Potholes/MarDon

[JT26]

I made a post a few days ago saying i was going to the Sun Lakes area, but now we are going to Potholes and staying at MarDon. We already have reservations.
If my dad decides to come we will have a boat, if he doesn't then we wont.

So if he doesnt, we'll need to rent a boat. All i know about MarDons rentals are that they have 14 and 16ft boats with 30hp engines, thats a little bit to much for me. Do they rent out smaller boats/less hp? Or are there other places around that rent out boats?
Also, the state law says It is illegal to lease, hire, or rent a personal watercraft to anyone under 16 years of age. Does that just mean i cant be the one at the office paying and all that..I mean, if a parent does all that, am i alright to use it?
Finally, whats the water like, will there be a lot of wind, or big waves? I'm not going to go far from the resort, especially if i'm alone (my brother might be with me). And if its to dangerous, i wont go out on a boat at all.

And now for the fishing...any starting spots, things to bring, etc...? Ill try for anything...but mainly bass, and keeper size perch and crappie. PM me if you dont want to reveal your info!
And theres a chance ill be stuck on shore, so is there any good spots for that besides mardons dock?

Thanks for any help guys!!

[Gringo Pescador]

Hey JT,

Don't have much info on Potholes/Mardon other than the docks (because I don't have a boat either). I know there is a place between Mardon and the State Park that rent boats, but I have never rented there. If they don't post here soon, you might pm GPC or michaelunbewust, they are pretty much regulars over there.

If you can't do the boat thing, and have a vehicle, there are MANY lakes nearby that hold all kinds of fish. I've fished both Upper & Lower Hamptons, Warden, Soda, Coral, Goose, Heart, Sage, Long, and I'm sure others long forgotten. Usually I fish em in the spring, so I am not sure how they will be now, but the way the weather has been this year, who knows.

Ask the people at the little general store at Mardon whats biting where, they keep a pretty good pulse on things. They also sell a map of Potholes and seep lakes for $3.00. The lake info section is kind of old, but the map a good one. Here is one, online, the quality isn't that great but it give you an idea of how many lakes will be near you

http://www.fishingmagician.com/images/map.pdf

Oh, and if you do go out into the seeps lakes area, watch out for Rattlesnakes. I have never seen one, but I know they are out there.

[delyakguy]

JT,

When will you be at Mardon? I fish the Potholes often as I have a trailer at Mardon Resort. I will be there this week for the 4th. They only have 14' boats, like $100 for half day-very spendy!! and 16' boat is nice-has depth/fish finder, trolling motor seats, it is a nice boat but runs like $160. I fish from docks and shore on Resort. Have had great fishing off rocks and docks with plastics for smallmouth & largemouth. Docks can produce walleye, trout, catfish, perch, crappie, bluegill, sm bass, lm bass and carp. Goose lake is within walking distance(less than 1mile) and offers same species with smaller water to cover. But if your down for the 4th maybe we can go in on boat? I will be there Thursday night, Friday morning thru weekend. Thanks hope this helps.

Delano J.

"Reel Screamer"




www.mardonresort.com

[jbball50]

If you end up fishing from the dock, just bring some crappie jigs for the crappie and if you catch some perch use the perch meat to try and catch perch. If you have a boat and want to target smallmouth, try going over to the island thats straight in front of the mardon dock, the smaller bass will be in the shallower water but if you want to try and targer the larger smallmouth I would say go to the other side of the island and fish in that 25 foot water with some plastics.

[JT26]

Thanks for the info guys!
My dad called the people at MarDon, and they said crappie and perch have been slow, but bass and walleye has been doing good.
Are the seeps lakes the ones south of Potholes, or the ones west of it?
And delyakguy, i will be there from Tuesday, July 8th till Friday of the same week.

[Gringo Pescador]

Are the seeps lakes the ones south of Potholes, or the ones west of it?

On the map, they would be South / SouthEast of Potholes. Mainly south of O-Sullivan Dam Road.

Go to Google Maps, select satellite and plug this in.. 46.939012,-119.227066

then zoom out and all of those little lakes in the brown area are seeps.

Somebody can correct me if I am wrong, but I think the little bodies of water west of potholes are the Frenchman wasteway. Don't know much about that area, though I've seen a lot of public fishing signs driving along Frenchman Hills and Dodson roads.

[JT26]

Thanks Gringo Pescador. Wow thats a lot of lakes.

I know nothing about the reservoir, so do you, or anyone else know where the sand dunes, crab creek, and lind coulee are?

[Bscman]

If boats are anything like car rentals, you won't be able to rent one if you're 16.

