October 24, 2024 "Never Too Late For More Fishing?"

Almost every year, there’s a day or two at the end of the fishing season when I wish I would have quit a little bit sooner. This season is not one of them, I could have fished at least another week, I think, and still been happy with the fishing action. Letters like this one that came via email from Steve explain why.

“Hi Jeff, It was nice to meet you in person at the Winnie Trading Post. We spoke for a bit in the truck as you were heading out to go fishing.
We've been fishing since Saturday on Winnie. Overall, the bite has been very good. Water temps are in low 50s and the south wind seems to have driven them to the north shore. We fished near Third River for a bit and limited very quickly with ..." Read >> Fishing Report October 24, 2024

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Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism October 22, 2024

"Now is a great time to get up to LOW and the Rainy River, there's a great weather forecast ahead and the fall fishing on Lake of the Woods is on fire!. There are lots of limits of walleyes and saugers coming in from the south end of the lake, and the river is getting better at the same time.

Like any fishing, being flexible pays dividends. If you are fishing on a charter or with a guide, your guide will make necessary adjustments to put you on fish. If you are fishing on your own, here are some considerations.

Walleyes and saugers are being caught in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report October 22, 2024

October 18, 2024 "Walleye Smallmouth Combo Guiding Season Finale'"

When we arrived at the lake, the parking lot was empty, and the landing ramp was bone dry. We could see whitecaps rolling across the water beyond the shallow bay where we launched. The surface water temperature was 51 degrees, and that never changed throughout the day. By the time we got out into the main lake, it was clear that fishing on the windy side of the lake wasn’t going to work, so we bounced across the lake in search of more manageable conditions.

I stopped at a point near the southwest corner and “spot locked” in about 16 feet of water. By the time I passed out the fishing rods and got the minnow buckets set up, the boat was rocking and rolling in whitecaps.

Casting and retrieving jig and minnow combos at the weedline in about 10 feet of water. Bugs picked up one nice walleye quickly, but after that, small perch and a couple of pike was all we caught. “Well boys, it looks like one of those days when we’re gonna get pinned into the calm corner. Hopefully, we’ll be able to ..." Read >> October 18, 2024 Walleye Smallmouth Combo Guiding Season Finale

Wired2Fish October 18, 2024 "Trolling Plugs for Southern Walleye"

"I was first introduced to southern walleye fishing by my good friends Corey Brooks and Robert Gee. These are both East Tennessee locals who have dedicated a large portion of time to dialing in the Tennessee waterways. We’ve since made trolling for walleye an annual tradition, and it’s something I look forward to every year. This feature explains what we look for, what we use, and where we fish when trolling for southern walleye.

Current is arguably the most important factor in having a successful day of walleye fishing. These fish typically reside in deep, cool water. Current forces these fish to set up along the bottom, making them much easier to catch. We have a few key locations in ..." Learn More >> Trolling Plugs for Southern Walleye

October 17, 2024 "Walleye Fishing Update"

Walleyes were on the agenda this Wednesday, but not on Winnibigoshish. My crew got trapped in big waves last month and they all agreed that the heavy south winds forecasted made that option a bad idea. So, I decided to make a 2nd trip to the lake I wrote about back on October 2, 2024. The lake, a relatively small, 3000-acre lake has a reputation for decent fall fishing and has plenty of structure to explore. So even if I hadn’t been there much this season, I wasn’t too worried about not finding something to do there.

When we launched the boat, my surface temperature reading at the landing wa 50 degrees. By the time we were fishing on the main lake, 52 degrees was the average reading. The wind, as expected, was blowing hard and there were whitecaps rolling across the water. My strategy was to ..." Read >> Sundin Walleye Fishing Report October 17, 2024

October 16, 2024 "Suspending the Suspend-Able"

In crappie school, threatening suspension for misdeeds is not an effective form of punishment. No, they love being suspended and that would just make them happier. And happy they were on Tuesday, not only suspended high above the bottom of the lake, but also away from the shoreline, headed toward the lake’s deepest holes.

Understand, the movement, or so-called migration doesn’t necessarily mean that crappies must travel long distances. In certain lakes, migration could take them just a few hundred feet from summertime haunts. In some lakes though, they may travel miles to find preferred wintering habitats. In fact, when possible, they may go so far as to leave one lake, and swim into other connected body of water. The trick to finding them during fall is to figure out where the lake offers them the best available habitat.

On Tuesday, most of the fish we located were in, or near the ..." Read >> October 16, 2024 "Suspending the Suspend-Able"

Reader Comments October 15, 2024 "Lake Winnie Feeding Times"

Here's a reader comment regarding my "working theory" about walleyes feeding heavily at night, resulting in a slow start to many morning fishing trips. (See Lake Winnie fishing report October 13, 2024)

"Dave Allen wrote: "Good morning Jeff. Your thoughts on the Winnie walleye not being hungry in the mornings can be partially confirmed by my experiences on the big pond over the last three years.

I fish at night pulling crankbaits and this summer have fished exclusively on Winnie an average of 2 to 3 times per week. From the fishing opener until early August, I was fishing 1 hour before sunrise until shortly after sun up. Fishing at that time, the norm was catchoing 15 to 20 fish on each outing. By early August, I was forced to switch over to fishing from 1/2 hour before sunset until a couple of hours after sunset each day in order to catch similar numbers of walleyes.

I and some others who pull crankbaits at night have had the same thoughts about "full walleyes" and slow feeding early in the day. Proof that these fish are full is the very fat bodies we've noticed since mid August. Fattest dang walleyes I've ever seen on Winnie. Anyway just wanted you to know that others are having the same thoughts." Dave Allen

Wired2Fish October 15, 2024 "Crankin’ for Fall Bass with Ott DeFoe"

"Ott DeFoe looks forward to this time of the year. When October’s chill sets in and water temperatures steadily drop, DeFoe can use the lures he made famous, balsa crankbaits, to target big bass.
Years ago, when he was just a teenager, he spent hours in his garage near Knoxville, Tenn., hand-crafting his own brand of wooden lures. Thanks to his self-taught woodworking skills, he carved out a legendary career in professional bass fishing.

Those baits are now part of what is now known as the OG (Ott’s Garage) series, mass-produced by Rapala. DeFoe still puts his stamp of approval on the baits and makes sure they exhibit the same qualities of balsa wood lures that his homemade versions did. Each fall, he comes full circle and uses the crankbaits he designed to ..." Learn More >> Crankin’ for Fall Bass with Ott DeFoe

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism October 15, 2024

"Fall fishing on the south side of Lake of the Woods is excellent right now. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 50s and the colder water temps have the fish snapping.

Walleyes and saugers are being caught in a variety of locations across the south shore in water depths ranging from 20 to 27 feet. Jigging with frozen, or live emerald shiners is catching a pile of fish. Anchor up and jig over the side of the boat. Typically, lots of small fish to sort through but you will get your keepers along with some larger walleyes. Jig colors to consider are gold, glow white, glow red, chartreuse, orange, and pink. Gold combined with any one of these colors is often a good choice.

The Rainy River continues to get better and better with more walleyes moving in to ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report October 15, 2024

October 13, 2024 "Connecting With the Connect-Able"

The photo of my friends Tom and Brad with their walleye double is gratifying, but it did not come without effort.

Lake Winnibigoshish was stingy with her walleyes during the morning hours on Saturday. That wasn’t just my opinion, friends who were fishing the lake on Saturday morning reported similar struggles. It would have been easy to believe that the fish weren’t biting, and that our efforts to catch them were futile.  But if we’d succumb to the temptation of thinking negatively, we might have talked ourselves right out of catching not only these 2 fish, we might have missed out on catching the rest of their 12 fish limit too, but that’s speculation.

The fish were not, not biting, I didn’t think, and I told that to my crew repeatedly. “We just have to keep looking and keep fishing until we ..." Read Full Fishing Report >> October 13, 2024 Connecting With the Connect-Able

Wired2Fish October 13, 2024 "Tips for Catching Crappies from Scattered Hard Cover"

"Kobie Koenig and Adam Pavek head out crappie fishing on a sprawling Canadian Shield lake, where finding fish is a needle-in-a-haystack proposition. The duo uses cutting-edge fish finder technology to locate crappies around submerged trees, boulders, and other isolated structures. Koenig explains that crappies can be elusive and often spread out, making them difficult to find. However, they quickly identify high-percentage spots and fish using a mix of forward-facing sonar, side imaging, and even 2D sonar.

The team focuses on casting jigs and safety pin-style spinners in 10- to 15-feet of water, adjusting their presentation based on conditions. While the list of best crappie baits is long, Koenig highlights the versatility of a hair jig, which can be fished at different depths and manipulated in various ways to attract bites. When crappies are suspended, live sonar helps pinpoint them, allowing Koenig and Pavek to ..." View Video and Learn More >> Tips for Catching Crappies from Scattered Hard Cover

October 11, 2024 "Wrapping Up Ruling out Rules and Accepting the Exceptions"

In yesterday’s report, I used up most of my morning writing time on Q&A about fishing for walleyes in clear water. I promised that I would finish reporting about Wednesday’s (10-10-2024) fishing trip with Dave and Brett, so here goes.

The theme, “Ruling out Rules and Accepting the Exceptions” describes our experience to a T. In search of walleyes, we explored shallow water, deeper water, weedy patches, steep breaklines, mid-lake humps and sandy flats. We covered lots of water, and looked everywhere I could think of … except the lake’s most prominent crappie holes. I avoided the crappie spots because as we left the dock, my first instruction was “we can’t catch any crappies, we already fished for them, and caught our limits yesterday,” my crew advised. At the time, that aviso didn’t worry me because ..." Read >> Sundin Fishing Report 10-11-2024

October 10, 2024 "Ruling out Rules and Accepting the Exceptions"

The title of today’s report, “Ruling out Rules and Accepting the Exceptions” is particularly timely. Why? Because it pertains both to my fishing trip on Wednesday, and to the reader comments from friend and frequent emailer, Rand Olson. Let’s start first with Rand’s comments, then I’ll work back on my report about yesterday’s fishing trip with Dave and Brett.

October 9, 2024 "Calmer, Warmer, Brighter Walleye Fishing"

The wind stopped blowing, the sun kept shining and surface water temperatures on Lake Winnie rebounded slightly on Tuesday. Despite frosty temperatures during the wee hours Tuesday morning, the lake water held its own; 55 degrees was the average from 8:00 AM until about 11:00 AM. During midday, temperatures rose into the 58 degree range. A mild, but welcome algae bloom developed on the lake’s calm surface too.

As expected, walleye fishing under these circumstances was not a fast action proposition. That said, it wasn’t bad either, we plodded from spot-to-spot, picking up a fish here and there until we had the fish we wanted. If you’ve been keeping up with recent reports, then you already know all about how we ..." Read >> Lake Winnibigoshish Walleye Update October 9, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism October 9, 2024

"Sturgeon fishing is really picking up as the water cools in the Rainy River. Sturgeon are not legal to harvest at this time, but catch and release is allowed. From now into the month of April, 2025 fishing for sturgeon will continue to be catch and release only, until the "keep season" begins again, anglers can then choose, if they catch one, to harvest 1 legal fish drung the 2025 season.

Walleye fishing on the Rainy River continues to get better and better. There are definitely more shiners and walleyes in the river this week. Good fish are being caught in many sections of the river.

Trolling crankbaits in the fall is a well known strategy to catch hungry walleyes chasing shiners. Trolling is also a great way to ..." Read >> Rainy River Lake of the Woods Report October 9, 2024

October 8, 2024 "Let's Clear Something Up; Lake Winnibigoshish!"

A week ago, I would have guessed that both water temperatures, and water clarity in Lake Winnibigoshish would have remained favorable to anglers for at least another week. Mother Nature though, had other plans and dished out a brutally forceful and cold west wind on Sunday. On Tuesday, in the aftermath of that cold front, surface water temperatures had fallen from 64 degree down to just 56 degrees. My Secchi disk reading on Winnie’s west side Tuesday was now 13 feet, a 6-foot increase in water clarity in only 4 short days.

Walleyes that had previously inhabited shoreline breaks in relatively shallow water fled the scene and turned up deeper, in 19 to 24 feet of water. We found them on both shoreline related breaklines, and on some of the largest mid-lake bars. Their attitude was generally positive, and when we could see them, they usually struck. Boat shyness, an issue we haven’t faced for a while now, reared its ugly head though, and almost every spot we fished turned out to ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishing Report October 8, 2024

Brainerd MN Area Fishing Report October 7, 2024

"In the Brainerd area it went from feeling like summer was still here to full blown fall in just a couple days. Water temps have dropped drastically hovering around 60-63 degrees. With the strong winds this week fishing was difficult and less than ideal.

Sticking to small lakes was the most productive for the group in my boat this weekend. Looking at the graphs showed tons of bait just outside the weed edge and off the second break. Working 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with either shiners or sucker minnows elicited the majority of the bites.

Working slow and picking through spots while paying close attention to side image outside weed edges produced pike, bass, and walleye. Side image was as important if not more important than live image with the large cold front. Live image is great but when fish are belly to bottom they can be hard, if not impossible, to see on live image. These fish will ..." Read >> Full Brainerd Area Fishing Report October 7, 2024

Wired2Fish October 7, 2024 "Seth Feider’s Guide to Fishing Swim Jigs in Cover"

"In this video, Seth Feider demonstrates how he fishes swim jigs for bass relating to heavy cover. He walks through his approach to targeting bass using a white swim jig. This technique allows him to cover much more water than flipping and pitching. At the same time, it generates a similar reaction bites from thick shoreline vegetation. He likens the method to old-school spinnerbait fishing, with the added benefit of reaching deep into the heaviest cover without worrying about getting snagged.

Feider explains how the combination of emergent shallow cover and stained water creates ideal conditions for swim jig fishing. The visual aspect of this technique is one of its biggest appeals. You can watch bass streak out of the cover to ..." View Video and Learn More >> Seth Feider’s Guide to Fishing Swim Jigs in Cover

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report October 7, 2024

"Walleye - Heavy winds this last week had many anglers laying low. Anglers that went out fishing found active walleyes in 15 to 20 feet of water around wind blown points and sunken islands. Small and medium sized suckers were the hot baits. Anglers fished them on a lindy rig or 1/4-3/8oz jig. Gold, blue/white and pink/white were the hot colors this last week. Water temps are now in the mid to high 50's.

Smallmouth - Smallies continue to binge feed on anything they can get in their mouths. Large and medium size suckers have been the best way to avoid catching piles of 2 to 3 pound bass. Lindy rigs and jigs have been the best way to fish large minnows. Sunken islands that top out in 10 to 15 feet of water have ..." Read >> Full Ely MN Area Fishing Report October 7, 2024

October 6, 2024 "Lake Winnie Fishing Update"

The hurricane season isn’t over yet, and as long as they keep brewing, the unsettled weather keeps coming to the northland. Lately, the winds either blow at 20 MPH from the south, or 30 MPH from the west. Whenever they’re not doing that, they’re not blowing at all, and the lakes go flat.

Take the current forecast for my upcoming trip with Ken Seufert as an example, we’re fishing today, and then again on Tuesday. NOAA, Sunday: “High near 54. Breezy, with a northwest wind of 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.” Tuesday: “Patchy frost before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind.”

Lucky for me, a northwest wind is easier to deal with than some of the other wind directions. So, I should be able to ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishing Update October 6, 2024

October 4, 2024 "The Hippier Fall Crappie Fishing Update"

Cancellations aren’t a lot of fun for me, especially when the happen in the middle of primetime fishing seasons like the one we’re in right now. There are times when they can’t be avoided though, and when they do happen, I try to catch up on chores, fix my broken stuff and the like. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, the Hippie Chick’s schedule has an open space, and we can take time for our own fishing date; that’s what we did yesterday.

She’s been following the fishing reports lately, so when I asked her out for a fishing date, her response was somewhat predictable. “Can we go crappie fishing?” “Sure honey, if that’s what you want to do, we’ll go crappie fishing “, I said. So, when the morning came, we loaded up the boat, and headed for ..." Read >> The Hippier Fall Crappie Fishing Update October 4, 2024

October 2, 2024 "Falling Into Fall, Happily!"

Fall fell over north central Minnesota overnight Monday, and into Tuesday. Air temperatures were chilly, dropping into the mid-40s, but still not cold enough to produce our first frost. The northwest wind rolled the surface water into whitecaps, forcing water temperatures downward. On the lake we fished, 63 degrees was the day-long reading on my screen. The day before that, on Lake Winnibigoshish, 66 to 67 degrees was still the dominant temperature reading. I imagine that there too, surface readings were likely decreased.

For me, fishing with first time customers Tom and Justin Hirt, the day, chilly conditions included, was a gift. “We do well fishing for panfish, but we’re not really walleye fishermen. Tom said. “We love eating fish, but we’re not just in this for limits of walleyes, we’re here to ..." Read >> Falling Into Fall Fishing Report October 2, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report October 2, 2024

"Walleye - Some good news on the walleye front has been coming in this last week. Walleyes are starting to hit big minnows and slowly transitioning to traditional fall locations like sharp breaks and deeper water.

These walleyes have been hitting large minnows fished on a jig or lindy rig in 15 to 20 feet of water. That being said, reports continue to come in of nice walleyes being caught over shallow rocks, 5 to 10 feet of water, with paddle tails and scattered walleyes being caught trolling crankbaits over 25 to 30 foot deep flats.

The Smallmouth Bass bite remained on fire this last week. Water temps still have the smallies on ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report october 2, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism October 1, 2024

"Walleye and sauger fishing is very good on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Routine reports of anglers catching good numbers of fish are common. So, if you want to catch some numbers, the bite is on. Anglers are finding fish ranging from 24 to 31 feet deep across the south shore of Lake of the Woods. Some really nice perch and an occasional pike are being caught mixed in with the walleyes and saugers.

There aren't fish everywhere but there are various schools spread out across the entire south shore of the basin. Some of the best areas to fish range from right in front of the Lighthouse Gap (where the Rainy River enters Lake of the Woods) and westward to spots near the ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report October 1, 2024

September 29, 2024 "Crappies on the Flats A Pattern To Remember"

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that September will pass without the first frost in Itasca County. The cycle of warm daytime temperatures and cool, but moderate overnight lows is forecast to last at least a few more days. Fish seem happy about the extended pre-fall period and are not hard to catch. Finding them though, that can take a little more effort than some anglers anticipate.

Take the image you see below an example; it represents 5 crappies spread across a mid-depth flat on a small lake. The lake, roughly 300 acres in size with a max depth of 30 feet, is a typically reliable, fall crappie destination for me. Most often, the fish are “stacked up” vertically on the upper edges of the main basin by now. When they’re not, they usually inhabit the weeds adjacent to the shoreline, but right now, they are not located in either place.

What we found instead is ..." Read Full Report >> September 29, 2024 Crappies on the Flats A Pattern To Remember

Wired2Fish Septmber 27, 2024 "How to Fish a Ned Rig | Jacob Wheeler’s Top 4 Techniques"

"Say what you want, but finesse spinning techniques are essential for consistently catching neutral to negative bass. Jacob Wheeler knows this well. He shares his top four methods for rigging a Ned rig, offering a fresh perspective on how to maximize its effectiveness. Whether you’re looking to fish in shallow or deeper water, Wheeler’s techniques are designed to help you catch more fish, especially when conditions are tough. Check out our Ned Rig Tips library for more in-depth information.

The classic way to fish a Ned rig is with an exposed jig head, often in the 3/16-ounce range. Wheeler highlights how this traditional rig works best with small baits, such as a 3-inch stick bait, especially in stained water where a chartreuse jig head can offer an added visual edge. He emphasizes the importance of ..." Learn More >> How to Fish a Ned Rig | Jacob Wheeler’s Top 4 Techniques

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report September 27, 2024

"One thing is certain, walleyes are biting when we find them. The caveat, is finding them and the anglers who want to be most consistent, must fish a wider variety of structures and be willing to think about both fall, and summertime fishing patterns at the same time.

According to the calendar, we should be experiencing solid fall walleye fishing patterns. And we almost are, we had a “spurt” of fall weather last week, and walleyes responded well, and in some areas of the lake, so did perch. Now, we’re back into a period of summer-like weather, Surface temperatures are in the 66-to-70-degree range, and there’s been lots of sunshine and calm weather. Daytime anglers may be working harder at producing consistent catches of walleyes, but folks who fish during prime time, twilight periods are having better luck.

On Big Winnie, there are two massive, mid-depth flats, one at the northwest corner, one at the southeast corner. On these flats, walleyes, perch and pike of all sizes can be viewed constantly on the screens of our electronics. Sometimes they bite, sometimes they don’t, but they have been located over the tops of low-lying vegetation for weeks now. According to our family friend Dusty Snyder, the magic water depth to catch them is ..." Read >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report September 27, 2024

September 26, 2024 "Satisfactory Satisfaction at the Pike-Hole"

Spinners did attract plenty of pike strikes, but the fish were not where I expected to find them. Large weed flats adjacent to deep water have held northerns all summer long. Yesterday, trolling the weed edges produced very few of them, and the ones we caught there were smaller than usual. It wasn’t until I abandoned the weeds and moved to a steep, near shore breakline that we began to enjoy good action.

The image of my GPS chart plotter shows the contour of one of our better spots. A steep drop-off located close to the shoreline, and absent any sort of expansive weed flat. There were weeds growing along the breakline, but for us, getting too close to them was a waste of time. Pike were located a foot or two deeper than the ..." Read >> September 26, 2024 "Satisfactory Satisfaction at the Pike-Hole

September 24, 2024 "Crappies + Sunfish + Walleyes = Happy Campers"

The first lake, about 300 acres in size with a maximum depth of 30 fish has some of everything, but not a lot of anything. There are weed flats, steep shoreline breaks and a single mid-lake hole. Because of its small size, it doesn’t take long to troll the entire shoreline, so my plan was to explore the weed edges using spinners. I’d stop and focus on a spot using a different presentation, if there were enough fish to warrant it.

The trip around the shoreline started at a cabbage weed flat in about 10 feet of water. It didn’t take long before we had a nice crappie, and soon after that, a nice walleye. Before long, we began catching pike of small size, in large numbers, with an occasional bonus crappie, of walleye in the mix. Every spot we tried produced fish, but they all turned out to be “one hit wonders”. If I circled back to troll any area twice, the second pass was always much slower than the first pass.

Ironically the walleyes were the fish that ..." Read >> Grand Rapids Area Fishing Report September 24, 2024

September 24, 2024 "How Late For Trolling Spinners?"

Q) On 9024-2024 Scott from Grand Rapids wrote" "Hi jeff, I really enjoy your blog for all the information you give. My question is how late in the year will you pull spinners? Do you have a water temperature that you go by?  Thanks, scott in grand rapids."

A) Scott, depending on the species, spinners can be effective in surface temperatures all the way down to the hugh 50s. That said, I usually look forward to fishing jig and minnow, or jig and plastics presentations in fall. So, even today, I'm looking for reasons to do that instead of trolling spinners. When I feel the need to search for fish by covering water quickly, or when I fish with customers who have difficulty using "finese" type presentations, the spinners are my backup plan. Use them to explore, and when you locate fish, try alternative presentations to compare their effectiveness. Most often, the fish will tell you which presentation they prefer.

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 25, 2024

"Walleye - Finally, cooler, more normal temps have returned to the Ely area, which has helped the walleye bite on many Ely area lakes. Anglers have been reporting that they are starting to find some walleyes in the 12 to 20 foot of water range on large flats close to deep water. Here larger minnows on a lindy rig or a jig has been very effective. Reports of crawlers working well for anglers continue to come in. For crawlers, spinner rigs have been the way to fish them. Gold, gum ball, and orange/chartreuse have remained popular colors for anglers.

