I have a midweek houseboat rental booked for July 14-18. I will be pulling a fishing boat with it. Never fished the lake before but from what i hear the muskies are the main attraction. I love musky fishing but new lakes can be tough. Would it be worth my money to book a guide for a half day on monday or tuesday, that way i would have a little better idea for the rest of the week? Also is it a better idea to go after walleyes? The thing about walleyes is i can fish them around home, so i would rather go for the muskies. Mid july i would think the muskies would be hitting pretty good and the walleyes might be slowed down a bit. Any info would help, presentation, Night fishing???, good areas to target. Thanks in advance.

I would definitely book a guide. I only fished there once and it was several years ago - it took me a few days to figure anything out. I was with my father-in-law and we figured that we burned more $$ in gas running around than we would have spent on a guide. This year that is probably even more true.

Good luck - erik

Big water and a guide would be the best way to shorten your learning curve. As Box said, you can spend lot of time running around trying to figure things out on that lake. Of course, one tried and true method would be to just pull up on a spot, take a number, and when the other 45 boats are done, you get your chance on the spot! A guide can probably show you some "off the beaten path" spots and get you away from the circus of some spots.

First off, welcome to Fishing Minnesota and this forum in particular!

To echo the prior posts I'd recommend a guide, money well spent on a new lake. Not sure how you're set for gear, lures, etc, but a good guide will show you the lake and give you insight on what lures/colors/types to bring once you head off on your own for the rest of the week. Talk in advance and you'll get a good idea on what gear/tackle to have for yourself too.

Check into Tom Wheeler, and tell him you were referred from here. You'll have a good time, just do some stomach crunches first, the guy is a hoot that'll leave you laughing and with a good game plan for the rest of the week.

Enjoy!