Walleye fishing started to show signs of new strength this week as the turbulent weather cooled down the water and "turned on" some schools of fish. The walleye patterns (on Winnie) were varied and it seemed like almost everyone has been using their own twist for catching fish this week. What looked like the best patterns for the week were; 1) tolling crankbaits in shallow water. Best performers were the Salmo #4 Hornets. The hot colors varied but the Perch, Viking and Blues were all good at one time or another. 2) Shallow weedline fishing with jig and minnow or live bait rigs with night crawlers. Lots of the shallow (5 to 10 feet of water) Walleyes got moving during those really windy days and almost everyone fishing in the shallows found some fish. The only real secret was that you had to stay in the weeds. There were fish on both the inside and outside edges of the weedlines, but if you roam too far out into open water, you'll lose contact with the fish. 3) The deeper main lake bars staged a rally this week too and folks fishing with live bait rigs in the 16 to 24 foot range had some great walleye fishing out there too.
On really breezy days, the Walleye have been roaming a little further out on to the flats, so check out the 10 foot range when fishing the larger waves.
In Cutfoot Sioux, Panfish action has been keeping folks hopping.
Crappies are gaining a little momentum and some of the fish that spent all summer in the weeds are showing up out on those deeper weedline edges. I still wouldn't call it an all out "hot bite", but we have been able to consistently gather some medium size fish and even get our hands on a few larger size fish too. The early fall/ late summer fishing spots are still the best. Deeper Cabbage or Coontail, steep pockets or holes close to the shoreline and any type of submerged wood you might be able to locate.
Bluegill action is holding steady with fish continuing to hold tight to the weed edges. This week we continued to catch fish using the slow troll or drift method. We just move slowly along deeper weedy areas until we hit a fish or two and if the area looks good, we toss out a marker and sit still over the school for a while. Presentation for me has been unchanged, I like a 1/16 ounce jig head, darker colors and a piece of cut night crawler.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 8-15-08

Stable, warm weather has been the rule for the past couple of weeks and the Bluegill, Perch and Bass fishing on Cutfoot Sioux have begun to come on strong. Surface temperatures are hovering at 73 to 74 degrees and there's a light Algae Bloom, giving the water just a bit of color. That's been helping the folks who like to fish panfish during the daytime by helping make it a little harder for the fish to see us and get spooky.
Bluegills are hitting best in 8 to 10 feet of water on and just inside the weedlines. We've found good schools of nice Sunfish in at least a dozen locations on both Big Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot. Tight line fishing with a 1/16 ounce jig head tipped with worms or tiny leeches will work great. Look for holes or pockets in the weeds and fish slowly. Once you locate a couple of fish, stop the boat and fish extremely slowly, putting as little action on you bait as possible.
Crappie fishing is still hit and miss during the daytime, but folks are doing well in the evenings by fishing along the deeper weed edges. There are a few small schools of Crappies beginning to gather on the steeper drop off areas near shore and this is a sign that some of the fall movements will begin soon. The best action occurs between 7:30 and 9:00 PM by fishing with small minnows on a plain hook, split shot sinker and a slip bobber in 10 ti 12 feet of water just outside the main weedlines. There are still lots of Crappies in the weedbeds, so experiment by fishing inside the weed edges too.
Perch action on Big Winnie has really improved during the past couple of weeks. There are quality fish in a variety of locations now with some fish on the mid depth flats, some on the weedlines and others on the deep drop off areas of the main lake bars like the Bena Bar, Moses Bar and Center Bar. Fish located in the shallower water are feeding on young Crawfish. So finding gravel or rock patches especially ones located near weeds, will help you locate schools of Perch. Jig and minnow combinations have been the best presentation. We've used 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with medium to large size fatheads. Water depths are really varied, but key depths have been 6 to 7 feet, 12 to 14 feet and 24 to 30 feet when the fish are located on the main mid-lake bars.
Walleye anglers are having their ups and downs right now, there are lots of small fish biting with a smattering of keepers mixed in. Some days are better than other right now and if you fish for several days and experiment with presentations,, you will have a good session. The action is better on the weedlines right now, but there are still some fish out on the main lake in deeper water too. We've probably caught as many fish on Jig and Minnow combinations as we have using live bait rigs with Leeches or Crawlers. There are also some fish hitting faster moving presentations like spinners and crankbaits on the weedlines. Key depths on Winnie have been 6 to 8 feet and on Cutfoot 12 to 16 feet. Cover water, experiment with baits and you will find some action.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 7-25-08

