Bowen
Lodge Perch and Walleye Fishing Report 2-19-06
Ice conditions on Winnie
and Cutfoot are super right now. We’ve just experienced the first
really cold snap that sent temperatures down into the minus 20-degree
neighborhood. Without any accumulation of snow, the lakes are making
new ice constantly. Travel conditions for the next couple of weeks are
anticipated to be better than they’ve been all winter. Ice thickness
ranges from 20 to 28 inches maybe even a bit more in the “shoreline
zone” that froze early.
Perch fishing reports continue to come in mixed and the fishermen who
find new schools of fish are continually out producing everyone who
spends their time fishing “old water”. One key that’s emerged over the
past few weeks is to keep track of fish that you located with your
electronics and visit the more highly populated areas first thing in
the morning the next day. There have been lots of reports from people
who see fish, but have trouble getting them to bite. Most of time,
those fish will bite for at least an hour or two every day, but you
need to be sure that you’re there when they do. The most reliable
action is still out in deeper water, |
but with all of the
baitfish we have in the lakes right now, the shallows have been
producing some fish all winter long, especially in Cutfoot Sioux. Try
checking these two types of structure; deeper drop off areas near the
main lake bars where softer bottom meets the harder bottom on the
structures and weed edges adjacent to shoreline flats. Your best bet
is to try a variety of depths and settle in where you see the most
activity.
Walleye fishing is winding down, in fact according to the
regulations it was supposed to end today (2-19-06), but the DNR
released a statement this week that extended the season one extra
week. It is now scheduled to run through Sunday 2-26-06. That’s good
news for Bob Heig because he and friends have been having some action
in Cutfoot the past few weeks and this will give him a chance to get
back out there after this cold front passes.
Wherever you see lots of minnows, you will see some Walleyes too,
but it probably won’t be the same spot every day. The fish are
chasing those big schools of minnows and pushing them from one area to
another. |
If you’re fishing
with friends, try splitting up into a few different areas, compare
notes and set up for the evening run wherever you’ve spotted the most
baitfish.
Bluegills are hitting now in the late afternoon just about
5:00. If you’re fishing on the drop off just outside the weed flats
you’ll find the most fish. The Crappies are out deeper, so it’s hard
to find them together right now, but they’ll be moving shallower in
the next few weeks and there will be some good late winter combo
panfishing ahead. If you want to try panfish in Little Cutfoot, check
the water from 10 to 16 feet and if you’re fishing big Cutfoot, watch
the steeper breakline in 12 to 22 feet. Use a small size jig with a
grub or wax worm. It would be smart to drill some holes out in the 26
to 30 foot ranges too and use these holes for Crappie as the sun goes
down and for a while after dark.
Want to cotribute? Contact the Bowen Lodge Harbormaster. |
Fishing Report From
1-30-06
Ice conditions on Winnie
and Cutfoot remain good. The snow cover melted away to practically
nothing last week and most of the lakes surface is down to clear
ice. This has helped to keep the ice fairly good and even though
it’s not making much new ice, we’re not losing any ice either.
Without snow cover, driving on the lake looks good and people are
moving around freely. Ice thickness is about 20 inches around most
of the big lake. Weekend traffic is moderate, with several larger
groups of fishermen. Mid week, there have been smaller groups and
individuals fishing in a variety of locations.
Perch reports this week have been okay, but not great. Several
groups continue to concentrate on the Northwest side of Big Winnie
where the action has been best for most of the winter. The
deeper water out from Stony and Mallard Points have been holding
some good schools of fish. |
The 30 foot depths have started producing nice fish this week. There
are also some groups fishing the shallower water in Tamarack Bay and
down in Musky Bay. Reports are that these anglers are catching fish,
but doing a lot of sorting to get keeper size fish. Mornings until
about noon or so have been better than afternoon fishing.
On Monday afternoon, it was really easy to see fish on the depth
finders, but the fish were sluggish and had to be left alone to
trigger a bite. No action on the jig and letting the fish come to
the bait slowly was the only good way to catch one. Fishing the
Perch almost like you would Crappie fish, smaller jigs tipped with
live minnows are better than big flashy baits right now. Try using a
bobber on one rod and lightly jigging with another.
