Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report September 29, 2026

Bowen Lodge Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux fishing report

Summer-like conditions persist in the Deer River area. This week, warm daytime temperatures combined with overnight lows staying above 50 degrees, have stalled out any cooling of the water. Surface temperatures on both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux were a uniform 61-62 degrees as of Monday (September 28).

One would think that with water temperatures in this cool range, that fall migrations would be going at full speed and, in some ways, fish migrations do appear to be ramping up. But in other ways, fish are stubbornly clinging to both summertime habitats and warm water feeding patterns.

This is why using the term “spotty” may be the ultimate description of angler ‘s walleye success on both lakes right now. Virtually everybody has experienced at least one good day of fishing this past week. On the flipside, most of those same anglers have also suffered at least one or more days of hard fishing as well.

One of the factors that stalls fall progressions is healthy vegetation. Because we haven’t yet received a “hard frost” submerged vegetation remains green and inviting. So, despite the cooler water temperatures, green plant life continues to hold both bait and small gamefish. Provided the vegetation continues to attract and hold the small fish, predators like walleye, pike and perch have little incentive to move away from the patches of green cover and relocate along shoreline breaklines where they are easier to locate.

Another factor affecting the velocity of walleye catch rates for anglers is the balance of predator vs prey populations. Small perch, shiner minnows and other small fish populations are high, there are food sources everywhere. At the same time, the robust walleye class of 2019 has been heavily pressured over the past few years. With populations of those fish reduced, remaining fish have far less competition for food.  The result is walleyes that go on short, intense feeding runs whenever conditions are ideal. Anglers who locate them during these feeding runs enjoy good success while anglers who don’t locate the right fish at the right time often struggle.

Anglers who do “find the fish” report catching high quality, fat fish. They look like little footballs, fat in the middle with slim tapered heads and tails. Even shorter, 14- to 15-inch-long fish appear to be much larger than usual. The range of fish sizes being harvested indicates that there are several year classes present. Fish in the 16.5-to-17-inch size range appear to be the most abundant “keepers” available. Some fish in the 14-to-15-inch size range are coming too, and anglers report catching several larger, 20-to-22-inch size fish as well.

Key habitats for locating and catching walleyes include shoreline breaks with present vegetation. Two key depth ranges are the 9-to-12-foot breakline and the shallow water breaklines in depths of 5 to 6 feet deep. Another key location, rock and gravel rises, can be found on the lakes sprawling sand flats. When fishing rocks, water depth is not a factor, whether rocks are shallow or deeper, odds are they will be holding some fish.

Presentations for walleye vary, but some of the most productive methods have included wiggle worming with jigs and night crawlers, soft plastics, slip-floats with live bait and jigs with minnows. The “jig bite” a mainstay presentation during fall is becoming more productive every day. On Monday, one group reported catching about 50% of their walleyes using jigs and golden shiner minnows. The other 50% were caught using night crawlers.

Northern pike, also well fed, and fat are out on the prowl along shoreline breaks. Some fish are being caught on jigs and minnows, but trolling with shallow running crankbaits has been productive too. Try fishing over the tops of low-lying vegetation on the flats. Key water depths are 8 to 10 feet of water, or along the steeper breaklines in water depths of 12 to 20 feet deep.

Panfish have been keeping our guests busy this week. Sunfish have been plentiful, and the range of sizes includes some nice size fish. Locating sunfish using small spinners tipped with ½ nightcrawlers is productive. Once located, stop your boat and fish vertically using small jigs tipped with cut pieces of night crawler, or if you can get them, small leeches.

Crappie fishing action in the Cutfoot Sioux chain of lakes has been “okay”. Most folks are catching crappies using spinners tipped with minnows. But consider using small, 1/16-to-1/8-ounce jigs tipped with plastic action tails. Paddle tails, like the Ripple Shad can be cast into pockets in vegetation where harvesting a mixed bag is likely. Over open water, plastic lures can be trolled slowly using a swim-drop-swim-drop presentation.