The surface water tempertures on Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux remain cool for this mid-summer period. We've seen the temperatures rise to about 73 degrees during the past week, but a series of thuderstorms, rain showers and cool nights dropped temperatures back down into the 66 to 68 degree range on Thursday (7-24).
Walleye fishing continues to be "above average" for this time of the season and we're finding fish in a variety of locations on both Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnibigoshish. Most often, anglers are favoring the mid lake humps and main bars for fish that are still gathered and feeding on insects and young of the year baitfish. This "middle" bite has just passed it's peak, but is still a good alternative, especially on calm days. Live bait rigs with Leeches have been the top performers in recent days. But night crawlers and jig and minnow combinations will still produce some fish. For a variety, the jig and minnow combo will get you some bunus Pike and Perch along with some Walleyes.
With a breeze, there are good schools of fish forming on weedlines and on the flats adjacent to them. We've had some success trolling small crankbaits like the Salmo #5 Hornet or the #5 Shad Raps on the weedlines in 6 to 8 feet of water. The crankbaits work best on days when you see lots of "suspended" fish on your electronics. If you mark fish near the bottom, stick with the conventional presentations. My preference has been night crawlers here, but jig and minnow, live bait spinners and leeches are all working on these shallow water weedlines.
Perch activity is picking up daily now and we're finding some good schools of fish on the deeper, mid lake humps. When we mark larger than average scools of fish on these "humps", we'll drop in a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce Bug Eyed Shorty tipped with a 3 to 4 inch minnow. Most of the time, the larger schools of fish are tending to be Perch. There are also some Pike and Walleye mixed in also, so be prepared for a mixed bag."
Panfish continue to bite far better during the evening than during daylight, but we are beginning to catch more of them during mid day. On Wednesday, we caught rougly 30 Bluegills, but kept only about a dozen of them. The Crappie anglers are anchoring along the weed edges in Cutfoot Sioux at 6 to 8 feet of water. Fishing with small jigs tipped with Crappie minnows will work well between 8:00 and 10:00 PM.
Pike and Musky fishing have been slow in the shallow water weedbeds. For anyone seriously searching for quality Pike, I'd suggest woking the main lake bars like the Bena Bar, Center bar or even some of the lager mid lake humps. We've had some success trolling LARGE crankbaits like the Salmo Whitefish or trolling a Live Bait Spinner with a #3 or #4 Colorado Blade, #1/0 hook and tipped with a 7 to 10 inch Creek Chub, Sucker or Redtail. We haven't seen any really large fish yet, but the average size is much better than the fish we've found in the shallows.
Remember that the Couples Fishing Tournament is coming up soon! Click here for more information or to sign up.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 7-16-08

Take in to account the variable, stormy weather, the peak of the Mayfly hatch and the explosion of "young of the year" baitfish populations and you'd have to say the Walleye bite in Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux has been pretty darn strong. Folks who spend some time looking for fish are finding and catching a good mixture of fish varying in size from 13 to 25 inches. We've had some of the more reliable action in Cutfoot Sioux especially if you're after some "eaters". A lot of the fish have run a bit on the small side during the past couple of weeks, but there are enough 14 to 16 inch fish to gather a good meal. You'll find the Walleye a bit deeper than usual this year so don't be afraid to check and fish depths of 16 to 26 feet. Some fish will still repond to a jig and minnow, but we've had our best luck using night crawlers and leeches. Lindy rigs with five to six foot leaders are a good starting point.

