Area Fishing Report - 6/28/04
A warming trend and calmer seas are heading our way. This will fuel the "fish fly" hatches that are already underway in the area. With clouds of these insects hatching on the mid-depth flats, Walleyes are roaming out from the shallows in search of the new feeding opportunities. On several lakes, these hatches are already intense, but are mainly limited to areas of semi deep water (12 to 18 feet) and the larger May Flies are not yet present on most of the lakes. With a warming trend, we’ll soon see clouds of the larvae out in the deeper (mud flats) water too and this will signal a major Walleye move to deeper water.

Look close over the tops of these trees and you'll see clouds of "fish flies" hovering above. Not the big Mayflies just yet, but they won't be far behind. For a closer look, click on the photo.

The Fish tend to be traveling in schools of similar sizes, so if you're fishing Winnie and want "eaters". Move out of areas where you're catching the over sized "slot fish". There are plenty of the 2001 year class to go around.

The best news about these movements is that you can fish a variety of presentations and enjoy catching some fish on most of them. During the past week bottom bouncers with spinners & crawlers have been good search baits on these large flats. In fact some of the larger fish have been caught with this method. Keep moving until you locate a school of fish with the spinners and then fine tune your presentation with jig & minnow or rigs & leeches. During the early stages of this movement, expect the locations to change on an almost daily basis and try to get in the habit of checking a variety of spots every time out. On any given day a hump or bar that was empty yesterday may be filled with fish tomorrow. The large flats with water depths of 12 to 18 feet have subtle structures like dips, gravel, rocks and inside turns that will hold fish during these transitional periods.

On windy days we fish the shallows and on calmer days we fish the deeper bars. We’re still catching plenty of fish on jig & minnow too, so if that’s your favorite, go that way and you’ll be safe for another week or maybe more.

Last week when we found a small rock pile that was holding fish, we had a great experience using slip bobbers and leeches. This is a lot of fun and works great, but you must have the fish "pinned down" in a small area where you can predict the accurate placement of your bait. Set the slip knot about 18 inches above the bottom and use a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig head. Make sure that the leeches are swimming strongly and replace them when they start to get tired looking.

I'm a little behind right now because of the hectic times, but I'll catch up on the rest of this report tomorrow.

Crappie - Locations are slowly beginning to change to the classic fall pattern. Moving out to the deeper weed edges adjacent to deeper shoreline breaks. If you are able to locate brush piles or crappie cribs, there will be more fish in the cover than out in the open. With the abundance of green weeds, the fish are reluctant to leave the protected cover, but they are schooling up and moving out to where you can find them. Concentrate on Crappies in the morning right now and fish them until the early run fades. Then switch to Walleye of Northern fishing during the mid day. Jig & minnow fished vertically is good, use an 1/8 oz to find them and then scale back to a 1/16 oz for the fine tuning.

Bluegills - The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag or the go with larger tube jigs and a 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Largemouth Bass - Action and average size is great! Spinner baits or Rattle Traps fished near the Bulrush edges are the best way to go. We've had better luck if the bulrushes are located near the edge of deeper water, especially on a sharp drop into deep weed cover. Avoid really shallow flats, the water is cooling down fast and these are often several degrees colder than the drop of edges.

Smallmouth Bass -are still congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we've thrown at them. But, they're more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We've been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don't want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and "quality fish" are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Perch Report - The Perch fishing has been fairly consistent although the fish seem to be fairly scattered. Most of the fish are showing up in the shallows, but there are still groups of fish located on the secondary drop offs too. Cabbage weeds with gravel or rock near by are the best bet for action. Jig & Minnow fished IN THE WEEDS and as nearly vertically as possible will be your best bet. If you think there are nice perch near by but they aren't hitting aggressively, try fishing the jig about 6 inches off the bottom and without any action at all. They seem to prefer a really lazy presentation right now and I've caught lots of fish by laying the rod down and watching the tip for movement.

Northern Pike - Nice size Pike and lots of smaller ones are available in almost every weed bed right now. We're actually having the best luck catching nice Pike using a jig & minnow. A leader made of 17 to 25 pound test mono will protect you from almost all of the bite offs. Tie the jig head directly to one end of the heavy mono and use a small swivel to attach the leader to you fishing line. This rig gives you the benefit of a steel leader, without the kinks and twists. You'll catch more Walleye this way, because your jig still swims fairly naturally.

