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.