Winnibigoshish Walleye Report July 24, 2024

Family fishing trips go hand-in-hand with mid-summer and if you watch the traffic on both Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot, that’s what you’ll see. Perch, walleye and pike are holding both in, and along the outside edges of cabbage patches. Crappie, sunfish and rock bass can be found in the heavier patches of coontail, pondweed and other submerged grasses. Trolling with spinners, tipped with live minnows or leeches is a great way to search for them. When located, presentations can be refined based on fish species and locations.

The rule of thumb for walleye fishing on Lake Winnie this morning is “the better the angler, the better the fishing”. Casual anglers are catching their share of fish, there are plenty of fish to go around, and they are biting. Results are awesome for folks who pursue them diligently, or you could say “working” for the fish.

 Look at the results (below) from the weekend tournament, managed by the Minnesota Tournament Trail. All the top 20 teams weighed in 5 fish, the tournament limit, and all of those 5 fish limits exceeded a 3-pound average. The top 10 teams fared even better: posting 4 pound plus averages. Congratulations by the way, to our friend Dusty Snyder, who along with Pat Mclean posted took 2nd place with a 5 fish weight of over 25 pounds.

 Locating fish using high end electronics, then using slip bobbers and live bait, leeches, and night crawlers specifically, has gotten a lot of attention this year. In some circles, the buzz is that without them, fish cannot be found, and subsequently caught. It is important to remember though that even without sophisticated tools, you can still catch some fish despite this summer’s clearer than average water conditions.

We recall the summer of 2022, at mid-summer, when Winnie’s water became cloudy when a strong algae bloom developed. Our guests, along with almost everybody fishing the big lake, were scoring big numbers of walleye in shallow water, trolling with spinners and live bait. This year, the weather is cooler, so are water temperatures, which dropped into the 68-degree range during the past week. Cooler, clearer water, and walleyes sensitivity to light is what combined to produce the conditions that make the high-end electronics “appear to be” a necessity.

Fishing early in the morning, and again late in the evening will give weekend warriors an edge. So will picking cloudy days, especially breezy ones, that is when the fish will become active and much easier to catch. Low light conditions send a signal about where to find walleyes too.

On average, water depths of 6 to 10 feet have been productive at these key times. Mid-lake walleyes have moved deeper when it’s brighter, key depths range between 16 to 24 feet. The alternative has been finding vegetation, cabbage beds hold fish right now too. Most of the best ones occur in the outer extremities of the lake, areas of Tamarack Bay, Third River Flowage and along the west shore. Don’t overlook Cutfoot Sioux right now either, anglers are catching some nice fish here as well.

Anne McMullen Goodwin releases beautiful Lake Winnie Walleye

Key presentations include slip bobbers, jigging baits like jig raps or puppet minnows, and soft plastic lures. Almost any presentation that involves casting away from the boat and retrieving through schools of fish should be explored. Experimentation has only just begun; we’re convinced that there are other effective presentations that folks simply haven’t tried yet.

Walleyes from the 2018 are graduating into the protected slot fast. Thanks to Winnie’s fast growth rate, fish from that season are now ranging from 17-1/2 to 18-1/2 inches already. This offers folks like Anne McMullen Goodwin, pictured above, the opportunity to catch, photo and release some nice walleyes. The class of 2019 now offers plenty of eaters in the 15-to-16-inch range.

Conditions may change soon, there’s another stretch of warm weather predicted for this week. Winnie already has a low-to-moderate algae bloom, and water temperatures on the rise will accelerate that. Folks who love trolling presentations like crankbaits and spinners may enjoy a surge if and when that happens. We’ll be watching the lake, and report back with what we see.

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report July 14, 2023

The pursuit of walleyes on both Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnie is reduced for several reasons. Some folks are paying more attention to family activities, others have been waiting for the next “hot bite” to start up, and still others have turned their attention to fishing for mid-summer species, bass, sunfish and rock bass and others. But right now, folks who want to catch walleyes can do it, here’s some advice to guide you.