Area Fishing Report - 9/30/03
Walleye Report - Water temperatures are really falling now and we're already looking at temps down into the low to mid 50's on some of the shallower lakes. Larger, deeper water is holding at 58-59 degrees right now and will continue to fall throughout the weekend. We are still finding lots of nice green weeds on the deeper lakes and the fish are holding pretty tight to the weed edges. On a trip to Sand Lake this week, we found that there was virtually no action unless we fished exactly in the weeds. Thanks to the higher winds this week, the Walleyes on Leech Lake, Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux have been moving in the current and the bite has been reliable. Jig and minnow fishing is now the clear ticket during the day. We're using 1/8 to 1/4 oz Bug Eyed Shorties and having plenty of action. Your choice of minnows is especially important right now, so shop around a little bit. The past few years we've found it more difficult, or sometimes impossible to locate spot tails (shiners) in the fall. But if you can get them, it will really pay off. If you can't get the spot tails, LARGE size Fatheads, Rainbow Chubs or small/medium Red Tails will all work. In fact, if you can get a good supply of really nice Fatheads, you'll be okay almost everywhere except maybe Leech Lake where the Spot Tail is king. Fish location remains fairly simple, primary drop off along weed edges, shoreline rock/gravel and anywhere that large schools of baitfish can be located.

Crappie - Locations are slowly beginning to change to the classic fall pattern. Moving out to the deeper weed edges adjacent to deeper shoreline breaks. If you are able to locate brush piles or crappie cribs, there will be more fish in the cover than out in the open. With the abundance of green weeds, the fish are reluctant to leave the protected cover, but they are schooling up and moving out to where you can find them. Concentrate on Crappies in the morning right now and fish them until the early run fades. Then switch to Walleye of Northern fishing during the mid day. Jig & minnow fished vertically is good, use an 1/8 oz to find them and then scale back to a 1/16 oz for the fine tuning.

Bluegills - The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag or the go with larger tube jigs and a 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Largemouth Bass - Action and average size is great! Spinner baits or Rattle Traps fished near the Bulrush edges are the best way to go. We've had better luck if the bulrushes are located near the edge of deeper water, especially on a sharp drop into deep weed cover. Avoid really shallow flats, the water is cooling down fast and these are often several degrees colder than the drop of edges.

Smallmouth Bass -are still congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we've thrown at them. But, they're more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We've been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don't want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and "quality fish" are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Perch Report - The Perch fishing has been fairly consistent although the fish seem to be fairly scattered. Most of the fish are showing up in the shallows, but there are still groups of fish located on the secondary drop offs too. Cabbage weeds with gravel or rock near by are the best bet for action. Jig & Minnow fished IN THE WEEDS and as nearly vertically as possible will be your best bet. If you think there are nice perch near by but they aren't hitting aggressively, try fishing the jig about 6 inches off the bottom and without any action at all. They seem to prefer a really lazy presentation right now and I've caught lots of fish by laying the rod down and watching the tip for movement.

Northern Pike - Nice size Pike and lots of smaller ones are available in almost every weed bed right now. We're actually having the best luck catching nice Pike using a jig & minnow. A leader made of 17 to 25 pound test mono will protect you from almost all of the bite offs. Tie the jig head directly to one end of the heavy mono and use a small swivel to attach the leader to you fishing line. This rig gives you the benefit of a steel leader, without the kinks and twists. You'll catch more Walleye this way, because your jig still swims fairly naturally.

Area Fishing Report - 9/18/03
Walleye Report - Water temperatures continue to fall. Now down to the lower to middle 60-degree range, and the Walleye continue to feed heavily. The fastest action still centers around the weeds and there are still lots of nice green weed beds to hold fish. There is also a secondary opportunity to catch Walleye on the main mid-lake bars and deep drop offs. The wind hasn't been as important this week as it was during the past several weeks. Fish can still be caught easily with night crawlers but jig & minnow fishing is a close second. The average size of the fish is generally increasing and even the huge populations of 2001-year class fish are getting up into the 13-1/2 to 14 inch range. There are a healthy number of larger fish being caught as well, with some of the real beauties mixed in. Calm days require casting into the weeds with lighter jigs and minnows or crawlers. When we fish the crawlers on a jig head, we still feed out line as you would with a live bait rig, watching for the fish to stop moving then take up the slack and set the hook with a softer sweeping action than you would with a jig/minnow.
There are plenty of Walleyes being caught at night trolling shallow running crank baits in shallow water inside the weed edges or along the shallower sand breaks at 3 to 6 feet of water.

Crappie - Locations are slowly beginning to change to the classic fall pattern. Moving out to the deeper weed edges adjacent to deeper shoreline breaks. Watch for off shore gravel humps located near these large weed beds and watch for any sign of brush or scattered debris on the bottom. Crappies are still holding tight to these spots with cover. The best approach is a 1/16 oz jig head tipped with either a small minnow or broken off piece of night crawler.

