It's July in October, and Merwin is still fishable

[Don Wittenberger]

This year's hot weather has kept Merwin's muskies fishable longer than usual. As of Saturday, October 15, the surface water temp is 69-70 degrees in the sun and 66-67 degrees in the shade. In past years, the fish typically disappeared when the water temp dropped below about 64-65 degrees; air temp has hit the 80s this week, but with shorter days and cooler nights, the lake is cooling off, although slowly. In my estimation, Merwin should remain fishable for another week to 10 days.

I fished Merwin with Mike Nielsen from Wednesday, October 12, through Saturday, October 15 (Mike's 82nd birthday). It was so warm we fished in t-shirts all week, and the air was very smoky from forest fires. The lake was flat calm the first 3 days, which made the fishing tough, and all we got was a follow from a small fish and a couple of lure bumps. On Saturday, the wind picked up and put a chop on the lake which helped, and around 2 pm Mike got a follow to the boat from a 20# fish and a few minutes later I caught a fish about 38-39 inches, around 15-16#.

I'm now back home in Seattle and won't fish Merwin again this year; have at it, guys, catch a big one for me.