Walleye On The Prowl, Fall Fishing Winnie Heating Up

After a recent cold snap brought surface temperatures down into the 59 degree range, walleyes on Winnie showed signs of starting a full scale migration toward Cutfoot. Fish were found following traditional routes such as the shoreline breaks from Stony Point headed east and heading west along the Mississippi River channel through Tamarack Bay. Highbanks, another traditional fall shoreline pathway for walleye began heating up as well.

Mike & Lisa Lindholm with nice Winnie Walleyes!

This week, warm air temperatures and lots of sunshine warmed the surface water. By Wednesday afternoon, 62 to 63 degree readings were the norm and there was an algae bloom developing on the surface. The warmer, calmer, conditions did not seriously impact angler’s ability to catch walleyes, but they did appear to temporarily stall out any full scale exodus from Winnie into Cutfoot.

With plenty of food, adequate cover and comfortable water temperatures, many of the fish simply held position wherever they were at the time of the warm-up. Shoreline related drop offs and weed edges still hold good numbers of walleye. Others though, staged a retreat back into deeper water and were found on slow tapering flats and shoreline breaks leading into the lake’s deep water.

On the shoreline, fish move shallower when there’s a breeze, deeper when it’s calm. Key depths are 8 to 10 feet typically, but never leave an area with first searching the 6 to 8 foot breaks, as well as the 10 to 14 foot ones. Fish also move up and down in response to angling pressure. So if you’re the first one to arrive in an area, start your search shallower. If you arrive late to a party of other anglers, be the one who checks the deeper breakline first.

Some of our anglers have reported catching fish on the lakes larger bars. Key depths range from 18 to 26 feet and when found, the fish are gathered in larger schools. Their attitudes are positive and they have been willing to bite, but these larger schools of fish appear to be producing fewer “keeper” size walleye.

To us, the keeper would be a suggested 14 inch minimum (for 2020), in 2021, we may suggest raising the bar. Right now, it is the availability of fish that dictates which sizes might be harvested. Right now, 14 inches is about the best we can expect from the lake on most days, that’s just where we are in the development of 2018 year class fish. But if the fish populations and growth rates follow the expected trajectory, 2021 will offer anglers the chance to be much more selective.

We would love to see the great fishing continue and we will do our best to help guide you in the decision making process. Hopefully with an eye cast toward not only providing great opportunity for harvesting fish to eat, but also preserving opportunities for as long as possible; more on that later.

Fall Colors North Shore Lake Winnie

Presentations are simple, jig and minnow combinations will produce plenty of walleye. Perch and pike will come along in the mix as well. For most, 1/8 ounce size jigs have been the mainstay, use ¼ ounce when fishing the deeper, main lake bars. Blue-glow, chartreuse-green, orange and glow-perch have been reliable colors. Minnow supplies have been spotty, but when you can get them, larger fatheads, rainbows and shiners are best. The size of the minnow is what’s important; spend a little extra if you can get minnows in the 3-4 inch size range.

The fall crappie patterns are slow to settle in this year. Angler’s reports are sporadic, some find action in deep water, some locate fish in the weeds and many … do not find them at all. It is hard to say if and when panfish action will really fire up in Cutfoot or Little Cutfoot, but we are keeping tabs on developments.

We are close to, or at the peak of fall color right now. The leaves, particularly around Cutfoot, are spectacular. The loons are gathering on the big lake too, a trip to the middle of Winnie on a calm day will lead you to a great photo opportunity. All this, combined with good fishing, makes this a time to savor. Get outside and get your fill now because this time of the season never lasts long enough.

Location, Location, Location ... Fall Walleye Patterns For Winnie Walleye

The phrase “It is all about location”, is often credited to somebody in real estate. But we think that the phrase could have easily been coined long ago by a seasoned, veteran fisherman.

That’s because right now on Winnie, it truly is all about location. In fact, we’ve observed that catching fish is a simple as finding fish. It is one pivotal time of the open water season when our guests who know how to locate fish on their electronics turn in consistently good fishing reports.