Bluegills - The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag or the go with larger tube jigs and a 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Largemouth Bass - Action and average size is great! The stable weather and low water levels have been perfect conditions for cornering the Largemouth Bass out on the deep weed edges. But there is a movement to the bulrush beds located near sharper drop offs adjacent to heavier cover. Fish the bulrush (pencil reeds) with spinner baits or jerk baits like the Sluggo. Continue to fish the deep cabbage and coon tail weeds as well with plastic worms or crank baits as well.

Smallmouth Bass -are still congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we've thrown at them. But, they're more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We've been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don't want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and "quality fish" are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Perch Report - The Perch fishing has been fairly consistent with most of the fish showing up in the shallows now. Cabbage weeds with gravel or rock near by are the best bet for action. Jig & Minnow fished IN THE WEEDS and as nearly vertically as possible will be your best bet. If you think there are nice perch near by but they aren't hitting aggressively, try fishing the jig about 6 inches off the bottom and without any action at all. They seem to prefer a really lazy presentation right now and I've caught lots of fish by laying the rod down and watching the tip for movement.

Northern Pike - Action really picked up when the water temps dropped last week. Our average size fish really improved in terms of length, but the Pike showed signs of being stressed out in the recent heat wave. Now they're on the move and we are fishing them aggressively with large rattle baits and even spoons retrieved rapidly. Casting is providing plenty of action, but there are some folks doing pretty well by trolling spoons. Weeds are still the key, but the shallowest weed beds are currently producing best. Look for nice weed patches located along the shallowest drop off and work that edge first. Move out to deeper water and check weeds along the second break line also.

Musky  Action is hanging in there on the better lakes, but has tapered off since the cooler weather. Many of the lakes that were producing lots of fish are now producing smaller fish and less of them. Buck tails and tandem spinner baits are producing the most fish. Deep weeds and shallow sand/rock flats close to deep water are the key spots. On Cass and Leech Lake some of these fish are hanging suspended out off the edges of these flats in 18-26 feet of water. We've seen several fish by positioning the boat shallow and casting out to the deeper water.

Area Fishing Report - 9/2/03
Walleye Report – The recent cool weather has dropped water temperatures closer to normal seasonal (high 60’s to low 70’s) and the fish are really responding. On windy days, the weed-line fishing is providing the fastest action and there are still lots of nice green weed beds to hold fish. Calm days require casting into the weeds with lighter jigs and minnows or crawlers. When we fish the crawlers on a jig head, we still feed out line as you would with a live bait rig, watching for the fish to stop moving then take up the slack and set the hook with a softer sweeping action than you would with a jig/minnow. Hooking mortality has been a factor in the warm water so we’re trying to stay away from the live bait rigs to prevent the fish from “over eating” and getting the small hooks lodged in their stomachs. Another option on Winnie is to fish the main lake bars in 16 to 22 feet of water. There are lots of fish on several of these huge spots and drifting or back trolling with live bait rigs is producing well. Most of the fish are still running on the small side (12-14 inches), but there is a definite improvement in the mix and several fish above the 17” protected slot size are being caught/released along with the “eaters”. Fishing on most of the areas better Walleye lakes are showing signs of improvement. Weed lines or rock/gravel humps are the best bet on most of these lakes and if I had to choose only one bait, I’d go with crawlers right now, with jig & minnow coming in a close second. There are also several area lakes that are producing good catches at night trolling with shallow running crank baits in 4 to 8 feet of water. This night run will probably continue on through September.

Crappie – Action continues to be great! Many area lakes are producing nice catches of Crappies in the Daytime in the weeds and on some mid-depth (10 to 16 foot) rock bars.  On sunny days with light wind, we are going into the weeds and fishing as vertically as possible. When the breeze is blowing or early/late in the day, we are finding the Crappies out in the open water along the weed edges. The fish in the open water have a definite running time and then they tuck back into the weed beds. Our best approach has been small jig heads 1/16 round head or 1/8 bug eyed shorty tipped with a small fathead or broken piece of night crawler. The advantage of the crawler is that we often get some bluegills mixed in and the minnows just don’t attract many of them.