Smallmouth - Smallies have been the hottest bite happening right now. Smallies continue to be found in all classic smallmouth locations, but sunken islands with deep water around them have been the best location to ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Area Fishing Report September 25, 2024

Wired2Fish Septmber 25, 2024 "How Social Media Has Ruined More Fishing Than Technology"

"It’s a brave new world these days with the advent of artificial intelligence and it’s rampant use in social media and digital publishing. But that’s not really the biggest problem with social media in fishing circles.

If you follow tournament bass fishing, you probably think that the biggest issue with social media is all the negativity from anglers and fans around that part of the sport. But as bad as that has become, I still don’t think that’s the worst thing social media has done to fishing. For me, the worst thing social media has done to fishing is ruin good fishing spots. I think it’s great getting to see folks ..." Learn More >> How Social Media Has Ruined More Fishing Than Technology

September 23, 2024 "Lake Winnie Fall Fishing Update"

Lake Winnibigoshish absorbed the first significant cold front of the fall fishing season. As overnight air temperatures fell to the mid-40s early Sunday morning, surface temperatures dipped from about 70, down to 68 degrees. Sunny conditions then allowed the lake’s surface water to hold steady throughout the day.

Fitting for the first official day of fall, there was a moderate north by northwest wind blowing. In areas exposed to the breeze, there was a light chop on the surface. West side water clarity increased somewhat, my Secchi disk, water clarity reading at Mallard Point was 7 feet deep. The algae bloom showed no sign of increasing throughout the day.

Walleye activity hadn’t changed much from what it had been before the cold front. Fish that I found were still scattered, but also still biting. Most of the time, fish that I spied on my graph struck as we passed overhead. Northern pike were active and so were perch, when we found them in ..." Read >> September 23, 2024 Lake Winnie Fishing Update

September 22, 2024 "Plunge Into Fall: Swan Dive, or Belly Flop?"

"Meeting new customers is intimidating for me, especially on days when there’s been a major weather change. Intimidating too, is when the new customers request fishing on a lake that I haven’t fished for a while, or even sometimes, never at all. It usually works out fine in the end, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about it, like I did on my way to Bowstring Lake on Friday morning.

Mark and Jim Danielson, who I met for the first time at the landing on Bowstring, would be hopping into my boat just a couple hours after a series of thunderstorms rolled through the region. The cool wind, blowing hard out of the west, was the first change after a week of stable, southerly winds and warm temperatures. The goal, catching walleyes, of course, was complicated by the fact that I hadn’t been on Bowstring in about 6 weeks. Luckily, this trip worked out well in the end, but not before we ..." Read >> Bowstring Lake Fishing Report September 22, 2024

Wired2Fish September 20, 2024 "How to Identify Size and Species of Fish on FFS"

"Though I have been using it longer, I’ve become completely infatuated with forward-facing sonar over the last year and a half. My love for this new technology started during my senior year of college, and since then I’ve dedicated countless days to learning and understanding everything these units can tell you. This has been no easy task, however I’ve slowly started to piece together all the little intricacies associated with forward-facing sonar.

Throughout this journey I’ve learned a few different ways to identify the size and species of fish displayed by forward-facing sonar. This includes paying attention to the sonar return, as well as the fish’s behavior and positioning. These three things can tell you a lot about what’s happening underneath the water, however it still requires an ample amount of fishing time to become proficient with this technology.

One of the first things I figured out while using forward-facing sonar is ..." Learn More >> How to Identify Size and Species of Fish on FFS

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report September 19, 2024

"It’s on the verge of changing, but until now, “FALL” is the furthest thing from describing the walleye fishing conditions on Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux. Summer like water temperatures, strong algae blooms and warm southerly breezes are persistent this week. Walleye locations, also summer like, have been weedy flats, shoreline rocks and in some areas, mid-lake bars and humps. The weather dictates where, when and how to fish each type of structure.

Surface temperatures remain warm but are again on the decline. Still rising early this week, they crossed above 70 degrees on Tuesday. By late Wednesday afternoon, cloudy conditions and windy conditions drove them back down, into the 68-to-69-degree range. Thunder is clapping this morning, and it’s raining now, so further declines in water temperatures are expected soon.

September 18, 2024 "Just Your Ordinary Perfect Day On The Lake"

Lake Winnie was our destination, and I know reports from there have been abundant lately. But because of the strange weather we’re experiencing this season, I decided to temporarily suspend my gadabout tendencies and focus on fewer lakes for a while. This helps everybody because I stay in contact with fish in a wider variety of spots on each lake, and can set up a route that makes sense, no matter what the weather throws at us. As it happens, it’s been a good strategy because finding small, scattered packs of fish has been the rule on Winnie, not the exception.

When we arrived at the lake on Monday, I expected to find breezy conditions that had been forecast. My game plan was to fish along some of the shoreline breaks where I’d located walleyes late last week. Instead of being windy, the breeze was calm, and the sky was blue. The surface water temperature was warm, 69.5 degrees and on the rise, by late afternoon, I was reading temperatures of 71 degrees in some areas. The warm sunny weather has encouraged a strong algae bloom, the Secchi disk reading at the south end, near Nodaks was 6 feet of water and that’s been helpful.

Despite the bright conditions, there were still a few fish in shallow water. We managed to get started with 2 or 3 walleyes that ..." Read >> September 18, 2024 "Just Your Ordinary Perfect Day On The Lake"

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 18, 2024

"Walleye - Very unseasonably warm temps have largely shut down the fall bite. Instead trolling small crankbaits, with leadcore, continues to be the way to go for catching walleyes. Walleyes have largely been scattered over deep mud flats in 20 to 30 feet of water. 

Smallmouth - Smallmouth fishing has cooled some too as smallies have also become more scattered with the warmer water temps. Shoreline structures like downed trees, boulder points and flats in 5 to 15 feet of water, have all been holding active smallies. Rivers too are also worth noting. In-line spinners, spinnerbaits, beetle spins and topwater baits, have all been producing fish.  

Panfish - Crappies and sunfish don't seem to mind this heat wave as they have been very active for anglers. Anglers continue to ..." Read >> Ely Area Fishing Report September 18, 2024

September 16, 2024 "Are You On Board With Forward Facing Sonar?"

Kip Lindberg wrote: Q) "Jeff, I've enjoyed your recent posts on Winnie, that the fish aren't as concentrated due to lots of forage, and the boat shyness (or not) due to water clarity. I've fished Winnie the last two years in early June, so I don't have any data points of what the fishing was like prior to the zebra mussels.

My question is on forward facing sonar (ffs). I bought a loaded guide boat in 2015 end of season. It's Lund 2075 Pro Guide with a 200 hp tiller, Humminbird 998ci graph, and I put a Terrova on the front, getting rid of the Vantage (I see they no longer sell them; no wonder!).

I follow Tom Boley and he ..." Read >> Reader Q&A Are You On Board With Forward Facing Sonar?

Brainerd MN Area Fishing Report September 16, 2024

"The lakes in the Brainerd area are sitting at around 73 degrees due to the warm spell this week. Walleyes have not yet transitioned to fall patterns but they are on the verge. In the last week minnows have become the dominant bait in my boat. Working a jig and minnow along weed lines has been productive for just about anything that swims. If the wind lays down using spinners tipped with either crawlers or minnows along the weed line covering water is producing walleyes and pike.

In addition to fishing the weed lines, fishing over shallow rocks has produced some bigger fish on top but can be hit or miss. From day to day, we never know if the fish will be holding on the rocks, but is always worth checking and whe they are, expect big results. Looking ahead the colder weather will be coming and fall patterns will begin to develop more. " — Joe Billiar, Crooked Hat Guide Service

September 14, 2024 "Timing the Time-Able with Dick and Paul, MMXXIV-II"

This doesn’t look much like a perch, does it? Nope, that’s because it’s not, it’s a walleye and as it happens, the largest one of the first 4 days of ‘Fun with Dick and Paul” fall fishing trip. How you catch fish like this is to go out on a mission to catch perch, and then you will catch walleyes. That’s more or less how it worked for us on Friday.

Perch are a frustrating fish, sometimes they can be so easy to catch, and other times they can be scarce as hens’ teeth. Frustrating too is that sometimes you can find them, and catch them, but they still don’t do you any good because they’re the wrong size. That happened on Friday too, perch between 9 and 10 inches long weren’t too hard to get, but fish that crossed the 10-inch mark on the ruler, those were another story altogether. Sunshine, that’s the problem, that’s what kills a great perch bite, not all perch, just the ones that ..." Read >> Timing the Time-Able perch Fishing September 14, 2024

Wired2Fish September 2024 "How to Catch Suspended Bass on Jig and Minnow Plastics"

"In this video, Dan Quinn explores a relatively new bass fishing method, targeting fish in the open water basin of a lake using a jig and minnow (plastic) lure. Using the “Shake n Bake” approach, Quinn uses a lighter jig head paired with a CrushCity Freeloader, a straight tail minnow-imitating plastic.

The fish in this area are pelagic, roaming the middle of the lake in pursuit of baitfish like bluegills, crappies, and minnows. Quinn compares this technique to Jacob Wheeler’s win on Lake Gunnersville, applying forward-facing sonar technology to locate and target open water largemouth bass. By adjusting his presentation to keep the lure in the strike zone, he can trigger bites from fish that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Quinn emphasizes the importance of the right gear in this technique. He uses a medium-action spinning rod with a 6-pound braid to a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader. This setup allows precise control over the ..." View Video to Learn More >> How to Catch Suspended Bass on Jig and Minnow Plastics

September 13, 2024 "A Crappie Time For Dick and Paul, MMXXIV-II"

For most of the summer, I’ve posted reports like the one from (June 14, 2024 "Turning The Corner Into Summer Crappie Patterns") about a “trick” for locating schools of crappies. Finding schools of fish holding along inside corners adjacent to weed beds has been almost bullet proof, until a couple of weeks ago.  That’s when I started noticing that large weed flats with slow tapering breaks into deeper water were holding more fish. Yesterday, day 3 of Fun with Dick and Paul, that new “bullet proof” pattern was the solid one.

The lake, a medium size 1,500-acre lake is typical of north central Minnesota mixed species lakes. It has one deep basin, 3 or 4 mid-lake bars and loads of shallow, weedy flats in water depths of 6 to 12 feet. The water clarity is low, my Secchi disk reading on my last visit 2 weeks ago was just 3 feet, that’s when the algae bloom was heaviest. Yesterday it was somewhat clearer, now ranging from 5 to 7 feet depending on where we were fishing. Surface water temperatures were summer-like, 70 degrees was the average.

The fish were located in ..." Read >> September 13, 2024 "A Crappie Time For Dick and Paul, MMXXIV-II"

September 12, 2024 "Boat Shy Walleye vs Small Schools?"

Steve Jorgenson wrote, “Jeff, I read your guest post fishing article on Bowen Lodge's website about locating walleyes in small groups, catching a few of them and then moving along to find the next small school. You suggested that the fish were active and biting, but that there weren’t enough of them to keep fishing in any given area for extended periods.

Q) My question is this, do you still think your theory is true, or do you think that there are more fish than you think, but they are wary of the boat because of clear water?

A) Steve, thank you for reading the article (9-10-2024 "If You're Happy and You Know It, Stay Right There.") and the question, it is timely, especially in that it fits into my fishing update about our trip to Lake Winnie on Wednesday (9-11-2024).

First off, yes, I do still have faith in my theory about walleyes being gathered in ..." Read Full Article >> "Boat Shy Walleye vs Small Schools?" September 12, 2024

September 11, 2024 "Fun With Dick and Paul, MMXXIV-II"

"Basic observations about this photo, shared by yours truly, Cub Reporter, Staff #003-IHBFBB. The sky is cloudy and grey, there are whitecaps on the water, the Alaskan appears to be rocking, and Dick and Paul are having FUN, with a walleye double on Lake Winnie! Yes, the fall session of “Fun with Dick and Paul has begun, and the bar is set high for the next 4 days of fishing.

I’ve written enough about fishing on Lake Winnibigosh this week that you can get all you need from recent reports. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll just share a few of the basic details about our trip on Tuesday and call it good. If by chance you happen to have a question, or would love to share thoughts of your own, please do. Email is good, and so is texting if you prefer that, just use the contact information at the bottom of today’s update.

The surface water temperature on Winnie ranged between 67 and 68 degrees over most of the lake on Tuesday. The cooling temperatures are encouraging for jig and minnow lovers like us, and we were able to use that presentation all day long. Most of our fishing occurred in ..." Read Full Report >> Fun With Dick and Paul September 11, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 11, 2024

"Walleye - Walleye anglers have struggled a little this last week. Recent cold snap has pushed most walleyes down to 15-20 feet of water. Leadcoring small crankbaits has been on fire and has been the top way to catch walleyes in these depths. Anglers have been focusing on large sand or mud flats for leadcoring.

Jigging large minnows has also been worth noting. Orange/Chartreuse, Gumball, and Pink/White jigs continue to be popular colors. Anglers jigging minnows have been focusing around river mouths and sunken islands in 15 to 30 feet of water.

Smallmouth Bass continue to be the easiest fish to catch right now as smallies have begun to fatten up for winter. Smallies can now ..." read >> Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 11, 2024

September 10, 2024 "Affecting the Affect-Able" The Snyder Effect In Action

It’s been a busy September so far, and to be honest, I’ve fallen behind on writing about time spent on the water. I’ll do my best to fill in some of the gaps about fishing with the Luscious Sisters late last week as soon as I can. First though, I just have to bring up a topic I’ve written about before, “The Snyder Effect”.

Long time readers will remember reports like this one, written back on June 28, 2014. In that tongue and check report, I poked fun at a hypothetical attempt to explain the Snyder Effect in a scientific way. Today though, I am here to tell you that this is no joke, the Snyder’s, however they do it, have harnessed the power of positive thinking. When they get in my boat, I don’t even bother worrying about whether we’ll have good fishing, I just trust that we will, and we do.

I’m sensing that you’re skeptical and need an example to help convince you. Okay, yesterday on Lake Winnie we ..." Read >> Fishing Report Jeff Sundin September 10, 2024

Septenber 10, 2024 "If You're Happy And You Know It ... Stay Right There!" Lake Winnie Fishing Report by Jeff Sundin

"Having a couple of days to fish with the same crew is nice for me, it allows extra time to experiment with locations and presentations. It allows more time too, for talking with folks around the resort, comparing notes about who’s doing what, and where. On these particular fishing trips, I also had a chance to learn how Winnie’s walleyes reacted to completely opposite weather conditions.

One thing I’ve learned this week is that it would be easy, after a few hours of casual fishing, to conclude that the walleyes on Winnibigoshish are not biting. Unless you were to get stubborn, like I sometimes do, and keep covering the water until you find fish. If you did that, then you would figure out that the complete opposite is true; they actually are biting well. The only trick is to ..." Read >> Lake Winnibigoshish Fishing Report September 10, 2024

Wired2Fish September 6, 2024 "B.A.S.S. Announces New Tech Rules for Classic, Elite Series"

"On September 4, 2024 B.A.S.S. announced new standardization practices for electronics at the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic and in the Bassmaster Elite Series. The new rules, which will go into effect with the start of the 2025 Elite Series season, are the result of the B.A.S.S. technology committee’s year-long analysis.

LIVE SONAR: Live sonar will be permitted in Elite Series and Classic competitions, but only one transducer is allowed and it must be mounted to the trolling motor at the bow of the boat. This differs from the previous rule, which allowed an unlimited number of live transducers mounted in ..." Read Full Report >> B.A.S.S. Announces New Tech Rules for Classic, Elite Series

Septenber 6, 2024 "Playing Hide and Go Seek"

"The Luscious Sisters, and friends, are back in town and they arrived just in time for an old fashioned, early fall cold front. Winds from the north, cool air temperatures and falling water temperatures. For me, it meant playing a game of hide and seek with fish. Some that had disappeared from their summer haunts, others that were still there, but were hunkered down and difficult to coax into striking.

When I arrived at the landing with my morning crew, the surface temperature was 67 degrees. That’s not terribly cold but represented an 8-degree decline since my last visit, about 10 days ago. It was enough of a change to force fish into an in-active mood. Working the edges of mixed cabbage and coontail using spinners, we could get fish to strike, but not aggressively enough to inhale the hooks. The result was high bait consumption, and low productivity. All the fish, pike, panfish, crappies and walleyes were in the same mood, negative.

During the morning session, I spotted some fish that ..." Read >> Grand Rapids Area Fishing Report September 6, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 4, 2024

"Walleye anglers are reporting that walleyes are quickly shifting to minnows as water temps begin to drop in Ely area lake. Location continues to be on the shallow side. 10 to 15 feet of water, and at times 5 feet and even less, continue to be reported by anglers. Windy points, windy flats and river mouths. Orange, chartreuse, bubble gum and pink/white 1/4 ounce jigs, tipped with a large minnow, were very effective. Orange, chartreuse, red/white sinner rigs tipped with a crawler were also reported as being effective on walleye. Anglers have also been reporting that leadcore fishing small crankbaits has been very effective. Here anglers have been focusing on large flats in deeper water.

Smallmouth Bass continue to shift to sunken islands as temperatures continue to drop. Anglers should ..." Read >> Ely MN Fishing Report September 4, 2024

Brainerd MN Area Fishing Report September 4, 2024

"Fall definitely feels like it’s right around the corner in the brainerd lakes area. In the mornings water temps are 70 to 72 degrees. Cooler mornings and a good breeze helped the walleye bite in the region.

Staying off of larger bodies of water for the holiday weekend my clients were open to some smaller lakes for multi-species action. Bobbers in the sparse weeds on the edges of flats produced both bass on walleyes with night crawlers.

The fish were set up more on longer flats compared to sharp drop-offs and points. Working 14 to 16 feet of water and moving around after the ..." Read >> Brainerd Area Fishing Report Septmber 4, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism September 4, 2024

"The walleye and sauger bite remains hot across the south end of Lake of the Woods, with anglers enjoying consistent action. Good numbers of walleyes along the south shore with some big schools and some big fish.

The bite has been excellent and is really shaping up nicely for the fall jig bite both on the lake and in the Rainy River. As the days progress, fish are still holding in the deeper mud, with 28 to 32 feet of water being the sweet spot this week.

Jigging has really picked up in recent days. Jig colors that are producing well include gold, orange, chartreuse, and pink. Spinners and trolling crankbaits continue to yield good results, offering multiple effective strategies for anglers who ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report September 4, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 29, 2024

"The most recent heat wave, now passed, created a heavy algae bloom in Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot Sioux. Water clarity in the small lakes is low, we think somewhere in the 3-to-5-foot range. On Lake Winnie, the algae bloom is lighter, but still evident and water clarity out there ranges between 5 and 7 feet. The dingier water, combined with breezy conditions has made it easier for anglers to use traditional trolling and drifting presentations.

Within the past few days, there have been good reports from friends fishing on Lake Winnie using jig and minnow combinations, and there are still good reports from folks who prefer trolling the shorelines using spinners. Less common, but also being used by some, are shallow running crankbaits trolled across the flats. No matter which of these presentations you prefer, it is realistic to expect a mixed catch of pike, perch, and walleye, most likely in that order.

Key habitat varies somewhat from spot-to-spot but finding vegetation in water depths of 6 to 10 feet will get you in the ballpark. On breezy days, fish tend to rise above the tops, and out toward the clean edges of submerged grasses. On calmer, brighter days, they have trended toward heavier vegetation, and ..." Read >> Lake Winnie, Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report August 29, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report August 28, 2024

"Walleye - Stable weather has changed little with the walleye bite this last week. Shallow water walleyes continue to be found in the rocks and are hitting paddle tails on a 1/4 ounce jigs. Walleyes out on the sunken islands are still hitting orange or chartreuse colored spinner rigs, tipped with a leech or crawler and fished in 15 to 20 feet of water. Trolling continues to improve on many area lakes. Here anglers are trolling crankbaits over large flats in 15 to 30 feet of water.

Smallmouth - Reports of great smallmouth fishing are coming from anglers looking for walleyes out on sunken islands. Here smallies have been hitting pike suckers fished on a jig, around sunken islands in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Smallies continue to ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report August 28, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism August 28, 2024

The excellent walleye and sauger bite continues across Lake of the Woods. On the south end, deep mud continues holding big numbers of fish. Walleye found in 30 to 35 feet of water is the norm right now for depth.

Anglers are catching fish using many different techniques. Pulling spinners, trolling crankbaits and jigging are all producing fish. A two hook crawler harness with a spinner blade colored in gold, gold/pink, pink, orange, glow red, glow white, or a combo of these colors. Use a 2 to 3 ounce weight to get it down. Heavier in deeper water and in breezy conditions.

Trolling crankbaits continues to catch good numbers of fish as well. When walleyes spread out over the ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report August 28, 2024

August 27, 2024 "Minnesota DNR seeks applications for advisory groups"

Some of you already know that I served as one of the charter members of the “Walleye Advisory Committee”, a group of citizens concerned about walleyes and walleye management in Minnesota. That project sought to allow ordinary folks access to decision makers within the DNR. Fisheries managers, fisheries biologists, field staff and others met regularly to discuss issues important to walleye anglers in Minnesota.

Seeing value in the walleye project, MN DNR set about the formation of more citizen volunteer panels known today as “Fisheries Work Groups”. These days, I serve as a volunteer on Minnesota DNR’s Panfish Workgroup. Other workgroups include bass, catfish, musky and the newest one, “The Technology Workgroup” on which I also serve.

Occasionally, I hear from folks asking various questions about fisheries management in Minnesota. Whenever I do, I encourage them to ..." Read >> August 27, 2024 Minnesota DNR seeks applications for advisory groups

Wired2Fish August 27, 2024 "Tips for Frog Fishing Bass on Grass Lakes"

"In this action-packed video, professional angler Mike McClelland demonstrates the art of frog fishing bass in vegetation-rich lakes.

Diverse and thick stands of emergent grass make these lakes bass factories, and there’s no better bait to break down grass expanses than frog lures, and in particular, hollow body frogs.

McClelland covers a range of tips, from bass location considerations to choosing the right rod for the situation and the best rod setup for the job ..." Learn More >> Tips for Frog Fishing Bass on Grass Lakes

August 26, 2024 "Winnie Walleye Update"

Early Saturday morning, I ended my report about Lake Winnibigoshish saying, “I’ve said before that if you can catch fish under tough conditions, then there’s probably a good underlying opportunity waiting to emerge… I think it’s a good bet that the next time conditions turn favorable, we’ll see another uptick in the shallow water action too.”

Little did I know that the opportunity to either prove or disprove that prediction would come about within a few hours of that report. That’s right, later that same day, the wind picked up, gusting in from the southeast at 10 to 15 MPH. Shortly afterward, the whitecaps started churning, the current began to flow, and walleyes went on the prowl in the shallows. It only took a couple of hours to come within a single fish of the filling limits for my crew on a spur of the moment, quick trip to Winnie’s west side.

Making that prediction wasn’t all that hard. That’s because almost always, the last half of August features increased walleye activity on ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Walleye Update August 26, 2024

August 24, 2024 "Lake Winnie Tough, But Not Impossible"

"If your baseline is perfection, and catching easy limits of walleye is your only happy outcome, then on certain days, Winnie will disappoint right now. If, on the other hand, spending a nice day on the lake, catching some of everything and returning to the dock with a few meals worth of fish suits you, then I'm pretty sure you’ll be happy.

The good news is that warm, 74-degree surface temperatures and sunshine have created a healthy algae bloom on the lake. Water clarity on Friday was something like 6 or 7 feet in the areas we fished. Weed growth, where you can find it, is healthy and green too. So, the dingier water, combined with improved vegetation has encouraged fish to move shallower. Fish can now be found on all 4 sides of the lake, in water depths of 6 to 12 feet. Warm water temperatures also keep fish metabolism high, making trolling presentations more effective.  