Walleye action on Lake Winnie

Admittedly, the walleye bite is not at its peak right now, but those who are choosing to fish for walleyes find that creativity and persistence do pay off. Getting fish to bite is not the issue but locating them can be. That’s because fish have dispersed over a broad range of territory, some are on the flats, some are using shoreline vegetation, others follow the break lines on deep structure and many are suspended over open water in the mid lake basin.

The mayfly hatch that hit the lake last week has run its course, so finding less food in concentrated areas has been one reason fish are dispersed more now. Surface waters have declined too, once crossing the 80-degree mark in June, they have now fallen into the 69-to-71-degree range, the cooler water works against folks who love fast presentations like trolling spinners and crankbaits. Water clarity is a factor as well, while some regions of the lake do have a modest algae bloom, other areas remain clearer than usual for this time of the season; that’s tough news for fishing on calm, sunshiny days.

Folks who are doing their best at finding and catching walleyes are a few key presentations. Slip floats, which are becoming more popular on Winnie, jigging presentations, jig minnow, jig and plastic, jig and night crawlers have been productive too.

Jared Saufferer, our fishing guide, has been helping most guests catch walleyes using slip-bobbers and leeches. Key depths have ranged between 15 and 20 feet of water and for Jared, rocks have been key. Whether on large rock piles, or on smaller, scattered patches of rock, he keeps the boat out and away from the structure. Anglers pitch the bait toward the fish holding structures and allow the lively leeches to do their magic.

Lake Winnie Walleye caught using slip bobber and leech combo. Courtesy Jeff Sundin

The better your electronics, the easier Sufferers method is, but even folks with rudimentary fish finders can get effective results; creativity is the key. Approach likely fish holding structures cautiously, creep toward them using your trolling motor and stop short as soon as you’re within easy casting range. It’s true that you won’t “see” the fish, but when you guess right and there are fish on that spot, they won’t see you either; the element of surprise is a powerful tool!

Jigging presentations can be approached the same way, casting toward likely structures with jigs and minnows has been reliable, especially for Reed Ylitalo, another one of our preferred guides. Ylitalo prefers finding shiner minnows when possible and seeks out rock structures for jigging too. Cast, or pitch your jig-minnow toward the structures and retrieve using a “hop-drop-hop-swim-hop-drop” presentation.

Sundin favorite, Lindy Live Bait Jig and Berkely Ripple Shad

Another local guide, Jeff Sundin has been fishing with jigs too, but for his money, large plastic action tails have been getting more attention. Sundin finds fish along the steeper breaklines on mid-lake bars or adjacent to the lake’s sprawling shoreline flats. A ¼ ounce Lindy Live Bait Jig, dressed in a 3-1/2 Berkely Ripple Shad, pictured here, is one of his favorite combos. “The trick is to NOT think of these as a substitute for live bait. Instead, remember that this is its own, unique presentation and they call for an entirely different retrieve. Cast the lures as far away from the boat as possible, let them fall and then on a tight line, retrieve using an aggressive “rip-drop-rip-drop” presentation. The fish strike on the drop, that’s why keeping your line tight is important, when you feel the strike, strike back immediately.” Sundin says.

Some of our guests have done well trolling along shoreline patches of vegetation as well. As the vegetation becomes lush, the typical mid-summer food chains set up. Spinners tipped with minnows, crawlers or leeches have produced some walleyes and pike or perch strike them too. Wiggle Worming, another popular presentation, will catch walleyes here too, especially when you’re presented with a good drifting wind. The shoreline action improves during low-light periods, so focus on early morning, late evening and overcast days.

Early risers can catch panfish along the cabbage patches

Early risers can take advantage of emerging vegetation for panfish. So far, this hasn’t been the best season for either sunfish or crappies, but like the walleye fishing, creative anglers are catching fish. Trolling the edges of cabbage, cast small jigs tipped with plastic tails toward pockets and gaps. Let the fall and then retrieve using a “swim-drop-swim-drop” retrieve. If you’re starting from scratch and need to locate places to focus your efforts, try trolling with spinners. The spinners become more effective when water temperatures are warmer, so for now, this should be a search tool and not the primary presentation. Later, if and when water temperatures rise, spinners will become more effective.