Bluegills – The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag or the go with larger tube jigs and a 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Largemouth Bass - Action and average size is great! The stable weather and low water levels have been perfect conditions for cornering the Largemouth Bass out on the deep weed edges. We've had lots of sunny days, so the Bass have been hanging in heavy cover like mixed Coontail and Cabbage Weeds. Our best approach has been to fish plastic worms or plastic Crawfish Trailers on either a 1/16 oz or 1/8oz jig head. Position the boat within casting range of the heavy weeds and look for any pocket or break in the weed line. Cast the jig/worm to the pocket and let the jig drop to the bottom on a tight line. Work the worm slowly along the bottom all the way back to the boat. Bass have been congregated on these weed edges, so work each area completely before moving on to another weed bed. 

Smallmouth Bass - are still congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we’ve thrown at them. But, they’re more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We’ve been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don’t want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and “quality fish” are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Perch Report – The Perch fishing has been consistent for the past few weeks with gravel/rock humps and secondary drop off areas in 12 to 16 feet producing the most fish. In the past week, there has been a definite shift into the shallow weeds and rocks located closer to shore. As the food supply on the deeper structure gets thinned out, many more of these nice Perch will head to the shallows to feed on young of the year minnows. Simple jig & minnow fishing will produce plenty of these critters, but if the action slows down, try a slip sinker with a 2 to 3 foot leader and live minnow hooked through the lips. Dead drag the minnow and when the Perch hits, simply tighten up the line a sweep into your hook set. This method will produce Perch even after they quit hitting on the jigs.

Northern Pike – Action really picked up when the water temps dropped last week. Our average size fish really improved in terms of length, but the Pike showed signs of being stressed out in the recent heat wave. Sunken bellies and empty stomachs were the rule and they are still not active enough to come close to surface. We have been getting these larger fish to hit 3/8ounce spinner baits tipped with a medium size Sucker minnow or Larger Rainbows. Cast the spinner bait into the weeds, let it drop a few feet and retrieve it as slow as possible with a pumping motion. The fish are hitting on the fall so make sure the line is tight on the drop. Another approach to the pike fishing has been to locate fish with a jig & minnow and then set up on that weed bed with minnows/bobbers. The larger fish are moving slower than usual, so these two approaches really helped improve our average size.

Musky - Action is hanging in there on the better lakes, but has tapered off since the cooler weather. Many of the lakes that were producing lots of fish are now producing smaller fish and less of them. Buck tails and tandem spinner baits are producing the most fish. Deep weeds and shallow sand/rock flats close to deep water are the key spots. On Cass and Leech Lake some of these fish are hanging suspended out off the edges of these flats in 18-26 feet of water. We’ve seen several fish by positioning the boat shallow and casting out to the deeper water.

Area Fishing Report - 8/15/03
Largemouth Bass - Action and average size is great! The warm, stable weather and low water levels have been perfect conditions for Largemouth Bass fishing. We've had mostly sunny days, so the Bass have been hanging in heavy cover like mixed Coontail and Cabbage Weeds. Our best approach has been to fish plastic worms or plastic Crawfish Trailers on either a 1/16 oz or 1/8oz jig head. Position the boat within casting range of the heavy weeds and look for any pocket or break in the weed line. Cast the jig/worm to the pocket and let the jig drop to the bottom on a tight line. Work the worm slowly along the bottom all the way back to the boat. Bass have been congregated on these weed edges, so work each area completely before moving on to another weed bed.

Smallmouth Bass - are congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we’ve thrown at them. But, they’re more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We’ve been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don’t want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and “quality fish” are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Bluegills – The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag. Crappies are often found in the same areas or located very near the Bluegills. Switching to a small minnow or plastic twister tail helps zero in on them. Crappies have shown a preference for the weeds that stretch out into deeper water and we've been able to get some during the day in these deeper weeds. If you fish in the evening until dark, the action will definitely be more consistent. Bass are using the same weed areas and can be caught on the light tackle too. Although the Bass action would be better if we switched to a more traditional approach like plastic worms or large tube jigs. We enjoy catching a few of them in our mixed bag approach, but we don't often switch to the larger baits because we prefer the pan fish for action and eating. To really zero in on the Bass right now, fish early in the morning with spinner baits, buzz baits or rattle baits along the edges of bulrushes adjacent to the weed flats. Later in the day switch to plastic worms or the larger tube jigs with an 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Walleye Report – Fishing for Walleye has been steadily picking up in the past week or so, but the majority of fish on most area lakes are running on the small 11-13 inch side. Jig and minnow or night crawlers are the two best presentations during the day. There is a fairly good night bite on several area lakes and shallow running crank baits trolled on shallow flats are the ticket for these fish.

Perch Report – Perch fishing has been really picking up, the fish are grouping up on the gravel/rock bars and can be caught on a jig & minnow. Some fish are being caught in deep water 22-30 feet on edges of humps and bars, some are in the weeds and still others are out on the flats. They key seems to be locating a concentration of some one of their favorite foods. Deeper fish are feeding on insect hatches, flats fish are starting to find some young Crawfish to eat and the weed fish are feeding on minnows or insects.