The bad news is that all the extra habitat is making it easier for fish to ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 24, 2024

August 22, 2024 "Adapting to the Adapt-Able"

Presentation is a term that gets thrown around a lot in fishing articles and the like. If there’s a fish you want to catch, there’s a “big time pro” who’s put out a video explaining the best presentation for making it bite.

Almost all of the tutorials are correct, provided we figure out the proper time and place to use them. Sometimes, we learn how to catch fish in a certain way, then become overly reliant on that presentation. We sometimes stick with the ones we love and miss out on a presentation that would have worked better, under a particular set of circumstances.

On Wednesday, I experienced a situation where different species of fish, all located in the same spots, at the same time, showed preferences for different presentations. For me, it was a glaring example of how easy it can be to miss out on great fishing action by relying too much on ..." Read Report >> August 22, 2024 "Adapting to the Adapt-Able"

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report August 21, 2024

"Lake trout reports slowed up this last week. Covering ground, looking for active biters has been the key to catching lakers. Trolling with downriggers, along the thermocline, has been the way to go to catch trout. 40 to 60 feet of water remains the depth to look for lake trout.

Stable weather has improved the walleye bite on many Ely area lakes. Shallow water bite has returned on many area lakes also. Anglers fishing this bite have been catching walleyes in 6 to 10 feet of water. Here paddle tails remain very popular and effective.

Slip bobber and a leech, during the evening hours, in weedbeds or weedlines. Spinner rigs, tipped with a crawler, have remained very effective out on ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report August 21, 2024

Wired2Fish August 21, 2024 "Jacob Wheeler’s Guide to Fishing the Thermocline"

"When Jacob Wheeler was just a teenager, he learned an important lesson about summer fishing. A mentor taught him about how the lakes would stratify in the dog days of July, August and September. The top layer had the most oxygen but highest water temperatures. The lower layer had cooler water temperatures but virtually no oxygen—and very little life. Just above a magic layer that separated those two zones – a narrow band called the thermocline – was the place to fish.

“He would idle around until he found that fuzzy layer with his electronics and he knew where to fish,” said Wheeler who recently won Angler of the Year honors for the third time on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. “If he found the thermocline at 15 feet, he would say, ‘We’re not fishing anything ..." Learn More >> Jacob Wheeler’s Guide to Fishing the Thermocline

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism August 21, 2024

" The "dog days of summer" are some of the best days of the fishing season on Lake of the Woods. There is some excellent walleye fishing taking place on the south side of Lake of the Woods right now. Not only for eater size fish, but with some huge walleyes being caught as well.

The deep mud bite is in 28 to 35 feet of water. Anglers are catching good numbers of fish on the mud using mainly two different techniques, spinners and crankbaits.

Most anglers are getting their walleyes with spinners and crawlers. A two hook crawler harness with a spinner blade colored in gold, gold / pink, pink, orange, glow red, glow white, or a combo of these colors. Drift or troll at 1.0 to 1.25 mph with a ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report August 21, 2024

August 20, 2024 "Welcome Back Summer"

"Summer sunshine is back, and surface water temperatures have risen; now hovering around 75 degrees. The warmer water triggered increased activity of bass and sunfish, crappie action has hung in there too, but without a breeze to work with, walleyes have been tricky to coax during the daytime. Despite what appears to be a tough fishing period ahead, I’m optimistic. Looking at the forecast, I see more wind predicted, and I can’t help but believe that a chop on the water will help, maybe a lot.

Last week, while I was at the clinic getting my finger looked after, reports from friends were generally good. Both Cutfoot Sioux and Winnie were kicking out good numbers of panfish and walleye reports, while not great, were still good enough to keep most folks happy. During that time, there were not only heavier winds, but the sky was darker too.

Yesterday, reports from some of those same friends were ..." Read >> Sundin Fishing Report August 21, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 19, 2024

"Transition is routine during late summer and on both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux, we’re noticing lots of transition right now. Water levels are dropping, and aquatic vegetation is fully developed. Now, there are fish of all species using the shorelines, back bays and shallow flats.

No transition is ever 100% and for sure, there are still walleyes located on mid-lake structure. Remember though, anglers have been targeting walleyes on bars and humps for about two months now, many of the active fish have been caught, and a lot of “harvestable” fish have been harvested. Add to that, insect hatches have run their course and forage on the smaller structures and some of the predators have moved toward other habitat. Fish that do remain on small, isolated “mud-humps” have been heavily pursued, and are more finicky, so catching them requires better timing.

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism August 15, 2024

"The great walleye bite continues on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Big numbers of both walleyes and saugers are staged over deep mud, a common and consistent late summer pattern on Lake of the Woods. The deep mud bite is occurring in 28 to 35 feet of water. Anglers are catching good numbers of fish on the mud using mainly two different techniques.

Trolling with spinners with night crawlers is the presentation most anglers are using. A two hook crawler harness with a spinner blade colored in gold, gold-pink, pink, orange, glow-red, glow-white, or a combo of these colors. Drift or troll at 1 to 1.25 mph using a 2 to 3 ounce weight or bottom bouncer, a 2 hook crawler harness and a juicy crawler. This presentation covers water, puts your offering in front of numbers of fish and a combo of the flash, vibration and scent of the crawler make it hard for the fish to ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report August 15, 2024

August 14, 2024 "One Extreme Or Another"

Family fishing trips, I mean the sort where moms, dads or grandparents treat their youngsters to guided fishing trips, are a big part of my summer. It’s a period that I look forward to, especially the mixed bag fishing trips that happen during this warm water period. Lately, I’ve been so focused on figuring out WHERE to take all these kids fishing that I forgot to realize WHEN it will all be over. Until this morning, I hadn’t realized that the family time of summer is already almost over!

We’re already staring down the Labor Day holiday weekend and I think fishing yesterday with 14-year-old Olivia Smith and her dad Ryan might have been my last trip like this for a while. Like many, the Smith’s are due back in school soon, and once the classrooms and school sports start up, my season turns the corner, headed back toward fall fishing patterns.

The Smiths, you might recall, fished with me last Thursday August 9, 2024 and the two experiences could not have been more different. Last Thursday we fished on the leading edge of an inbound cold front, hoods pulled up, whitecaps crashing into the stern of my Alaskan and fish, some of them big ones, ..." Read >> The Fishing Report August 14, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report August 14, 2024

"Walleye - Yet another major cold snap swept through the Ely area last week, dropping water temps from 76 to 68 degrees. Clearly this has thrown a wrench into the walleye bite for many. Cold weather had anglers thinking of large minnows on a jig or lindy rigging. These anglers were not disappointed as they were able to catch walleyes while others struggled.

As weather conditions stabilized, walleyes have begun to bite again on spinner rigs, tipped with a crawler and slip bobbers with a leech floated over shallow rocks. Locations to find walleyes vary greatly from lake to lake now.

Some lakes, river mouths have been hot, others sunken islands, weedlines, shallow rocky flats in 6 to 12 feet of water and for a handful of lakes, ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Fishing Report August 14, 2024

Wired2Fish August 13, 2024 Topwater Tips for Smallmouth Bass in Calm Water

"Summer smallmouth bass are a sucker for topwater lures. Wired2fish’s Kyle Peterson hits famed Mille Lacs Lake on one of those rare calm days, and the smallmouth were on the topwater chew! He shares his two favorite topwater lure categories for targeting smallmouth, when he uses each and how to fish them, and how to find high-percentage locations for targeting topwater-tuned smallies. Check out our Topwater Tips page for more in-depth content.

UNVEILING THE TOPWATER BASS FISHING STRATEGY: Peterson starts by highlighting the importance of observing surface conditions. On this particular outing, the calm water made it easy to spot surface-feeding smallmouth keyed on small baitfish. The same situation occurs during ..." View Video and Learn More >> Topwater Tips for Smallmouth Bass in Calm Water

News Release August 13, 2024 "Regulation change will increase walleye limit to 2 on Mille Lacs Lake: Early season conditions allow for increased late season fishing opportunity"

"Effective this Friday, Aug. 16, Mille Lacs walleye anglers can harvest up to two walleye through Saturday, Nov. 30. Both fish can be 18-20 inches in length or one can be 18-20 inches and the other must be longer than 28 inches.

“With high angler catch rates last fall, we opted for setting conservative fishing regulations this season because we expected high catch rates to continue,” said Brad Parsons, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries section manager.

“Indeed, fishing was great for the first two months of the season. But with the catch and release regulation and windy and rainy weather, far fewer people than expected fished Mille Lacs so far this season, creating room for more harvest.” As of July 15, state-licensed anglers ..." Read Full Story >> Regulation change will increase walleye limit to 2 on Mille Lacs Lake

Brainerd MN Area Fishing Report August 13, 2024

"After the large cold front that swept across the state last week, fishing was certainly more difficult this weekend. Surface temps dropped 7 to 10 degrees in a matter of a couple days and put the fish in a funk. With that being said, clients were still able to get some fish for dinner. Each day started by trolling spinners tipped with either crawlers or fat heads. Covering weed lines in 15 to 20 feet of water produced a multi-species bag of fish. Northern pike and bass were certainly more eager to bite but only 4 walleyes came on spinners for my groups this weekend.

While watching side image carefully during our spinner program, I noted any pods of fish I observed, and marked their locations. Then I would have waypoints already dropped so we could hit those same spots once more and ..." Read >> Bairnerd Area Fishing Report August 13, 2024

August 11, 2024 "Just Another Crappie Fishing Day"

I can’t say that the Parrish family stayed warm and comfy on their fishing trip, in fact maybe a couple of them were pretty cold. The surface water, at 71 degrees felt like bath water compared to the northwest wind driven, mid-50 something, fall-like air temperatures. Luckily though, there was enough crappie action going on so that it made forgetting about the goose bumps a little easier.

For most of our fishing day, the technical side of the fishing report wouldn’t surprise you. We trolled spinners tipped with fathead minnows along the outside edges of mixed cabbage, coontail and pondweed. The key depth ranged between 11 and 13 feet of water in the morning. Crappies were located close to the weeds, but not in them and that made it easier for the kids, Ty and Noah to troll without being snagged in grass too often.

Some of the fish held slightly deeper and that made it easier for their dad, Brandon to ..." Read Report >> August 11, 2024 Just Another Crappie Fishing Day

Wired2Fish August 11, 2024 John Cox’s Tips for Catching Fish Without Forward-Facing Sonar

"In bass fishing’s electronics era, John Cox stubbornly clings to his old-school ways. You won’t see him far off-shore, with his eyes glued to the screen of a forward-facing sonar unit that shows the real-time movement of bass.

He’s the one in an aluminum boat, traveling far up a creek or a backwater area to find unpressured bass living the good life in thick cover. He knows he is fishing in his comfort zone if he can jab his fishing rod into the water and touch bottom.

“I have a Lowrance Active Target unit sitting in the cab of my truck,” said Cox, who lives in DeBary, Fla. “I look at it constantly and think, “Is today the day? Am I going to ..." View Video and Learn More >> John Cox’s Tips for Catching Fish Without Forward-Facing Sonar

August 9, 2024 "A Good Day To Be Olivia!"

The goal of my fishing trip with Ryan and Olivia Smith on Thursday was to provide opportunities, primarily for Olivia, to experience catching a variety of fish species. As you can see, there was a variety, and some of them were of quality size.

At 71 degrees, the surface water had fallen a full 9 degrees from my last trip to the lake we fished. Because of that cold front, and the falling water temperatures, the action was not fast and furious, but it wasn’t bad either.

I was pleasantly surprised that the cold weather hadn’t slowed the action more than it did. The most noticeable difference was that sunfish and bass were less active than they were when surface temperatures were higher, but we still caught some of them.

Weed growth had not changed much, most of weed varieties remained green and strong. Cabbage, coontail, flat stemmed pondweed and northern water milfoil were the primary varieties of vegetation. Northern milfoil is one of the first varieties to ..." Read >> August 9, 2024 A Good Day To Be Olivia!

August 8, 2024 "Handy Tool For Predicting Wind Speed"

Wind direction and speed is one of the most important factors in determining which lakes, and which fishing spots, will be good on any given day. This morning, Bob Eckstrom, a reader who provides occasional comments sent me a link. Zoom Weather is the website, and on it, there’s a tool that allows users to get advanced predictions about wind direction and speed. It features an interactive map, so we can click on specific locations to see the estimated wind speed and direction for anyplace we want. There’s also a selection of the time, so we can get estimates of future wind conditions based on the time of day we plan to visit any given location.

Obviously, this is new to me and I haven’t used it yet, but I will, starting today and if it works as good as it looks, this is going to ..." Learn More >> Handy Tool For Predicting Wind Speed

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report August 7, 2024

"Walleye - The sudden cool snap has cooled off the walleye bite this last weekend. Before the cold snap walleyes were increasingly sliding deeper and out onto mid structure like humps and points. Many anglers have been catching walleyes on spinner rigs tipped with crawler or a leech, in 12 to 17 feet of water now.

Orange, chartreuse and pink/white have remained the hot colors this week. Trolling season, for walleyes, is in full swing. Anglers trolling have been trolling during the evening hours in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Large flats have been the areas to troll. On lakes with a healthy cisco population, anglers have been catching walleyes where they have ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Area Fishing Report August 7, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism August 7, 2024

"The Dog Days of summer are a popular time on Lake of the Woods.  While walleyes can be tough on other bodies of water with significant weed growth and millions of emerging perch and other baitfish, this is the time of year when L.O.W. shines! Huge schools of walleyes and sauger are set up over the deep mud and anglers are catching good numbers of fish using a few different techniques.

Most anglers are using spinners and crawlers.   A two-hook crawler harness with a spinner blade colored in gold, gold/pink, pink, orange, glow red, glow white, or a combo of these colors working well. Here's a night crawler harness tip, be sure ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report August 7, 2024

August 6, 2024 "Bowstring Lake: Re-Imagining Familiar Waters"

"What would you do if you woke up one morning, walked out of your bedroom and discovered that your entire house had been remodeled overnight? Your original home was already comfortable, there was a recliner to sit in, a cozy kitchen for preparing meals, a patio outside and so on. Imagine that all of your original “habitat” was still there, and just as comfortable as ever. But now, your new remodel brings comfort to a whole new level! It features a huge addition, with at least a dozen new recliners, 8 fully stocked kitchens, 5 dining rooms, 16 bedrooms, 4 huge gardens and the list goes on. What do you suppose you would do with all that extra habitat?

If you’ve fished on Bowstring Lake recently, then you know where I’m going with this. Since the invasion of zebra mussels, Bowstring’s waters have cleared, sunlight reaches deeper than ever before, and there is lush, green vegetation growing everywhere. Weed lines that used to end in water depths of 6 to 7 feet now don’t stop until they ..." Read >> Bowstring Lake: Re-Imagining Familiar Waters August 6, 2024

August 5, 2024 "Bait and Switch, or Vice Versa?"

Figuring out how fish respond to changing weather conditions is fascinating. Realize this, without doubt, it is an art, not a science. An experienced angler may learn enough about fish behavior to help make decisions about fish location and presentation more quickly. But the longer and harder I try, the more I realize that I can never eliminate the process of trial and error. Making “educated guesses” about where to start on any given day, is the best I can do.

Yesterday, on the heels of my fishing trip with the Hippie Chick on Saturday, I was excited to pick up where we left off. I met my crew, Patrick and Landry at the landing, motored to the spot where Susan caught her walleye and explained the wiggle worming presentation. “Keep the rod tip moving”, I explained. “When you feel a slow-steady pull down, release the line, let the fish have time to eat the night crawler, then reel up the slack until you fell the fish and set the hook.” It sounds like an easy presentation, doesn’t it?

On Saturday, wiggle worming was the exact best way to ..." Read Full Report >> Bait and Switch, or Vice Versa? August 5, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 3, 2024

"Walleye fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish remains good, but timing your trip for early morning and late evening is a very good idea. Daytime fishing can be good if the conditions are favorable for walleye feeding. Overcast skies combined with moderate winds continue to produce good action. When the sun is shining, and the water is calm, the bite slows considerably. Ironically, folks have been catching some of the largest walleyes during periods when the action is slow.

Most folks continue to fish over mid-lake structures, particularly smaller free-standing humps. Most of them top out at 16 to 22 feet and are surrounded by water depths of 30 to 35 feet. The most active walleyes tend to gather high on the edges, key depths vary between 16 and 24 feet. Sometimes walleyes move deeper on the breaklines, but there are a lot of fish that move away horizontally and suspend. It has been common to see walleyes suspended at 18 to 20 feet over the 30-to-35-foot soft bottom basin.

The suspended fish have been difficult for most anglers to catch, but there are some pros who manage to ..." Read >> Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 3, 2024

Wired2Fish August 3, 2024 Doug Wegner’s Dakota Lithium Battery Guide Boat Setup

Professional big water fishing guide Doug Wegner shares his extensive boat electronics setup and how he ensures abundant power and reliability using a Dakota Lithium battery configuration. From powering multiple high-power consumption fish finders to his hard-working 36V brushless trolling motor, Wegner explains how lightweight and power-dense lithium marine batteries excel over their AGM and lead-acid counterparts.

Wegner’s boat is loaded with many top-of-the-line Humminbird SOLIX and APEX Series units. These powerful touchscreen devices require substantial power, and Wegner relies on a systematic combination of lithium-iron phosphate batteries to keep them running smoothly. Powering his electronics for one or more days at a time requires a lot of power; while this video featured a 200 amp-hour Dakota Lithium, Wegner has since upgraded to ..." View Video and Learn More >> Doug Wegner’s Dakota Lithium Battery Guide Boat Setup

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 31, 2024

"Walleye - Hot conditions have started to push the walleyes out of shallows. While anglers continue to report catching walleye in 8ft of water and less, this bite only lasts until the sun gets above the trees. Once above the trees, walleyes are gone. Anglers fishing here have been throwing 3 and 4 inch paddle tails on 1/8 or 1/4 oz jigs.

Rocky shorelines and rocky humps that top out in that 4 to 8 feet of water. Once the sun gets up walleye transition to sunken islands and weedlines in 12 to 18 feet of water. Out here spinner rigs in gold, chartreuse, red/white, tipped with a crawler or leech have been very effective at catching walleyes.

Open water trolling bite is also in full swing. Anglers fishing this bite have ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report July 31, 2024

Brainerd MN Area Fishing Report July 31, 2024

"... As our groups caught fish, it was narrowed down to only a handful of key locations. Areas with good stands of cabbage on 12 to 14 foot deep flats and points. On the flats fish were hitting here and there. The points and turns would often result in doubles and triples as the fish were schooled tightly.

Saturday and Sunday brought a different change of pace as the groups wanted walleyes for Saturdays trip. Working deep weeds in 18 to 22 feet of water produced a handful of walleyes and plenty of bass. Live imaging is very key for this in my boat due to fish being extremely boat shy. Live imaging is a great tool for finding fish, but I will admit there is nothing more frustrating than seeing fish after fish ..." Read >> Brainerd Area Fishing Report July 31, 2024

Wired2Fish July 2024 "Underspins for Consistent Bass and Panfish Success"

"An underspin is a classic lure that has been proven to catch fish all over the globe. From panfish to peacock bass, everything eats an underspin. Though these baits seem so simple, they have come a long way since the earliest models. Sizes, blades, terminal components and hook placement have all been tweaked for more bites. The newest models are even more consistent producers than their predecessors, and deserve a spot in your tacklebox as they can be a key player in any bass- and pan-fisherman’s arsenal. Here are some useful tips and tricks for these versatile baits.
Catching CRAPPIES AND YELLOW PERCH using an underspin to cover water and ..." Learn More >> Underspins for Consistent Bass and Panfish Success

July 30, 2024 "Big Sandy Lake Defies Explanation; By Me"

Everybody knows that I’m not enamored with fishing on calm, sunny days. One of those days occurs after thunderstorms move through the area, my enthusiasm decreases even more.

Everybody also knows, or should know by now, that I love fishing on Big Sandy Lake. It almost always keeps me and my crews happy, and even if we can’t fill the livewell with “keepers”, we at least catch fish and stay entertained. I can’t think of a single time that I’ve ever fished the lake and got “skunked”.

Even yesterday, we caught enough fish to keep that claim alive because we did catch a couple of crappies, some decent perch and several small pike and walleyes. But even if the trip was not a total bust, I’d fail you as a reporter if I didn’t advise you to ..." Read >> Big Sandy Lake Report July 30, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 30, 2024

"Summer fishing patterns are producing good numbers of walleyes and saugers on the south end of Lake of the Woods.

The deep mud is holding a lot of fish, which is a typical scenario this time of year. Most popular fishing depths over the basin are 28 to 34 feet of water on the mud. There are two main techniques that account for catching most of the fish.

Pulling spinners. A two or three hook crawler harness, a juicy nightcrawler and a gold, chartreuse, pink, orange, glow red, glow white, or combo of these colors spinner blade colors working well. Team the spinner up with a 2 ounce, or if fishing 30 plus feet of water, even a 3 ounce bottom bouncer to maintain a 45 degree angle is effective. With so many walleyes spread out over the ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report July 30, 2024

July 29, 2024 "Mixing The Mix-Able"

It’s a little late coming around this season, but the mixed bag action bite is gaining traction in north central Minnesota. With plenty of warm, sunny weather, water temperatures are now solidly in the mid-to-upper-70s, vegetation is thriving, and fish metabolism is on the rise. Presentations, like trolling spinners on the weedline, are producing decent results, but I think there’s still more to come.

Northern Pike, Walleye, perch, sunfish, largemouth bass, crappie, rock bass, bullhead and dogfish, in that order, graced Miles Mundorf and his grandpa Pat Dea with their presence on our most recent outing. My assessment is subjective, and there may have been things going on under the surface that we could not easily observe, but it appeared that fish..." Read >> Mixed Bag Fishing Update July 29, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report July 26, 2024

"Post storm conditions caused a setback, and by Wednesday, the cool front had caused a drop in surface temperatures, the algae bloom was reduced, water clarity increased, and walleyes became finicky. Now, the walleye anglers who had good catches were the ones who fished early morning and late evening, daytime anglers settled for both fewer, and smaller fish.

Setbacks happen, but during this period of summer, seldom last very long. This is the time of summer when fish feed and grow the most. The forecast calls for warming temperatures, and relatively stable conditions to return. As the weather pattern stabilizes, and water temperatures rise, we expect to see a rebound in feeding activity. So, lets talk about the fishing patterns that worked well for our guests before conditions changed.

July 26, 2024 "Without Weeds, I'd be Nothing!"

"On Thursday morning, conditions were still clear, cool and calm. Remembering my fiasco on Wednesday, I never even considered going back to Winnie, but I did think I could get away fishing on a smaller, dark-water lake. My hope was that the darker water would provide enough cover to allow my crew to gather some walleyes.

While it was early, we tried fishing over some shallow rocky flats where I’d caught walleyes recently. Nothing happened there, so we moved deeper, fishing shoreline breaks in water depths of 8 to 12 feet, nothing much happened there either, so we tried deeper still. Except for some small pike, that trick didn’t work either, it was clear that a change of lake was in our future.

My crew, Pat Dea and his grandson Miles had their sights set on catching walleyes, and hopefully some larger northern pike too. The next lake I picked was the ..." Read >> Sundin Fishing Report July 26, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 24, 2024

"Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have been very active on area lakes. Limits of nice rainbows are being caught trolling cowbells, tipped with a small crankbait or spinner tipped with a crawler. Anglers fishing from shore have also been getting limits of rainbows fishing a night crawler under a bobber, about 5 to 10 feet down. Evenings have been the best time for this bite.