On Cutfoot and Winnie, the transition from summer into fall is always an exciting time. Fish, migrating from summer hideouts into fall feeding areas makes them vulnerable to anglers. For a time, they are easy to catch, but at the same time, they are prone to moving frequently from one area of the lake to another.

Migration corridors on the big lake really aren’t hard to figure out. A large proportion of Winnie’s walleyes follow the breaklines of mid-lake, super-structures, huge mid-lake bars that connect directly to the shoreline, The Bena Bar, Center Bar, Sugar Bar and Stony Point Flats are all good examples.

As small schools of fish move toward the shoreline by following the edges of these bars, they start showing up on shoreline breaks and on the flats that lay adjacent to them. As smaller schools continue to arrive, they amass into larger and larger schools, and feeding becomes their #1 priority. This is how we find ourselves in the throes of “the fall bite.”

At this point, we have already seen evidence of some early migrations. Our guests have found good schools of walleyes along both the north shore and also further west toward Ravens Point. Those areas were prime locations during a recent period of continued, strong west winds. Now that the winds have calmed and become more variable, similar schools of fish are showing up on the east side of Winnie too. Tamarack Bay, Highbanks and Little Stony point are entering the conversation much more frequently.

The image of the dock at our marina shows dislodged aquatic vegetation and foam floating at the surface. The dye-off of both plants and plankton are sure signs of fall, they reveal how cool air temperatures bring about change in fish habitat.

Foamy Surface and Dying Vegetation Reveal Cooling Water Temperatures

As the water cools, it has cleared somewhat, but there is still a healthy algae bloom. The above average turbidity compares favorably to the past few years and continues to encourage a good old fashioned shoreline bite on the big lake. Weed edges found at water depths of 6 to 8 feet still produce good catches. Deeper breaklines along the shore hold fish too; fishing in depths of 10 to 12 feet was particularly productive over the weekend. Still deeper, the breaklines leading into mid-lake are hosting schools of fish too; you will find them at 20 to 24 feet deep.

Jig and minnow presentations are overtaking summertime trolling presentations, especially when fish are found on structure. Fish located on long stretches of shoreline can still be caught using Little Joe Spinners, but we now think of this presentation as a method of exploration. If you don’t already have an idea where to fish, it’s a good way to find good fishing spots.  Once located, schools of fish can be more effectively pursued using the jig and minnow.

Pike, in large numbers, will be found on the shoreline breaks along with the walleyes. You wouldn’t need to do anything special to catch some, but if you are interested in catching larger numbers of them, then trolling would be a good tactic. Spoons, large spinnerbaits, crankbaits and even the Little Joe Spinners will all produce pike.

It’s been interesting to see the number of these fish that have grown large enough to grow out of the protected slot size. Fish exceeding 26 inches are not the norm, but they are not rare either. Pike anglers have a good chance of catching a couple larger fish, along with plenty of 20 to 21 inch fish for the dinner table.

Panfish and perch are teasing us, they show up sporadically, but fishing for them has been inconsistent. Relatively few crappies and sunfish have evacuated the weeds and whenever any small school of either species moves out into open water, they are immediately located and pursued heavily by anglers. It will probably take another cold snap or two before weeds will die off and force panfish into open water.

As fall migrations progress, we’ll weigh in with news from our friends and guests who are fishing the lakes. Enjoy the scenery and Good Luck!

Prelude To Fall Fishing Patterns On Lake Winnie

By now, most everybody knows that the fishing on Winnie has been good. Walleye, perch and pike have kept anglers busy for the better part of a month. Until late last week, catching fish has been a simple matter of finding a school, rigging up with your favored presentation and figuring out the right boat speed.

The late summer peak, we believe, coincided with the arrival of a full moon that occurred just yesterday, September 2nd. As the moon waxed toward maturity, not only did the fishing action intensify, but there was also a noticeable uptick in the size of fish that we saw anglers on the lake catching.