Northern Pike – Action is fair to good in the area and fish are being caught on rattle baits along the weed edges or deeper running crank baits trolled on rock piles in deeper water. Over-all the size of the pike have been running small to medium, maybe up to 5 pounds. Better fish are being taken by fishing with a Large Sucker minnow and a bobber. Red Lake has been producing some larger pike and folks are catching them by trolling the drop-offs with spoons and shallow running crank baits.

Musky - Action is good on most of the “well known” area lakes and Buck Tails are still in the lead for the most fish sightings. But we’ve had a couple of good hook ups on top water baits as well. The fish are hanging along the deep edge of sand-weed breaks that plunge into deep water. We’re doing the best by locating inside turns adjacent to deep holes.

Area Fishing Report - 8/5/03
Largemouth Bass- are hanging on the deeper weed edges and in heavy cover adjacent to deeper water. Simple plastic worms/jig heads fished into the weeds and worked back out to the deep edges will bring in plenty of largemouth. On overcast days, we’re catching some on spinner baits and rattle baits too.

Smallmouth Bass- are congregated on deep-water points and humps. Mixed rock and wood are the definite favorite right now, but rocks mixed with weeds will still hold a few fish as well. On our sunny days these fish seem to be snubbing most of the artificial baits we’ve thrown at them. But, they’re more than willing to hit a large shiner or medium creek chub fished on a simple slip sinker/live bait rig. We’ve been avoiding feed out line like you would with a Walleye because we don’t want the fish to swallow the bait. Simply troll the rig along the deeper edges of the rocky cover, when you get a hit, give the fish a few seconds to take the bait and sweep the rod to a hook set. Please try and release the majority of these fish. Smallmouth are a great resource and “quality fish” are getting harder to find. If you have an occasional fish that swallows the hook, cut the line near the hook and release the fish. They have a much better chance that way.

Bluegills – The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits and try for the mixed bag. Crappies are often found in the same areas or located very near the Bluegills. Switching to a small minnow or plastic twister tail helps zero in on them. Crappies have shown a preference for the weeds that stretch out into deeper water and we've been able to get some during the day in these deeper weeds. If you fish in the evening until dark, the action will definitely be more consistent. Bass are using the same weed areas and can be caught on the light tackle too. Although the Bass action would be better if we switched to a more traditional approach like plastic worms or large tube jigs. We enjoy catching a few of them in our mixed bag approach, but we don't often switch to the larger baits because we prefer the pan fish for action and eating. To really zero in on the Bass right now, fish early in the morning with spinner baits, buzz baits or rattle baits along the edges of bulrushes adjacent to the weed flats. Later in the day switch to plastic worms or the larger tube jigs with an 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Walleye Report – Fishing for Walleye has been steadily picking up in the past week or so, but the majority of fish on most area lakes are running on the small 11-13 inch side. Jig and minnow or night crawlers are the two best presentations during the day. There is a fairly good night bite on several area lakes and shallow running crank baits trolled on shallow flats are the ticket for these fish.

Perch Report – Perch fishing has been spotty for the past week or two. But the fish seem to be grouping up a bit in the past couple of days and it looks like the action will begin picking up soon. Some fish are being caught in deep water 22-30 feet on edges of humps and bars, some are in the weeds and still others are out on the flats. They key seems to be locating a concentration of some one of their favorite foods. Deeper fish are feeding on insect hatches, flats fish are starting to find some young Crawfish to eat and the weed fish are feeding on minnows or insects.

Northern Pike – Action is fair to good in the area and fish are being caught on rattle baits along the weed edges or deeper running crank baits trolled on rock piles in deeper water. Over-all the size of the pike have been running small to medium, maybe up to 5 pounds. Better fish are being taken by fishing with a Large Sucker minnow and a bobber. Red Lake has been producing some larger pike and folks are catching them by trolling the drop-offs with spoons and shallow running crank baits.

Musky- Action is good on most of the “well known” area lakes and Buck Tails are still in the lead for the most fish sightings. But we’ve had a couple of good hook ups on top water baits as well. The fish are hanging along the deep edge of sand-weed breaks that plunge into deep water. We’re doing the best by locating inside turns adjacent to deep holes.

