July 1, 2022 Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report

Turbulent weather has kept fishing guests “on their toes”, particularly ones who love spending most of their time on the big lake. The pattern, if you want to call it that, has been to squeeze in a few hours of quality fishing time whenever the weather presents an opportunity.

Walleyes, still receiving the lion’s share of attention, are turning up in a wider variety of locations. There are still decent numbers of fish on mid-depth flats near Third River, Tamarack Bay and at the west side of Winnie. Key depths range from 10 to 14 feet on the flats where you’ll find scattered pods of walleyes feeding.

Mid-lake bars and humps are generating some attention mow too. Experienced anglers recognize walleye migrations following typical seasonal trends, starting on bars that connect directly to the shoreline, and then fanning out toward more isolated structures.

Key depths vary with weather conditions, sunshine forces fish deep, often found suspended out and away from the breaklines. Clouds, rain and a good chop encourages fish to move up onto the structure, typically holding at the upper edges and occasionally, onto to the tops of the sprawling bars. Fish found “on top”, in the 14-to-18-foot depth range will be active and feeding. Fish found in deeper water, 28 feet and deeper are frequently in a holding pattern, and they may or may not be feeding.

Vegetation, like cabbage beds are producing fish too, but have become increasingly difficult to locate. Some say it’s because of the Rusty Crawfish, an invasive species that decimates vegetation. Whether that is truly the cause of declines in plant life or not, know that when you do locate a good cabbage patch, you’ll likely find fish in it.

Presentations for catching walleyes include slip-floats, Lindy Rigging, jig and minnow, and trolling spinners. Anglers fishing during late evening and after dark, are trolling with crankbaits as well.

Cooler weather, combined with high water conditions are keeping the lake water both clear and relatively cold. Surface temperatures now oscillating between the high 60s and low 70s depending on the conditions of the day. Because the water is so clear, anglers have struggled on sunny days. Even during breezy conditions, anglers faced with sunshine and blue skies are advised to fish the early morning and late evening for better odds of success.

Northern Pike now found roaming the steep edges of mid-lake bars are striking large minnows. Trolling with live bait spinner rigs and suckers in the 6-to-10-inch size range will be productive. So will drift fishing using slip-floats to suspend the large minnows 3 to 4 feet above the bottom. To date, there is no evidence of significant pike activity in shallow water. That said, any premium cabbage bed or rock pile is usually worthy of a few casts using larger spinnerbaits, spoons, or large, shallow diving crankbaits.

Bass and panfish are on the prowl in shallow water. Bluegills have been fanning beds, and some of them are done spawning. Others. Interrupted by turbulent weather, are not finished with spawning. This makes locating them interesting, some are located in stands of bulrushes, others are on patches of gravel and some of them will be located in cabbage or other vegetation.

Casting small “spin-jigs” like a beetle spin or road runner will help locate fish. Once found, your presentation can be fine tuned to match the situation.

Don’t get caught off-guard by the game warden, Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot are part of the “Quality Sunfish Initiative” and have a 5 sunfish limit now. So be sure to keep close tabs on your fish count.

Perch fishing has been spotty. There are schools of nice ones located occasionally, but consistency is moderate at best. Soft bottom areas near deep structure, gravel patches and wild celery are key locations. Locating good food sources is key, but perch are very adaptable, so those sources vary. Insect hatches, particularly midge, will attract them. So will crawfish and larger schools of smaller, minnow size perch in the 1-1/2-to-3-inch range.

Once located, jig and minnow combinations or live bait rigs and minnow combinations will provide consistent action.

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 12, 2022

For a few weeks, there were a handful of “known walleye bites” occurring on the big lake. Over time, 3 or 4 of these community spots had provided most of the action and most of the fish harvested too. Now, our guests and fellow anglers are finding it easier to be more creative on both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux.

Phillip Sigfrinius with hefty Lake Winnie Walleye

Walleye migrations toward mid-lake structure have begun. In the early stages, shoreline related structure such the steep breaklines and long fingers that lead into the lake’s deepest water are the best producers. Some of the free-standing humps and bars are producing fish too, provided that they are located near shore, or near one of the prominent shoreline related bars.