The accompanying image shows some of the larger walleyes that were active on Tuesday, the day of the full moon. The Armstrong crew caught a half dozen larger walleyes, along with dozens of smaller fish. It took some effort to catch fish over 14 inches, but the 3 man crew did report harvesting 12 fish in the 14 to 15 inch size range.

Key fishing depths ranged between 4 and 8 feet, with a few fish caught deeper. Wind swept shoreline points produced well, so did areas with shallow weed cover.

Phil & Jackie Goettl and family had a great day on the lake Saturday, returning to the dock with nice walleye and bonus perch. Goettl; “Our guide suggested 14 inches as the minimum size for keeper walleyes and 10 inches for perch. We had to do some sorting, but managed to catch 24 walleyes and 24 perch, all in the size ranges we targeted.” “There were 6 of us fishing, so we didn’t fill out, but the batch of fish we caught was really good,” they added.

Key fishing depths were 5 to 7 feet along the edges of shoreline breaks. Patches of weed, mixed with gravel produced the most fish. Points extending away from the shoreline produced few fish, but sharper breaks located on inside corners held large numbers of fish.

Lake Winnie Walleyes

Always a catalyst for change, the full moon intensified something besides the fishing action, it brought about major changes in the weather. Cooler weather arrived last Sunday and has persisted ever since. Surface water temperatures have now dropped from the mid-70s down to the mid-60s in less than a week.

Cooler water temperatures will force changes in fishing presentation. While most anglers are still fishing with spinners, the number of folks switching to jig and minnow presentations has increased. For now, both remain reliable, so you can go with your favorite method. But keep an eye on the thermometer and as waters cool into the low-60s, experiment more with jigging presentations.

Falling temperatures should trigger panfish migrations too, but we haven’t heard reports of any full-scale transformations yet. During fall, crappies have a way of showing up out of nowhere, so we’ll be paying close attention to them this week. From what we know today, trolling the weed edges with spinners is likely the best way to locate them. Once you’ve identified the location of a school, it may be better to switch gears and fish with small plastics and lightweight jigs.

The strong west winds that arrived with the cold front have also challenged the creativity of our guests. Knowing where the fish are and having access to them can sometimes be two different things. For those with larger boats, it has been manageable; guests with smaller rigs have chosen to focus on fishing in Cutfoot.

As we roll into the Labor Day weekend, the weather forecast calls for more moderate conditions. We’ll have better access to more fishing spots, and also have more reports from our guests. Be sure to join us for updates as we track the progression into fall fishing patterns.

What's Biting On Winnie? Everything! Bowen Lodge Fishing Report August 23, 2020

A familiar fall scene on Cutfoot Sioux, crappies, and they are beginning to turn up in the mix of fish our guests are catching. These fish were caught on Saturday August 22nd by Keith Eden (L) and Kenny Shipler (R) using Little Joe Spinners tipped with fatheads.

Nomadic in nature, crappies travel between summer and fall haunts as the lake transitions from the warm water period, into the cool water season.

For a time, crappie locations vary with both the weather and time of day. During early morning and late evening, some of them are sneaking out of vegetation and showing up along steep breaklines in water depths of 18 to 24 feet. Inside turns, adjacent to weedy flats and close the shoreline are key early season locations.

It is cool weather that helps accelerate the movement out of shallow weeds, but when conditions warm and the sun shines, many crappies will retreat back into heavy cover. Cabbage, Coontail and Wild Celery are the 3 most common locations to find them. For the moment, Cabbage appears to be the most preferred cover; that’s where the fish you see here were caught.

Presentation depends on both angler preference and level of skill. Trolling spinners tipped with fatheads is often the easiest way for folks to catch crappies in the cabbage, but not necessarily the most efficient. For peak efficiency, skilled anglers casting small jigs tipped with plastic tails are likely to do better. Creep along the weedline, casting into pockets and gaps in the vegetation using a drop-swim-drop retrieve.