Bass can be found along the cabbage and coontail patches too, but for the best results, focus on bulrushes. Some of Cutfoot and Winnie’s best bass spots are in 2 to 3 feet of water, in the heavy bulrush patches. Weedless rigs are best, and heavy gear is essential too, strong braided line and medium-heavy casting rods will perform best.

Using the same heavier gear, cast large spinnerbaits, bucktails and swim baits for both pike and musky. There are good numbers of pike in the cabbage right now, look at the deep ones found in Tamarack Bay, these have been reliable producers this summer. It’s hard to single out a musky on either Winnie or Cutfoot, but any given cast could produce one, and there are some large ones out there.

Perch fishing continues to dumbfound most folks on the lake. They do occasionally show up, and when they do, they’ve been large, but the schools of fish have been in random locations and the fish seem to move often. Finding a good school of perch on one day does not guarantee that the next day will be productive in that area. So, catch some when you find them and don’t expect consistency.

With the Independence Day holiday behind us, we’re looking forward to just a few more weeks of mid-summer, family activities before the back-to-school check out begins. After that, fishing will become the priority for many, and we’ll be watching for the action to ramp up as it typically does. Even though walleye fishing may not be at its peak right now, there are fish being caught and using the presentations discussed here will help you get some. Good luck out there!

Fishing Report Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux July 3, 2023

It had to happen eventually, the heat on Lake Winnie’s “BOILING HOT” walleye bite has been reduced to a simmer. Our guests and fellow anglers are still bringing in fish, but at a slower pace than we enjoyed throughout the spring.

Mayfly hatches occurring on Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux

One reason for the reduced catch rates is thought to be the mayfly hatch that’s going on now. With lots of extra food in the water, walleyes, other predators too, can be more particular about how often, and for how long, each feeding session will occur. To the fish, it’s a lot like us being offered a peanut butter sandwich and hour after finishing a huge, holiday meal like the thanksgiving turkey for example.

Insect hatches occur over a wide variety of areas, so beyond providing more food, they also serve to disperse the lake’s fish populations. A few weeks ago, fish that were gathered in large numbers, single mindedly focused on schools of shoreline related minnows as their food source. Now, the same number of fish are present, but they are scattered over a much wider territory, finding multiple sources of forage, and eating to their hearts’ content.

 Reed Ylitalo, one of our favorite fishing guides had a charter early this week. By days end, the folks returned to the resort with enough fish for a fish fry. Along the way, they were taken to shallow water, deep water and over the mid-depth flats. They fished over rocks, sand weeds and open water structures. They used jigs tipped with both plastics and minnows; leeches and crawlers below slip bobbers and trolled spinners and minnows. Everything worked a little bit, none of the presentations worked a lot.

Walleyes on thr graph

 Ylitalo’s comments, “Even though fishing today was a struggle, the company was good, and we did catch a handful of walleyes. At the end of the day, we had enough for supper, and everybody had a great time getting sunburned and having a great day on the water. I figured that it (the slowdown) was coming, but when you get used to doing super well and then you see fish on the grapgh that won’t eat, it can be frustrating. You just have to be patient, fish deliberately through every school of fish you can find and catch the ones that you can coax.”

 Sunshine and warm weather, mentioned in Reed’s comments are not encouraging any hot bite either. Hunkered down against the sunny skies and bright water, more fish are feeding at dusk, or even after dark. An acquaintance mentioned having good luck during the night, 2:30 AM, that’s the best bite, he says. Fishing after dark isn’t for everybody, but some folks like it, and if catching fish is the only way to be happy, fishing in the dark might be a good option for some.

 Water temperatures rising, now entering the mid 70-degree range, are giving family anglers an alternative to walleye fishing. Sunfish, crappies, and bass are being caught by folks who pursue them. Use spinners tipped with small to medium leeches to explore for sunnies, tip the spinners with minnows to help locate crappies. Either species are using heavy vegetation for cover, so once they are located, stop the boat and fish more deliberately. Bluegills and pumpkinseeds are both curious, and voracious feeders, so use lures that combine flash with live bait. One simple but effective rig for panfish combines a plain hook, a few beads, and a bright spinner blade. The spinner does not need to “spin”, it just needs to attract the fish’s attention. A small leech of cut piece of night crawler added to the hook will trigger the fish to strike.

