well, another fishing season has come and gone! We got things packed up, cleaned and put away for the winter up at Manotak Lodge. We would like to start by thanking everyone who came up this summer and spent their vacation with us. We truly appreciate everyone’s business and are so grateful for our guests.
Fishing this year was wonderful! The first week of season brought some not so typical conditions as we had ice floating in a couple bays until Monday of opening week. Needless to say….the water was extremely cold.
Walleye Fishing
The walleyes were not biting at all in the north and west side of the lake, but once you got over to East Bay and Ord Bay or up in Spadina and the river where the water was warmer, the fishing was great. We were seeing big fish being caught right from opening day.
The walleyes transitioned out to their summer spots at their usual time still, although the colder spring water seemed to slow down the process a bit. We estimate more than 50 fish caught this summer in the 28-32” range with an impressive 32” being the biggest walleye caught and released this summer.
The mayfly hatch occurred around July 1 this year and didn’t stick around for long. The fish were a little finicky for 5 days but nobody went hungry!
Early August once again proved to be one of the best times to find a great balance of big fish and good numbers. We were especially happy to see the August fishing pick up this year, as the past few years had seen August and September fishing run a little slower than we are used to on Perrault Lake.
By mid-August, the numbers of fish kept getting better, but the average size started to decrease as the bigger fish moved into deeper water and became harder to find. As always, though, NOBODY WENT HUNGRY!
Bass Fishing
The bass were still deep and pretty lethargic at opener, but by the second week, we were seeing big numbers being caught just a little deeper than the walleyes.
With the cooler water temperatures, the topwater bite started a little later than normal this year, but it still peaked during the last week of June.
Once the bass moved into that 6–12-foot range, rattletraps became the bait of choice. By August, they started preferring slower presentations, including drop shots and worm rigs.
When September rolled around, the bass had moved a little deeper and became tougher to catch. Tube jigs, however, brought in some really fat, football-shaped fish!
Northern Pike Fishing
The pike fishing was incredible this spring with the colder water temperatures. We have never seen so many fish in the upper 30-inch range, along with a handful reaching the 40-inch range. Frozen Cisco’s were the bait of choice until around the middle of June, when the weeds started coming up.
Perch Fishing
The perch fishing on Perrault and the surrounding lakes was second to none, as always. We cleaned buckets and buckets of tasty perch for our guests to enjoy, from opener all the way through the last day of season. Is there a better way to kill an afternoon than catching lots of perch?
Musky Fishing
We didn’t have a ton of Musky fishing guests this summer, but we still saw some impressive fish! A couple of 50-inch muskies were caught and released along with approximately 20 fish measuring 45 inches and longer. Several guests took advantage of the free Fluke Lake experience and everyone caught Musky who ventured to Fluke Lake.
August and September proved to be the best times to target those big, slimy monsters!
Thank You for Another Wonderful Summer!
We wrapped up our12th summer owning and operating Manotak Lodge, and we couldn’t be more thankful for all the wonderful guests who have become such an important part of our lodge family.
YOU are what makes this place so special, and we truly appreciate every one of you who chooses to spend your vacation with us. Please stay in touch, keep sending us your fishing pictures, and start planning your 2027 fishing trip!
A quick heads up: June 2027 is filling up quickly, with a couple weeks already sold out!
We are also starting to receive calls for July, so don’t wait too long to book. We’d hate for you to miss out on your preferred week or cabin.
Thank you again for another fantastic season. We hope to see many familiar faces, along with new ones, at Manotak Lodge in 2027.
Until next season, tight lines and take care!