Guest Post by Jeff Sundin Bowen Lodge Fishing Report September 19, 2026

Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux Chain of Lakes Walleye Report by Jeff Sundin

Fall fishing patterns have been slow to kick in on the Lake Winnibigoshish chain, but this week, cooling conditions have begun moving the lakes in the right direction. Last Wednesday morning, we recorded a shallow water temperature of 59 degrees, and at mid-lake on Winnie, average temperatures of about 64-to-65 degrees. Friday, (9-18) surface water temperatures on the big lake were a uniform 63 degrees wherever we traveled.

Jeff Sundin, Walleye Lake Winnibigoshish September 18 2026

 The strong algae bloom reported by Bowen Lodge a couple weeks back had declined somewhat already. Balls of white foam, representing the die-off of plankton, provided evidence yesterday morning of further declines in the algae blooms. That said, an average water clarity of somewhere around 8 to 10 feet deep remains favorable for anglers, especially when the weather produces ideal conditions.

 The term ideal conditions mean different things to different people, but for me, a snapshot of yesterday’s weather sums it up. Grey skies, paired with a southeast wind of 10 to 15 MPH that provided the classic “walleye chop” on the surface. Those conditions, on Friday, proved to be more than theoretically good, they definitely encouraged fish to move onto shallow water structures to feed.

Walleye chop on the water, Lake Winnie September 18, 2026

The fall session of “Fun with Dick and Paul”, a perennial topic in my daily fishing reports happened to be on day 3 yesterday. I’d already forewarned my crew that walleye fishing had been a struggle in recent weeks. “Unless we get a lucky break, and have the right weather, any great walleye bite might not happen,” I advised. Luckily, the right weather did arrive, Dick and Paul did enjoy an afternoon of good walleye action.

Our period of good fishing did not happen right away. Either it took me a while to get onto the right spot, or it took a while for the fish to begin moving and the action to start up. The reason that I’m unsure about that is because I’d been checking in with some of the other anglers we knew. Fishing in a variety of areas, they were almost all reporting a slow start to the morning. Sometime around noon, I started getting text messages from friends saying things like “we’re picking up a few” or “I’m starting to see a little action” or in one case, “we got 11 on the last pass”.

That one, the “we got 11” report, really grabbed my attention. Captain Jake Premo, who works the lake often, loves to fish with jigs and minnows and that’s what he and his crew were doing yesterday. Dick and Paul, and me too for that matter also love to fish with jigs and minnows. For them, it’s been the primary presentation for most of the 50 plus years that they’ve stayed on and fished both Cutfoot Sioux and Winnie.

Thanks to the heads up from Jake, we were able to get in the jig bite that reminded them of the good old days. I’m paraphrasing, but in Paul’s words, “This day is the first one in years that reminds of the early times we fished here. I remember when we used to motor out of the gap, head for the rock pile and drift in the waves, just like this. Even without fancy electronics, the wind and the waves brought the boat across the rocks, and the walleyes found us there, just like they’re doing now.”

Dick Williams Winnie Walleye September 18, 2026

I don’t want to make it sound too good, but Paul’s assessment was accurate. We rode the waves out to the far end of the rocks, threw the drift bag in the water and let the wind drift us back while we jigged. As we drifted, we hopped our 1/8-ounce live bait jigs, tipped with fatheads over the rocks, snagging up a little, getting pecked by perch a little, and occasionally, picking up a nice fat Winnie Walleye for the effort. By the time we were done, the boys were not filled out, but we were close, just a couple of fish short of their full bags.

The fish themselves were surprising to me too. The most recent year class of walleyes, thought to be a decent one, was the class of 2023. Those fish should not be much above 14-1/2 to 15-1/2 inches by now. Yesterday though, the fish we were catching ranged in size between 16 and 17 inches long. So, we may have gotten lucky and stumbled into a group of fish from a different year class. If not, the average size of the fish we caught would represent a phenomenal growth rate for the 2023-year class. More on that later.

Like I said, there were perch on the rocks where we fished too, but I can’t say they were large ones. We harvested some for supper, but most were below our typical 10 inches long standard, only a couple of them were in the 11-inch range. Back at the fish cleaning station, evidence of perch cleaned by other anglers was similar. There were some jumbos in the buckets, but mainly smaller, 9-to-10-inch perch were represented there.

