The fish were extremely cooperative during last weekend’s fishing opener and many anglers couldn’t remember nicer weather on opening weekend! Jigs and minnows produced the majority of walleye, but other presentations were also successful, including rigs with leeches or crawlers. Expect fishing to continually improve over the next few weeks.
Minnesota fishing opener dates for the 2021-2022 fishing season for most inland waters are as follows. Stream trout: April 17; walleye, sauger, northern pike, bass (catch-and-release) and lake trout: May 15; muskie: June 5. The fishing season for crappies, sunnies, perch and catfish is continuous. Before dropping a line, brush up on Minnesota’s rules, regulations and other helpful information for fishing.
Anglers are asked to practice social distancing at the landings and boat launches. Learn more about safer ways to travel at Explore Minnesota’s COVID-19 Information page.
BAUDETTE – LAKE OF THE WOODS & THE RAINY RIVER
Everyone seemed to enjoy the fishing opener on Lake of the Woods – the fish cooperated and the weather was incredible! As predicted, the go to bait for walleye and saugers was a jig and frozen shiner vertically jigged in 14-20 feet of water. Jigs in gold, orange, glow, pink, chartreuse or a combination of these colors were best. Some anglers had success when trolling crank baits at roughly 1.5- 2.0-mph. Many took their limit, and most caught enough walleye for a hearty fish fry. A healthy mix of small, eating-size, slot and trophy-size fish were reported. Walleye anglers reported lots of northern pike as well. Learn more(opens in new window) by watching Joe Henry and family fishing Lake of the Woods from a charter boat! And to view current conditions on Lake of the Woods, check out the many Lake of the Woods web cams(opens in new window).
On the Rainy River, some nice walleye were caught last week. There are 42 miles of navigable waters from the mouth of the Rainy to Birchdale. Please note that the sturgeon season will remain closed until July 1, 2021.
Up at the Northwest Angle, anglers reported catching excellent numbers of walleye. The go-to presentation was a jig and minnow, but some anglers also did well using crawlers. Lots of 20-24 inch walleye made for great catch-and-release photos. The walleye limit on the Minnesota side of Lake of the Woods and on the Rainy River is a combined limit of 6 walleye and sauger, with up to 4 being walleye. The protected slot is 19.5 – 28.0 inches, and these fish must be released. Anglers can keep one walleye over 28 inches in length. The border with Canada remains closed but anglers can reach the Angle through the LOW Passenger Service, charter boat shuttle services from the south, and float plane service out of Baudette and other locations.
Contact Baudette – Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce for more information.
BEMIDJI
Lots of anglers hit the water last weekend, and the bite was as spectacular as the weather! Some anglers caught lots of walleye using jigs tipped with fatheads or shiners. Some fish came from the shallow shoreline areas, while others were pulled from 12-14 feet of water at the mid-lake humps. Look to Lake Bemidji, Irving, Plantagenet, Wolf and Andrusia for the best walleye and northern pike action.
Water temperatures are in the mid-50s on most bodies of water. Crappies have now moved up into the shallows alongside the bluegills.
BRAINERD AREA LAKES
Walleye have been holding with the baitfish in the shallows on Gull Lake. Some anglers are doing well during the day when pitching jigs and shiners or casting jerk baits to the pods. A great nighttime trolling bite has been reported by anglers casting to the rocks or trolling the big flats. Some of the most productive lakes have been North Long, Round and Edwards. Leeches and spot tails on live bait rigs have been good presentations, as have trolled jerk baits. Anglers fishing the smaller lakes are having success pulling harnesses with leeches at the healthy weed beds. Slip bobber set-ups have also turned lots of fish. Water temperatures are rising quickly so expect fishing patterns to change in the near future.
Northern pike action is consistently excellent across the area, with a wide range of techniques turning fish. The flats and emerging weeds are the best places to start. The crappies continue to spawn in the larger lakes, but most have completed their spawn in the smaller lakes. Bluegills are now staging in their pre-spawn locations.
Contact Visit Brainerd for more information.
ISLE/ONAMIA – LAKE MILLE LACS
Water temperatures ranged from 52-66 degrees on Lake Mille Lacs over the opener. While temperatures varied greatly, most waters were at 54-57 degrees. Expect water temperatures to rise quickly with the current warm weather. Most anglers found good numbers of walleye in 12-18 foot depths last weekend. The best presentations were live bait rigs with a minnow and jigs tipped with a paddletail swim bait.
Bass are expected to spawn in the near future. For fun bass action, try ned rigs and swim baits. According to the DNR, the Lake Mille Lacs fishing outlook for 2021 shows a strong smallmouth bass bite this spring due to early ice-out. Smallmouth bass may move to their spawning sites a bit earlier than usual. Samples show that the most abundant sizes of smallmouth bass range from 16 to 20-inches, with some bass measuring over 21-inches.
Lake Mille Lacs fishing regulations include a one-fish walleye limit from May 15 through May 31, after which walleye fishing will be catch-and-release only through Wednesday, June 30. Learn more about fishing regulations on Lake Mille Lacs(opens in new window). And check out the the Mille Lacs Web Cam webpage(opens in new window) for current conditions.
Northeast Region
Walleye were very cooperative over last weekend’s opener, with good numbers of fish taken on jigs tipped with a minnow. Walleye anglers took quite a few northern pike and bass as well. Panfish anglers did well using small jigs tipped with a minnow, small leech or chunk of worm.
Northwest Region
Walleye action was great during last weekend’s fishing open. Jigs tipped with fatheads or shiners under slip bobbers were the best presentations. Rising water temperatures will result in a good leech and nightcrawler bite very soon.
Get more details about fishing conditions in Northwest Minnesota.
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