Leech Lake Fishing Report

The fishing action on Leech Lake has been picking up after a slow start this year. Out on the big lake, a jig and minnow is still working and the walleyes are still eating shiners. The West Goose Flats is one area with fish especially when there is a stronger wind. Cloudy weather also helps the action. I recently guided three anglers and we fished off of Star Point where we caught three walleyes over 25". We also had some other "overs" but managed to find five out of the slot that is between 18”-26”. Any fish caught in this range must go back in the water.

I am hearing that walleyes are also starting to bite on spinners in the big open flats. The area north of Duck Point has always been a traditional spot for this type of fishing and also out in front of the Meadows. I rig with 1.5 oz. Reef Runners and spinners made by Northland Tackle. Experiment with colors to find what works best. Second Duck is also starting to heat up, again with a wind.

Another area with fish is Ivan’s Point located north of Ottertail Point. Ivan’s produced a lot of fish over Memorial Day weekend with the strong, steady winds. A Northland Fireball jig is always my favorite.

I fished Walker Bay yesterday for about four hours alone pre-fishing for a tournament that will be held this weekend. I caught seven walleyes during that time on a jig and combination. All of these fish were between 22"-25", or in the slot. Still, they are fun to catch but for fish to eat you are better off fishing the big lake during the day, or you can troll at night and catch eater walleyes.

Good luck and thanks for visiting my website.

The Fishing Opener Fishing Report

The fishing opener is upon us and is a big day for Minnesota anglers. I guide mostly on Leech Lake for walleyes and look forward to a good day of fishing with warming weather conditions. Forecasts are calling for near 70 degrees, a big change from today.

Leech Lake is pretty easy to fish early in the season but still there are fish location aspects that can present problems. The vast majority of anglers seem to gather in large packs and often spook fish with their boat traffic. What you have then is a large school of boats with nobody catching anything. As a fishing guide, I search for the "softer" spots away from the crowd and find my own fish.

Historically, walleyes will be in the shallow water, less than ten feet on the opener. The water temperature yesterday along the west shore of the big lake was from 47 to 51 degrees. This includes famed opener spots like the Narrows, Star Point, Little Hardwood all the way up to Big Hardwood. I expect the temperature is the same on the east shore points too. The weather is expected to warm up starting Friday so it should raise the water temps. It really needs to do that for the best fishing.

The location factor is pretty simple. Your best bet will be to fish where the wind is blowing into shoreline points or areas that I’ve mentioned. Other points include Pine Point and First Duck. Some of the main points like Ottertail and Stoney will likely have colder water temps as they are exposed more to the bigger water, but a big blow could push walleyes up there, too.

For presentation, a jig and minnow are hard to beat. A shiner minnow is the preferred bait provided you can get some smaller ones with the cold temps, otherwise rainbows minnows are good, too. I usually fish with a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce Fireball Jig made by Northland Tackle Company. I like solid green or the chartreuse/green combo the best. If it is cloudy, then I may go to the rainbow color (blue, pink, glow) or a straight blue/glow color pattern. If this presentation is too aggressive for conditions, be sure to bring along some leeches and rig them on a Roach Rig. Many people think walleyes won’t eat leeches in cold water. Not true! A good boat strategy would be to have each angler try one of these techniques and see what works best.

Good luck and stay safe.