Northern pike were out there too, and we caught a couple of them, but not many. Like the walleyes, they appear to be well fed, they were fat, chunky and even the 21-inch pike we harvested appeared to be larger than it was. I think this would be a good time to gather a few of the short but fat fish to use in some of your favorite recipes.

Crappie fishing in the Cutfoot Sioux chain of lakes has been “okay”, but maybe not fantastic. I hear from folks who have been working at catching them and they are usually finding enough fish for a meal. Most folks are using spinners and minnows to catch their crappies. But as I reported a couple of days ago, we’ve had better luck using jigs tipped with artificial lures. For a full report about crappies, read the report of September 18, 2026.

So, there’s our fishing report from yesterday. But “Fun with Dick and Paul” wouldn’t be as fun unless we stopped at the Gosh Dam Place for a fish fry. Almost every year the boys have a fish dinner each of the first 4 nights after our fishing trips. They still have fish on the 5th night, but that is always reserved for Suchi in Grand Rapids. Last evening, as usual, the meal at Gosh Dam Place was fabulous, with plenty of food, great service and good conversations. If you haven’t brought your own fish in for a meal, you should because I think you’d love it.

For folks headed toward Bowen’s today, or this week, I think you should be optimistic. Despite my report about the so-called ideal fishing conditions we enjoyed yesterday, friends have reported doing well, even on days when conditions have not been ideal. On calm days, trolling spinners and covering water sounds like the best game plan. Not everybody finds fish, but the ones who do are managing to get them to strike. It sounds like fishing in the 6-to-10-foot depth range, and searching for weedy cover has been the best strategy.

Advanced anglers who have forward sonar are still catching walleyes using slip floats. Leeches are no longer available, but using small jigs tipped with ½ night crawlers, or lively, medium-size minnows are effective. The best way to get some decent minnows is to buy the river mix and select the better ones for slip bobber fishing.

I have to mention one last thing, Paul noticed that I was using a different fillet knife last night and asked me about it. A couple of years ago, when Dick and Paul were here on their June fishing trip, they helped me get some fish to assist the Benchmade company to produce a video about how to fillet fish. At the time, Benchmade offered a 7 inch, “Water Series” fillet knife, and that’s the one I used in that video. Since then, they’ve come out with a 5-inch Water Series model as well. I helped them test one, completed a report and sent it back to the company.

Bowen’s is a Benchmade knife dealer and a few weeks ago, Jens handed me a new 5-inch fillet knife to replace the previous test model. I’ve been using that 5-inch Water Series knife since then and it is amazing. I still love the knives I used before too, but I have to say that this new 5-inch is even better than those. If you’re in neighborhood and have time to stop in, ask anyone in the lodge at Bowen’s to show you one.

Okay, now we’re on to day 4 of the fall session of Fun with Dick and Paul, and I’m not sure what we’ll do. If you check the fishing reports page on the FishRapper tomorrow, I’ll fill you in then.

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report September 4, 2026

As we roll into Labor Day weekend, Lake Winnie is undergoing some seasonal changes. Early signs of the annual transition between late summer and early fall migration patterns have begun.

 Timing is everything and so far, tracking the progress reminds us of watching a game of musical chairs. Fish activity, especially in shallow water ramps up on certain days, anglers discover “the spot”, and work it over. Then the fish move, disperse or simply become inactive for a time. The result is peaks and valleys in angler success, some days are great, some days are a struggle.

 Surface water temperatures remain slightly above 70 degrees. On Thursday, 71 to 72 degrees was the standard on all 4 sides of the big lake. Cutfoot Sioux remains slightly warmer, ranging between 71 and 73 degrees depending on the specific locations.

 The strong algae bloom we reported last week is still going on but is showing signs of a decline. Water clarity on the main lake now ranges between 8 to 10 feet deep, still low when compared to earlier summer readings this season but clearer than the 7-to-8-foot clarity we observed a couple of weeks ago.

 Walleye populations continue to increase along shoreline breaks and spread across the lakes sprawling flats. There are not only reports of improved walleye fishing action, but both perch and northern pike are showing up in classic early fall spots too. Steep breaklines that bridge the gap between patches of shallow vegetation and deep water are best for northern pike. Fish on the shallow side of the breaklines for walleyes and perch, 6 feet of water, down to about 10 feet at the base of the breaklines has been productive.

