A couple of fishermen get in one more day of fishing as the trees put on their flashy fall colors.
Walleye anglers report lots of fish being pulled from unusually shallow waters. Jigs and live bait rigs tipped with minnows or nightcrawlers are turning most of the fish, but crawlers will likely lose their appeal over the next week or so. Bass action remains great and will only get better. The fall crappie bite is expected to heat up shortly.
This Saturday and Sunday will be ideal for a day on the water, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the 70s and 80s — happy fishing!
Before dropping a line, brush up on Minnesota’s rules, regulations and other helpful information for fishing.
BAUDETTE – LAKE OF THE WOODS & THE RAINY RIVER
Anglers fishing the south shore of Lake of the Woods report great walleye action again this week. Walleye are starting to take on fall patterns, with fish coming from depths of 13-34 feet, along with quite of few northern pike. Most anglers continue to have success drifting spinners or trolling crank baits, but the jig bite is picking up. Water temperatures are in the upper 50s to low 60s. Action is also increasing on the reefs. Jigging with a frozen shiner on or near reefs has been and will continue to be best.
Emerald shiners are running in the Rainy River, and walleye action is on the rise. For the best bite, anchor along an edge or hole in the river then use a jig and minnow. Good fishing is reported from Wheeler’s Point to Baudette and on to Birchdale. Lots of anglers are also enjoying the great sturgeon, bass and northern pike bite on the river.
Up at the Northwest Angle, anglers report an excellent bite on both sides of the border. In U.S. waters, the deep mud of Little Traverse Bay continues to produce lots of walleyes in 24-31 feet of water. Gold, white or orange spinners tipped with a crawler or minnow are the most effective. Try both but consider that minnows are starting to out-produce crawlers. Northern pike and muskie anglers are having success on the weedy points when using double blade spinners and topwater lures.
Contact Baudette – Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce for more information.
BEMIDJI
Jigs and live bait rigs tipped with minnows are turning some walleye in 10-17 feet of water. Some of the lakes producing nice numbers of walleye are Bemidji, Andrusia and Gull. The fall bite will continually improve as we move into fall. Bass fishing remains good for anglers using plastics off the deeper edges of the weeds. Crappies are starting to move to deeper waters, but decent numbers continue to be pulled from the edge of the cabbage weeds. Learn more through the Bemidji area fishing video(opens in new window).
Contact Visit Bemidji for more information.
DETROIT LAKES AREA LAKES
Lake water temperatures have dropped to the mid-60s, and September’s inconsistent temperatures have led to an inconsistent bite. The walleye have begun their transition to a minnow bite, and the lure of nightcrawlers will diminish over the next week or two. Fish are scattered with some at the shallow weeds, some hanging at the sharp breaks at the outside weed edges, and some holding in waters as deep as 24-35 feet. The bass are shallow and feeding in the weedy areas. Smallmouth bass activity has picked up on White Earth, Island, Lida and Cormorant lakes. Larger northern pike have moved into more shallow waters, and have been more active during post-front conditions than the walleye, bass and crappies.
ALEXANDRIA AREA LAKES
The summer to fall transition is underway as water temperatures cool. The fish are a bit more scattered so staying on the move and searching various depths and locations is key. The weedlines remain home to bass, walleye, northern pike and panfish in Alexandria area lakes. Bass are responding well to jigs, plastics and moving baits such as crank baits and spinner baits. Northern pike are also responding to crank baits and spinner baits. For panfish, use small plastics on jigs. Expect walleye action to pick up very soon.
Contact Explore Alexandria Tourism for more information.
ISLE/ONAMIA – LAKE MILLE LACS
New regulations are now in place on Lake Mille Lacs. From Sept. 16 through Nov. 30, anglers may possess one walleye measuring 21- to 23- inches, or one walleye longer than 28-inches. All other walleye must be immediately released. Fishing will be allowed until midnight between Sept. 16 and Nov. 30. This is exciting news for anglers that want to take advantage of the great fall fishing Lake Mille Lacs has to offer! Over the next few weeks, try trolling in 4-12 feet of water at the reefs for walleye and smallmouth bass. It won’t be long until muskie action heats up in these areas as well.
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.
Contact the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council for more information.
WILLMAR AREA LAKES
As of late last week, fall fishing patterns had begun to take hold. Anglers continued to find active bass and panfish along the deeper weedlines, especially on Big Kandiyohi, Point and Nest lakes. Crappies were responding well to small jigs and plastics on Long Lake and Foot Lake. The walleye were most active early in the evenings on Ringo, Green and Eagle lakes. Jigs and rigs tipped with minnows or night crawlers turned the majority of fish. Fishing will only improve as water temperatures continue to cool.
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