Area Fishing Report - 7/22/03
Bluegills – The deeper edges of heavy weed flats are producing consistent catches of nice bluegills. Small young of the year minnows and a variety of insect hatches are providing the feeding opportunities for these fish and they have moved in to chow down. Our best approach has been to move slowly along the deeper weed edges and cast 1/16 oz jigs tipped with about 1/3 of a crawler. Keep moving until you start picking up a few fish, once you've located a pocket of fish, slow down and move a bit further into the weed bed and then fish vertically into the pockets between weed patches. We've found that keeping the jig near the bottom and fishing it almost stationary, produces the best results. At times we stumble into groups of Crappies, Bass, Pike or even Walleyes. When we do, we adjust the baits to and try for the mixed bag. Crappies are often found in the same areas or located very near the Bluegills. Switching to a small minnow or plastic twister tail helps zero in on them. Crappies have shown a preference for the weeds that stretch out into deeper water and we've been able to get some during the day in these deeper weeds. If you fish in the evening until dark, the action will definitely be more consistent. Bass are using the same weed areas and can be caught on the light tackle too. Although the Bass action would be better if we switched to a more traditional approach like plastic worms or large tube jigs. We enjoy catching a few of them in our mixed bag approach, but we don't often switch to the larger baits because we prefer the pan fish for action and eating. To really zero in on the Bass right now, fish early in the morning with spinner baits, buzz baits or rattle baits along the edges of bulrushes adjacent to the weed flats. Later in the day switch to plastic worms or the larger tube jigs with an 1/8 oz jig head and concentrate on the deeper edges of the weed flats. Locating rock or gravel mixed in the weeds will really up the odds of finding a good pocket of fish.

Walleye Report – Fishing on Winnie has slowed down a bit because of the huge Mayfly hatch that occurred last week, but fish are still being caught. Many of the fish are running small in size with an occasional keeper mixed in. There are still fish on some of the mid lake humps, but overall, the action has been better in the weeds and flats. Deeper lakes with clearer, cooler water are the best right now with some of the better fishing occurring on Pokegama, Trout, Sand, North Star, Six Mile, Sugar and several other lakes of this type. In general, windy days have been better on the smaller and shallower lakes. On calm days we’re fishing the lakes with deeper structure or better weed beds. Fishing the deep weeds with jig & minnow, rigging with leeches and spinners with crawlers are all providing some action. We’re starting off with everyone fishing different baits and trying to zero in on what provides the best action on that spot or during that day. Beware of getting into a habit, because the next day, these fish can switch their preference to a different presentation.

Perch Report – Perch fishing has been spotty for the past week or two. But the fish seem to be grouping up a bit in the past couple of days and it looks like the action will begin picking up soon. Some fish are being caught in deep water 22-30 feet on edges of humps and bars, some are in the weeds and still others are out on the flats. They key seems to be locating a concentration of some one of their favorite foods. Deeper fish are feeding on insect hatches, flats fish are starting to find some young Crawfish to eat and the weed fish are feeding on minnows or insects.

Northern Pike – Are holding on the deep edges of cabbage weeds, along rock bars and some have found their way to the deeper humps and bars. Some nice fish are still being taken on spinner baits, Red Eyes and other casting spoons. There are some anglers starting to catch nicer pike by trolling crankbaits like Shad Raps or Rattlin Raps. There are many, many smaller to medium size pike on the deep weed lines and fishing with a jig & minnow will produce action all day long. On some of the area lakes, there are so many of the smaller Pike, that I consider it a personal obligation to locate people who enjoy using these fish for pickling, frying or fish patties. They are delicious to eat and you can learn to remove the “y bones” easily. These small fish are extremely under-utilized and you would be doing us all a favor to find a recipe you like and start eating them once in a while.

Area Fishing Report - 7/8/03
Walleye Fishing Report – After a week up on Rainy Lake, we could really see the difference a hundred miles makes in the weather. Water temperatures on Rainy were at about 67 degrees and the presence of fish on the “reefs” was is the early stages. Coming back home we find water temperatures in the mid 70’s, lots of new weed growth and fish in the deep summer patterns. Larger fish are still “on the move” and deep weed beds, rock bars and deep humps are all holding fish.

Fishing on Winnie has slowed down a bit because of the huge Mayfly hatch that occurred last week, but fish are still being caught and with the cold front that passed through on Monday (7-7), we should see a little pick up in activity in the next couple of days. Deeper lakes with clearer, cooler water are the best right now with some of the better fishing occurring on Pokegama, Trout, Sand, North Star, Six Mile, Sugar and several other lakes of this type. In general, windy days have been better on the smaller and shallower lakes. On calm days we’re fishing the lakes with deeper structure or better weed beds.