 The most reliable presentation for walleyes continues to be trolling spinners. At times, tipping the spinners with night crawlers is an advantage, but medium to large fatheads are the standard live bait, and most of the time, effective. Alternative presentations for walleye are slip-floats with night crawlers or leeches, and trolling crankbaits on the flats.

 Jigs and minnows have yet to become effective for catching walleyes but both northern pike and perch are hitting them. In fact, one group trolled through an area with spinners and caught only walleyes on Thursday. After the trolling pass, they returned to the beginning of their run and drifted back using jigs and minnows. Perch and pike responded to the drifting pass, but no walleyes were caught. Likewise, jigging with paddle tails or other soft plastics has been okay for pike but are being snubbed by the walleyes.

 Crappie fishing in the Cutfoot Sioux chain of lakes has been “okay”, but not fantastic. Folks who work at it are finding enough fish for a meal, and they are using spinners and minnows to catch them. As the vegetation dies off, there will likely be an uptick in the crappie action, and we’ll report on that when it happens.

 Sunfish continue to be active in the Cutfoot chain of lakes too but as water temperatures cool, presentations are changing. Trolling spinners is still a good way to locate fish, but once found, anglers are better off switching to slow moving lures tipped with cut pieces of night crawler. Ice jigs, especially the compact but heavy tungsten jigs are a good choice. Fish the edges and inner pockets around patches of mixed cabbage, coontail and pondweeds. Sunfish love small patches of gravel or sand located amidst the vegetation.

 Traffic during the week leading into Labor Day has been light, but we’re seeing some new arrivals now. It’s liable to be a busy weekend on the lake, and with luck, most folks will find some decent fishing out there.

 Good luck, and always remember, you’re welcome to swing by the lodge for a chat. We’re always up for fishing stories from the lake.

Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux Late Summer Walleye Migrations August 24, 2026

August 24, 2026, Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux Late Summer Walleye Migrations Report

Look at the calendar, Labor Day is almost upon us! Lake Winnie, and the Cutfoot Sioux chain of lakes are in the throes of the annual transition between late summer and early fall migration patterns.

There is a strong algae bloom going on right now and water clarity is low when compared to mid-summer readings. The Secchi disk readings on Sunday ranged from 7 to 8 feet deep depending on the lake location where they were taken. The decreased water clarity has helped make it easier for anglers to approach schools of fish. At the same time, strong algae blooms encourage fish to move away from deep water where oxygen levels are decreasing.

August 23, 2026: The Secchi disk reading on Lake Winnie was 7 to 8 feet deep

Baitfish, small gamefish and walleyes are now showing up in greater numbers along shoreline breaks and spread across the lakes sprawling flats. There are recurring stories of improved walleye fishing action and perch, pike and crappies are beginning to show up in classic early fall spots. Steep breaklines that bridge the gap between patches of shallow vegetation and deep water. Best fishing depths range from 8 feet on the shallow side, down to about 16 feet at the base of the breaklines.

Baitfish, small gamefish and walleyes are showing up on Lake Winnie’s shoreline flats.

Both the lake and the fish are doing what they can to satisfy anglers. Now all we need is a little extra cooperation from Mother Nature. Whenever she delivers a bit more breeze, and a little less sunshine, fishing patterns are likely to become both predictable and reliable.

Over the past week, anglers who fished on “the good days”, breezy and cloudy reported excellent catches. Anglers fishing during periods of high blue skies and calm conditions have struggled. At times, both sets of circumstances occur on the same day.

Lake Winnie Walleye action Friday August 21, 2026

This report, delivered by one of the better Lake Winnie Walleye guides, sums it up.

“We did well in the morning, there was a ripple on the water, and the clouds covered the sun. Before noon, we had a half dozen keeper walleyes and had released a half dozen others. Northern Pike, and some perch were showing up along the same weedline on the north shore. Then the sun burned off the morning fog, the breeze stopped blowing and the lake went flat. Once conditions changed, the fish went inactive and the afternoon was a grind.”

Look at the photos above of Joe and Nick Jarosinski provided by another one of our preferred fishing guides. The background tells the story of their fishing trip. Cloudy skies, breezy conditions and flats filled with baitfish triggered a strong feeding run. Trolling with spinners and night crawlers produced walleye limits for the duo along with some bonus protected slot size fish that they released.