Lake Trout - Lake Trout anglers have been reporting catching good numbers and size lakers trolling with trolling spoons behind a down rigger. Anglers should watch for the thermocline on their depth finders and position their baits very close to it. Open water trolling has been the most effective as of late.

Walleye fishing continues to improve as anglers work out where the walleyes are and what they are biting on. Anglers are now finding walleyes working the ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report July 24, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 24, 2024

"The flow of water on the Rainy River continues to decrease and that produced some good fishing this past week. Sturgeon anglers are reporting some nice fish being caught this week. They report catching fish of all sizes, from small to huge, and everything in between.

Sturgeon anglers are also catching some nice walleyes while soaking nightcrawlers and frozen emerald shiners. There are definitely fish to be had. Most walleye anglers are pulling spinners or crankbaits upstream to cover water, or, if fishing isolated spots, using a jig and minnow.

Smallmouth bass anglers are working areas with rock and bridges using tube jigs, small crankbaits and bladed jigs with a plastic trailer. Summer walleye fishing is ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report July 24, 2024

July 23, 2024 "Lake Winnie Walleye Update"

"Surface temperatures now range from 76 to 78 degrees over much of the lake. The warm water, combined with plenty of sunshine has encouraged a healthy algae bloom on Lake Winnibigoshish. The diminished water clarity resulting from the algae bloom made it easier for Alyssa and Anders Silverness to bag walleyes using traditional fishing methods on Monday.

Fishing vertically with Lindy Rigs, or ¼ ounce Live Bait Jigs tipped with night crawlers, leeches and large minnows worked, for the most part, as well as they ever did during the pre-zebra-mussel days.

I used the term, “for the most part” because leeches, when delivered on plain hook Lindy Rigs tend to find the bottom and get snagged on clusters of zebra mussels. The typical solution is to ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Walleye Update July 23, 2024

July 22, 2024 "Winnie BowstringWalleye Fishing Report"

Sundin: "Overall, the two best methods, for me, have been jigs tipped with leeches and spinners tipped with minnows or night crawlers. How you can decide when and where to use either of them depends on what kind of boat, electronics and fishing gear you have to work with.  Another consideration is whether you want to catch only walleyes, even if the action is slower. Or if you prefer more action and want to catch a mixed bag of species that includes some walleyes.

Walleye purists who have decent electronics, especially charts of the lakes, should stick with mid-lake structures. Leeches are doing better for me than night crawlers, but with all of the zebra mussels to get snagged on, they’ve been hard to use with the old reliable plain hook style Lindy Rig. If you’re willing to switch to a floating jig head, or use slip boobers to keep them above bottom, or fish vertically, holding your jig and leech combo above the bottom, then you’ll do okay with leeches. Night crawlers, injected with a bubble of air using a worm blower, are a good way to beat the zebra mussel problem, and might be a good choice.

Anglers with more rudimentary boats and fishing gear will be better off ..." Read >> Fishing Report July 22, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report July 19, 2024

"There were moderate declines in both surface temperatures, and in the algae blooms that helped darken the water last week. As of Thursday, surface temperatures on the big lake were about 75 degrees, Cutfoot Sioux waters were slightly warmer, 76 to 77 degrees depending on the spots. Calm, sunny weather helped start a new algae bloom that could be seen developing during the afternoon Thursday.

Walleye anglers continue to find, and catch walleyes on mid lake structures like bars, humps and hard-bottom areas of the flats. Over is the intense mayfly hatch that occurred a couple of weeks ago. In fact, it’s hard to find much evidence of any sort of insect hatches going on the big lake now. Moving from spot-to-spot on Thursday, one group of anglers reported seeing almost nothing in the way of bait balls, or pods of insect larvae on the mid-lake humps they fished yesterday. They said, “We still found scattered packs of walleyes, and we’re not sure what they were feeding on, if anything. We managed to catch fish on ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report July 19, 2024

July 18, 2024 "Walleye Fishing With A Legend"

"Life changing moments are easy to remember, at least mine have been. One of my “life changing moments” happened the day I asked Dick Sternberg this simple question; “Are you a writer who fishes, or a fisherman who writes?” Sternberg’s answer, “I’m a fisherman who writes,” was all I needed to hear and from that day on, I’ve tried to be like Dick, a fisherman who writes.

Sternberg’s career as a writer began after he’d served as a fisheries biologist for the MN DNR, and the list of his accomplishments is a lone one. An icon among freshwater anglers, hall of fame angler and outdoor writer Dick Sternberg has been everywhere and done everything that most anglers could imagine doing. Yesterday, Sternberg, along with his wife Annabelle and our mutual longtime friend Carl Bergquist, shared my boat with me.

My first fishing trip with Sternberg, arranged by Carl Berguist, happened 20-something years ago. Carl was not just a friend, but a fan, often sharing news with me about fishing techniques he’d learned by fishing with ..." Read >> July 18, 2024 Walleye Fishing With A Legend

July 17, 2024 "Heading For Home On The Double!"

"The weather forecast wasn’t ideal, it called for gusty winds from the northwest, but we figured that leaving from McArdle’s Resort on the west side, we’d be able to steer clear of the larger whitecaps. That part of the plan worked surface conditions on the west side of the lake were favorable. Water temperatures ranged between 76 and 77 degrees, and there was a light algae bloom that helped cut down on water clarity. There was a chop on the surface too, further diminishing water clarity.

The only problem was that the wind worked against fishing mid-lake structures, which have been the focal point of most recent reports. Bars and smaller, isolated humps have accounted for the best catches by guides and resort guests over the past couple of weeks. In fact, the advisory I got from Nate Brown at McArdle’s echoed most reports I’ve heard lately. Brown, “There are fish gathered on the ..." Read >> Winnie Walleye Fishing Report July 17, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 17, 2024

"Walleye fishing continues to improve. Reports of where anglers are catching walleyes have been scattered widely. Shallow water has been surprising one given how hot it has been this last week. There have been multiple reports of some big walleyes being caught in 8 to 12 feet of water, with a handful coming even shallower like 3 to 4 feet.

Weedlines and rocks have been the structure to fish. Here anglers have been throwing small paddle tails to match the clouds of minnows in the shallows.

Sunken islands have also been a popular place to find walleyes. Here anglers are finding walleyes on humps that top out in 12 to 20 feet of water. Anglers are pulling gold, orange and perch colored spinner rigs tipped with a ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report July 17, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 16, 2024

"Summer fishing is in prime time right now on Lake of the Woods and there are good numbers of walleyes being caught. Anglers report catching a nice variety of sizes, which bodes well for the fishery. Small fish, eaters, protected slot walleye, and trophy walleyes all in the mix. On Lake of the Woods, the protected slot, fish which must immeditely be released is 19.5 inches up to 28.0 inches. Anglers are allowed to possess one trophy walleye, over 28 inches inches in length.

"The mud", mid-lake basin flats, are holding big numbers of fish and there two main fishing techniques being used to catch them.

The first technique is drifting or trolling crawler harnesses. Using a two ounce bottom bouncer and a two snelled spinner will do the trick. Best spinner colors have ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report July 16, 2024

July 11, 2024 "Water Tempertures Trending Up, Action Patterns Too"

"Welcome to summer in Minnesota! This week marked the end of breezy, cool fishing conditions and the start of hot, sunny, and calm ones. Water temperatures have risen dramatically in recent days, weeds are growing fast, now thick, lush and green is the rule, not the exception. With the arrival of the warmer water, the mid-summer mixed bag action pattern is beginning to emerge.

I’ve fished on 4 different lakes so far this week and on all of them, surface temperature readings have ranged from 76 to 81 degrees. Those surface water temperatures represent about a 10 degree increase in a week.

While warmer water is helping to trigger an increase in activity among the warm water species like bass, bluegills and crappies, I still can’t say that the action is in full swing. The reasons, I think, are that water ..." Read >> Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report July 11, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report July 10, 2024

"Seasonal milestones like rising water temperature, developing vegetation and algae blooms are like a road map that guides anglers through the various fishing patterns that occur on Winnie and Cutfoot every year. One major milestone, Mayflies hatching occurred not long ago and this hatch was a big one. Mayflies hatching by the millions formed clouds in the air, and the water’s surface was completely covered by them.

Like heat seeking missiles, fish of all species migrate into areas where the emerging larvae provide a fresh source of protein. The impact of fishing patterns is undeniable and anglers who want to be productive, are forced to make adjustments. For now, fish have more food than they know what to do with, and it has turned them into binge feeders. They make shorter, more intense feeding runs, followed by longer periods of inactivity. The rule for anglers is that they must work harder and smarter, for less.

 Just because walleyes have a lot of choices doesn’t mean that they aren’t feeding. In fact, this is the period when they eat and grow more than ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishing Report July 10, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 10, 2024

"Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be on the slow side as mayflies continue to be active on many Ely area lakes. The good news is that it seems we are over the hump and heavy mayfly hatches seemed to have ended on many Ely area lakes.

Anglers have been reporting that the key to catching walleyes has been covering ground and looking for active fish. Anglers have been pulling gold, red/white and chartreuse spinner rigs tipped with crawlers or leech, in 15 to 18 feet of water. Windy shorelines, points and sunken islands have been the places to look for active walleyes. Trolling crankbaits is also worth noting.

Smallmouth bass fishing has ..." Read >> Ely Area Fishing Report July 10, 2024

Wired2Fish "Mastering Topwater Prop Baits for Summer Bass Over Grass"

"Wired2fish connected with Chris Lane for a fun lesson using topwater prop baits for summer bass over expansive Lake Guntersville grass beds. In this informative video, Lane harnesses the power of prop baits to target bass feeding in submerged grass, a habitat abundant in Lake Guntersville and throughout much of the country, especially northern natural lakes.

Lane demonstrates how wind and sun can lead to explosive summertime fishing when the masses are offshore or pitching to heavy cover. This guide is perfect for anglers of all levels looking to master topwater fishing during the warm summer months.

While the list of best topwater lures for bass is long, Lane delves into the dynamics of using prop baits over submerged grass, a method that consistently triggers aggressive strikes from bass. Unlike poppers and walking baits, a prop bait excels on ..." View Video and Learn More >> Mastering Topwater Prop Baits for Summer Bass Over Grass

July 3, 2024 "Catching Larger Pike, On Purpose?"

"It’s not everyday that I get the chance to add data points to any of my “working theories” like the one I mentioned yesterday about northern pike fishing. Yesterday though, thanks to the Richins family, jeff, Cooper and Max, I did.

Opportunity knocked when I asked the boys what they’d like to fish for and Jeff said, “We catch fish at home, and we eat a lot of fish on our own, so we don’t need to catch fish for eating. What we never get to do at home is fish for northern pike, do you think we could fish for them?” “Of course we can, I’d love to try a lake that might prove whether larger pike are easier to find in lakes with lots of crappies in them. I replied.”

The lake I picked is 700 acres, has a special. Protected slot limit regulation on northern pike. Fish from 24.0 to 36.0 inches must be released, so very few large fish ..." Read >> Sundin Fishing Report July 2, 2024

Wired2Fish "How to Choose the Correct Weight for Finesse Fishing"

"In this video, professional angler Steven Browning shares his expertise in selecting the right finesse fishing weights. Browning emphasizes choosing the appropriate weight, whether fishing a drop shot or shaky head, to ensure natural bait presentation and maximize your fishing success.

WHY FINESSE FISHING WEIGHTS MATTER: Selecting the correct finesse fishing weight is crucial for maintaining the natural action of your bait. The whole point of finesse fishing is presenting the fish with an ultra-natural presentation. A light weight allows finesse plastics to move as naturally as possible in the water, but keep in mind, you need to ..." View Video and Learn More >> How to Choose the Correct Weight for Finesse Fishing

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 3, 2024

"Walleye - As water levels start to drop, the walleye bite has picked up on many area lakes. Current areas have become the hot spot to find active walleyes on many Ely area lakes right now. Anglers have been fishing these areas with a jig tipped with a minnow, leech or crawler.

Clearly not all walleyes are doing the same thing in any one lakes, so anglers have also been finding some walleyes out on sunken islands and points with a slip bobber and leech, lindy rigs and crankbaits. 14 to 20 feet of water has been the key depth for everyone and gold, black/orange and pink/white remain top colors.

Smallmouth anglers continue to enjoy excellent bass fishing right now. Smallies have ..." Read >> Ely Area Fishing Report July 3, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 3, 2024

"On the south end of Lake of the Woods, the summertime bite is in full swing! Three main techniques are getting it done and lots of fish are being caught. The three fishing techniques being used are drifting or trolling crawler harnesses, trolling crankbaits and jigging.

Most popular depths are 24 to 35 feet of water. When fishing structure, fish can be holding on top of the reef, on the edges or in the transition areas from the rock to mud. Watching your electronics and fishing the various areas will help find the walleyes.

The second area holding good numbers of fish is the deep mud. Various schools of walleyes, as is the norm this time of year, have begun to ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report July 3, 2024

July 1, 2024 "Rocking The Boat In Turbulent Waters"

"Fishing has its ups and downs, it always has. But thanks to strong, cool winds, the weather this week has taken the term “ups and downs” to a new level!

For me, the turbulent pattern has discouraged taking folks to the large lakes, and focusing on smaller, more manageable waters. Most years, that strategy would work out just fine, but with cooler than average water temperatures, some of the warm water species have been absent from the mixed bag bite.

Trolling presentations, like fishing with spinners, have been less effective too. Also caused by cooler water, I think, trolling spinners still produce fish, not as many when compared to typical, warmer mid-summer seasons. We still catch lots of pike, and crappies have been cooperative too. Walleyes, sunfish and bass preferred ..." Read >> Sundin Grand Rapids Fishing Report July 1, 2024

Wired2Fish "How to Fish a Jerkbait for Walleyes"

"Join Nick Dumke as he explores the effective use of jerkbaits for targeting walleye in crystal-clear waters. This detailed tutorial showcases the perfect strategy for anglers looking to elevate their walleye fishing game using hard baits. Jerkbaits, specifically, remain overlooked yet are one of the best lures for triggering walleyes.

HOW TO FISH JERKBAITS FOR WALLEYES: Dumke provides a step-by-step guide on how to fish jerkbaits effectively as the tutorial unfolds. He focuses on the nuances of movement—how to twitch and pause the bait to mimic vulnerable prey. This section is rich with tips on adjusting the jerkbait’s action based on the observed behavior of walleye, which he tracks using ..." View Video and Learn More >> How to Fish a Jerkbait for Walleyes

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report June 26, 2024

"Walleye - Walleye fishing can't be fantastic all the time, even in the Ely area. Heavy rains and heavy mayfly hatch has slowed the walleye bite down on many Ely area lakes. Heavy rains seemed to have pushed walleyes down to a depth of 20 to 25 feet of water over sand and mud flats.

Lots of reports of mayflies hatching and anglers graphing clouds of them over mud. Walleyes have been right in with the mayflies. Medium size leeches fished under a bobber, jig or drop shot has been effective. Jig and half a crawler has also been worth noting. Pink/white, gold and green/chartreuse have been popular colors this last week.

Reports of smallmouth Bass with spawn in them continue to come in on many area lakes. Unstable weather and water temps still fluctuating as low as ..." Read >> Ely Area Fishing Report June 26, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism June 26, 2024

"Fishing patterns are in full summer swing and anglers are enjoying excellent action for a variety of species up at the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods. Both sides of the border, in Minnesota and Ontario waters are producing numbers of nice walleyes. In this area of the lake, expect to catch walleyes, saugers, pike, jumbo perch, crappies, pike and smallmouth bass.

Many fish have slid off of the shoreline and out of back bays, and onto deeper structure. With that said, there are so many areas of forage on LOW, walleyes will be in numerous spots, some shallow and some deeper, taking advantage of opportunities. Lots of fish to be had, just go fishing.

Jigging structure, where walleyes gather in small, tight schools has been effective. In larger areas, where fish are spread out, try fishing with ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report June 26, 2024

June 25, 2024 "Noting the Note-Able"

Fishing conditions today favor what I’d call expert anglers, folks who know several effective techniques, and have the ability to adapt between them can and are doing well. Casual anglers, who maybe know a thing or two about fishing, but are unwilling to “work” at figuring out patterns and trends might be less thrilled with the action right now. Reasons for the slower fishing action vary from lake to lake, and include increasingly abundant food sources, cool water temperatures, changeable weather, and seasonal fish migrations.  

Over the past several seasons, the great equalizer for me has been to offer casual anglers a mixed bag, action bite that we’ve accomplished by trolling spinners. This season, the water is still cool, 68 degrees in the area we fished yesterday and some of the warm water species have ..." Read >> Sundin Report June 25, 2024

June 24, 2024 "Upper Red Lake Walleye Report"

Water levels on Upper Red Lake are high and cool. With surface temperatures in the high 60s, many shallow, shoreline breaks continue to hold walleyes and the jig and minnow bite was still going strong this weekend.

I’m not the type of fisherman who insists on using Shiner minnows, but I do have an idea that using them helped us when we fished on Upper Red Lake this weekend. The difference was not apparent in the number of fish caught, but using spottails did appear to make a difference in the average size of walleyes boated.

Take my advice with a grain of salt because the sample group was small, only 2 boats, mine and Justin Wiese’s. But that said, both of us were fishing with jigs and minnows, both of us had equally competent crews, and because it was a group trip, both of us were fishing within a couple hundred yards of each other along the same shallow breakline. Both boats caught plenty of fish, in fact I’d say it was nearly equal. Fish for fish though, the anglers fishing with shiners ..." Read Full Report >> June 24, 2024 "Upper Red Lake Walleye Report"

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report June 21, 2024

"Six weeks ago, folks were speculating whether low water levels would be a drag on anglers accessing not only Winnie, but many other area lakes too.

Since then, frequent rainfalls brought water levels up to normal, or in some regions, even above normal. Then on Tuesday, we received another rainfall, this time a big one! Now we’re looking at high, even flood-stage water levels and walleyes are using all that extra water to their advantage.

Most anglers know that walleyes like moving water and use terms like “walleye chop” to describe breezy times when conditions are favorable for catching them. The chop on top is what see, and most understand that the whitecaps help diffuse daylight. The assumption is correct, and the lower visibility is an advantage. But there’s more, under the surface, walleyes see, and respond not only to diffused light, but also to ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 21, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report June 19, 2024

"Walleye - Another week of unsettled weather and reports of mayflies hatching has the walleyes bite inconsistent for many this last week. Anglers catching walleyes are still finding them in shallow water. 5 to 15 feet, over sand or near current areas have been best.

High water and strong flows have river mouths attracting good numbers of walleyes again. Anglers have been having good luck slip bobbering leeches, trolling crankbaits, jigs tipped with a minnow or crawler, or pulling lindy rigs with a leech or minnow. Popular colors remain gold, black/orange, pink/white.

Smallmouth Bass - With water temps still hovering in the high 50's to low 60's, reports of smallies with ..." Read >> June 19, 2024 Ely MN Area Fishing Report

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism June 19, 2024

"The walleyes are biting on the south end of Lake of the Woods! It's been a great week of fishing with anglers using a combination of jigging and pulling spinners as their preferred go-to presentations.

Most walleye fishing is taking place between 21 and 24 feet of water. When you locate fish on your electronics, either anchor up and jig or simply drift with spinners and crawlers (or troll if there is no wind) through the schools.

When jigging, gold combined with a bright color such as glow white, pink, orange or chartreuse is a hard combo to beat. Use a fathead minnow, rainbow or a frozen emerald shiner. When hooking the minnow, it is helpful to ..." Read >> June 19, 2024 Lake of the Woods Fishing Report

June 18, 2024 "Sunfish-Crappie Role Reversal"

"Panfish were on my mind yesterday, our primary goal was catching crappies, but sunfish were on the schedule too as a secondary pursuit. The relatively small 2000-acre lake I chose offered a chance for both, and could also cough up a few bass, walleye or perch. On past trips, bluegills have usually been the easiest to come by and crappies, for me, have been a 50-50 proposition.

On Monday, there was a role reversal, crappies were a slam dunk, willing to bite aggressively. The sunfish were scattered though, and less enthusiastic about striking, we caught a decent number, but we spent more time searching, and put more effort into getting them to strike.

Take this advice about sunfish location with a grain of salt because so far this season, I haven’t spent that much time searching for them, and I don’t know if this is a widespread trend.  My “working theory” is that sunfish, at least on this lake, were spawning, but not in the ..." Read >> June 18, 2024 "Sunfish-Crappie Role Reversal"

Wired2Fish "Neko Rig Tips for Bass Around Bluegill Beds"

"Bluegill beds are a bull’s eye for actively feeding post-spawn bass. Kobie Koenig explores a new lake with the use of mapping and sonar to locate bluegill beds, then puts a weedless Neko rig to work. With water temperatures around 70°F, this video takes you through a day of strategic fishing, starting with post-spawn bass location on clear, natural lakes to how to fish a Neko rig for quality largemouth bass.

THE SETTING: A CLEAR NATURAL LAKE. The day begins with Koenig assessing the lake structure using mapping and side imaging. He gravitates towards areas with extensive shoreline flats extending into the lake with a mix of grass and hard bottom–prime bluegill spawning habitat. Side imaging excels in revealing ..." View Video and Learn More >> Neko Rig Tips for Bass Around Bluegill Beds

June 16, 2024 "Father's Day Fishing Tradition"

"You’d need a long memory to recall some of the past stories I’ve written about Eldon, “The Norwegian Hammer” who I first met when he shared the boat with David Chrz, a longtime customer and friend who is gone, but never forgotten. His father Joe Chrz also happened to be Eldon’s father-in-law. Joe too was a friend more than a customer, he lived on Bowstring Lake, and I used to call him when my schedule had a gap in it and he’d help me research new places to fish while we told each other jokes.  The nickname “hammer” came about on one particularly good walleye fishing trip to Cutfoot Sioux. David and I began using it while we watched him haul in one walleye after another and the name stuck.

I wouldn’t say that any of us hauled in walleyes one after another on this past Friday. Despite challenging conditions though, we did enjoy steady action. Some spots were better than others, and at most every stop, we picked up at least a few.

We were fishing mid-lake structure, bars, humps and ..." Read >> June 16, 2024 Father's Day Fishing Tradition

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report June 14, 2024

"Water clarity caused problems for anglers earlier this season, but we notice that there is a slight, and welcome stain in the water now. Probably caused in part because of inflow from feeder creeks and flowages that were low, but are now filled, even overflowing in some areas, by recent rainfalls.

The darker, faster warming water flowing into the lake has provided just enough “dinginess” to make walleyes move shallower and become more aggressive. When the wind blows, they can be found on shoreline breaks, and on the flats in water depths of 6 to 12 feet and can be caught relatively easily.

On Wednesday, one of the area’s top fishing pros provided this; “I’ve been able to do more drifting, and slow trolling recently. I’ve noticed that the water is darker, not much, but enough to allow me to fish over the top of the small schools I locate. That makes it easier for folks who ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Walleye Report June 14, 2024 and Sneak Preview Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report June 20, 2024

Wired2Fish "Catching Bluegills and Crappies Using Power and Finesse Tactics"

"Fishing for panfish like crappies and bluegills is undergoing a resurgence and refinement of tactics. Wired2fish’s Kyle Peterson takes on the challenge of finding and catching magnum bluegills. Peterson uses a 2-pronged approach of using power tactics to locate panfish and finesse tactics (drop shot rig) to catch more fish.