Walleyes and the development of Winnie’s 2018 year class have been on the minds of anglers for a while. Now, many of those 2018 fish are reaching maturity and some of them are also reaching the fish cleaning station.

“They’re not big, but they are plentiful and folks have been anxious to get after them; almost everyone is catching fish each day. If you were to voluntarily set your sights on a 14 inch minimum size, you will catch enough “keepers” for the dinner table and have plenty of action too.” So say’s Reed Ylitalo, one of our preferred fishing guides on both Winnie and Cutfoot.

“Most folks are trolling spinners and they might be catching larger numbers of fish than me. But I’ve been fishing with jigs, tipped with decent size minnows and on average; I think it has helped my customers’ a little bit larger size fish. I’m using a 1/8 ounce Lindy Live bait Jig tipped with shiners when I can get them. Larger fatheads or rainbows will also work in a pinch.” Ylitalo added.

Walleye locations are all over the map this year, aided in part by the lake’s heavier than average algae bloom. With diminished water clarity, walleyes will move into shallow water on breezy days or during prime time feeding periods early and late in the day. It has not been unusual to catch fish in 6 to 8 feet of water; folks who have been coming here for a long time are reminded of how walleye fishing was during the “good old days”, the pre-Zebra Mussel times.

Don’t expect fish to bite all day long in the shallows though, especially not on bright, calm days. During mid-day, it’s been easier to find and catch fish in deeper water. Some of the lakes larger bars are holding fish and fishing the breaklines in 18 to 26 feet can be productive during the day.

Some of the shoreline points that lead into deep water are productive too. Fish that move shallow to feed in the morning, move deeper during the daytime. A good example would be fish that inhabit the area near Stony Point. It’s been common to for fish to migrate back and forth between shallow and deeper water; sometimes several times a day.

The lakes flats have been productive at times too; gravel and rock patches will hold fish periodically. There was an article about fishing the flats last week that contained some good tips. If you’re interested, you might want to check it out using this link to Jeff Sundin Lake Winnie Report August 19, 2020

The changeable locations will keep anglers on their toes; but anyone who keeps searching is going to be rewarded with some decent action.

Adding to the action are both perch and pike, they have been available in good numbers. The average sizes have been respectable too; anglers could set their sights on perch over 10 inches and easily be able to gather plenty for a meal.

Pike in Winnie appear to be helped by the “Northern Zone” 22 to 26 protected slot limit. This season, it has been much easier to find and catch fish that have crossed over the 26 inch mark. We haven’t seen many fish over 30 inches yet, but there have been lots of 26 to 27 inch fish.

Most of our guests are catching pike while they pursue walleyes. Whether they’re trolling spinners or using jigs and minnows, the pike just come along occasionally. Trolling crankbaits on the flats, especially the large flats on both Center and Bena Bars will produce good numbers of pike too. And if you’re into live bait rigging, A Lindy Rig tipped with large creek chubs or sucker minnows will produce fish too. The steep breaklines on all of the lakes larger mid-lake bars are good locations for rigging pike.

With fall just around the corner, it appears that our guests are in for a treat. Proven populations of walleye, pike and perch should keep most folks busy. The jury is still out about how good the panfish action will be, but there are early indications that there will be good news on that front too. All in all, it looks like we have a great fall headed our way!

Anglers Find Lake Winnie Walleyes On The Prowl

If we’ve learned anything over the past few weeks, it is that there are a lot of walleyes in Big Winnie right now.

Catching them depends on a combination of good timing, ingenuity and persistence. But any angler who sticks with it, can not only make their own “luck”, but can do it their own way.

Take the entrants in last weekend’s walleye tournament for example. Pre-fishing was a grind, sunny, calm conditions favored the walleye, but the anglers, not too much. But on tournament day, the air was cool and a steady breeze blew up a good chop on the lake; the fish decided it was time to take advantage of the feeding opportunity.