Fishing the deep weeds with jig & minnow, rigging with leeches and spinners with crawlers are all providing some action. We’re starting off with everyone fishing different baits and trying to zero in on what provides the best action on that spot or during that day. Beware of getting into a habit, because the next day, these fish can switch their preference to a different presentation.

Crappie Fishing Report – Summer patterns are in evidence here too, many of the “Crappie holes” seem to be empty during the day, but about and hour before sunset, and the action starts up. Fishing with a slip bobber/jig/minnow combination will bring in some nice slabs. In deeper weeds or when the Crappies are moving in open water near the cover, fishing with a jig & minnow or a jig & plastic tail will produce fish too. Troll slowly along the outer edges of weed cover, cast the jig, let it fall and retrieve it slowly until fish are discovered, then zero in on the area(s) that are holding the most fish.

Bluegills – Are in the shallower stretches of the weed line and some are still up in the gravel/sandy areas where they spawned. Warm water has made them fairly active and fishing with moving baits, including fly fishing is producing some nice ‘gills. Look for them in areas where there is a good mix of weeds that lead into the shallows from the deeper water. Skip areas that are to open, like sandy beaches or rocky stretches. Anything from a plain hook and bobber, to small jigs, to artificial flies will produce the ‘gills right now.

Perch Report – Perch fishing has been spotty for the past week or two. But the fish seem to be grouping up a bit in the past couple of days and it looks like the action will begin picking up soon. Some fish are being caught in deep water 22-30 feet on edges of humps and bars, some are in the weeds and still others are out on the flats. They key seems to be locating a concentration of some one of their favorite foods. Deeper fish are feeding on insect hatches, flats fish are starting to find some young Crawfish to eat and the weed fish are feeding on minnows or insects.

Northern Pike – Are holding on the deep edges of cabbage weeds, along rock bars and some have found their way to the deeper humps and bars. Some nice fish are still being taken on spinner baits, Red Eyes and other casting spoons. There are some anglers starting to catch nicer pike by trolling crankbaits like Shad Raps or Rattlin Raps. There are many, many smaller to medium size pike on the deep weed lines and fishing with a jig & minnow will produce action all day long. On some of the area lakes, there are so many of the smaller Pike, that I consider it a personal obligation to locate people who enjoy using these fish for pickling, frying or fish patties. They are delicious to eat and you can learn to remove the “y bones” easily. These small fish are extremely under-utilized and you would be doing us all a favor to find a recipe you like and start eating them once in a while.

Bass – Largemouth and Small mouth Bass are moving away from the shallow spawning cover and locating in the deeper weed edges. Some fish are being taken in bull rushes with spinner baits or top water baits, but the best action is on the deeper weed edges using a plastic worm, jig & pig or single blade spinner bait worked deeper and allowed to fall into pockets. The presence of rocks and gravel will increase the odds of finding Small mouth and there are even still some male Small mouth on the spawning beds. These fish can be caught on shallow minnow baits or jigs. The bedding fish should be released immediately so they can return to protect the bed.

Fishing for Walleye has already taken on the feel of mid to late summer. The slow approach is often not working well, but fishing with spinners, crank baits and other faster moving presentations are keeping us in the action. Jig & minnow fishing is still valuable in certain situations, like on heavy rocks or when the Walleye are in standing Cabbage weeds. However, for the bulk of our fishing, we are using Leeches, Night Crawlers and Crank baits. Deep water humps; points and intricate drop-off areas are best tackled using the traditional live bait rig with leeches or crawlers. Whenever we find Walleyes in concentrated areas, the simple live bait rig is working nicely. Due to Perch picking on our crawlers, we have chosen to fish mainly with leeches until now. But, when we find Walleye on the flats or spread out along a drop off, we often switch to spinners with crawlers. This helps us cover the water faster and it seems to trigger more strikes in this warm water. Premium stands of Cabbage Weeds are holding some really nice fish too and we’re fishing for them with a jig & crawler, slip bobbers or jig & minnow. Fishing on individual lakes is varying from day to day and there’s not really a “hot Lake” right now. Pokegama, Winnibigoshish, Trout, Bowstring, Sand, Jessie, North Star, Six Mile, Sugar and a host of others are all producing nice fish. In general, windy days have been better on the smaller and shallower lakes. On calm days we’re fishing the lakes with deeper structure or better weed beds.