POWER AND FINESSE 2-PRONGED STRATEGY: Peterson starts his day rigging a small popper and a drop shot rig. His goal is to explore the shoreline visually, using his popping bait to locate fish-holding areas. Few baits open the strike window and draw fish from cover like ..." View Video and Learn More >> Catching Bluegills and Crappies Using Power and Finesse Tactics

June 14, 2024 "Turning The Corner Into Summer Crappie Patterns"

When we arrived at the lake, there was a cool breeze coming from the west. The sky was bright blue, and the surface water temperature was 66 degrees. The water on this acre lake was semi-clear, and had a light algae bloom. I suppose the clarity was 4 or 5 feet, trolling in about 8 feet of water, we could see the weeds, but not the bottom of the lake.

Based on recent experiences, trolling spinners to locate the fish was my primary plan. If we located fish, we’d stop and fancast jigs tipped with plastic tails. At the first stop, a shallow weedy flat, that plan seemed to be working, until it didn’t. As planned, we caught a couple of crappies on the spinners, then stopped to zero in on them. We caught a couple more on jigs tipped with 2-inch paddle tails, and then it stopped. We trolled the weed bed again, caught a few small pike and some rock bass, but the crappie run stopped dead.

At the 2nd stop, a long stretch of cabbage weeds adjacent to the shoreline, we ..." Read >> June 14, 2024 "Turning The Corner Into Summer Crappie Patterns"

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report June 12, 2024

"Walleye - After yet another week of high winds, walleye fishing has become more of a hit or miss affair. Anglers catching walleyes continue to catch walleyes with a jig and minnow, paddle tails or lindy rigs tipped with a minnow. Wind blown points, shallow flats and weed beds in 8-12 feet of water have been holding active walleyes. Key times to fish these spots have been early in the day or late in the evening. Gold, orange/black and pink/white have been the hot colors.

Smallmouth - Smallmouth bass are now either on their beds or off and the bite has been heating up fast! Topwater bite on many of the area's best smallmouth lakes has been fantastic right now. Chatterbaits, in-line spinners, Ned rigs and wacky worms have equally been effective on smallies. Anglers should be looking to shallow rocky shorelines and islands, around downed trees for the best bass fishing.

Crappies - Several reports of dark colored crappies have ..." Read >> Ely MN Fishing Report June 12, 2024

Reader Comments June 12, 2024 "Better Reporting by Sharing Lake Names?"

An email from Robert Jordan apparently refers to recent fishing reports as he offers this thought. "Boy, you gotta be a great fisher person. Although, it could be, would be better evidenced if you would say what lakes you were on. Then we, I could better verify your "stories"."

A) Good morning, sir and thank you very much for your note. I'm taking your comments with a grain of salt, as I hope you intended them to be tongue in cheek humor. My guess is that you've learned by now that my aim is to help folks learn more about fishing patterns and presentations. If followed, my guidance teaches folks how to ..." Read >> June 12, 2024 "Better Reporting by Sharing Lake Names?" Winnie Walleye Report June 12

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism June 12, 2024

"It's been a good week of walleye fishing on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Anglers report having fun with some big fish, along with good numbers of eater size walleyes. All of that despite weather fronts delivering lots of wind that came through. Being in a charter boat a few days this week was an advantage for sure!

There are always days the wind will blow, ands here are some good options for anglers when the winds threaten to ruin your fishing trips. Fish on a big charter boat, Fish the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River, Bays such as Four Mile, Bostic and Zippel Bay, Slide behind one of the thousands of islands up at the Northwest Angle or Trailer your boat to a leeward boat ramp and fish that shoreline.

Wherever you choose to fish, jig and frozen emerald shiner have been the go-to presentation for walleyes. Most boats are fishing in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report June 12, 2024

Reader Comments June 2024 "UPDATE: A Better Budget Portable Live Bait Aerator?"

"On 2024-06-02 Justin Krebs wrote: Hi Jeff, thank you so much for taking the time to provide an information page that anglers can refer to. You do a wonderful job providing insight into current fishing patterns, rule changes and "how-tos" with other fishing related topics.

With the recent topic of legal minnow transportation in Minnesota on your page I wanted to suggest another option for minnow aeration. I use a rechargeable aquarium air pump to transport minnows to and from lakes. These pumps are relatively inexpensive compared to name brand recreational fishing aerators. I have multiple AQQA brand pumps from Amazon that cost around $21 and perform well with moderate use.

Justin, than you very much for your words of advice. Until receiving your email, I was unaware of the availability of the rechargeable model you've used, but I now plan to ..." Learn More >> A Better Budget Portable Live Bait Aerator?

June 11, 2024 "Wiggling Into The Summer Fishing Season"

To say that we’re in a transitional period for fishing in north central Minnesota is an understatement. In some ways, it feels like we’ve never moved out of spring. Water temperatures remain cool, barely creeping out of the low 60s in most lakes.

Jig and minnow patterns have continued to produce walleyes for most anglers, including me. In other ways though, it feels like summer is already here. Despite cool temperatures, walleyes, crappies and other species have begun responding to summer fishing patterns like trolling spinners, fan casting plastics and as of Monday, “Wiggle Worming”.

The first blatant reminder that we’ve entered a transitional period occurred for me on Saturday. I was fishing with the Jacobs family on ..." Read >> June 11, 2024 Sundin Report: "Wiggling Into The Summer Fishing Season"

June 7, 2024 "A Picture's Worth 1000 Words"

On Thursday, I along with my customer/friends Janet and Marty Christensen enjoyed a cool, damp and breezy day on the lake. For the most part, we fished the same presentations and locations that I did on Wednesday, and all of that is already described in yesterday’s report. So, today I’ll just let this one photo speak for itself, if you have any questions about it, let me know. Today’s I rather elaborate on some of the comments generated by yesterday’s report.

If you read yesterday’s (6-6-24) report about being adaptable, referring specifically to me changing the jig weight for 1 angler from a 1/8-ounce jig to a heavier, ¼ ounce jig, you’ll recall me offering this; “Everybody in the boat had a theory about why that happened, and I do too. I’ll bet you have some thoughts of your own too, so tomorrow, I’ll share my theory, and then you can compare that with yours.”

As I expected, folks who took time to comment, sharing their theories about why that change helped agreed without dissent, with this reader’s opinion, “I bet he ..." Read Full Report >> June 7, 2024 A Picture's Worth 1000 Words

June 6, 2024 "Adapt-Able Adfaptations For Walleyes"

When we stopped at our first spot, a mid-lake rock bar topping out at 16 feet of water, Bill Dappen caught a walleye almost instantly. Then I caught one, then somebody else and after a couple of passes, there were 5 good keepers in the livewell. That was a good start, and enough to convince me that another drift was a good idea. The problem was that the next drift was dead, no fish, no bites, nothing.

I’d spotted a friend on the lake and swung past his boat to check in with him. “You guys having some fun”, I asked. He didn’t say anything, he just nodded his head up and down, and gestured with his hands that there were walleyes along a steep, shoreline break. “We have 15 in the livewell”, he said. That sounded good to me, so we ..." Read >> Walleye Fishing Report June 6, 2024

June 5, 2024 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"

"... Our next stop was a cabbage bed located on a shallow, 6- to 8-foot-deep flat. I asked the boys to trade out the jigs for spinners tipped with fathead minnows and then began trolling through the sparse weeds. At first, our spinners triggered a “pike-fest” and we caught one small northern after another. It appeared that we were trying the spinners too early in the season but I reasoned that we should keep trolling a little while longer.

We moved past the flat, and approached an inside corner in the weedline, as we trolled into the sharper, straighter breakline, WHAM the first crappie struck, and it was a nice one. By the time we got through that stretch of water, we’d picked up 2 or 3 more, and it looked like the spot had some potential. There was a good wind for drifting, so we dropped the spinner rigs and swapped them out for 1/16 ounce jigs tipped with plastics. As we drifted back through the weed edge, the jigs helped us ..." Read >> Crappie Fishing Report June 5, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report June 5, 2024

"Smallmouth - Depending on the lake, smallies could be wrapping up the spawn (shallow lakes), spawning (average depth lakes), or still waiting for water temps to get to spawning temps (deep water lakes).

On shallow water lakes, anglers are throwing topwater baits, wacky worms and Ned rigs. On lakes where the bass are just starting to spawn, Ned rigs have been very popular out there. On deep water lakes where smallies are still looking to spawn, suspending jerk baits have been deadly.

Walleye - After a week of high winds that seemed to completely change directions daily, walleyes are now pretty scattered throughout the lake. Walleyes can now be found on ..." Read >> Ely MN Fishing Report June 5, 2024

June 4, 2024 Best Fishing Rods For Trolling Spinners?

Q) On June 4, 2024 Chriss Fosse wrote: "Hi! I had a lot of fishing tackle and rods stolen here in Grand Forks, and wondering if you could recommend a rod for spinning the weeds with bullet/little joe. Mostly crappies and bluegills, occasional eye. Ideas would be appreciated, just like your writing! Thanks either way! Chris Fosse"

A) Chris, if you're planning to devote this fishing rod to use only for trolling spinners, then my hands down #1 suggestion is Shakespeare's Ugly Stick Elite Spinning Rod. I used to ..." Read >> Best Fishing Rods For Trolling Spinners?

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report June 2, 2024

"Early summer fishing patterns, when compared to most typical seasons, are running a bit behind schedule this year. Water temperatures remain cool, baitfish are moving in and out across the flats into and out of the shallows. Walleyes following their preferred food source, move in and out with them, appearing in a variety of depths, changing locations from one day to the next.

For some, the nomadic behavior causes problems because the moving schools of fish are more difficult to “pattern”. There are some anglers taking advantage of it though, finding small schools of walleye in a wide range of locations, depth ranges and feeding moods.

The best way to describe their method might be “stalk. locate and fish”. What that means is that they move along slowly, watching for fish on side-imaging sonar, locate schools of fish and then stopping to zero in on them. For some folks, advanced “forward facing sonar” is then used to pinpoint fish. Folks without the advanced electronics can still catch fish, they just have to ..." Read Full Report >> Lake Winnie Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 2, 2024

Wired2Fish "Greg Hackney’s Secrets to Selecting Bass Hooks"

"Join professional angler Greg Hackney as he explores the nuances of selecting the perfect hooks for bass fishing with plastics. In this comprehensive guide, Hackney simplifies the often overwhelming process, focusing on various fishing techniques like casting, flipping and pitching, and explaining how to match these with the right hook type.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HOOK: The choice of hook is critical and varies based on the fishing method:
For Heavy-Duty Flipping: Hackney opts for heavier, straight-shank hooks to prevent flexing during close, powerful sets, commonly using a Gamakatsu G Power Flip and Punch Hook for its strength and versatility with both braid and fluorocarbon lines. For Casting with Plastics: Hackney suggests ..." View Video and Learn More >> Greg Hackney’s Secrets to Selecting Bass Hooks

June 1, 2024 "Fun With Dick and Paul MMXXIV Day 2"

Day 2 of the 2024 “Fun With Dick and Paul” spring session began as a head scratcher. When they arrived in my driveway, the sky was pure blue, the sun was shining, and the breeze was light. I knew we’d be heading for a lake with stained water, and that it would have to be one that offers better than average size walleyes. After mulling the question over, I found myself driving toward a lake that the boys haven’t seen for about 10 years.

Less than 3,000 acres, the relatively small lake features stained water, lots of shallow flats and a decent weedline. I fished there a little bit last summer and had been impressed by the average size of the walleyes, but not so much the average number of fish we’d catch. Most typical trips yielded 8 to 12 keeper size walleyes and a handful of larger, catch-photo-release fish. We rarely caught many fish in any single spot and that meant making a lot of moves around the shoreline.

That sort of fishing trip might sound great to you, but think of it this way. If you had a week to work with, and you were mainly interested in fishing for quality size walleyes, then this sort of lake might ..." Read >> June 1, 2024 Fun With Dick and Paul

Yesterday, I addressed a reader question about how to legally transport live bait in Minnesota. The full article, if you missed it, is available below. Even if you read the original article, you may want to look back over it again because I’ve added some additional information, including a short video. In the video, you’ll see how I have rigged up the bait coolers in both my boat, and in the back of my truck.

To refresh your memory, the article began as an answer to reader question from Gary Dunn who wrote, "We were surprised when the DNR officers ordered us to dump our bait.  When we asked, "We're paying $12 a dozen for shiners and we're supposed to dump them out, even if they have never been in lake water?" The answer was a unqualified, "Dump 'em." As a guide, what is your view on this? Thanks, Gary Dunn, Andover, MN”

A) Gary, I’ve had similar experiences and I agree with you, throwing away $40 to $60 worth of live bait is PAINFUL! I could go into a lengthy dissertation about what “we should be doing”, but that won’t be helpful in terms of ..." Learn More >> June 1, 2024 How Can We Legally Transport Live Bait In Minnesota?

May 31, 2024 "Fun With Dick and Paul MMXXIV"

Here we go again, the spring session of “Fun with Dick and Paul” started on Thursday. These boys will be keeping me on my toes all the way through next Tuesday, and this means I’ll be fishing for a variety of species and covering a lot of ground doing it.

Yesterday, we knew that there were strong winds predicted, and didn’t want to fish big water. So, we started the session with a stop at a small, multi-species lake in Cass County. At 600 acres, we’d be able to avoid big waves, and have plenty of time to cover the entire lake in a single trip. And fish the whole lake we did, we checked out shallow water bulrushes, shoreline weed patches, deep water bars and mid-depth flats. By the end of the day, we had ruled out more spots than we ruled in.

What worked best for us was our first stop at a mid-lake bar that ..." Read >> May 31, 2024 "Fun With Dick and Paul MMXXIV"

May 29, 2024 "Fishing the Fish-Able"

"Fritz and Penny Becker are usually up for an adventure and they’re not overly selective about which species we catch either. That made Tuesday a good day to try someplace where we might capture a mixed bag. Depending on the conditions, the smaller, 3000-acre lake we settled on could have produced walleyes, perch, northern pike, or crappies. As it happened, walleyes were mostly what the lake had to offer on this trip.

Surface temperatures were cold, 57 to 60 degrees depending on the spots. If there was any massive gathering of baitfish, I didn’t find it. Instead, we fished in numerous areas that were holding small numbers of both baitfish and predators. I don’t recall stopping anyplace where we didn’t catch anything. I also don’t recall stopping anyplace where we caught a lot of fish. Despite being scattered though, their mood overall seemed positive. The walleyes struck aggressively and ..." Read Full Report >> May 29, 2024 "Fishing the Fish-Able"

May 28, 2024 "The “Happy Campers” Home from The Lake"

By all accounts, Saturday was the best day of fishing on the big lake. There was a strong breeze, and the sky was partly sunny, walleyes were active, roaming across the flats in water depths of 12 to 15 feet. Folks who did best catching them were simply drifting the flats, jigging with minnows, and catching random fish. The pattern, mentioned several times now in recent fishing reports, seems to be influenced by the cooler than average water temperatures.

At 58 to 59 degrees, water over the shallow sand flats remains very clear. Whether it’s purely because of clarity, or also due in part to the cooler temperatures, the shallows have yet to provide conditions attractive to mass numbers of shiners, small perch, and other small baitfish. Without an abundant food source in shallow water, walleyes, particularly on breezy, overcast days have simply ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Walleye Report May 28, 2024

May 24, 2024 "Walleyes Driven Over The Edge"

"Judging by the traffic between Cass Lake and Grand Rapids yesterday, I’d guess that a lot of Memorial Day anglers have already found their way to resorts, cabins and campgrounds. For me, that means today’s audience will be smaller than usual. That said, I know there are always folks checking for last minute updates, and today’s update is for you.

Surface water temperatures declined again on Thursday, barely crossing the 57-degree mark on the main body of Lake Winnibigoshish. In the Mississippi River, I read 58.5 degrees in one protected spot.

One apparent effect of the cooler temperatures was that it pushed walleyes off of the 12-to 16 foot flats, and over the edge of breaklines leading into deeper water. They key depth in the areas we fished ranged from ..." Read Full Report >> Jeff Sundin Lake Winnie Fishing Report May 24, 2024

May 23, 2024 "Memorial Weekend Fishing Memos"

"In many ways, Memorial Day Weekend marks the beginning of the “tourist season” in northern Minnesota. The blend of folks fishing here on Winnibigoshish for example will consist of more families and fewer groups of hard-core anglers on the lake. If that describes your crew for the weekend, some of these notes could be helpful.

First off, the rain that fell over the past few days added up to roughly 1-1/2 inches over most of the Itasca Region. That wasn’t enough to completely cure some of the low water problems in shallow, stream fed lakes, but it did help. Inflowing water will likely improve conditions at some of the ramps.

The fresh water forced surface water temperatures to drop a little bit too. On Winnie’s west side, our readings ranged between 56 and 57 degrees on Wednesday. Shiners, small perch and other forage fish were forced away from the shorelines and spread out across the lake’s sprawling sand flats. Walleyes were feeding on the ..." Read Full Report >> Memorial Weekend Fishing Memos May 23, 2024

May 22, 2024 "How Do You Catch a Unique Fish?"

We were close to a deeper spot on a flat and because of a good morning I had with those boys on a previous trip, named it “Krug Flat”. Casting into 14 feet of water with a ¼ ounce live bait jig tipped with a fathead triggered a strike from a walleye in the protected slot. Then we caught a couple of northern pike too and maybe a perch or two. There wasn’t enough fish there to hold our attention for long, but the clue of fishing deeper was a big help.

On our next stop, casting and retrieving the ¼ ounce jig and minnow combos worked out better. In fact, the Krug clan had me cook some of their walleyes for dinner, and still packed up 3 limits to take home.

I’m fairly confident that these were the same fish I’d been catching in the shallows earlier in the week. Proving that theory would be difficult, but let’s assume I’m right and that the fish are simply moving in and out of the shallows as daily conditions vary. That would mean that a solid game plan is to ..." Read >> "How Do You Catch a Unique Fish?" May 22, 2024

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report May 21, 2024

"With a full week of fishing now in the books, we’ve had a chance to compare real life experiences with recent DNR fisheries reports about Lake Winnie’s fish populations. So far, the key takeaway about this season is that the very large 2019-year class of walleyes have matured, and folks are catching lots of ideal eater size walleyes.

The typical bag coming into the fish cleaning station includes most fish measuring 15 to 16-1/2 inches, with an occasional larger, 17-17 ½ inch fish from the 2018-year class. Not many, but some fish from the 2013-year class remain in the system too, and folks are reporting 23-to-26-inch walleyes striking from time-to-time.

May 21, 2024 "Crappies on the Menu!"

I saw my first crappie of the season sitting over a bed in shallow water this Monday. That was it though, despite reports from some anglers that they’re finding crappies in some shallow water lakes, this single sighting tells me that crappies in much of the north central region are just beginning to explore spawning territory.

Ken Seufert and I had already fished for walleyes on Winnie last Saturday. So, on this trip, with the added assistance of “first mate” the Hippie Chick, was aimed at finding crappies, perch, or walleyes somewhere that could enjoy some different scenery. As the photos reveal, the crappies we hoped to find did show up, they just weren’t located where we expected to find them.

There were two key areas for us, one was a ..." Read >> Crappie Fishing Report May 21, 2024

May 20, 2024 "A Tale of Two ... Upper Red Lakes"

The headline news from two writers, each writing reports about the fishing on Upper Red Lake on Friday but with different deadlines, might look something like this.

News Release May 20, 2024 "Clear Lake Sibley County Open For Unlimited Fishing"

"The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has opened Clear Lake in Sibley County to unlimited fishing, allowing anglers to harvest fish that would likely not survive the upcoming winter during low water conditions on the 505-acre lake.

As part of a project to improve fish and wildlife habitat on Clear Lake, this spring the Minnesota DNR will begin to ..." Read Full Story >> Clear Lake Sibley County Open For Unlimited Fishing

May 17, 2024 "It All Depends On The Weather"

Shiners, along with other minnows and small gamefish are roaming the shallow sand flats on Lake Winnibigoshish right now. Walleyes definitely want to be there to feed on the bounty, and they are! That is at least when the weather conditions allow them to be there and twice now this week, we’ve seen both ends of the spectrum.

Wednesday and for most of the day Thursday, the skies were dark, and there was a light chop on the water. We located several areas where walleyes were in 6 to 7 feet of water and feeding heavily. Slow drifting, or backtrolling and casting/retrieving 1/8 live bait jigs tipped with minnows worked like a charm. In fact, I’d go so far as to say the action was almost as good as “the good old days”.

Then around 2:00 PM on Thursday, the sun began peeking through the clouds and ..." Read >> Sundin: Lake Winnie Walleye Report May 17, 2024

Wired2Fish "Flat-Sided Cranking Smallmouth | A Jerkbait Alternative"

"A jerkbait typically comes to mind when considering prespawn smallmouth bass fishing, but subtle flat-sided crankbaits are a unique alternative. Wired2fish’s Kyle Peterson provides an in-depth look at crankbaits’ use when targeting smallmouth bass on rocky drop-offs and flats adjacent to their spawning grounds. Peterson details the unique benefits of a crankbait, key locations and conditions, and his preferred gear for the technique.

Peterson starts by showcasing the Rapala OG Deep Tiny crankbait, emphasizing its slower rise compared to beefier round-bodied balsa crankbaits such as squarebills. This feature allows anglers to pause the bait effectively, keeping it in the strike zone longer, similar to a suspending jerkbait. Add a few Suspend Strips to make it suspend or even slow sink. So why a crankbait over a jerkbait? A crankbait can effectively ..." View Video and Learn More >> Flat-Sided Cranking Smallmouth | A Jerkbait Alternative

Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Fishing Report May 16, 2024

"Jump to the conditions for our 2024 walleye fishing opener on Lake Winnie. Calm seas, bright sunshine, 54 to 56 degree water temperatures and robust crowds was the challenge. Hit or miss, was the best term we can use to describe the opening weekend results. Many of the more experienced anglers did very well. Many of the less technically oriented anglers struggled.

The good news is that walleyes which were caught tended to be high quality fish. Keepers from the large 2019-year class now range from 15-1/2 to 16-1/2 inches in length. The population remains strong too, so there’s an excellent chance of gathering fish for a meal. The also strong 2018-year class, and a smattering of remaining 2013 year class fish provided folks with opportunities to catch-photo-release some larger fish. Reports of fish from 18 to 22 inches were common, some larger fish in the 24-to-26-inch range were reported by especially lucky anglers.

The key depths tended to be deeper than typical for most. Most common were reports of folks catching fish in the 16-to-22-foot depth range. Fish were also located shallower, but only in ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishing Report May 16, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report May 15, 2024

Walleye anglers were greeted with warm water temps and clear blue skies. Water temps are being reported from 51 to 59 degrees. Anglers that fished this opener like they did last year, struggled. Small walleyes, too small to keep, we're a common catch. Yes, a few keepers were landed, but...

These anglers reported catching walleyes in 14 to 20 feet of water on a jig and minnows. So, where was the hot bite? Where were the big keepers, everyone wants, caught?

Super shallow water. 2 to 7 feet of water, max! Here anglers are catching walleyes pitching 1/16oz to 1/8oz jigs, tipped with a good lively rainbow. Bigger the rainbow the better! Shallow sand flats, gravel, or near slow moving creeks entering a lake were the best place to find these active walleyes. Top jig colors reported were, green...yes green, bubble gum, blue and white.

Northern Pike anglers had a great time catching good numbers of quality pike over opening weekend. Large pike ..." Read >> Ely MN Fishing Report May 15, 2024

May 13, 2024 "Noting the Note-Able"

"At the resorts around Lake Winnie this weekend, it wouldn’t have been hard to spot images like this one that I borrowed from McArdle’s facebook page. Carey, Curt, and Matt headed to the cleaning tables with a very nice limit of walleyes. They weren’t alone, we watched a steady stream of west side anglers coming in with fish all weekend long. On the north side of Winnie, you’ll find similar images of folks headed back to Bowen’s too.

