Anglers are excited for the hot September and October walleye bite as fishing continues to improve in most lakes and rivers. The bite window has expanded, but anglers continue to take the most fish early and late in the day. Expect fish to transition to fall patterns as days turn shorter and water temperatures drop further.
This weekend will be ideal for a day on the water — happy fishing!
OTTER TAIL AREA LAKES
Summer patterns began to fade last week as water temperatures dropped. The walleye spread out as they looked for easy meals. Anglers has success when rip-jigging with plastics in the shallows, and when running bottom bouncers and slow-death hooks along the deeper breaklines. Crappies remained on the weedlines, responding well to small jigs and plastics. Active bass were found roaming around during low light periods, but tight to the cover during the day.
Contact Otter Tail Lakes Country Association for more information.
ALEXANDRIA AREA LAKES
As of late last week, anglers were taking lots of bass and panfish from the deeper weedlines. Walleye anglers had the most success at the deep structure such as sunken islands and sunken humps. One recommendation was to watch your depthfinder for weeds. Once weeds were located, anglers were encouraged to try to ‘catch’ some of the weeds to see if they were green since healthy, green clumps of weeds will often hold the most fish.
Contact Explore Alexandria Tourism for more information.
ISLE/ONAMIA – LAKE MILLE LACS
Learn 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.
FISHING CONDITIONS IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA
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The walleye are on the move, but they will bite if you can get your bait in front of them. Anglers are finding many shallow water walleye in 10 feet of water or less during early morning and evening hours. Some cabin owners are even catching walleye right off their docks. For the shallow walleye, use jigs or spinner rigs tipped with a crawler. Deep water trolling and lead-coring have been even more effective, with anglers taking nice numbers of walleye when trolling large crank baits 20-40 feet down over 20-60 feet of water. During the day, walleye are holding close to the bottom and can be found near the points and shallow mud basins; during evening hours, most fish have been found suspended over deep water chasing ciscos.
Smallmouth bass anglers report that the bass are sliding out to the sunken islands where large minnows are even more productive. Falling water temperatures have caused the bass to prepare for winter and feed more heavily — this is the time to catch some of the biggest smallies in the lakes. Large numbers of smaller bass continue to come from the shallows in the bays and around the islands. For the most action, use spinner baits, in-line spinners, soft plastics or topwater lures.
The drop in water temperatures has pushed northern pike into the shallows. Cabin owners have begun catching quality pike on large suckers under a bobber set right off their docks. Anglers targeting pike will want to focus on the rocky points and mouths of the shallow bays. Large spoons, large spinner baits, topwater lures and large suckers are all very effective, especially during early morning hours.
Lake trout anglers continue to report good action when trolling spoons behind downriggers. Lead-coring deep-diving crank baits has also been very effective. Anglers fishing from canoe have had lots of success jigging heavy 1 ½- to 2-ounce bucktails tipped with a gulp minnow or sucker minnow over 30-80 feet of water. Anglers will want to focus on the rocky shorelines going forward.
Contact the Ely Chamber of Commerce for more information.
COOK COUNTY: LUTSEN-TOFTE, GRAND MARAIS, GUNFLINT TRAIL AND GRAND PORTAGE AREA WATERS
Local charter captains have been thrilled with the fishing on Lake Superior. Lake trout are have been hitting nearly everything in a variety of depths. The only downside is that the fish remain scattered. On inland lakes, fishing has also been exceptional. The smallmouth bass have been eager to bite in waters less than 10 feet deep. Northern pike action has been outstanding in roughly 20 feet of water just offshore. Walleye are also active, and responding well to nightcrawlers. On East Bearskin Lake, most walleye are being pulled from depths of 40-50 feet offshore, but some can still be caught right off the dock. Again, nightcrawlers have been the most effective.
Contact Visit Cook County for more information.
DULUTH – LAKE SUPERIOR, ST. LOUIS RIVER AND INLAND WATERS
Lake Superior anglers are starting to see a drop in fishing pressure. Anglers now longer have to endure long waits at most public boat launches. Lake trout continue to dominate the catch, and most anglers are catching nice numbers of fish in the Duluth/Superior vicinity. Towing lead line, dipseys or riggers remains productive, however, some anglers are once again pulling fish from the upper halves of the water column. Ideal colors have been purples, blues and greens. Stream anglers report fish starting to return from Lake Superior. The peak run of steelhead is usually by the end of September and into October. A few brown trout and salmon should also be expected. The streams will likely be busier each week until the end of the stream seasons.