 Crappies prefer more movement, active jigging lures like beetle spins, road runners, jigs tipped with plastic action tails are all effective. Cast your lures into pockets and gaps in the vegetation, let them drop a little and then retrieve using a slow swimming motion. Don’t be surprised by some unexpected catches, northern pike, largemouth bass, rock bass, and even walleye will strike your lures, especially during early morning and late in the evening.

 Perch can be caught, but for most folks has been difficult to pin down. Small schools of nice size fish appear without notice, bite aggressively and then disappear just as quickly. Our best advice is to catch them when the opportunity presents itself. The two most likely places to find perch are at the soft bottom edges of mid-lake structures where insect larvae are present. Another likely place are weedy flats that lay adjacent to gravel or rocks.

 Pike anglers should search mid-lake structures right now. Baitfish attracted to the middle by hatching insects also attract larger pike. Cooler water attracts northern pike too, so any place where structures lay adjacent to deep water can be good. Steep break lines that connect the two can be key hiding spots and can be explored using modified spinners. Use larger than average blades, larger hooks too and tip them with sucker minnows in the 6-to-8-inch size range. Trolling the break lines at moderate speeds helps you cover water fast, and also helps trigger instinctive strikes by the fast moving predators.

 The transition between spring and summer may offer challenges, we’re seeing some of them now. But at some point, the lake’s water will develop an algae bloom, and light conditions will improve. Vegetation, as it develops, will offer walleyes additional places to find cover too. Combine those elements with declining insect hatches and you have the ingredients for the mid-summer walleye bite to commence. Timing is uncertain, but sometime soon, we’ll notice the walleye action picking up again, when we do, we’ll let you know.

 In the meantime, enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 23, 2023

Walleyes in both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux are in a seasonal transition. While some fish remain in relatively shallow water, 8 to 16 feet for example, others are migrating out to mid-lake structures. Instead of finding large, concentrated schools of fish, it’s more common now to find small schools of fish, in a wide variety of locations. So, exploration of fresh territory will pay off bigtime for anglers hoping to find a “hot bite”.

On Wednesday, anglers located good schools of fish in shallow water, not far from the resort. Fishing with jig and minnow combinations, they captured limits of keeper walleyes, and released a good number of larger fish too. At the same time, there were anglers fishing mid-lake structures and they found walleyes too. Whether you fish shallow or deeper depends on your fishing preferences.

Water temperatures have stabilized, and are solidly holding at about 71 degrees, varying by 1 or 2 degrees between day and night. Water clarity has begun to change, there is a slight-but-noticeable algae bloom taking hold in the big lake, somewhat stronger in Cutfoot Sioux. Insect hatches have been minimal to date, but indications of fish feeding on larvae have become more common this week. Some anglers also report viewing images of larvae on their electronics, and we could be on the verge of more widespread insect hatches.

One of our preferred guides, Reed Ylitalo also reported the discovery of large schools of tiny, ½ inch long perch. Identification was made initially on his graph, and confirmed when the tiny minnow sized fish were caught, snagged by the jigging lure he was using. The presence of freshly hatched minnows, along with potentially large-scale insect hatches means that walleyes are choosier about what and when they will feed.

The best bet for catching the fish in a positive feeding mood is to fish in the low light periods. Whether you prefer fishing late, or starting early, the odds of finding walleyes in the mood to eat are vastly improved. That’s not to say that walleyes won’t bite during the daytime, they will, we do know though that clear water makes it more challenging. The trick to catching them when the sun is shining is to avoid making direct contact with the fish, how you do that is debatable.

We don’t need to tell you that these days, horizontal sonar has become very popular, and is seen on the lake often. There’s no doubt that they are helpful, but don’t fall into the “hype trap” you do not have to use them to catch fish on Winnie.