Panfish are getting more active with the warmer weather and there are a lot of anglers catching both Bluegill and Crappie during the evening. We haven't seen many Crappies during the day, but Bluegills are becoming a bit more active suring the mid-day and this will get better as the water "blooms" and weeds continue to develop. Look at areas along the weed edges and fish into the inside edges of weeds with small jigs tipped with pieces of cut night crawler or small leeches.
Remember that the Couples Fishing Tournament is coming up soon! Click here for more information or to sign up.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 6-25-08

This week has really been a time for weather catch up to summer on Big Winni and Cutfoot Sioux. We've had lots of sunshine and the lakes have responded. Water temperatures have risen from the mid 60's over the past weekend, to just a bit over 70 degrees now. There are a variety of insects hatching right now and this has really started to move fish out into the main lake.
For now, folks are still catching Walleye on jig and minnow combinations on the deeper bars and humps (reefs). Some of the structure located in the center of the big lake are still a little bare, but most of the structure around the outer edges of the lake have at least some fish on them.
We've already seen a shift in the preference toward Leeches and Night Crawlers though and I'd suggest having a supply of both leechs and crawlers. We're using a standard Lindy Rig with a heavy sinker in the 1/2 to 3/4 ounce range, a five to six foot leader and a light wire number 4 hook.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 6-18-08
The Walleye fishing on both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux continue to be good. The fish have been found moving into more traditional summer areas now that the weather is beginning to stabilize. If you love fishing the shallows, there are still plenty of fish in the 6 to 10 foot depth range. Jig and minnow combinations continue to produce, especially on the breezy days. Calm water periods call for a change of approach right now and I'd suggest moving out onto some of the deeper structure. On Tuesday, we found several small schools of fish on the humps located closest to the shoreline. Night crawlers have begun to produce, but the water seems to be a bit cold for a really good leech bite. With a predicted warm up on it's way, the bar and hump fishing should begin to really take off.

Panfish anglers are starting to show up with better catches of Bluegill during the past few days and with water temperatures in the mid to high 60 degree range in the backwater areas, the Bluegill fishing should continue to improve this week. Crappies are hitting during the evening as they move along mid depth weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water. Slip bobbers, 1/16 ounce jigs and medium size Crappie minnows will be your best bet. Anchor if it's breezy, but if you have calm water, try creeping along slowly with your electric motor to locate more active fish.

Perch action is getting more reliable on Lake Winnie, but they are still on and off. Some days we find active fish, some days we don't. Shallow weeds mixed with gravel or small rocks are your best bet. Some of the fish are feeding on small Crawfish and as the Crawfish become more plentful, the Perch will get more concentated on the rocky spots.
Remember that the Couples Fishing Tournament is coming up soon! Click here for more information or to sign up.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 6-1-08
Over the weekend we could really feal the "food chain" beginning to return to it's proper order. Mosquitoes and flies were active and the frogs were chirping like crazy.

Even though the Walleye are still located in the shallow water, I'm sensing a move to deeper waters in the short term future, maybe even this week. For the time being, continue to fish jig and minnow combinations on the shallow breaklines whenever there's a good drifting wind. When the winds calm, switch to fishing deeper water on the "flats" in 10 to 14 feet. Look for gravel or rock stretches and any sign of new weed growth. These structures will begin to hold baitfish that attract Walleye, Pike and perch. Don't overlook fishing in Cutfoot Sioux on the weedlines, points and near Bulrushes where Walleye fishing has been steady during the past week.

Check the water temperature as you begin fishing and be ready to move out onto main lake bars and humps when the surface temps reach the low to mid 60's. Lindy Rigs with Leeches or Night Crawlers, Jig & Minnow and live bait spinners will all work on the deeper main lake structures.

Fishing Update - Jeff Sundin 5-28-08
Daytime waether has really been improving and water temperatures are rising into the mid to high 50 degree range now. With the Shiner minnows running into the shallow water to begin their spawning cycle, Wallye fishing on the shoreline has continued to pick up. There are good sized schools of fish on all four sides of the lake right now. So if the wind is right for your favorite spot, you should be able to catch fish.
We're still using jig and minnow presentations to catch Walleye. 1/8 ounc jigs tipped with a Shiner, Large Fathead or a lively Rainbow Chub are all working well. The fish are starting to respond to a more aggressive jigging action now, so if you want to move up to a bit heavier jig, it won't hurt your chances of catching some fish. Colors working best for me right now are Gold, Glow-Pink, Glow-Blue, Perch and Yellow-Lime. For additional fishing reports Click Here.