It’s evident that walleyes are widely distributed around the lake. Yesterday, I talked with a friend who’d been on the lake catching fish in 6 to 7 feet of water. Not far up the shoreline, another group reported catching fish in ..." Read >> Sundin Report May 13, 2024

May 11, 2024 "Another Family Friendly Walleye Fishing Opener"

I wonder if you remember what you did on the fishing opener 25 years ago? No, I don’t blame you, I can barely remember what I had for dinner last Thursday.

They say that memories, to be most vividly recorded in your brain’s cache, need to be emotional, somehow noteworthy of getting flagged within your internal archives. So, I guess that means the 1999 Minnesota’s Governor’s Fishing Opener was that, emotional, for me. It was noteworthy on several levels, and someday I might even write a story just about that. Today though, the connection between that opener, and this one is about one thing, family.

When you fish with somebody for a day, there’s a lot of time to chat. Often, the conversation meanders and folks wind up talking about anything from their favorite music to their most comfortable socks. On that day back in 1999, the Governor and I ..." Read >> A Tale of Two (very different) Walleye Fishing Openers May 11, 2024

May 10, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Shiner Tanks Filling Fast"

A lot has changed over the past few days. Posted this morning by Northwoods Bait in Bemidji, the photo left shows a net full of shiners. “Tanks are full, it’s time.” Was the succinct accompanying message.

Fred’s Bait in Deer River received another load of shiners yesterday too, and so have several other bait shops in the region. I can’t say for sure, but it appears that there will be enough to at least get folks started this weekend.

If you're stopping for minnows today, and can spare a minute to share news about the supply at your favorite bait store, let us know! — Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or EMAIL

May 10, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Shiner Minnows For The Walleye Opener? Maybe."

Anglers seeking news about shiner supplies for Minnesota’s walleye opener is less intense now, compared to what it as a few years ago. Some worry less because they’ve discovered that other bait varieties are equally effective for catching walleye. Others have learned about artificial lures that produce good results and rely more on those alternatives. Still, there are plenty of folks who hope to, if not insist on getting shiner minnows for the annual walleye fishing opener.

As of today, shiner supplies are “trickling” into bait shops in north central Minnesota. Bill Powell at Fred’s Bait told me this morning that they have enough shiners on hand now to last for a few hours on the opener. For him, low water levels and strong winds have been a problem. “The shiners are there, we just have to be able to get at them”, he advised.” According to Powell, supplies of fatheads, rainbows and creek mix minnows is really good, so folks who shop at either Fred’s Bait, or at the co-owned Winnie One Stop will ..." Read >> May 8, 2024 Shiner Minnows For The Walleye Opener? Maybe

May 10, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Ready Or Not, Here We Come!"

The Hippie Chick and I got most of our gear packed up yesterday too, and today we’ll be joining the masses, hoping to land on the right spot, at the right time. Before I log off the computer and grab my fishing rod, we have a few last-minute notes to clean up from yesterday.

Q) Dave Perry asked, "I'm hoping you can let me know how the public access on the north side of Round Lake is by Squaw Lk. With low water levels will we be able to get a boat in. In past years when it was low the bigger boats couldn’t get launched. Any thoughts would be helpful, we're planning on heading up next week if we can launch our boat. Thank you!

A) Dave, here’s a note I got from Cory Smith, co-owner of Leino's Riverside Resort and Pub located on Round Lake. "Good morning, Jeff, to be safe on Round Lake ..." Read >> Sundin Reports May 10, 2024

Wired2Fish May 10, 2024 "Berkley Powerbait Cullshad Swimbait Review"

"One of the hottest trends in fishing over the last several years is throwing big baits. This style of fishing has taken the bass fishing community by storm, and it’s quickly proven to be a productive way to catch some giant bass. One of the most productive big baits an angler can throw is a harness style swimbait. One of the most talked about harness style swimbaits to hit the market is the Berkley Powerbait Cullshad. This bait draws inspiration from other baits in its category while adding Berkley’s own unique twist to this popular style of lure.

The Berkley Powerbait CullShad Swimbait features a big bait profile with a lifelike action. The Cullshad features Berkley’s proprietary Honeycomb Technology that increases durability while maintaining a superb action. This bait comes standard with a pre-rigged harness and a screw lock hook keeper that keeps everything in place without hassle. This bait runs true at a variety of speeds whether you’re slow rolling it near the bottom or burning it on the surface. ..." Read Article and Learn More >> Berkley Powerbait Cullshad Swimbait Review

May 9, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Shiner Supplies, Water Levels and Alternative Baits"

I mentioned yesterday that the reader demand for tracking supplies of spottail shiners, while important, has lost intensity in recent years. Among the reasons, I cited an increased willingness among anglers to explore alternative presentations. Some still prefer live bait but have switched to minnow varieties that are easier to find. Others are rejecting live bait altogether, opting instead to rely on artificial lures to put their walleyes topside.

When I called Joe Billiar, Crooked Hat Guide Service in Baxter, MN for a shiner update, I learned that he is in the “artificial lure camp”. Not that Joe won’t use live bait, he will. But when he hits the water this weekend, he’ll be throwing some of his favorite soft plastics and hard baits too. I asked if he’d be willing to share his favorites with us, and he agreed. Here are his thoughts about alternatives to using live minnows for ..." Learn More >> Shiner Supplies, Water Levels and Alternative Baits May 9, 2024

May 8, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Shiner Minnows For The Walleye Opener? Maybe."

Anglers seeking news about shiner supplies for Minnesota’s walleye opener is less intense now, compared to what it as a few years ago. Some worry less because they’ve discovered that other bait varieties are equally effective for catching walleye. Others have learned about artificial lures that produce good results and rely more on those alternatives. Still, there are plenty of folks who hope to, if not insist on getting shiner minnows for the annual walleye fishing opener.

As of today, shiner supplies are “trickling” into bait shops in north central Minnesota. Bill Powell at Fred’s Bait told me this morning that they have enough shiners on hand now to last for a few hours on the opener. For him, low water levels and strong winds have been a problem. “The shiners are there, we just have to be able to get at them”, he advised.” According to Powell, supplies of fatheads, rainbows and creek mix minnows is really good, so folks who shop at either Fred’s Bait, or at the co-owned Winnie One Stop will ..." Read >> May 8, 2024 Shiner Minnows For The Walleye Opener? Maybe

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism May 7, 2024

"Things are shaping up nicely on the south end of Lake of the Woods for Minnesota's 2024 Fishing Opener. Recent rain has brought up the water levels, which were low. The walleyes and saugers are in very good shape across the south shore. Expectations are high.

The "go-to" presentation this weekend will be a jig and frozen emerald shiner or other kind of minnow. Emerald shiners are a staple in LOW and walleyes love them. Hook the shiner through the mouth and out the gill. Push the minnow all the way up to the jig head and hook the minnow as far back as possible. This will give you a better hooking percentage.

Jig sizes and colors? This is stained water so you can ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report May 7, 2024

Wired2Fish May 7, 2025 "Everything Anglers Should Know about Lithium Marine Batteries"

"Most of us grew up fishing with lead acid batteries in our boats as our fathers before us did. The new generation of anglers, however, are coming up in the age of lithium marine batteries. Yet it’s somewhat telling how little most anglers know about lithium power.

They have seen the literally “inflammatory” stories of the early days of lithium power in boats and have shied away from lithium power. Or they got lithium powered batteries but don’t understand the technology so they are not using it correctly or optimizing its longevity. The lack of people that know about lithium marine batteries and how best to use them caused me to put this together.

I recently wrote an in-depth marine battery guide that covered a bunch of the best lithium batteries in the marine space this year as well as some of the ..." Read Article to Learn More >> Everything Anglers Should Know about Lithium Marine Batteries

Jeff Sundin Fishing Report May 2, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Water Levels, Fisheries Summit and More"

Well folks, the final countdown to Minnesota’s walleye opener has entered single digits! In just 9 days, we’ll be on the water, testing our skills and hoping to find schools of hungry fish.

Folks will be looking for bait soon, and despite rising interest in alternative baits, most walleye anglers will still be most interested in finding their favorite, spottail shiner minnows. Today, I’ll be checking in with trappers around the region to learn whether shiners have begun to move into any of their traditional spawning territories.

Folks have been interested in learning about water levels too, and anecdotally, I can say that the situation has improved over the past month. After the 2024 MN DNR Fisheries Summit, the Hippie Chick and I hung around the Twin Cities for a couple days.

At my brother’s house in Edina, the weather was warm and wet, the grass was green and flowering trees were in full bloom. Lilacs in bloom always signal the start of crappie spawning season, and yesterday in Edina, they ..." Read >> Sundin Report May 2, 2024

Jeff Sundin April 28, 2024 "First Annual MN DNR Fisheries Summit? I Hope So!"

You may have heard, Brad Parsons, MN DNR Fisheries Section Chief orchestrated the formation of the 2024 “Fisheries Summit”. The summit was held this past Saturday, and it was a refreshing departure from recent large scale DNR operations.

No Governors, no commissioners, no legislators, and no pontificating from industry big wigs. Instead, this was a gathering of folks who are much more likely to get their feet wet and their fingernails dirty in the field.

The audience consisted primarily of members of the various fisheries workgroups. Like me, these folks have a passion for fishing, and have chosen to ..." Learn More >> April 28, 2024 "First Annual MN DNR Fisheries Summit

April 28, 2024 Lake Winnie Water Levels

A couple weeks back, I searched for ways to compare water levels on Lake Winnie from one year to another. I never did find any really good way to do that. One reader, T.R. James, may have come up with a better way to compare annual water trends. Try using this link to compare Lake Winnibigoshish Dam near Bena, MN water levels to previous seasons.

April showers, will they bring May water levels up? Who knows for sure, but as April sees its way out, the outlook is at least somewhat encouraging. It’s been raining on and off here in the Twin Cities for most of the past 24 hours. It was raining on our trip south from Grand Rapids on Saturday too, and at times, ditches were filled with flowing water. If the forecast pans out, our trip back home will be wet again too, and it may rain for most of this week.

I know, lake levels are still low, and Mother Nature has a lot of catching up to do. Still, it’s good to see moisture on the ground, and I’m optimistic that we’ll have good conditions for the fishing opener, stay tuned. — Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or EMAIL

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism April 25, 2024

The sturgeon harvest season is currently underway and continues through May 15, 2024. Although every day can be different, many boats have caught 30 to 40 sturgeon in a single day! We have heard of lots in the 60 to 70 inch range, as well as some fish measuring into the low 70 inch range.

If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and wish to keep a sturgeon, you must first purchase a $5.00 sturgeon harvest tag. Then, you may harvest one sturgeon per calendar year (45 to 49.99 inches inclusive, or over 75 inches).

To catch sturgeon, most anglers ..." Read >> Rainy River Fishing Report April 25, 2024

April 23, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Water Temps, Shiner Runs and Walleye Locations?"

Q) Paul Plinske wrote; "With the walleye opener fast approaching, I’m sure the excitement is building around the area. Of course, the preferred live bait for walleye around the opener is the spottail shiner, and other minnows such as fat heads. I was wondering at water temps do you tend to see walleye switch their preference from minnows to crawlers and leeches, and then back again from crawlers and leeches to minnows for the fall bite? Thanks, Paul”

A) Paul, I do believe that water temperatures loosely influence trends in walleye feeding patterns and locations. But when it comes to truly figuring out walleye feeding preferences, water temperature appears to only be a starting point. The timing of seasonal feeding trends, for me, is all about figuring out where to ..." Learn More >> April 23, 2024 MN Fishing Opener "Water Temps, Shiner Runs and Walleye

Jeff Sundin April 19, 2024 "Bewteen Seasons Stuff To Do? Pondering the Prospects"

Stream trout have always been a mystery to me. I’ve been encouraged over the years by some of my customers who live in southeastern Minnesota. They’ve said things like “you really have to come down and fish for trout with me in the spring.” Many of them tell me that they catch a lot of trout, and while I’ve been interested, I haven’t been willing to commit the time to travel, learn the streams and so on.

Believing that the southeastern Minnesota region was “the only game in town” for finding good trout streams, I never pondered north central Minnesota as an option. I’ve assumed that opportunities to fish for stream trout here were limited to finding “designated trout lakes”, and then fishing for them during the summer season, which conflicts with my guiding season. Or, in my case, searching for them during winter and fishing for them through the ice.

It wasn’t until August of 2021 that I caught my first rainbow trout on open water, when the Hippie Chick and I ..." Read >> Sundin Report April 19, 2024

Jeff Sundin April 17, 2024 "Noting The Note-Able"

For most Minnesotan’s, ice out has already been fait accompli for a while. Cross the 48th parallel heading north though and you’ll find more typical early spring conditions. On Lake of the Woods, there were still folks ice fishing just last week. On Rainy Lake, Voyageurs National Park officials announced ice-out at the Wooden Frog Campground just yesterday.

Anglers fishing in the cold waters of the Rainy River enjoyed a very strong run of “pre-spawn” walleyes through last weekend. There were numerous reports of catches in the 100+ fish per day range, and plenty of photos showing off big walleyes. Now that the walleye season has closed, they’ll be forced to hold off until the walleye opener on May 11, 2024.

Northern pike anglers were catching fish in ..." Read >> Sundin Fishing Report April 17, 2024

Jeff Sundin April 16, 2024 "Cutfoot Walleye Spawning, A Game of Give and Take"

"At the entrance to Little Cutfoot Sioux, walleye traps were set last Friday, and they have been filling with migrating fish ever since. Through the past weekend though, the eggs of most female walleye had not yet matured, “ripened”, as they say. That meant that through Sunday, there wasn’t a lot of egg fertilizing going on up there.

That began changing on Monday morning, DNR fisheries staff managed to gather, fertilize and transport about 100 or so quarts of eggs. Combined with those that were gathered over the weekend, brought the total of collected eggs up to a total of about 200 quarts, give or take.

As we watched the sorting process, it was obvious there were still a lot of “green females” that ..." Read >> April 16, 2024 "Cutfoot Walleye Spawning, A Game of Give and Take

Jeff Sundin April 12, 2024 "Walleye Spawing 2024 Prospects For Strong Year Class?"

Q) Rand Olson wrote, “I’m not a pessimist, but I remember early ice outs in the past were years of poor reproduction or hatching, and I’m wondering if this will be another year like that? I hope you report on the DNR activity on an upcoming post.”

A) In recent years Rand, I’ve been given lots of help from fisheries folks aimed at helping me understand how walleyes spawn and the conditions that help encourage a strong year class. I’m struggling to recall anyone making a direct correlation between an early ice out date, and a poor year class of walleyes. I’m only speculating, but anecdotal accounts of that sort are likely influenced by other factors that happened to occur coincidentally.

The way I understand it, weather conditions that occur after the spawn are most crucial to newly hatched walleye fry. An early spawn, followed by cold weather, could discourage algae production and ..." Learn More >> Walleye Spawing 2024 Prospects For Strong Year Class?

Jeff Sundin April 11, 2024 "Water Levels and Walleye Spawning Updates"

On Wednesday, the Hippie Chick and I took a tour of the Winnie, Cutfoot and Bowstring Lakes region. We expected to see that water levels were low, and they were, but not as low as I had anticipated. I’m in touch with folks at the corps of engineers now and will provide updates on the precise water conditions later today. Before I do that though, lets talk about the Cutfoot Sioux walleye spawning run and the DNR egg take.

As the photo reveals, most of the walleye trappig gear was already set up at Little Cutfoot Sioux walleye egg take site on Wednesday. We drove in and talked with fisheries staff who told us that be setting the traps and holding pens sometime today, Thursday Aprill 11, 2024. Dissolved oxygen levels are good they reported, and water temperatures are moving toward ideal range. So, whenever the fish are ready, the action will begin. It is still early though, and I would advise that we ..." Read Full Report >> Water Levels and Walleye Spawning Updates April 11, 2024

Wired2Fish "The Art of Catching Bass Off Bed"

"Spring time is without a doubt my favorite time to fish. There are so many ways to catch bass this time of year, it’s hard to not love spending time on the water. One of the biggest reason I look forward to this time of year is the bass spawn. Every year we get a short window where bass cover the bank looking to make beds and spawn. This is often when the biggest fish of the year get caught, and it allows for some fantastic sight fishing opportunities.

Catching bass off bed can be easy at times, however they don’t always want to cooperate. Over the last several years of fishing I’ve learned several nuances that have helped me find success in this area. Some of these tricks are new and some are old, but I wanted to take this opportunity to share what I’ve learned.

The first step to catching bass off beds is to ..." Read Article and Learn More >> The Art of Catching Bass Off Bed

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism April 9, 2024

"This is the time of year that some are still ice fishing on the south end's main basin of Lake of the Woods, while others are fishing out of boats on the open water of the Rainy River. It's nice to have options!

On the Rainy River, open water has made it all the way to Four Mile Bay. Walleye fishing and sturgeon fishing has been excellent. The water clarity is still very good and there are a lot of fish in the river.

Boat ramps are open all the way to Wheeler's Point. Birchdale, Frontier, Vidas, Timber Mill Park in Baudette, and the Wheeler's Point boat ramp at the mouth of the Rainy River are all open. Jigs tipped with ..." Read >> Rainy River, Lake of the Woods Fishing Report >> April 9, 2024

Jeff Sundin April 8, 2024 "Countdown To Walleye Opener"

It’s time to start the countdown, with only 32 days until the walleye opener, it's time to start rigging rods, fine tuning gear and checking water conditions.

Some of the folks that gathered to chat at Ray’s Marine Open House this weekend expressed concern about the dry conditions and low water levels. There’s no doubt that concern is warranted, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it so dry during the month of April. That said, our conversations reminded me about the dramatic turnaround we experienced during the 1999 fishing opener. A couple of weeks before opening day, rain began falling and didn’t stop. Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids was littered with dock sections and other debris that floated away from shore under flood-like conditions.

I’m not saying that will happen again this spring, but ..." Read More >> Countdown To Walleye Fishing Opener April 8, 2024

Jeff Sundin April 5, 2024 "Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame and Fishing Museum Night With The Pros"

Public appearances where I can meet and chat with people who love fishing has been another gratifying pursuit for me, and I have a couple of them this weekend. Today, I, along with a bunch of other fishing pros will be at the Minnesota Fishing Museum and Fishing Hall of Fame in Little Falls for their annual “Night with the Pros” fundraising event. There’s an early, member’s private event at the Museum in downtown Little Falls at 3:00 Pm, then at 4:30 a meet and greet at the Rice Creek Convention Center, followed by dinner at 6:30. Silent auctions, raffle prizes and giveaways take place before, during and after dinner.

The event is particularly “kid friendly” and fun. If you come, you’ll learn that all of the fishing pros love autographing kids' photo programs, hats and the like. For a full list of the fishing pros who will attend the event click here >> MN Fishing Museum Night with the Pros Celebrity List
Ticket sales end soon but are currently still available Here’s a link to the ticket sales page on Event Brite >> 2024 Night With The Pros Minnesota Fishing Museum and Hall of Fame

Jeff Sundin April 4, 2024 "Nashville, Myrtle Beach, Little Falls and More!"

In case you noticed that I haven’t been around much lately, I apologize, it is completely my fault. You see after 55 years in the work force; I finally took off with the Hippie Chick for my first ever 2-week vacation.

Yup, that’s right, I’ve never been away from work this long since the day I got my first paper route way back in 1969. Now that we’re back home, you’ll notice the fishing reports and updates flowing freely again. But before I get myself fully immersed in work, gather around the water cooler and let me tell you about some highlights of our trip.

On this trip we first re-visited some of our favorite places in ..." Read >> Sundin Home From Vacation April 3, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism April 3, 2024

"For a while now, Lake of the Woods has been the only game in town for Minnesota anglers who want to continue ice fishing. Now that the deadline for shelter removal has passed, most folks have given up on ice fishing, but not everybody. Up at the Northwest Angle, the ice bite finished strong but is now finished, and the focus is now on the May 11, 2024, walleye fishing opener.

On the south end of Lake of the Woods, cold spring weather helped dispel certain social media predictions about the greatest of weather and deteriorating ice conditions for the late ice fishing season. The bottom line, after an early warm up, conditions turned back to winter, preserving ice conditions for those wanting to take advantage of them. March ice anglers were rewarded with good catches of walleyes, saugers and of course this time of year, monster pike. 

Although the walleye season continues through April 14th, 2024 for the most part, ice accesses are closed for the year and anticipation is high for the Walleye fishing on ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Rainy River Report April 3, 2024

Jeff Sundin Fishing Report March 14, 2024 "Minnesota, One Regulation Away From Paradise!"

On Wednesday, MN DNR fisheries announced new summer regulations for both Upper Red Lake and Lake Mille Lacs. Long story short, Red Lake Anglers will be allowed to harvest 3 walleyes from May 11 to June 14, 2024, then beginning June 15, Red Lake anglers will be allowed to harvest 4 walleyes. During either period, only one walleye may be 17.0 inches or longer, all others must be 16.99 inches or less.

Mille Lacs anglers will not be allowed to harvest any walleyes from May 11, through August 15, 2024. Beginning on August 16, 2024, Mille walleye anglers may or may not be allowed to harvest one walleye, presumably that will be announced later. If the DNR deems that harvesting a walleye is acceptable, it’s length will need to be between 21.0 and 22.99 inches. You can read the full press releases for either, or both, by following these links >> Upper Red Lake • Lake Mille Lacs • Full MN Regulation Book

Understand this, I’m all for regulations that are aimed at improving or maintaining the best possible fishing and hunting opportunities that Minnesota has to offer. As far as regulations go, these new ones are what they are and I’m in no position to know if they’re good for fishing, or not. I must admit though that this morning, I’m scratching my head, trying to figure out just which messages I’m receiving, and from ..." Read Full Report >> Sundin MN Walleye Regulations 2024

Wired2Fish "22 Best Add-On Accessories for Any Boat"

"There is a massive market for third party marine products. Whether you’re wanting to polish off your brand new rig or breathe new life into a classic ride, adding the best after-market accessories for any boat can do just that. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite products that we’ve tested over the years, as well as a sampling of others based on reader recommendations. These products are hand selected for their ability to make you more effective and efficient on the water. We covered everything from tool holders to wiring, lighting to securing features and convenience items to safety items. These wide array of options will enhance your boat and make time on the water easier and more worry free.

Most new boats have tool storage at the ready in every direction. However, if your boat is more than a few years old, it’s likely your pliers are bouncing around on the floor getting rusty right now. Well no more, thanks to the ..." Learn More >> 22 Best Add-On Accessories for Any Boat March 13, 2024

Jeff Sundin March 13, 2024 "Turning Onto The Acceleration Lane Into Spring"

Well friends, this winter has not been one of the better news cycles in my Cub Reporter, Staff #003-IHBFBB career. Except for the handful of now obvious destinations, most folks already gave up on ice fishing a while back. Even as you read the current ice fishing reports sent over by folks in Ely and Lake of the Woods, many anglers know that there is more open water available than there is ice.

On Tuesday morning, my nephew Chris Andresen sent a text from the Mankato region. “Happy Spring” it said, and the accompanying photo of panfish in the livewell of his Alaskan revealed proof that he’s already been out on one of his favorites of southern Minnesota lakes.

On Monday, I got a note from a friend letting me know that he’d ..." Read Full Report >> Turning Onto The Acceleration Lane Into Spring March 13, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report March 13, 2024

Ice Report • Ice conditions are quickly deteriorating in the Ely area. Shoreline ice is beginning to pull away from the shorelines, cracks are opening up out on area lakes and open water is being reported on many area lakes. 4 wheeler and side by side travel, over ice, is no longer recommended. Foot travel only now. Anglers looking to still ice fish should look to smaller lakes, to get out on. The smaller the better your odds are to get out on them and fish.