Another local guide, Jeff Sundin argues this; “If the trick to catching walleyes in clear water is to avoid contacting the fish, then, by definition cruising the breakline, searching for them on any down image, side image or forward scanning sonar violates the principal. Seeing fish on the screen of your graph IS making direct contact with them. For me, creeping along the breakline, casting our lures out ahead of the boats travel path is almost as good. We may not “see” the fish coming, but they don’t see us coming either. So, when our lures drop into the water ahead of them, the element of surprise greatly improves the odds of triggering strikes good.”

No matter how you do it, everyone agrees that getting lures in front of fish before the boat passes overhead is important. Anglers insistent on using “old-school” presentations like Lindy Rigging, vertical jigging and bottom bouncing are at a disadvantage. These days, casting and retrieving jigs tipped with minnows, or soft plastics are effective.

Slip floats, increasingly popular on Winnie, are used to good effect right now too. Avoid fishing too close to the bottom, position your offering about 18 to 36 inches above the bottom, walleyes will come up willingly to grab a lively leech or fresh night crawler. If you love trolling spinners, consider learning how to use planer boards. They allow you to position your spinners out, and away from the boat instead of directly beneath it. The same tactic will help you position crankbaits and will likely come into play later this summer.

Northern pike in the eating size range are aggressive right now. People fishing for walleyes in Tamarack Bay are catching lots of them in their walleye presentations. Even folks fishing mid-lake structures are catching the occasional “bonus pike” as they pursue walleyes. If you’re interested in catching a larger pike, go with larger lures or use a slip float to present big, 8-to-10-inch sucker minnows. The old saw, “big fish, big bait” is especially true when seeking larger pike. We’ve heard that pike prefer forage that’s about 25% of their body length; this means that a 30-inch pike would likely want to eat baitfish in the 7-to-9-inch range.

Perch fishing has been spotty this week and anglers who find them report that they seldom remain in the same spots for very long. From reports at our fish cleaning station, deep water appears to be one key for catching them. Mid-lake structures adjacent to soft-bottom flats in the 25-to-30-foot range offer opportunity because of insect larvae. Gravel, light rock, and clam beds where crawfish populations are high will also attract perch.

Bass and panfish are active too, but like walleye, show a strong preference for feeding during low light periods. Right now, early risers have the advantage, especially when seeking crappies. A reliable pattern is to creep along the outside edges of vegetation. Casting and retrieving small jigs tipped with plastics into pockets and gaps in the cabbage will produce crappies for sure. As a bonus, you’ll catch some perch, walleye, pike, and bass along the way. If you like watching the sun, come up, we suggest doing it from the casting deck of your boat, you won’t be disappointed!

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 16, 2023

After crossing the 80-degree mark, surface water temperatures receded this week. Water temperatures are now registering in the 70 to 72 degree range, and the combination of moderating air and surface water temperatures, along with a stabilized weather pattern helped make this week a good one for fishing on Lake Winnie.

 Our guests and friends visiting the lake reported good catches of walleye on the big lake, and for anglers “in the know”, panfish and bass action on the Cutfoot Sioux chain of lakes.

Some of you may recall the Ojibwe translation for the name Lake Winnibigoshish; “Filthy Water”. These days, that name describes the complete opposite of what Winnie’s water looks like. Zebra Mussels, Faucet Snails, and cleaner, clearer water flowing in from flowages have transformed the formerly stained water lake into one that features gin clear water.

 We’ve issued numerous reports in recent years about fishing “The New Winnie”, and offered solid tips on how to approach walleye presentations that work with, not against, the clear water conditions. This summer, we’re seeing evidence that many anglers have taken those tips to heart. They have adapted to the clear water and their creels, filled with walleyes, offer proof that the adaptations have been effective.

 Fishing the twilight period, for example, is one of the key adaptations. Formerly reserved for sitting by the campfire, fishing at sunset has now become very popular with our guests. They’ve experienced the transformation from lethargic, daytime feeding patterns to aggressive, even gluttonous at times, walleye feeding behavior during the crepuscular feeding periods. Our guide, Jared Saufferer says; “The bite continues to be strong, especially during the twilight hours. Most fish are coming out of the 10 to 18 marks on gravel or rocks.”