Fish location varies from spot to spot, but generally, inside turns and soft points on the structures are holding the most fish. Long, straight stretches are producing few if any walleyes. The steep, straightaways do offer some opportunity for northern pike though. If you’re scanning the breakline with your electronics and spot singles on your screen, it’s likely that pike are the fish you’re observing.

Key depths vary from spot to spot also, but for the best action, 16 to 22 feet is the most reliable. You’ll spot fish deeper too, but these are typically less aggressive than their shallower counterparts. In most instances, the fish located in deeper water tend to be smaller too, especially when found in large schools. It seems that fish from the very strong, 2019-year class are banded together and are using the deeper water for either protection, of to capitalize on specialized feeding opportunities.

The 2019-year class, now 12-1/2 to 13-1/2-inch fish, if protected from harvest, will likely provide another great season in 2023. That’s another good reason, in our opinion, to hold off on targeting them until they have a chance to mature. The strong class of 2018 is well represented, and anglers have plenty of opportunity to harvest these fish which are now ranging in size from 15 to 17 inches. In our 2022 Fishing Season Outlook, we noted that Grand Rapids Area Fisheries Supervisor Dave Weitzel, told us that some of these 2018 fish may even reach the protected slot range, 18 to 23 inches, late this fall.

Surface water temperatures are warming, 65 degrees is a common reading on Winnie, 67 degrees can easily be found on Cutfoot. So, while jig and minnow combinations remain productive, anglers are getting more creative with walleye presentations now too. Lindy Rigging with lively leeches or larger size shiner minnows is effective. Slip bobbers, used to suspend a leech or ½ night crawler are also effective and there are a few anglers experimenting with spinners.

In shallow areas and back bays, vegetation is emerging quickly. Patches of eelgrass and cabbage have turned green and are beginning to produce a mixed bag of species. Perch, small pike, and walleye are most plentiful, but there are crappies sprinkled in now as well. Apparently, crappie spawning is either completed already, or possibly permanently disrupted by recent unsettled weather. Either way, the cabbage patch pattern will strengthen in upcoming days.

Last week we wrote, “Panfish anglers, expecting to find fish on shallow water spawning beds have been disappointed so far. But with water temperatures teetering on the verge of ideal range, it could change soon.” The change is occurring and both panfish and bass are showing up in shallow water. Targeting them responsibly is important, scientifically proven, protecting the lake’s largest sunfish will help assure healthy populations in the future.

Northern pike located in shallow water are primarily small right now. Anglers wishing to pursue larger pike should search the edges of steep breaking bars. On Saturday, one of the local guides reported catching numerous pike using Lindy Rigs tipped with larger minnows. “Big shiners, medium sucker minnows or large rainbows will all work. Use a fluorocarbon leader, 14-to-20-pound test, to protect against bite-offs,” he says.

Bowen Lodge Guide, Jared Saufferer

High water and cool temperatures have meant clear water, particularly on the big lake. Sunshine and calm seas combine to make fishing difficult during mid-day. When the forecast calls for sunshine, wake up early and fish the sunrise bite. If you’d rather sleep in, then pursue those fish inhabiting cabbage patches during the day, then move out to the open water walleye spots during the evening. When cloudy, breezy conditions arrive, your daytime opportunities will broaden significantly.

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 3, 2022

Since the beginning of the season, most of our guests have headed out to the big lake, taken a left, and worked Tamarack Bay’s most popular springtime locations. But this week, strong winds from the west have challenged anglers with that plan in mind, for those who can get where they’re going, walleye fishing has generally been good. But for the rest of us, Cutfoot Sioux has offered both protection from the elements and an opportunity for a more diversified creel.

 Water temperatures in Cutfoot are somewhat warmer than on Lake Winnie, 59 to 62 degrees in Cutfoot vs Winnie’s 57-to-59-degree readings. Water levels have receded a few inches, but are still unusually high, even for early season. The combination of high water and low temperature are holding fish back from some of the “summer peak” locations and patterns. But fish can be caught, provided anglers make adjustments tailored to the fishes’ activity levels.