Walleye fishing has slowed down this week especially on the big lake
where there’s been heavy pressure. |
There are still some Walleyes coming from Cutfoot Sioux. Weed edges
are the best spots and the tips of shallow points with weeds nearby
are producing both Walleye and some good Perch. Water depths as
shallow as six feet and out to maybe 10 feet are where the most
action is. A copper colored Swedish Pimple about a inch long and
tipped with a minnow head has been good.
Panfish action in Cutfoot? We’re not really sure, most people have
shifted to Perch fishing. The crowds fishing the deeper water back
in Macavity Bay are light now and we aren’t hearing much chatter.
Maybe next week.
Want to cotribute? Contact the Bowen Lodge Harbormaster. |
Light snow cover and relatively good ice is making
travel easy on Big Winnie. Anglers in the Mallard Point area
catching Perch, mainly in the morning hours. You can see by the
number of holes drilled in the foreground that fishermen having been
on the move. |
Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie and
Cutfoot Sioux Area Fishing Report 1-21-06 Thanks
to a nice run of colder weather this week, ice conditions continue to
improve and fishing on both Cutfoot Sioux and Big Winnie has been reliable
all week long. The plowed road system is getting better all the time and
travel conditions on the lake are very good. Even though Bowen Lodge is
closed for the winter, we love to keep up to date on what’s happening out on
the lake, so check back for our reports and feel free to share your fishing
pictures and stories with us. Perch
anglers continue to find new schools of Perch and now there are some good
schools of fish located in deeper water as well as the shallower bite that’s
been going on for the past few weeks. For most of the winter, the better
Perch fishing has been located along the North and West shoreline of Big
Winnie from the Mississippi River Mouth all the way up to Third River
Flowage. During the past week, reports are getting better on the East Side
of Big Winnie, particularly in Tamarack Bay. At least one group of anglers
had good action in Musky Bay this week too.
Folks
have been fishing the weed edges and on out to the secondary drop off in
about 12 to 16 feet of water. Some of these fish are moving deeper now, so
make a move out into 22-30 foot water along the deeper drop off areas too.
Perch are chasing large schools of minnows, so you’ll have some spotty
fishing at times, but the fish are on the move and that makes them easier to
catch. Most of the usual Perch baits will produce right now, but don’t get
complacent. The fish seem to bite on one bait for a while and then slow
down. When you switch to different bait the action picks back up. |
Folks have been
fishing the weed edges and on out to the secondary drop off in about 12 to
16 feet of water. Some of these fish are moving deeper now, so make a move
out into 22-30 foot water along the deeper drop off areas too. Perch are
chasing large schools of minnows, so you’ll have some spotty fishing at
times, but the fish are on the move and that makes them easier to catch.
Most of the usual Perch baits will produce right now, but don’t get
complacent. The fish seem to bite on one bait for a while and then slow
down. When you switch to different bait the action picks back up. Even
though most folks are sticking with the big lake for Perch, Cutfoot Sioux
and Little Cutfoot are producing some nice fish too. The Perch bite is
shallower in these lakes as anglers find them in 8-12 water near the weed
edges, but out toward the drop off. In Little Cutfoot, there are some Perch
coming in from the main lake in about 16 feet of water. Ice
fishing for Walleye is still consistent, but it’s mainly an afternoon bite.
A good approach would be to fish for Perch until mid afternoon and then move
higher on to structures for the evening run. Some of the better Walleye
spots in Cutfoot are located in the shallow weeds in as little as 6 feet of
water. The larger open bars and humps on both Big Winnie and Cutfoot are
also producing fish, but try to avoid locations that have been fished hard
already. It seems like once you locate a good school of fish, it might last
for two or three days, but then the pressure start the fish moving towards a
new location.
With
more emphasis on the Perch action, Crappie reports have quieted down for the
time being. We’ll try to get an update on the Crappie fishing during the
week ahead. |
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