More often than not, only the person who actually rents the it is supposed to operate it...and usually no minors....which means you're taking on a lot of (financial) liability if you take it out by yourself, when you aren't supposed to operate it at all.

Then again, for $100 a day...it's not worth it IMHO.

Good luck.

[YellowBear]

JT26,
If you are fishing from the Bank you might want to rule out The dunes and Crab Creek.
They are both north of Mardons. The Lind coulee is East of Mardons and has several places you can fish from the bank.
The Dock at the resort is your best bet, but if you head South there are lots of small lakes that you can hike into.
If you decide to hit the smaller lakes you may want to bring a snake stick. There are a few Rattlers here and there but if you just pay attention you will be okay. Soda and Long lakes both have bank access.

[JT26]

If boats are anything like car rentals, you won't be able to rent one if you're 16.

More often than not, only the person who actually rents the it is supposed to operate it...and usually no minors....which means you're taking on a lot of (financial) liability if you take it out by yourself, when you aren't supposed to operate it at all.

Then again, for $100 a day...it's not worth it IMHO.

Good luck.

Ill have an adult with me now, so that will be all good

[michaelunbewust]

from mardon, ive walked the whole length of the dam tossing a salt-n-pepper grub for smallies, on the days i was boatless (hard walking because of the rocks, but, pays off!). just after 6 pm until dark, this stretch produces the best as far as shore access. the dunes are northwest of the resort, the crab creek channel is due north of the resort, after you get past goose island (dont forget about this island, deep on one-side, very shallow on the other, but, a ton of fish in the shallower, very rocky side), been hitting it alot this summer with my boat, and, the wally's are coming around, but, the bassing is right near the top in the state. i always invest in 5 dozen nightcrawlers at walmart before i go, they get a lil spendy at the resort. at the mardon dock, at night, ive found a slip-bobber with a night crawler 15-18 ft down works for all species (the water goes deep fast north of the dock). at night, you can expect some larger fish swngin by the docks, also! good luck! pm yellowbear for current info on the bite, he has helped me out with info, that was priceless!

[JT26]

Thanks michaelunbewust.
How long does it take to walk that whole dam? Google maps makes it looks super long! And is it deep outside of it? Also, how steep are the rocks?

[Fish-or-man?]

I really like Soda Lake. I fished it two weekends ago from shore and had a blast (report). The lake has good bank access in a few different areas. It's just east of Potholes, bordering the wildlife refuge. I suggest when you get to Mardon go to the general store and purchase the map of the area that Mardon puts out. It shows where all the lakes in the area are in relation to Potholes, their seasons, and what you can catch in them. The map is two bucks and some change, and should be near the check-out counter.

[michaelunbewust]

IVE WALKED IT IN 2 EVENINGS OF FISHING. IT GETS VERY DEEP, ONCE IT LEAVES THE DAM, AND, QUICK FROM SHORE. MY BEST SPOT BY FAR IS WALKING FROM MARDON (SOMETIMES I HAVE MY GIRL DROP ME OFF THERE, TO AVOID THE WALK), AND, AT THE FIRST TURN OF THE DAM (THERE WILL BE SOME ROCKS STICKING OUT OF THE WATER ON THIS CORNER (ITS THE CLOSEST POINT TO GOOSE ISLAND). THIS AREA IS LOADED WITH SMALLIES, AND, YOU WILL SOEMTIMES FIND PERCH SCHOOLED UP HERE TRYING TO AVOID THE SMALLIES AND WALLIES HANGING IN THE DEEPER WATER. BEST TIME IS RIGHT BEFORE DARK. YOU WILL ALWAYS SEE SOME OF THE BASSBOAT GUYS DRIFTING THRU THIS AREA THIS TIME OF DAY. THE FACE OF THE DAM IS STEEP, BUT, MANAGEABLE BY ANYBODY WITH 2 LEGS, IT JUST GETS OLD GOING UP THE FACE, MOVING DOWN 50 YARDS, AND GOING BACK DOWN TO THE WATER. GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK OVER THERE!! IF YOU GET THE CHANCE ASK LEVI MESEBERG WHERE HE WOULD FISH WITHOUT A BOAT. HE IS ALWAYS DOING SOME KIND OF WORK THERE DURING THE WEEK, AND, KNOWS THE WHOLE AREA WELL, AND, IS PRETTY GOOD ABOUT CURRENT FISHING CONDITIONS, UNLIKE SOME OF THE DIE-HARD LOCALS!

[JT26]

Thanks again michael, i think ill do alright for my first time there!