 One of the keys to productive fishing on Cutfoot this week has been to fish during low-light periods. An early riser can catch both walleye and crappie, then return to the cabin for breakfast before most folks have started their fishing day. The evening feeding runs have also been productive. Again, both crappie and walleye cruise the shoreline where submerged vegetation is beginning to turn green. Key depths range from about 6 feet, down to as deep as 12 feet. During the twilight periods, fishing water deeper than that is usually unnecessary.

mixed bag meal of nice perch, crappie and walleye from Cutfoot Sioux

 For most folks, anchoring the boat and fishing with slip floats is the standard. A 1/16-to-1/8-ounce jig, tipped with small fatheads and suspended about 18 inches above bottom works well. Anglers who prefer a more “hands on” approach can use their electric trolling motors to creep along the weed edges. For walleyes, casting small jigs tipped with larger minnows makes the most sense. Action tails like twisters, shad bodies or split tails provide better results for crappies.

 Daytime anglers are beginning to find more perch of quality size. Spawned out by now, expect to find long-but-slender females mixed in with schools of smaller, often hungrier males. Numbers of good size fish, 10 to 12 inches, remain modest, but folks are getting enough to make the pursuit interesting.

 Prime perch locations for now, will be vegetation emerging in the shallows or over soft bottom flats or adjacent to deep structure. The depth range is all over the map, anywhere from 2 feet of water to as deep as 28 feet. That’s because most of the better perch seen caught this week have shown strong evidence that insects are the preferred food source over either minnows or crawfish. Insect hatches tend to hold perch in an area longer than minnows, so once located, your spot should be good for a few return visits.

 Use small jigs tipped with fatheads or leeches to trigger strikes. Plastic, perch imitating tails will produce too, so experiment them too.

 Walleye anglers who are fishing on the big lake have begun catching fish in a wider variety of locations. There are still healthy populations of fish on shoreline related breaks, the depth will vary with conditions. On windy days, 6 to 12 feet of water is productive. Calm waters send the fish deeper, 18 to 26 feet deep at the base of shoreline connected structures.

 Steep breaklines, like the ones found along the Mississippi River channel are holding fish, but those are overwhelmingly fish from Winnie’s strong 2019-year class. When you get into a school of 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 fish, it is unlikely that you’ll find good numbers of “keepers”.

 This spring, leaving the small fish behind and moving to another spot can pay off bigtime because another strong year class, 2018, features good numbers of fish that have matured. Some folks are setting a voluntary 15-inch minimum harvest size and having no problem bringing some fish home for the table. In fact, there are healthy numbers of 16 inch fish from that year class showing up too.

 For folks who enjoy catching photo and release size fish, some of the lakes larger, mid-lake bars are binning to produce now too. Insect hatches are the draw, so softer bottom areas located adjacent to structure will produce best. Most fish have not migrated to the center of the big lake, stick with deep water structure that is connected to the shoreline,

 For now, jig and minnow presentations continue to produce fish, even on the bars. But Lindy Rigging with leeches and night crawlers are gaining in popularity. As the weather warms, live bait rigs will become increasingly effective.

 Panfish anglers, expecting to find fish on shallow water spawning beds have been disappointed so far. But with water temperatures teetering on the verge of ideal range, it could change soon. Remember that panfish regulations have changed, Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot Sioux have been brought into “Minnesota’s Quality Sunfish Initiative.” It is scientifically proven that being protective of a lake’s largest sunfish helps guarantee that they will flourish. We’d love to see that for our lakes, and we hope you do too.

 If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for a chat. Otherwise stay in touch, we’ll be back again next week with a fresh report.

Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report May 27, 2022

The Memorial Day Weekend is upon us. It’s a hectic time but is super rewarding too because it often coincides with the peak of spring walleye activity. This year, our arriving guests will find walleyes active, and in the very early stages of transition between spring and early summer peak patterns.

Bowen Lodge guests catching walleyes with Jared

Shiner minnows, in their spring spawning runs, arrived on the shoreline in good numbers this week. For our guests, it means that shiner minnow supplies will be good, now available for anyone who wants them. For hungry walleyes, it means staying close to the shoreline to take advantage of the prime food source. Pike and perch love the shiners too, so don’t be surprised if you have random encounters with them during your search for walleyes.

Water levels are high and surface temperatures on the lake remain low. On Thursday, calm seas, combined with bright sunshine warmed the surface water to 56 degrees on Lake Winnie. Cutfoot Sioux, Little Cutfoot Sioux and select “back bay” areas of the big lake were warmer; 57 to 59 degrees could be found. when the winds blow and the waters re-mix, the true water temps will probably settle in somewhere between 53 and 55 degrees.