Fishing Reports • Crappie fishing has ..." Read Report >> Arrowhead Outdoors March 13, 2024

Jeff Sundin March 2024 "MN Anglers Get More Chances For State Record Fish"

I’ve always wondered if one day, I’d drop my lure into the water and catch a fish big enough to register as a state record. Most days, it doesn’t seem likely, but you never know, one of my customers came close one time, but missed the mark by just a few ounces.

As a matter of fact, if this program had been in place last year, my fishing buddy Bryce Demuth may well have had a shot at a record. Bryce's would-be record might have come for catching and releasing the pictured Bigmouth Buffalo. His fish was massive and is one of the fish species being added to the list starting today, March 1, 2024.

MN DNR “Starting March 1, anglers can earn catch-and-release records for ..." Learn More >> MN Anglers Get More Chances For State Record Fish

Wired2Fish March 1, 2024 "Best Marine, Lithium and Trolling Motor Batteries"

"Marine batteries for electronics, starting outboards and powering 24-volt or 36-volt trolling motors have come a long way in the last 20 years. Where we basically had a cranking battery and a deep cycle lead acid battery for our trolling motors, now we have a plethora of options from AGMs to Lithium and of course still lead acids. The marine batteries of today are some of the best trolling motor batteries and best marine electronics batteries we’ve ever had at our disposal.

With all this new technology in batteries, especially around lithium options, it’s created a lot of misinformation and made it more complicated to find the right battery for your setup and budget. This piece will share a ton of hands-on experience on the best marine batteries and trolling motor batteries out there today and how each one and each company handles their batteries. We will give you a bunch of good ..." Learn More >> Best Marine, Lithium and Trolling Motor Batteries

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report March 6, 2024

Ice Report • Ice conditions are slowly starting to swing the other way now and start to deteriorate. Several days of well above average temperatures have burned off all the snow area lakes. High winds have caused pressure ridges to form and large cracks to open up on a few Ely area lakes.

Ice thickness on lake trout lakes ranges from 7 to 11 inches now. Other area lakes are being reported to be 11 to 15 inches. Side by sides are no longer recommended. 4 wheelers with chains and foot travel, with ice cleats, has become the safest way to travel across lakes. Ice along north shorelines is really starting to melt and open up, so be careful!

Fishing Report • Lake trout fishing picked up this last weekend for many anglers. Several reports of lakers being caught ..." Read >> Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report March 6, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism March 7, 2024

"After recent air temperatures in the negative 15 degree range, single digit temps feel like a "warm up" but clearly, it's still winter on Lake of the Woods. Ice fishing is in full swing on Lake of the Woods and it has been excellent. Lodging, fish house rentals, ice fishing, and meal packages are all still available this week. Resorts are monitoring ice conditions multiple times per day and fishing continues to be excellent.

Every ice road operator makes their own decisions based conditions in their "home area" and many continue to allow pickup trucks with wheelhouses to drive out and fish on the south end of the lake. You can't assume that they aere all open, so please check with each individual ice road operator about their specific limits.

Once you're on the lake, the majority of ice fishing for walleyes and saugers is still taking place in ..." >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report March 7, 2024

Jeff Sundin February 29, 2024 "Out With Old, In With New, Ice Fishing Season"

For me, it feels like the ice fishing season is just getting started. With spring just around the corner, perch and panfish activity will be increasing, and access to north central region lakes, especially the smaller ones, couldn’t be better. Snow cover is virtually non-existent, so walking out to the shallow water breaklines will be easy. In past seasons, that’s been my best fishing period of the whole winter.

Lake of the Woods has gotten most all of the attention lately because folks can drive out in pickup trucks, and there’s enough ice to support larger ice fishing shelters. Now that the inland season has closed for walleye and pike fishing, Lake of the Woods will get even more attention from walleye, pike and sauger anglers. But if you’re an explorer, keep in mind that there are numerous other ..." >> Ice Fishing Update February 29, 2024

Wired2Fish February 28, 2024 "Mundy Turns Off Graphs to Win $50K and Vexus Buckle"

"At a time when sonar technology is easily the most debated topic in bass fishing, Vexus® Boats anglers and Lake Sam Rayburn hammers, Derek Mundy and Jason Bonds, swung toward the opposite field during the season opener of the lucrative Brandon Belt “The Show” Team Series event, by turning their sonar completely off with hopes of spooking fewer bass.

The longtime team partners proceeded to catch 47 pounds of bass in two days, won the $50,000 first place prize, plus a $10,000 Rev Rewards bonus from Vexus, along with a commemorative 2024 REV Rewards™ belt buckle for the trophy shelf.

“I’m not trying to rain on the effectiveness of forward-facing sonar, but I’ll tell you it was a total non-factor in ..." Learn More >> Mundy Turns Off Graphs to Win $50K and Vexus Buckle

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report February 28, 2024

"Ice Report •

No improvements were made this last week in the Ely area. Ice thickness remains between 12 and 16 inches on shallow lakes in the Ely area and 8 to 14 inches on deeper lake trout lakes. Very little to no snow has travel limited to skates, foot, 4 wheelers and side by sides.

Fishing Reports • Lake trout fishing has been challenging to say the least. Many anglers, this last week, struggled to get lakers to leave the bottom or even stop and show interest in their baits.

Small jigging spoons and live bait placed 6 to 12 inches off the bottom seemed to be anglers best approach to catching lakers. Sunken islands that top out in ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report February 28, 2024

News Release February 2024 "Public input needed on Lake of the Woods Fisheries Management Plan"

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking people interested in Lake of the Woods fisheries management to share their perspectives about future management of the lake. It is important for this update to reflect public values and perspectives on how the lake should be managed. The updated master plan will be used to guide management of Lake of the Woods fish populations. It will include management goals, objectives and strategies for the lake for the next five years.

The purpose of the questionnaire, available online through Friday, March 15, 2024 is to help generate ideas and identify potential planning issues and opportunities specific to Lake of the Woods as the DNR begins the planning process.

"This questionnaire offers people the chance to help advance management of the high quality, multi-species fishery that is Lake of the Woods,” said Matt Skoog, Baudette area fisheries supervisor. “We especially want to hear peoples’ thoughts about walleye and sauger angling, observations about winter angling, the importance of keeping fish to eat, as well as ideas about other large fish like lake sturgeon and northern pike.”

To share your viewpoints about fishing on Lake of the Woods, click here to participate >> Minnesota DNR Lake of the Woods Fisheries Management Questionnaire

Wired2Fish February 21, 2024 "Advantages and Disadvantages of Forward Facing Sonar"

"If you follow tournament bass fishing, you know that forward facing sonar has dominated the majority of major bass tournaments. This new technology has opened doors for anglers allowing them to target bass that haven’t been fished for.

There are a wealth of benefits associated with this new technology, however it comes with its disadvantages as well. Over the last several months there has been lots of backlash directed towards forward facing sonar. Many anglers and fans argue that this technology is having a negative impact on the sport, taking away from its exciting nature.

Much of this scrutiny comes from the fact that many anglers no longer ..." Learn More >> Advantages and Disadvantages of Forward Facing Sonar

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism February 22, 2024

"It is still winter on the border, and ice fishing action continues to be strrong on the south side of Lake of the Woods. Overnight temps in the teens and twenties are maintaining ice nicely. Fishing continues to be excellent. It has been an incredible year for walleyes and saugers with both numbers and size.

Resort fish houses and sleeper fish houses are available. Some ice roads are allowing pickup trucks pulling wheelhouses as well. Check with each individual ice road for specific limits. As always, and certainly this year, it is important to stay on the resort ice roads. It is tempting to go off on your own as there isn't much snow, but that is a risky move any time of the year. Resorts and outfitters keep their roads on the best ice and monitor it numerous times per day.

The majority of ice fishing for walleyes and saugers is taking place in ..." >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report February 22, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report February 21, 2024

"Ice Report • Little improvement happened this last week, with ice thickness, on area lakes. Anglers continue to report 8 to 14 inches of ice on area lake trout lakes. Thickness remains very inconsistent. Out on crappie and walleye lakes, anglers have been reporting 12 to 15 inches of ice. Snow cover is almost non-existent, so 4 wheelers and side by side are the best way to travel on area lakes.

Fishing Reports • Crappies - Crappies have begun to get active late last weekend. Anglers are finding them in 20 to 30 feet of water. Small jigs tipped with crappie minnows have been effective for inactive crappies while soft plastics have been better for active crappies. Purple, orange, pink and wonder bread have been the best colors.

Lake trout fishing proved to be ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Ice Fishing Report February 21, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report February 14, 2024

"Ice Report • Another warm week, with rain, then freezing temperatures have actually improved ice conditions on Ely area lakes. What little snow we had on the ice, is now largely gone thanks to the rain we got last week. Freezing temperatures and high winds quickly locked up any standing water. 12 to 16 inches of ice is being reported on just about all Ely area lakes.

Lake trout anglers are still finding pockets of 8 to 9 inches of ice on lake trout lakes. These reports have been keeping anglers from driving out on the ice, so 4 wheelers and side by side continue to be the best way to travel on local lakes.

Fishing reports for Lake trout reports were good going into the weekend, and ...." Read >> Ely MN Area Ice Fishing Report February 14, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism February 14, 2024

"Ice fishing is in full swing on the south end of Lake of the Woods and a good bite continues for most anglers. Some very quality walleyes and saugers with mixed in jumbo perch, eelpout, and occasional pike in the mix.

Ice conditions, and consequently, weight limits on ice roads are again improving with the cold weather. Resort fish houses and sleeper fish houses are available. Some ice roads are allowing pickup trucks pulling wheelhouses. Check each individual ice road for specific limits. With that being said, it is super important to stay on the resort ice roads and do not go off on your own. Resorts and outfitters keep their roads on the best ice. Going off the ice roads and on your own is not a good idea.

The majority of ice fishing for walleyes and saugers is taking place in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report February 14, 2024

Jeff Sundin February 8, 2024 "Just When You Think It's Over, It's Not!"

"We’ve been seeing reports from Lake of the Woods and know that folks are getting around fairly well on the ice up there. Some of the other large lakes in north central Minnesota have enough ice for limited vehicle travel too.

So many operators have placed restrictions about how folks can travel, that it made me lose interest in fishing most of them. While I’ve been interested in fishing more on some small lakes in the Grand Rapids area, the wet conditions had been discouraging. So, like I said, I’ve all but written off the ice fishing season.

Yesterday, I was driving the Hippie Chick over to Coleraine, where we would celebrate her birthday at the Smoke on the Water restaurant. On the way, I swung into the landing at Trout Lake and was surprised to see vehicles driving on the ..." Read >> Grand Rapids Ice Fishing Report February 8, 2024

News Release February 8, 2024 "Public input needed on fisheries management plans for 112 Minnesota lakes"

February is the month to connect with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries offices across Minnesota about 112 lakes in 34 counties that will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2024.

“People interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process,” said Jon Hansen, DNR fisheries management consultant. “These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and define the work fisheries biologists do each year. Plans aren’t complete without observations and input from a lake’s stakeholders.”

People who want to discuss management for a lake can ..." >> Learn how to provide your input and view the full list of the lakes with proposed changes, click here >> Help Update MN DNR Fisheries Lake Management Plans

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report February 7, 2024

Ice conditions have changed little in the Ely area this last week. Angler have been running 4 wheelers, snowmobiles and side by sides on area lakes. Walleye, crappie and stream trout lakes have between 12 to 16 inches of clear, solid ice.

Lake trout lakes are a little behind with 8 to 12 inches of clear solid ice. Snow cover varies from 5 inches to nothing. With the warm temps, slush has popped up on many area lakes, but has not been much of a issue for anglers.

Lake trout fishing was slow but steady for many anglers. Some real quality lakers were caught this last week on ..." Read >> Ely MN Ice Fishing Report February 7, 2024

Jeff Sundin February 5, 2024 "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky Kids"

Our kids, Joelle, and Pat were back up at the lake trout hole again this weekend. As you can see, the weather was gorgeous, and they are continuing to dial in the best fishing patterns for catching trout too. It seems like every weekend we get at least a few photos, sometimes we see a lot of them.

Last weekend, Jo came very close to capturing a wall mounter, estimated to be over 25 pounds. That fish broke the line, just below the ice which I’m sure was disappointing now. On the other hand, that fish will be the one that keeps the fire of desire burning. The chase for Mr. Big is on, and will likely continue for a good long time!

Jo’s report came in via text message on Sunday evening and starts with; “We were on the ..." Read >> Lake Trout Fishing Trip February 5, 2024

Jeff Sundin February 1, 2024 "Noting the Note-Able"

Earlier this week, the Hippie Chick and I were traveling west on Highway 2 near Grand Rapids. On that single trip, we saw more trucks towing wheelhouses than we’d seen on all our other trips, all winter long, combined. The problem is that they were all heading east, heading for home instead of coming this way to go ice fishing. I’m speculating, but it wouldn’t surprise me if for a lot of those folks, the “wheelhouse” ice fishing season was already over for this year.

The weather outlook for this week in north central Minnesota reminds me of a classic March ice fishing pattern. Overnight, air temperatures dip below freezing, the surface ice on area lakes turns solid and dry. Travel conditions during mornings start off good, then warm afternoon temperatures turn the ..." Read >> Ice Fishing Update February 1, 2024 Fisheries Plans

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 31, 2024

"Access to the lake has been expanding and all the resorts and rental operators have either day houses or sleeper fish houses on the ice. Some continue to transport anglers to their rental fish houses; others now offer access to ice roads so there are numerous options for driving yourself.  Road rules, fees and weight restrictions vary from site to site, so be sure you communicate with the resort or outfitter you are fishing with and understand their specific weight restrictions when accessing their ice roads. 

Most folks who have traveled here had a great week of ice fishing on the south side of Lake of the Woods. Good reports about catching saugers, along with some nice size walleyes came from anglers fishing in several different areas. Most ice fishing on the south end of the lake happens in ..." Read >> Ice Fishing Report Lake of the Woods January 31, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report January 31, 2024

Ice Report

Warm temps have cooled off the ice making process. Little progress was made this last week. 6 to 12 inches of ice is being reported on local lake trout lakes. 12 to 16 inches of ice is being reported on other area lakes. Thanks to warm temps, slush and water on the ice has become very common on area lakes. This issue is expected to grow as water temperatures remain in the forecast.  

Fishing Report

Lake trout fishing remains slow for many anglers. Many of the lakers being caught this last week, were caught with a ..." Read >> Ely MN Ice Fishing Report January 31, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 29, 2024 "Home Run At The Perch Hole, or Just Another Beautiful Day?"

"I wasn’t sure where I wanted to take them, and my “game plan” changed a time or two during preparation. By the time Steve showed up here with the Connick’s, Jake, Andie, Harper and Emmy, I’d decided that perch fishing would offer the best odds of a decent first ice fishing experience. It was not a slam dunk, there were a lot of holes drilled, and we made several moves. But by the time we wrapped up, everyone agreed that the day couldn’t have been better if we’d written the script ahead of time.

Ice conditions on the lake were good, there was about 15 inches of solid ice and about 4 inches of snow on top of it. There was just enough snow to make me happy running my snowmobile and Steve’s 4-wheeler breezed through it too. There were a handful of folks driving light pickup trucks, but they ..." Read >> Grand Rapids Perch Report January 29, 2024

Wired2Fish January 25, 2024 "Best Upgrades for an Older Fishing Boat"

"I was unbelievably blessed by the wife and family of a dear friend upon his passing a couple years ago. I’ve written about it before, but Neal Webster was like a grandaddy to me. And when he passed, his wife gave me his 2001 Triton. At the time, I was working hard to payoff a mountainous molehill of debt that I had accrued in a previous life. Which, praise God, is gone now minus what’s owed on a house and land. So I have an older boat and thought I would share how I make it fish a lot newer with the best upgrades for fishing boats.

In my earlier effort to payoff my debt, I had gotten rid of my previous newer boat. So, I had no boat of my own at the time. I believe whole heartedly that this boat now is a grace from God as is that family that I didn’t deserve, but I’m oh so thankful for. All this said, my ride has surpassed the legal ..." Learn More >> Best Upgrades for an Older Fishing Boat

Jeff Sundin January 25, 2024 "Hippie Chick Tops The leader Board"

Well, we finally found the time, along with a compelling reason to get out on the ice. And as of Wednesday, the Hippie Chick is officially 2 crappies ahead of me for the 2024 fishing season.

Maybe you’re wondering, so, how many did you guys catch altogether yesterday? We caught 2, I mean she caught 2, and I didn’t fish. I know that doesn’t sound very good, but the fishing trip was a lot different than what we’d usually be doing together, and for us the trip was a great success!

What we were doing exactly was participating in a new fisheries research project. The MN DNR, along with Lindner Media has teamed up again to ..." Read >> Ice Fishing Report January 25, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 24, 2024

"Subzero temperatures have the ice thickening on Lake of the Woods. Resorts and rental operators are making daily progress in the expansion the network of ice roads. Ice conditions vary based on what ice road.

Some ice roads are now allowing trucks and wheelhouses. One ice road was up to 1 ton, another 3/4 ton with no wheelhouse or 1/2 ton pulling a wheelhouse. Check with each resort for outfitter for their weight restrictions on their specific ice road. If you are driving out on an ice road, stay on the road and don't venture past the end of the road. There are still areas of ice, cracks, etc., away from the roads not fit for vehicles.

Most ice fishing on the south end of the lake is happening in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report January 24, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report January 24, 2023

Ice Conditions Report

• Ice conditions have slowly improved this last week on Ely area lakes. Shallower walleye and stream trout lakes, ice thickness is being reported between 12 to 15 inches of nice clear ice. Ice conditions on lake trout lakes are now being reported between 6 to 11 inches of ice.

Ice Fishing Report

• Lake Trout - Lake trout have been unusually fussy this last week. While many anglers reported catching trout, many of them reported that lakers ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Ice Fishing Report January 24, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 17, 2024

"Some below zero and single digit temperatures arrived on the south end of Lake of the Woods this past week and the ice is thickening.

In areas where ice is making progress, so are the weight limits and ability on some ice roads to use light vehicles and wheelhouses. Every ice road has their own rules and restrictions based on ice conditions, follow your resort's or outfitter's updates on social media or contact them directly. If you are fishing with a resort, they will either allow you to drive out or they will transport you out to the fish house depending upon ice conditions and how they operate their business.

Most ice fishing on the south end of the lake is occurring in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report January 17, 2024

Wired2Fish January 17, 2024 "Berkley Releases New Forward Facing Sonar Inspired Lures"

"Like the rest of the world, the sport of fishing is evolving and forcing anglers to evolve with it. Forward-facing sonar, otherwise known as live sonar, has become a hot topic and is an incredible tool to allow anglers to evolve as fisheries change. It enables anglers to understand more about fish behavior than ever before by providing them with the ability to see how fish react to their baits in real-time. As forward-facing sonar advances, anglers using it are looking for baits that allow them to better interact with fish using this technology. Built on a tradition of innovation, Berkley is leading that charge, with three all-new baits that allow anglers to best interact with fish on forward-facing sonar and in ways never seen. Introducing the all-new Berkley Krej, Finisher, and Power Switch.

“Berkley is the leader in science-based bait development, and we take pride in providing anglers with the best solution to help them catch fish in any environment,” said Berkley’s Chief Brand and Product Officer Jon Schlosser. “We’ve known that forward-facing sonar was coming and have spent the past few years learning about ..." >> Berkley's Forward Facing Sonar Inspired Lures

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report January 17, 2023

Ice Conditions Report •

Ice conditions have improved greatly on all area lakes these last few days. Ice roads continue to pop up and expand on many area lakes. Lakes with ice roads are reporting 12 to 14 inches of clear, solid ice. Ice reports from lake trout lakes went from 3 to 8 inches reported on Friday to 7 to 11 inches on Sunday. Only a matter of time before anglers start driving on these lakes. ATVs like smaller 4 wheelers and snowmobiles were common sight, on lake trout lakes, this last weekend.

Lake Trout - Many Lake Trout anglers were not disappointed for Lake Trout opener. Anglers did best fishing flats in 30 to 50 feet of water. 4 Inch tubes, worked aggressively, were the most productive presentation and ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Ice Fishing Report January 27, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 12, 2024 "Viewing the View-Able or Hearing the Hear-Able"

Recently released videos like the joint Lindner Media, MN DNR barotrauma project, and the subsequent Aaron Wiebe production challenging its results served to shine a brighter light about Barotrauma. And as the topic piqued the interest of an ever-widening swath of midwestern anglers, the mainstream of outdoor media has taken a greater interest in the topic.

Bret Amundson, aside from being an amazing wildlife photographer, offers outdoor programing through his radio, video, and podcast outlets. Like me, Amundson also serves as a volunteer member of the recently formed MN DNR Technology Workgroup. So, it seems natural that he’d not only take an interest in the subject but also want to share his interest with you.

Over the past several weeks, he’s interviewed just about every “insider” involved in either of those two video projects. On Wednesday, he caught up with ..." Read >> Sporting Journal Video Released January 12, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 11, 2024 "Campground Hosts Needed for 2024 Season"

The Blackduck Ranger District on the Chippewa National Forest is looking for individuals to serve as campground hosts for the 2024 camping season at the Norway Beach and Chippewa Loops in the Norway Beach Recreation Area and the Bimijiwan and Winnie Campgrounds.

Campground hosts stay at the campground and perform daily tasks such as posting reservations, cleaning bathrooms, and answering camper questions. There is plenty of time for fishing and enjoying the campfire, and there is no handling of money or law enforcement duties involved. All supplies and training will be provided. These volunteer campground host positions begin in early May and continue through Labor Day. Many of our hosts return year after year and develop wonderful relationships with the Chippewa National Forest Service staff and campers.

If this sounds like something you may be interested in, or if you have questions, please contact Corey Hamilton at 218-507-5180 or email: corey.hamilton@usda.gov Follow Link for more information the Chippewa National Forest go to: fs.usda.gov/chippewa.

Wired2Fish January 12, 2024 "Ice Fishing For Crappies on Small Lakes | Secrets Revealed"

"Ice fishing for crappies is an addiction for Wired2fish contributor and follow ice-head Ben Anderson. Anderson dives straight into catching as he immediately locates a mega school of slabs in the middle of a featureless basin using forward-facing sonar. He then details his process of staying on top of the fish and triggering aggressive reaction strikes using lifelike and durable soft plastic-encased jigs instead of traditional live bait.

FINDING BASIN CRAPPIES - Anderson prefers targeting winter crappies in shallow lake basins to prevent barotrauma. On this particular lake, the basin averages an ideal 16 to 17 feet deep, making the fish color-rich (abundant light), strong, and releasable. But despite being a small lake, winter crappies are still notoriously tricky to locate and stay on top of. Anderson is a forward-facing sonar practitioner and he uses it to ..." View Video and Learn More >> Ice Fishing For Crappies on Small Lakes | Secrets Revealed

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report January 10, 2023

"Excellent ice making weather has come to the Ely area and even better temps are coming! Ice roads have begun to pop up at popular accesses and permanent houses have returned to traditional fishing spots. 10 to 13 inches of clear ice is being reported just off the ice roads. Pockets of thin ice are still being reported, so if you plan on venturing off the ice roads be cautious. 4 inches of fresh snow has also caused slush to pop up in areas.

Lake trout lakes have been a different story. Handful of anglers have been out checking ice on Burntside lake and have been reporting 3 to 7 inches of clear ice out there and growing. No reports of ice conditions on Snowbank has been reported to us yet and we are waiting to hear from Snowbank Lodge. Anglers looking to fish Snowbank should ..." Read >> Ely Area Ice Fishing Report January 10, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 10, 2024

"Colder temps and thickening ice has allowed resorts and outfitters to access new areas and deeper water on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Consequently, there are some excellent reports coming in from resorts and outfiiters. Anglers are catching a mixed bag of fish with walleyes and saugers the norm. In addition, jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, sturgeon, tullibees and even a muskie in the mix.