On the St. Louis River Estuary, low water conditions remain an issue, especially for those with deep drafting boats and longer shaft motors. The key is to take it slow. In terms of fishing, however, the walleye and large perch are starting to bite more often. Slowly drifting crappie minnows on long-shanked hooks behind a couple of split shots have been producing fish. Anglers need to use a slower approach in areas with poor water clarity. Smallmouth bass have been particularly eager to bite around the channel edges where they are feasting on river shiners. Muskie anglers report some sightings. For the best muskie and pike action, speed troll long stick baits or spinners along the weed edges. Anglers seeking crappies should jig the deep cuts using simple tough tubes or jig and minnow combinations.
The inland lakes continue to give up lots of panfish around the docks, beaches and cabbage weeds. Small crappie minnows, worm chunks or small leeches under a float are producing well. Be careful not to spook the fish. Northern pike and bass have been in similar areas, but hanging a bit deeper. Work the weed edges in 10-20 feet of water. For trophy-sized fish, slip out even deeper. The walleye have started to school on the basins in roughly 15 feet of water. On no-wind days when surface waters resemble glass, it is especially fun to catch walleye using ice fishing tactics.
Contact Visit Duluth for more information.
GRAND RAPIDS AREA LAKES & RIVERS
Anglers report that walleye fishing is the best it’s been all season on some Grand Rapids area lakes. With the cooler water temperatures, fish are moving into the shallows and responding well to spinners with a minnow. The jig and minnow bite is also very productive, and improving each day. Some of the best producers currently are Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux Lake. Pay attention to the direction of the wind since it can affect where the walleye are located. This week, most of the walleye action has been in 4-9 feet of water, especially on Winnibigoshish, Cutfoot Sioux, Bowstring and Moose. Keep an eye out for the loons since they are often located near schools of baitfish — expect the walleye to be right nearby. When fishing these areas, use a light jig and minnow. The walleye are particularly active early and late in the day.
Crappie fishing has also improved. Look for crappies off the weedlines transitioning to deeper water. Just some of the lakes currently producing crappies are Big Cutfoot Sioux, Bowstring and Pokegama. Midday hours seem to be best for crappie fishing. If the wind picks up, you may want to head in since these conditions are favorable for crappie fishing.
BAUDETTE – LAKE OF THE WOODS & THE RAINY RIVER
It has been a great week of walleye fishing on the south shore of Lake of the Woods. Most walleye anglers are having success drifting with spinners or trolling crank baits in 20-34 feet of water where schools of walleye are gathering. A good number of walleye can be found across the south shore, and with more shiners running, this trend will continue. As the water begins to cool, the jig bite will pick up and reef fishing will improve. Depending upon the day, fish might be staged on top, on the sides or adjacent to the reefs in the mud. Anglers are excited for the hot September and October walleye bite.
More emerald shiners are showing up in the Rainy River, with good runs being reported. Anglers are catching an increasing amount of walleye in the river. The best approach has been to anchor and jig a minnow along an edge or hole. Some walleye continue to hit crank baits and spinners and these presentations are effective for locating fish. Fall is a great time to also fish for sturgeon, bass and northern pike in the river, although the vast majority of anglers are pursuing walleye.
Up at the Northwest Angle, great fishing continues on both sides of the border. In U.S. waters, the deep mud of Little Traverse Bay is giving up walleye in 24-31 feet of water. Gold, white or orange spinners tipped with a crawler or minnow have been very effective. Areas with structure typically hold some fish in depths of 18-27 feet. Northern pike and muskie anglers are pulling fish from the weedy points on jerk baits and topwater lures. Expect this action to increase as water temperatures cool. Travel to and from the Angle by vehicle through Canada is open, as is boating into Canadian waters. Please note, however, that no live, frozen or dead bait from the U.S. is allowed.
Contact Baudette – Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce for more information.
BENA – LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH
As of late last week, walleye were hitting spinners and crawlers along the 8-10 foot shoreline drops on Lake Winnibigoshish. Fishing the windy shorelines when the wind blew was best. Crank baits trolled through 12-15 feet of water on top of the bars or shoreline breaks also produced walleye. When fish turned finicky, jigs and minnows often did the trick. The perch were scattered, but jumbos were caught in 4-12 feet of water on the west side of the lake from the river mouth up to Raven’s Point. Anglers also caught lots of northern pike in 10-12 feet of water throughout the lake.
Contact the Lake Winnie Area Resort Association for more information.
DETROIT LAKES AREA LAKES
Water temperatures in Detroit Lakes area lakes are in the upper 60s. Recent rainfall has helped anglers launching and loading their boats at the public accesses, but water levels are still low and caution is needed. Most of the walleye are holding in 22-28 feet of water or tight against the weed edges on the clear water lakes; on the stained water lakes, walleye remain shallow. Minnows, leeches and crawlers are producing well. Bass and northern pike anglers are pulling fish from the shallows. The smaller northern pike are very active at or near the weeds. The bluegills are also relating to the weeds. Some crappies are being pulled from the flats in depths of 6-9 feet of water, and some have slid off the edges and holding off the sharper breaks.
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