Water clarity varies around the lake, it now ranges between mildly murky, to ultra-clear. Walleye location, influenced greatly by water clarity, is strongly dependent on where anglers are fishing. We’ve had reports, on the same day, of anglers catching fish in shallow water while others report catching fish in deep water. That means you should be keenly aware of the conditions and adapt your fishing presentation to the water clarity in the immediate area you’re fishing.

On the north and west sides of Winnie for example, conditions are clear, and anglers are catching walleyes in the 22-to-28-foot depth range. Near areas with inflowing water, take the southeast corner for example, water clarity is much lower, anglers there are catching fish in water depths of 6 to 14 feet. The depth range varies with wind conditions, move shallow when the winds are strong, deeper when its calm.

Arriving later than usual, spawning activity of shiners, and other small baitfish has most walleyes keying in on minnows as their prime source of prey. So, jigs and minnows continue to make up 90% of the presentations that anglers are offering. The remaining 10% are divided between Lindy Rigging, slip floats and trolling spinners, all still using live minnows as the primary live bait.

It should be noted that the term “deep water” currently refers to structures adjacent to, or nearby the shoreline. They will produce much better results than deep water located in the lake’s mid-section. Main lake bars like the Bena Bar, Horseshoe and Sugar, that connect directly to the shoreline have begun producing some fish. But most of those fish remain in transition and could easily be found back up on the shoreline when the winds blow just right. Mid-lake structures, isolated bars and humps have not yet seen the arrival of fish moving into summer patterns.

Leeches may work but reports of shortages may mean that sticking with minnows is a smarter choice anyway. Night crawlers, more readily available, should be carried in your boat, experiment with them when conditions are ultra-calm and fish activity is sluggish.

Glow-Blue, Glow-Perch, Chartreuse Yellow and Green are all good color choices right now. Best jig weights are 1/8 ounce for shallow water fishing, ¼ to 3/8-ounce sizes for fishing the deep breaklines.

Moving deeper is one way to combat calm, sunny conditions. But another pattern worth mentioning is fishing the twilight bite. For anglers who fish at sunset, walleye activity has been very strong, between 7:30 and 9:30 PM, walleyes are cruising shoreline areas and feeding aggressively. Jig and minnow presentations work well, but some anglers, trolling crankbaits are doing well too.

Perch have begun to show up, but not in great numbers. Most are caught by walleye anglers, a few are caught by folks who target them specifically. If catching perch is your goal, deep water is reportedly better than shallow water. Focus on the transition from sand to soft bottom in water depths of 24 to 28 feet. Use jigs, Lindy Rigs, or slip floats and tip your hooks with lively minnows; medium to large fatheads will work best.

It's still too early for crappie or sunfish to move shallow. Until the terrain begins to green up and waters warm into the low 60s, any panfish activity will be found deep during the day, or along the shoreline during late evening. Slip floats, small jigs and small to medium size fatheads will catch crappies. Get in position at water depths of 6 to 8 feet, located along the shoreline before 8:00 PM. Crappie feeding runs will begin shortly after that and continue for about 45 minutes. This spring, crappie anglers are picking up more “bonus” walleyes than usual too.

Northern pike have not been the target species for many, and most have been caught by walleye anglers. The size range has been small so far, we expect to see more and larger fish at water temperatures rise and vegetation emerges.

Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report May 21, 2022

Cooperative Walleyes from Lake Winnie’s strong 2018 year class.

After our first full week of fishing for the 2022 season, we can honestly say that it’s been a wild ride. Despite the later than average ice-out, we managed to have all the docks in, and the chores finished in time for our fishing opener guests. And luckily, we did, because for our guests, the fishing opener was fantastic.

Typical of most openers, folks did not need to travel far to get in on good walleye action. In fact, several of our friends caught walleye limits within view of our marina on Saturday. Also typical of most seasons, from Sunday on, the epicenter of walleye fishing action has been on Lake Winnie.