That was Friday, and by Sunday, the weather turned calm and bright. Fishing in the same areas, using the same tactics, with the same fishing guide produced meager results. The fish didn’t disappear, and they didn’t stop biting altogether, the crew just had to work harder, and smarter for fewer fish.

Calm + Sunny = Tough Conditions for Walleyes

Sunday’s action improved by moving away from the flats on Winnie, and onto weedier flats in Big Cutfoot Sioux. By working the pockets and edges of mixed cabbage and coontail patches, the crew was able to catch more fish, and a wider variety of fish species. Walleye, sunfish, pike and perch were sharing the territory, separated by vegetation types and water depths. Walleyes held in 14 to 16 feet of water, while pike, and the others held shallower, in 8 to 10 feet, wherever the vegetation was thicker.  

There are still quite a few “scopers” and advanced anglers locating schools of walleyes on mid-lake structures. We mentioned in the last report that those fish have been heavily pursued, and the reported results have been hits and misses. While walleye populations on deeper structures, mud humps and small reefs do persist, it’s likely better to leave those areas to the pros. Populations on shallower structures, or even on the tops of Bena, Horseshoe, Center and Sugar Bars are larger and more easily approached using conventional presentations.

Water temperatures remain warm, ranging between 71 to 73 degrees. In those warm temperatures, trolling presentations, along with aggressive jigging style presentations produce the best results. Spinners tipped with live bait are the most widely used lures right now. Trolling crankbaits, casting jigging raps or throwing paddle tails are effective alternatives.

We love walleyes, as most folks do. But panfish are fun and tasty, and there are a lot of guests taking advantage of the strong sunfish action that’s been occurring in both Big Cutfoot and the smaller, Little and Little-Little Cutfoot lakes. Sunfish numbers are high, and their locations are widespread, so location is the easy part. Catching quality size bluegills requires a little more effort.

Trolling with spinners tipped with night crawlers or small leeches will help you locate fish. Switching to slower presentations will be more effective for catching larger size fish. Small jigs tipped with cut pieces of night crawlers or cut up leeches will work. Experiment using tiny plastic lures on small jigs, or on ice fishing lures. Mini-Mites, 1-1/2-inch tubes, and 2-inch plastic worms are good choices. Use colors that mimic insect larvae or small redworms. Brown, orange, motor oil and black are solid color choices for panfish.

Our opinion hasn’t changed from what we said in the last report, perch fishing continues to baffle us! There are small perch everywhere, but jumbos have been elusive. Nomadic by nature, any good perch bite found in one spot today seems to be gone by tomorrow. As a rule, schools of perch show up while early fall patterns for walleyes take shape. We expect to see more, and larger perch showing up soon.

Crappies are far from a featured topic in our current reports. That said, there are more of them showing up in the mix this week. Anglers report catching small numbers of them in the Cutfoot Sioux chain as they troll spinners. So far, most fish have been found in and around vegetation like coontail, cabbage and pondweed. Some crappies have been caught in shallow cover like Lilly Pads and along the edges of cattails.

To pursue crappies, try starting early in the morning and cast small jigs with action tails along the edges of vegetation. Twister tails, Ripple Shads, 2-inch Slabalicious and 1-1/2-inch tubes are all good choices. Color combos including white, yellow, chartreuse and red are good choices.

Large fish like musky, bass and trophy pike have been caught in good numbers recently. Last week, we had 9 musky catches reported here at the lodge. One guest caught a 40-inch northern pike, a true monster these days.

The full moon of August occurs this week on Thursday 8-27-2026. The full late summer moon period typically signals an uptick in catches of large fish. The stage is set for an excellent set of conditions, and this could easily be a week filled with stories about more trophy fish catches. All we need is a little cooperation from Mother Nature, let’s hope so!

Remember, you’re always welcome to pay us a visit. We have a great boat ramp, live bait, boat fuel and tackle. And for folks in the market for quality cutlery, Bowen Lodge is a Benchmade dealer. The water series fillet knives, along with dozens of other Benchmade products, are available here, in our lodge. Whether e see you or not, we wish you good luck on the lake!

Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnibigoshish Fishing Report August 11, 2026

We’re on the verge of seasonal change; mid-summer giving way to the late-summer, early fall migrations. It seems too early for the “fall-bite”, and for now, it is, but fishing reports from guests and friends reveal glimpses of what lies ahead.

Jake Hamilton with a nice walleye from Little Cutfoot Sioux

Walleye fishing, depending on the angler who reports it, is good, bad, or somewhere in-between. The upshot is that when you locate the “right school” of fish, you will be rewarded with good action. The wrong school of fish, an inactive one, will frustrate, giving the impression that all the fish in the lake are simply not biting.

Somewhere between the two extremes are the anglers who locate small, isolated spots that hold singles, doubles, or smaller schools of fish. Often, the non-traditional locations anglers find are the places that provide the best surprises. The photo of Jake Hamilton, above, shows a nice Little Cutfoot Sioux walleye that was hiding along the edges of lily pads and wild rice. Trolling through the vegetation using spinners tipped with a minnow fooled that fish.

File photo, Lake Winnie Walleye Anglers

At the same time, there was another group of anglers fishing on the southeast side of Winnie, along the shoreline in water depths of 6 to 7 feet and having a great day. Further up the shoreline, anglers fishing the 10-to-14-foot breakline at High Banks also reported a good walleye catch. Another group, fishing in Big Cutfoot, found a small, but active school of walleyes in a stand of cabbage weeds.

The “scopers”, fishing pros, and highly experienced anglers using advanced electronics, continue to locate schools of walleyes on mid-lake structures on the big lake. Those fish have been heavily pursued, and the reported results have been hits and misses. Walleye populations on deeper structures, mud humps and small reefs seem to be thinning out. Populations on larger, sprawling structures like Bena, Horseshoe, Center and Sugar Bars appear to be building in numbers.

The clues provided in these reports all point to a pattern that typically develops during late summer. Walleye populations move away, from deep, mid lake humps and take up residence in shallower water. Even on the lake’s big bars, fish will stack up on the high side of breaklines in water depths of 12 to 16 feet. Shoreline fish will relate both to whatever vegetation that’s available and weather conditions. Calm days with sunshine will force fish over to the flats with sparse vegetation. Windy days with dark skies send them shallow, into water depths of 4 to 8 feet.

Paul Babcock with a nice Cutfoot Sioux Walleye August 5, 2026

Presentations will vary with fish locations, and water conditions but generally, faster moving lures will produce good results. This is especially true now, while water temperatures remain warm, 72 to 73 degrees, and while there is a robust algae bloom in the lakes.

Cloudy water conditions offer some protection for anglers and allow success using trolling presentations. Spinners tipped with live bait is a mainstay for both walleyes and pike. So are crankbaits trolled over mid-depth flats with patches of gravel or rock. Over vegetation, trolling at 1.1 to 1.3 MPH while jigging with soft plastics is a tactic that’s growing in popularity too. For an interesting story about jigging with paddle tails, we suggest reading an article published last fall. In it, the author offers a comparison between using spinners, vs fishing with jigs and plastics. Read the article >> Sundin Fishing Report September 14, 2025

Recreation, rather than fishing, has been the primary goal for many of our guests. For them, walleye fishing hasn’t made the high end of their priorities list. Instead, sunfish have proven to be both entertaining and delicious for families and casual anglers.

Trolling spinners tipped with night crawlers or small leeches have produced a lot of fish this summer. As water temperatures fall, slower presentations will prove to be more effective. For now, use spinners as a search tool to locate sunfish. Once located, hold your boat still and switch to small jigs tipped with cut pieces of bait, or use tiny plastic lures.

Perch fishing continues to baffle us, they’re active but very nomadic. When folks encounter their schools, they bite. Often though, perch found in one spot today will not be found there again later. Typically, perch follow similar migration patterns as walleyes do and we expect to hear improving reports in the coming weeks.   

As we head into the Labor Day holiday, the casual family vacation will begin turning into more serious fishing vacations. As the intensity increases, so too will the frequency of our fishing reports. Please be sure to check in often as the action begins ramping up, we’ll be here to let you know how it progresses.