Crappie Report – Crappie spawning seems to be nearly all finished up, except in some of the deeper cold-water lakes. Most of the better Crappie lakes have the fish moving into heavier cover like standing Cabbage beds or mixed Coontail & Cabbage. Summer patterns are in evidence here too, many of the “Crappie holes” seem to be empty during the day, but about and hour before sunset, and the action starts up. Fishing with a slip bobber/jig/minnow combination will bring in some nice slabs. In deeper weeds or when the Crappies are moving in open water near the cover, fishing with a jig & minnow or a jig & plastic tail will produce fish too. Troll slowly along the outer edges of weed cover, cast the jig, let it fall and retrieve it slowly until fish are discovered, then zero in on the area(s) that are holding the most fish.

Bluegills – Are in the shallower stretches of the weed line and some are still up in the gravel/sandy areas where they spawned. Warm water has made them fairly active and fishing with moving baits, including fly fishing is producing some nice ‘gills. Look for them in areas where there is a good mix of weeds that lead into the shallows from the deeper water. Skip areas that are to open, like sandy beaches or rocky stretches. Anything from a plain hook and bobber, to small jigs, to artificial flies will produce the ‘gills right now.

Perch Report – Perch fishing has been spotty for the past week or two. Some fish are being caught in deep water 22-30 feet on edges of humps and bars, some are in the weeds and still others are out on the flats. They key seems to be locating a concentration of some one of their favorite foods. Deeper fish are feeding on insect hatches, flats fish are starting to find some young Crawfish to eat and the weed fish are feeding on minnows or insects.

Northern Pike – Are holding on the deep edges of cabbage weeds, along rock bars and some have found their way to the deeper humps and bars. Some nice fish are still being taken on spinner baits, Red Eyes and other casting spoons. There are many, many smaller to medium size pike on the deep weed lines and fishing with a jig & minnow will produce action all day long. On some of the area lakes, there are so many of the smaller Pike, that I consider it a personal obligation to locate people who enjoy using these fish for pickling, frying or fish patties. They are delicious to eat and you can learn to remove the “y bones” easily. These small fish are extremely under-utilized and you would be doing us all a favor to find a recipe you like and start eating them once in a while.

Bass – Largemouth and Small mouth Bass are moving away from the shallow spawning cover and locating in the deeper weed edges. Some fish are being taken in bull rushes with spinner baits or top water baits, but the best action is on the deeper weed edges using a plastic worm, jig & pig or single blade spinner bait worked deeper and allowed to fall into pockets. The presence of rocks and gravel will increase the odds of finding Small mouth and there are even still some male Small mouth on the spawning beds. These fish can be caught on shallow minnow baits or jigs. The bedding fish should be released immediately so they can return to protect the bed.

Best presentation continues to be jig & minnow combinations, but there are anglers using leeches or crawlers and doing well with them. As long as the fish will bite on jig & minnow, we’ll keep fishing that way because it’s a lot easier to release these fish without damaging them. Key depths vary right now. For instance, on Winnie we are catching fish in 8-10 feet of water in most areas, but there are also several key spots where the fishing has been much better in 14-16 feet. Weed fish are being taken in 5-8 feet of water providing that the weeds are green and near deep water. Mixed rock or gravel are also a huge bonus and help create premium weed spots.

Crappie Report – Crappie spawning has moved into full gear and we’re catching lots of the “black” males in water of 3-6 feet deep. It seems like Crappies are hitting well on nearly all of the Grand Rapids area lakes, so your favorite spots are probably producing right now. Many areas with the combinations of weeds, gravel and mixed rocks are holding good numbers of fish. We’ve been doing best with a slip bobber and minnow combination. When we’re fishing near cabbage weeds, we’ve had some good action by fishing with a simple jig and minnow cast into the weeds and retrieved slowly.

Bluegills - Have moved in to the shallows in numbers now and are beginning to spawn along the sandy banks in protected areas. Shoreline weeds are holding plenty of fish and it’s been fairly simple to catch them with a bobber and worm combination. Be prepared for a mixed bag. Rock Bass, Bullheads and every other kind of fish are roaming the same weed beds.

Perch Report – The Perch seem to have finished up spawning on most lakes and we’ve been finding them in a variety of spots. Most of the Perch we’ve caught in the past week or so have been feeding on what looks like insect larvae. The traditional gravel bars and shoreline rock piles aren’t producing the Perch as well as the deeper sand points with some weeds on them. Looking for the deeper water “holes” on an inside turn between two points has been a nifty trick for locating the Perch this week and until there are significant Crayfish hatches, the insect pattern will probably hold up fairly well.

Northern Pike - Are hitting very well right now and keying in on mixed rock/weeds in the shallows will produce plenty of them. Size has been generally small, but nicer fish are showing up each day. Redeyes, Spinnerbaits and Docktor spoons are all producing some nice fish. Jig and minnow fishing for Walleye will also produce about as many smaller pike as you can handle.