“Post Spawn” accurately describes the timing for the walleye opener. Female fish, mostly spawned out, were already transitioning out of Cutfoot Sioux. Male fish, many of them still in “spawning mode” lingered in traditional breeding areas, hoping to catch the last wave action. By week’s end, 90% of the male fish we’re catching show no signs of milt, so they’re now focused on feeding rather than breeding.

So far, there hasn’t been any day that the fish weren’t biting, but honestly, there have been days when folks have had to battle tough fishing conditions to earn their catches. Strong Winds, mainly from the west, southwest, have whitened the surface water on the big lake and because of that, most folks are fishing within spotting scope view from the lodge. We’ve watched folks bobbing in the waves, but upon their returns, we’ve also watched them cleaning lots of fish.

Tamarack Point, The Three Sisters, Plughat Point, The River Channel and Bowen’s Flats have been good most days. The Rock Pile, The Dugouts, Farley Creek, and Pigeon River have been good on the days that those spots were within safe travel distances.

Surface water temperatures remain cool, ranging between 51 to 53 degrees on the big lake, somewhat cooler than that in Big Cutfoot, where we still find an occasional high 40 degree reading. The most common range is currently 50 to 52 degrees.

Jig and minnow combinations dominate the presentation, 1/8 to ¼ ounce weights have been most popular, when walleyes are located shallow, over weed stubble, 1/16-ounce jigs are used to keep the live bait running clear. Jig color preference is subjective and often more important to the angler than it is to the fish. Firetiger, watermelon, blue-glow, pink-glow, chartreuse yellow and Chartreuse Green have all been productive this week. Try your favorite color and it will probably work, but don’t be afraid to experiment, there are days when fish do show preferences.

Larger size minnows are working better than small ones, so pay attention to your offerings. Shiners have been available, but in very limited quantities and timing their availability has been sporadic, they sell as fast as they come in. Fatheads, rainbows and small “pike suckers” have been easier to come by, but even those supplies are sporadic. “Size of the bait is more important than minnow species,” one of our veteran fishing guides tells us. “A 3-to-4-inch chub will often out-perform shiners of the same size and are not only a lot more durable, but more available and affordable too. The same is true for other minnows, if it’s 3 to 4 inches long, healthy and has a little shine to attract attention, it will work.” He added.

Good fish management requires a certain level of flexibility on the part of anglers. So, we suggest paying close attention to the sizes of fish you catch. Walleye sizes have reflected the dominant year class populations in the lake. Folks are catching a lot of fish from the 2019-year class which are still small, we think, for harvest today, but will be attractive to anglers later this year. Late August and on through the fall should be good for timing for those 2019 fish, when almost all of them will exceed 14 inches and many will exceed 15 inches.

Fish from the strong 2018-year class are also being caught in good numbers, today, those fish range in size from 15 to 16 inches. While they don’t necessarily dominate the catch, they are available in numbers strong enough to suggest targeting them. We believe that this summer, willing anglers could participate in voluntary size boundaries for harvest. A minimum size of 15 inches, up to the legal maximum of 17.9 inches, would be a realistic goal for folks to set.

Nice walleye from Lake Winnie’s 2013 year class

Walleyes from the also strong 2013-year class are caught daily too and in good numbers. For a time, we were on board with encouraging anglers to harvest their legal possession limit of 1 walleye over 23 inches. Today, we’re taking a more conservative stance about that. While keeping that 1 fish over 23 inches is ultimately an angler’s choice, we are advising release rather than harvest. In our view, having more spawning size female fish in the system will become important in the future. Since good “eater size” fish are much available now than they were a few years back, we think it’s a reasonable suggestion.

Because walleye fishing always dominates the first week of every season, new about other species is limited.

Perch are either spawning now, or recovering from spawning and show up only sporadically at the fish cleaning tables.

Large Northern Pike have spawned already and moved away from shallow water. Anglers are picking up small ones while the fish for walleyes, if anyone is targeting them, we have not heard the news. I you like pike to eat, you’ll catch enough of the “eaters” while you’re jigging for walleyes.

Panfish haven’t shown up in shallow water locations yet and like the pike, if anyone is targeting them, we have not heard the news yet. Next week’s report could carry news along those lines, but it depends on what happens with the weather.

If you’re headed for the lake and don’t want to fight crowds at public landings, you can always launch your boat here at Bowen Lodge. It’s not free, but we think you night like what you get in return for your money.