Jig and minnow, a longtime crowd pleaser on Winnie, continues to provide results, but these days, we’re seeing more folks fishing with slip-floats. Position fishing, parking the boat and casting out and away from is also fast becoming a mainstay presentation. Folks have figured out that at times, walleyes will disperse when a boat passes overhead. Fishing underneath the boat, especially during calm periods, can feel like a waste of time because the fish are simply not there. But often, they don’t move far from the boats path, so casting and retrieving lures allows anglers to reach unsuspecting fish, and they do bite!

Whether you’re using a jig and minnow, a slip float, or artificial lures, keep your offering a good distance away from the boat. Retrieve your jigs using a “drop-hop-drop-hop” presentation, waiting between hops to feel the fish pick up your lure. Using slip-floats, use small, 1/16-ounce jigs to present lively leeches or ½ night crawlers. To improve castability, add split shot sinkers about 1 foot above your jig. Here’s an important tip to remember, set your float to hold your bait above the fish’s line of sight. It is much easier to entice a fish to swim up for your bait, than to swim down for it. Ideal height for slip float fishing is 18 to 24 inches about the bottom, even higher when fish are feeding aggressively.

Walleye location is still focused primarily on shoreline related structures, but it is shifting slowly. Fish have been moving slowly across sprawling flats on both the north and west sides of the lake. Pushing toward the lake’s mid-section could be an indication that we’re on the verge of seeing insects hatching. So far, we have not witnessed any large-scale hatches of mayflies or the smaller fish flies. There have been smaller, isolated hatches of other bugs, and perch appear to be keying in on some of them.

Panfish are feeding on insects now too, especially sunfish. They’ve largely fishing spawning and are showing up on the outer edges of cabbage and coontail flats, in areas adjacent marly bottom, clam beds. Spinners tipped with night crawlers can get you zeroed in on sunfish location, and once found, small jigs tipped with cut leeches or night crawlers will improve efficiency.

Crappies are on the prowl, but like walleyes, prefer to feed during twilight periods. Early risers will enjoy great fishing for them if they’re on the lake at sunrise. On Cutfoot, casting small jigs tipped with action tails like ripple shads, mister twisters or beetle spins will produce crappies. Treat yourself to a multiple species morning by casting your lures into the pockets and gaps between the vegetation. Let your lure fall into the pockets on a tight line and feel for any “pop” at the tip of your fishing rod. Crappies, sunfish, walleyes, bass, and pike will strike at random intervals. Rock Bass, not often talked about, but fun to catch are still in spawning areas, so you’re liable to catch some of them too.

 Northern pike are still largely being caught as a byproduct of walleye fishing. Jigging often discourages the largest fish, but anglers looking to improve the size should experiment with spinners. For walleyes, it’s a bit early to make a full-scale switch over trolling with spinners, but the pike are striking them. You’ll catch some walleyes along the way too, maybe some panfish too, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

 Perch are where you find them, random catches come and go on a daily basis. So far, there does not appear to be a solid, uniform feeding pattern that gathers and holds them in large numbers. Our best advice for locating them is to watch for gravel, especially when vegetation is present. The combination of woody cover and gravel is a common preference.  

 As summer fish migrations toward mid-lake structure progress, anglers should begin experimenting with fishing on the bars and humps. On overcast days, especially with moderate breezes, fish have been showing up in some, but not all of the more popular mid-lake spots. On clear days, the fish do not hold to the edges of bars and humps. Moving out and away from the structures often puts them in water that’s too deep for safely releasing these fish. On sunny days, we suggest keying in on the twilight periods instead.

 Tomorrow will be the Musky fishing opener and we’re curious to see how much attention trophy hunters pay to Winnie. Anglers casting large baits may begin to encounter larger pike and that could be a focus of next week’s report.

 If you’re headed for the lake this weekend, good luck and remember, you’re always welcome to stop in to launch your boat, or for a chat.