Our friend Jeff Sundin compared notes with some of his friends who finished in the top 10 and found out presentations, water depths and locations varied. There were fish caught in shallow water weeds, on the flats and in deep water too. There were fish caught on jigging baits, slip-bobbers, crankbaits and spinners; all mainstay presentations for Winnie and all readily available to our guests.

Area fishing guide, Sean Colter, who along with Dave Hernesman, finished 7th with a 5 fish weight of 23.17 pounds. That’s an impressive average of 4-1/2 pounds per fish and what helped the team cash a check, but they didn’t only catch large fish. Colter; “It was great to see all of the small fish out there.”

For Colter/Hernesman, the presentation that worked best was trolling spinners in water depths of 20 to 30 feet. “We caught a ton of fish using jigging raps too, but the spinners allowed catching fish of all sizes.”

Chris Messerschmidt, (pictured) pulled off a 2nd place win and along with Brian Messerschmidt cashed a check for $2500.00. Chris shared some info with Sundin too, Messerschmidt; “Pre-fishing was tough, but on tournament day the bite was awesome! We threw back so many 20+ inch fish it was unreal.”

Chris Messerschmidt With Lake Winnie Walleye

Trolling crankbaits on a mid-lake flat in about 14 feet of water was the key to their success.

Telling was the information Chris revealed when discussing the team’s pre-tournament strategy. “After a tough bite during the week, we planned to fill our card with small fish and then hope for a better one or two that would help move us up in the standings. But after doubling up on our first trolling pass, it was obvious that the game was on for fish on Sunday.”

Al & Bev Standly, 1st place winners of the event trolled Lindy Spinners behind traditional bullet sinkers in shallow water, 11 to 14 feet deep. “Gold and orange blades were the most productive. We started with night crawlers as the live bait, but switched over to leeches after the perch terrorized the worms.” Standly said.

Another presentation that worked for anglers over the weekend was using small jigs suspended below slip bobbers and tipped with ½ night crawlers. The secret is cruise slowly to locate fish on your electronics and then simultaneously drop your offer as you kick the engine into neutral. Allow the bait to float through the fish once, then maybe back up for a second pass. If they don’t strike in a few minutes, begin cruising again until more fish are located.

Reports from contestants indicated that many of the walleyes from the 2018 year class are getting close “keeper size.” Today, 13 inch fish are becoming common and if past growth rates are repeated, it’s not unlikely that we could see 14 inch from the strong class of 2018 later this fall. Without doubt, the fish will be desirable to most anglers during the 2021 fishing season.

We know that the fishing can’t be great every day, but it’s fun to see that when conditions turn favorable, the fish do cooperate. We know that there will still be some ups and downs, but from here on out, conditions will be more favorable, more often. As we approach fall and the walleyes natural instinct to fatten up before winter kicks in, the odds of being at the right place at the right time will only improve.

Panfish anglers have enjoyed some success recently too.

Warm weather has pushed surface water temperatures up to nearly 80 degrees and sunfish are moving into pockets and gaps between heavy vegetation. Small patches of mixed gravel and marl contain insect hatches that attract and hold panfish. You can locate them by trolling with spinners tipped with small leeches, but once you find them, it is often best to stop moving, mark the spot and fish vertically.

Crappies are showing up on the weed edges too and they are becoming easier to find during the daytime. Trolling spinners tipped with minnows along the weed edges offers a starting point. Once located, casting small jigs may be more efficient. Use jigs tipped with plastic action tails or those rigged with spinners like beetle spins or road runners. The flash of the spinners, or the swimming action of plastic tails are super-attractive during late summer.

Perch numbers appear to be lower this season, but the average size has been good. Most of the perch are being caught by anglers in search of other species. If you encounter a school of good size fish, it is a good idea to stop the boat and fish vertically. Jig and minnow combinations will work well, so will Lindy Rigs that are trimmed short, 12 to 18 inches long and tipped with small minnows.