It continues to be very important to work through a resort or outfitter. There are still areas of ice that are not ready, some cracks to be avoided and generally areas to stay away from. The bottom line, ice conditions vary.

Most ice fishing on the south end of the lake is in ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report January 10, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 8, 2024 "Fresh Snow Reveals More Sketchy Ice Conditions"

Snowfall in the Grand Rapids area ended early Sunday morning. In my driveway, there was about 4 inches, and by all accounts, that amount was typical around the region.

I don’t think this was enough snow to seriously retard new ice formation going forward, but it won’t help it either. The new snow cover on our lakes is deep enough to help reveal some of the open holes and areas of recently formed ice and some of the images are scary. Anglers should be on “Red Alert” when fishing lakes that have both shallow and deep-water fishing structures.

Lakes like Winnie, Leech, Pokegama, Cass and many others have relatively good ice conditions over shallow bays and shorelines. But these images ..." Read >> January 8, 2024 "Fresh Snow Reveals More Sketchy Ice Conditions

Jeff Sundin January 7, 2024 "Baraotrauma - We Already Know More Than You Think" Fishrapper Fishing Articles Section: Barotrauma Research, Studies and Reports

I was on the phone Saturday (1-6-2024) morning with Uncut Angling’s Aaron Wiebe talking about his recent video presentation about barotrauma affected crappies. I was then, and am now, most grateful for his willingness to engage with me in the lost art of civil discourse. Our conversation was fairly long, so I won’t bore you with every little detail. Instead, I’ll just cut to the chance and start by saying that I agree with 90 percent of his presentation. Where we differ, opinions about whether fish caught in 35 feet of water can be “safely” released, will likely lead to more conversations down the road.

You’re probably worried now that I’m headed down the path toward debating the “science” of barotrauma again, but I’m not! We’ve debated enough about that already. I wonder though, after following the commentary, have you noticed a certain behavioral phenomenon like I have? Have you noticed that folks have a tendency to pick and choose selected details from a story, and then use those, and only those select details in order to advance their own, personal opinions? Wiebe and I talked about that, and I shared with him, my concern about one of ..." Read >> January 7, 2024 Baraotrauma - We Already Know More Than You Think

Jeff Sundin January 5, 2024 Barotrauma, "Responding to the Respond-ABLE"

Personal responsibility, that’s my thing, and folks who know me understand what I mean. I’m sure my kids grew weary of hearing me use the phrase “low expectation, low result” during their formative years. Folks that know me well realize too, that I never set a standard that’s higher for someone else than the one I set for myself. Still, even when I try my hardest to be responsible, I still can’t always reach the “high bar”. I realize my shortcomings and try to correct them. I like to think that my standards are set high enough so that even when I can’t score high on the curve, I at least come close.

If you don’t already know, those standards extend to the service I’ve set out to provide for you. I want you to know that before I write an article for you to read, I’ve studied, learned, and reflected on information I’m preparing to share. I try to get my facts straight, and close to being accurate, to the extent that its possible. To do that, I interact with a lot of people who are smarter than me, people whose knowledge I respect.

Disappointing to me is the number of people in our world who would bypass the pursuit of excellence. Folks who believe that they were born with more knowledge than ..." Read >> Succesful Release or Wishful Thinking? January 5, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 4, 2024 Pointing Fingers Or Working It Out? — Releasing Crappies Caught In Deep Water, Who Proved What To Whom?

Ever since last week, when I shared the Uncut Angling video of Aaron Wiebe challenging the “integrity” of the Lindner Media and MN DNR video about barotrauma, there’s been something bothering me. I feel like I should come down on somebody’s side and support them, but I can’t. There isn’t anybody who is clearly in the right, or in the wrong either. I’m conflicted because laying assumptions and opinions aside, nobody, me included, actually KNOWS for sure, what they’re talking about.

In case you missed it, the video produced by Uncut Angling host Aaron Wiebe accuses Minnesota’s DNR Fisheries Staff of purposely creating a flawed study. Wiebe’s assertion is that the project, a joint video production between the MN DNR and ..." Read Article >> January 4, 2024 Pointing Fingers Or Working It Out?

Jeff Sundin January 3, 2024 "Lake Winnie Ice Fishing Pausing the Pause-Able"

"Ice fishing conditions on Lake Winnie and Cutfoot are improving but vary wildly right now. The ice survived well in shallow water bays like Tamarack Bay, Third River Flowage, and other backwater areas. Reports of ice thickness ranging from 10 to 13 inches are common, ATVs are being used to pull some of the lighter weight wheelhouses and rental shelters onto the ice.

Over the lakes deeper, mid-lake basin, ice conditions range from sketchy, to downright dangerous. There are numerous ice heaves and active cracks with open water in them. There’s also a mine field of thin, slushy patches lying under what appears to be good ice.

If you didn’t see it already, Denny’s Resort offered a video yesterday that ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Update January 3, 2024

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report January 3, 2023

Finally, some good ice making weather is here and appears to be here to stay for the foreseeable future. Lakes have added as much as 4 inches plus, since our last report. 4 wheelers and small permanent houses have returned to many area lakes. Open water still exists on the deeper lake trout lakes, but for other lakes in the Ely area, 5 to 9 inches of clear ice is being reported by anglers.

Walleye fishing continues to be a evening affair on area lakes. Anglers continue to report that the bite starts about 3:30 PM and often continues until 5 PM on Ely area lakes. Jigging spoons and deadsticking a small sucker has been very effective for anglers. Key depth remains in that 20 to 25 feet of water range, but good reports in water as shallow as 10 feet continue to come in.

Northern Pike anglers continue to ..." Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report January 3, 2024

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 3, 2023

"Ice fishing continues to be good for most anglers fishing through resorts and outfitters on the south side of Lake of the Woods. The bite has slowed down a bit from its hot start, but nice fish are still coming in.

With the unseasonably warm temperatures so far this winter, ice conditions are not where they would normally be the first week of January. Consequently, more than ever, it is very important to work through a resort or outfitter.

There are still areas of ice that are not ready, some cracks that are moving and generally areas to stay away from. Pay close attention to the guidelines and weight limits of each individual ice road. Most resorts offer round trip heated shuttle service to their heated fish houses that are set up and ready to fish. Some resorts are allowing travel using ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report January 3, 2024

Jeff Sundin December 28, 2023 "Questioning the Question-Able"

"Okay now let’s dive back into a deep, pun intended, subject, barotrauma. I’ll warn you right now, this report, along with reactions to it, are bound to be controversial. The topic is important though, and in the interest of preserving the free exchange of information, I think you should look at it.

An email from Mike Lehrer called my attention to a video published yesterday by Uncut Angling’s Aaron Wiebe. The video titled “Crappie Barotrauma: BAD SCIENCE EXPOSED Truths & Tips For Release (Livescope is the Hero, NOT the Villain)" Lehrer asked if I’d watch the video and then share my impressions, so here goes.

When I first started watching the video I thought “oh boy, this is gonna be bad”. My first reaction was that Wiebe was doing a bigtime hit piece aimed at slamming DNR biologists and ..." Read >> Barotrauma Questioning the Question-Able

December 27, 2023 "Lake Trout In The Nisswa Area?"

Jacob Synnott wrote; Q) "I have business in Brainerd, and I've decided to turn it into a business/pleasure vacation. With that, I booked a stay in the Nisswa area from January 3rd-7th. I know that conditions aren't favorable at the moment for ice, but I was wondering if I could pick your brain on a couple questions?

I would really like to get into some lake trout while up there, and the lake-finder website says that there are lakers in Lower Hay, Big Trout, and Roosevelt Lakes. Can you confirm if there are lakers in those lakes, and any tips on fishing them?

A) Jacob, I wish I wasn't the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid that the Lake Trout you're after won't ..." Read >> Lake Trout In The Nisswa Area?

Jeff Sundin December 27, 2023 "Grand Rapids Ice Update"

The rain continued to fall on Monday, but at a slower rate. According to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, Grand Rapids got another quarter inch, about the same amount as Bemidji, Kelliher, and Baudette received. This morning, it’s still misty, but the rain appears to be fizzled out. Now, the weather forecast for north central Minnesota warns of a potential “wintery mix” of rain, sleet, and snow today. Then the forecast promises that we’re on the verge of receiving cooler, drier weather later this week and through the weekend.

No doubt the incoming cold snap will be welcomed by folks who want to get out on the ice to fish. However, I DO NOT SEE ANY WAY that there will be widespread or significant improvements in ice conditions before this weekend. One comment generated by reading Tuesday’s report says, “(There was) a mass exodus of houses this weekend on... >> Read Full Report ...

Jeff Sundin December 26, 2023 "Ice Conditions Deteriorate, Safety Concerns Abound"

"Absent today from the stretch of US Highway 2 from Duluth, through Grand Rapid, Bemidji and Fosston will be the typical winter scene, lines of ice anglers towing fishing shelters, ATVs, and related ice gear.

That stretch of the highway has been rain soaked and wet for at least 2 full days now. Day and night, rainfall has been slow-but-steady, amounting to a couple of inches in most areas. At the same time, air temperatures have been consistently above freezing too. That’s been good news for folks like us who managed to travel safely to be with our families for Christmas and back home again.  

Ice fishing enthusiasts don’t necessarily see that as good news though. Except for Lake of the Woods, most lakes in Minnesota’s north central region are losing ice, and ..." Read >> Ice Conditions Deteriorate, Safety Concerns Abound December 26, 2023

Wired2Fish December 20, 2023 "What I Learned Fishing from a Pontoon"

"I’ve been privileged at times to fish from the nicest bass boats money can buy. I’ve also fished from a $200 fishing kayak and a $2,000 one. I’ve fished from the bank, waded through creeks and even caught fish using a pool float once. But until recently, I had never truly bass fished from a pontoon boat before — less that one cruising trip with the family when I chucked a Ned rig around about 20 times.

But I’d never really tried to catch bass from a pontoon boat, until a recent trip to my wife’s grandparents’ house. We rolled up to find they had the pontoon boat gassed up and ready for us, equipped with a brand-new trolling motor. This loving couple, “Poppy and Nana,” had learned all about my affinity to ..." Learn More >> What I Learned Fishing from a Pontoon

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report December 20, 2023

"Rain this last week did little to improve our ice conditions, but thankfully the last two days have been below freezing and have helped improve our ice conditions. 10 to 12 inches of solid clear ice is now being reported on area lakes. 4 wheelers and side by side are becoming a common sight on area lakes.

Walleye - Walleye bite has switched to the last hour of light now, on area lakes. Walleyes have seemed to of slide out a little deeper, in 20 to 23 feet of water now. Jigging spoons, tipped with a minnow head has been very effective. Pike suckers fished on a dead stick has also been very effective, if the jigging spoon doesn't do the trick.

Northern Pike anglers continue to ..." Read More >> Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report December 20, 2023

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism December 19, 2023

"For a number of resorts and outfitters across the south end of Lake of the Woods, the ice fishing season has begun. They report that the bite is excellent, with widespread reports of limits in most areas.

Some are allowing travel using your own ice transportation (snowmobile, ATV, side by side) with collapsible fish houses on their staked trails. There are still areas of thin ice and areas to stay away from though and some resorts continue to offer only "shuttle" servicers to day rental shelters. It is super important to work through a resort or outfitter who has marked, and is constantly maintaining, a trail. Follow their guidelines. Most offer heated shuttle service to their heated fish houses that are set up and ready to ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report December 19, 2023

Jeff Sundin December 18, 2023 "Dreaming of a Wet Christmas?"

Angling traffic was minimal in the Grand Rapids area over the past weekend. Steady rainfall and warm temperatures persisted, and not many were interested in fishing in the puddles. Some folks did though, and they report that while wet conditions prevented new ice from forming, they didn’t kill the ice on lakes where it had already formed.

Lakes that have “good” ice are small, shallower ones and because of that crappies, sunfish and perch got the lion’s share of attention locally. On shallow shorelines and back bays of larger lakes, Darkhouse spearing for northern pike is getting some attention too.  

At Lake of the Woods, overnight temperatures had been getting just cold enough to make some new ice. On the south shore, some of the rental operators are transporting anglers to and from their day house rentals. Most of their landings have ..." Read >> Ice Conditions Update December 18, 2023 122423cc 122423ce

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Ice Fishing Report December 14, 2023

"Little has changed with ice conditions on area lakes. Temps as high as 50 degrees knocked ice thickness down to 3-4", but with recent cold temps we have climbed back up to about 7" of good clear ice on area lakes.

Walleye - Walleye fishing was nice and consistent this last weekend. Anglers catching walleyes have been catching them in classic 18-22 feet of water, over mud flats, but a handful of anglers have been having great success in 4-6 feet of water, in weeds.

Both anglers have ..." — Read >> Ely MN Area Fishing Report December 14, 2023

Jeff Sundin December 14, 2023 "Ice Fishing Update"

When I read the article about the Maine man drowning after breaking through the ice, I realized it’s been a while since we talked about float suits for ice fishing. I realized too that with Christmas coming, a float suit could be a great idea for gifting someone you care about.

Believing I had a decent handle on what was available on the market, I ran a quick search to get updates about the most common brands. Instead of the expected re-hash of info about 3 or 4 suits, I was surprised by how the market has expanded. Finding a dozen or more alternatives, it appeared that my job would be bigger than expected. So, when I found an article by Jim Edlund in Outdoor Life, I was relieved, they’ve already done the research.

In the article, Edlund discusses a variety of suits for a wide range of ice fishing styles. Performance, quality, and price range are all taken into consideration.

Just so you know, I have no affiliation with Outdoor Life, nor am I associated with any of the brands mentioned in their article. For me, it’s a matter of public service, sharing information that might save you, or your loved ones, from a tragic ending to an otherwise happy day on the ice. Read Full Story and Learn More >> The Best Ice Fishing Suits of 2023

December 12, 2023 "Ice Rentals For The Weekend on Lake of the Woods?"

On Sunday, Gary Kelly wrote, Q) “Hi Jeff, I need an honest take on the ice conditions on Lake of the Woods for next weekend. Do you think the resorts will have ice houses out by next weekend, 12-16-2023? Just trying to save eight of us a long car ride for nothing. Thanks.”

A) Gary, the simple answer is that I honestly don’t think there will be any rental shelters on the main lake before next weekend.

There are some rentals, primarily dark houses for spearing, on Zippel Bay, and other “back-channel” areas off the main lake. To my knowledge, access to those rentals is limited to ..." Read >> Ice Rentals For The Weekend on Lake of the Woods?

Jeff Sundin December 11, 2023 "Ice Fishing Update"

... "There are a variety of lakes in my region that have plenty of ice for walking right now, but there aren’t many folks toting fish pails toward their respective “honey holes”. Instead, the modern ice anglers are waiting for enough ice to drive heavier trucks towing larger shelters. These days the term “portable” means driving ATVs, side-by-sides, or snowmobiles towing sleds filled with gear.

I like comfort as much as anybody, and I don’t have any problem ice fishing in a wheelhouse, or in a large rental shelter but I still have a soft spot for old technology. It’s a sentimental connection, I know, but for me, the appreciation of catching a fish through the ice is elevated when I do a certain amount of suffering for my sport. Maybe it explains too why I credit folks who embrace the “old ways” of ice fishing with a greater love for the sport.

Take our daughter Joelle and her fiancé’ Patrick for example, they ..." Read >> Northeast Minnesota Ice Fishing Report December 11, 2023

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism December 6, 2023

"Ice continues to form and make progress on the south end of Lake of the Woods. But with that being said, it is going to take some time before it is safe enough for ice fishing houses. Resort ice guides have been out checking ice thickness, flying drones over the ice and basically staying on top of current conditions.

Back bays are locked up and there is some spearing for pike that has been happening. Ice conditions even in back bays vary, so for safety, please work through resorts and outfitters.

Most of Big Traverse Bay is ice covered. There are still patches of open water, some cracks that have opened up, etc. This is typical for this time of year and ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Report December 6, 2023

Jeff Sundin November 30, 2023 — Remember On Ice Trash Laws This Winter

Q) How do make an entire group of people “appear” to be pigs? A) By allowing a handful of them to act like pigs.

I’ve ice fished on a lot of popular lakes, Upper Red, Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and others. In my experience, almost every spot we’ve fished has been relatively clean, and trash free. But I do occasionally stumble upon a spot where somebody, one of the pigs, didn’t care enough about their fellow anglers to pack out the garbage they produced while they were on the ice.

The image I borrowed from the Bemidji Pioneer came from an article by Maggi Fellerman on October 22, 2022 offers a perfect illustration of what happens when other anglers find littered areas like this. When it happens, they tend to get agitated enough to forget all about the 99% of their fellow anglers who clean up after themselves. Instead, they get upset and ..." Read >> Remember On Ice Trash Laws This Winter November 30, 2023

November 29, 2023 "What Do You Mean By Prairie Lakes Region?"

Q) In an email, Linda Ullsperger wrote: “Can you tell me what lakes are considered Prairie Lakes Area? All I find is in southwest Minnesota?

A) Thank you for the note and the good question! In the report on October 28, 2023, my reference to the “prairie lakes” region means, to me, the lakes in the west, northwest, and west central regions of Minnesota. Based primarily on my own anecdotal accounts of the changes in terrain as I travel westward and view lakes in those regions. The areas that come to mind for me, are the groupings of lakes around the Erskine, Detroit Lakes, and Fergus Falls.

There are regions defined and mapped by various "state" agencies. The MN DNR offers a map called ..." Read >> Q&A What Do You Mean By Prairie Lakes Region?

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism November 29, 2023

"Ice is forming nicely on most areas of Lake of the Woods. That said, it is going to take some time before it is safe doe Travel. Outfitters, resort guides and various rental operators are ready to start marking trails on the ice.

Once they feel conditions are right, they will get out on the ice to check areas that offer the safest passage. As always, we encourage working through resorts and outfitters and staying on marked trails for safety.

Back bays have locked up first as they are out of the wind. Despite some good wind this past week, the lake is still covered with ice for ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Ice Update November 29, 2023

Jeff Sundin November 28, 2023 "Ice Conditions Update"

Grand Rapids area residents are likely to recognize the image of Splithand Lake’s public boat ramp. From there, it looked like the lake was frozen solid on Monday, and it was getting close. On the other side of the lake though, a couple of small open spots persisted over the deeper water. Down the road, Little Splithand was almost entirely frozen too, but several narrow cracks and wet spots revealed that the ice is not safe there either, not yet anyway.

Around the Itasca region, there were widespread reports about larger lakes getting close to locking up. Leech Lake’s shallow eastern bays skimmed over Monday morning. On Winnie, Third River had 4 to 5 inches of ice, and as soon as the trail controlled by Chippewa National Forest officials opens, there will be a rush of spear houses on the flowage.

It's 1 degree above zero outside my office right now, and that probably means that soon, we’ll be talking about some of the region’s larger lakes too. But further west, folks in the prairie lakes region are not issuing reports about ice conditions. Nope, they ..." Read More >> Ice conditions update November 28, 2023

Jeff Sundin November 27, 2023 "Countdown to the Ice Season"

Our goal on Sunday wasn’t to visit the maximum number of lakes, it was more of a road hunt, lunch stop, campground exploration and date day all rolled into one. Visibility wasn’t the greatest anyway, light snow driven by gusty winds prevented us from getting any great images. If you look closely at the accompanying image of Itasca County’s Round Lake though, you’ll see a couple of open water patches. There was a lot more ice than there were open holes, so I expect to see that lake frozen over whenever the wind stops blowing, but it isn't finished yet.

Some of the other small lakes we spied along our way north were frozen over, but all the larger ones were still wide open. I was surprised to see so much open water at Little Cutfoot, shallow and protected from wind, I’d expected to see at least a partially ice-covered lake, but it was almost wide open too.

Anglers champing at the bit to be among the first wave of ..." Read >> Ice Conditions Update November 27, 2023

Jeff Sundin November 26, 2023 "Freezing the Freeze-Able and Eating the Edible"

If you want to, you can start your ice fishing season this week. You’ll have to walk, and you’ll have to limit your travels to one of north central Minnesota’s smaller, shallower lakes, but you can do it.

On Saturday, Susan and I found several lakes in the Grand Rapids area already frozen over. The one you see pictured here is a 125 acre, moderately clear panfish lake with a maximum depth of about 16 feet. This fits my early season, first ice profile to a T, and I’m thinking that I’ll take a walk out there really soon.

Around the region, there were reports of some larger, deeper water lakes that skimmed over yesterday morning too. Dixon Lake, northern Itasca County was locked up, so were the ..." Read >> Ice Fishing Updates November 26, 2023

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism November 8, 2023

"There have been very few anglers out on Lake of the Woods this past week. A combination of the blanket of snow, along with the draw of Minnesota's deer hunting tradition has most anglers waiting for ice to form on the lake.

At last report, there were good numbers of walleyes and saugers chasing schools of shiners in various spots across the south shore. The ideal depth was 22 to 26 feet of water. Typically, these fish will hold till early ice conditions allow anglers access. Early ice fishing could be good.

Back bays are iced up. The lake and larger bays are still wide open. The 10 day forecast shows above freezing temps, which is normal this time of year. Mother Nature determines, but traditionally, day houses start going out around ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report November 8, 2023

Wired2Fish November 8, 2023 "Electric Ice Augers | Benefits Over Gas and Specs"

"Few fishing guides spend as much time on the ice or drill as many holes as Tony Roach of Roach’s Guide Service. Like professional tools, lithium battery-operated electric ice augers have quickly transformed the ice augers and taken market share, and for good reason.

Roach discusses why he made a wholesale switch from gas to StrikeMaster electric ice augers. He then discusses some key buying considerations for electric ice augers, depending on how you intend to use them.

First up, electric ice augers are super quiet. So what? Well, in addition to spooking less fish, the quietness of electric augers ..." View Video and Learn More >> Electric Ice Augers | Benefits Over Gas and Specs

News Release November 1, 2023: "Upper Red Mille Lacs Lake Winter Walleye Regulations Set for 2023-2024"

"DNR sets winter walleye fishing regulations for Upper Red, Mille Lacs lakes"

The walleye limit for Upper Red Lake will decrease from the five, currently allowed during the open water fishing season, down to four this winter while the Mille Lacs Lake walleye limit will remain at one.

“Fall netting assessments on both lakes suggest these harvest levels will keep walleye populations sustainable and healthy,” said Brad Parsons, fisheries section manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We’re pleased to offer anglers harvest opportunities on both lakes.” The DNR sets winter regulations for these lakes after they ..." Read >> Upper Red Mille Lacs Lake Winter Walleye Regulations November 1, 2023

Jeff Sundin October 31, 2023 Valuing the "Valu-Able"

Folks who know me well have heard me say this before, but for the record, I’ll say it again, for everybody. My dog, the yellow lab called Sandy, really got the shaft by having me in charge of her hunting schedule.

While most other hunting dogs are out in the field, chasing ducks or grouse or pheasants, she’s at home, waiting for me to get back to the house after work. Some years, like last fall, she never even got to hunting once, nope, not a single time. So, you might imagine that whenever I do finally get a chance to take her hunting, it means a lot to me. I don’t know if it means as much to her, but in my heart and mind, I’d like to believe that it does.

My fishing season, like I wrote last week, finally ended on Wednesday. Thursday, I spent the day in Duluth with the Hippie Chick, learning about the details of her upcoming retirement and then on Friday morning, our hunting adventure began! I packed a few days’ worth of sandwiches, a handful of shotgun shells, a bit of gear, one yellow dog and ..." Read >> Sundin Valuing the "Valu-Able" October 31, 2023

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