Lake Winnie Walleye Report May 21, 2024

With a full week of fishing now in the books, we’ve had a chance to compare real life experiences with recent DNR fisheries reports about Lake Winnie’s fish populations. So far, the key takeaway about this season is that the very large 2019-year class of walleyes have matured, and folks are catching lots of ideal eater size walleyes. The typical bag coming in includes most fish measuring 15 to 16-1/2 inches, with an occasional larger, 17-17 ½ inch fish from the 2018-year class. Not many, but some fish from the 2013-year class remain in the system too, and folks are reporting 23-to-26-inch walleyes striking from time-to-time.

Image of Rand Olson with beautiful walleye caught on Cutfoot Sioux

 A water quality assessment in 2023 revealed that Winnie’s water clarity measured 27 feet, an all-time record clarity for the lake. As we’ve discussed in past reports, the ultra-clear conditions have impacted how our guests’ fish for, and catch walleyes. Already nomadic by nature, walleyes have become “flighty”, moving quickly between shallow and deep water. This week walleyes have offered perfect examples of this behavior.

 A friend offered this; “We caught fish steadily for most of the morning on Wednesday, the walleyes were feeding around a patch of bulrushes surrounded by 6 to 7 feet of water. The walleyes were there feeding on schools small perch, and possibly shiners too. The skies were dark, there was a light chop on the water, and with all that food, they were reluctant to leave the area. We were happy with that spot, so we tried again the next day. But now, the water was flat and there was a little sunshine peeking through the clouds, and all those fish were gone.”

Screen View of key Lake Winnie walleye location on mid-depth flats

 Within hours, we’d heard from one of the area’s better fishing guides that those same fish had moved deeper, now inhabiting a flat in the 12-to-15-foot depth range. They were still active and they caught them by casting and retrieving ¼ ounce jigs tipped with either a shiner, rainbow or large fathead minnow.

At first glance, it could appear that the fish were not holding on any specific structures. Look closer at the screen shot of his graph, it shows that the walleyes were moving in and out of a depression within the flat. That hole, which may have been holding bait fish, seemed to be the center of activity on that fishing trip.

TRIP TIP: When you’re searching for fish on Lake Winnie’s sprawling flats, seek out and make note of any irregular features. Depressions like this one, gravel patches, vegetation and clam beds all offer habitat for bait, which in turn attracts gamefish.

 An alternative to locating fish in shallow water, or on the flats, is to search for small schools of walleyes holding along the steep breaklines. Key depths range from 18 to 18 feet of water and key locations are main lake bars, located near shore.

Ordinarily, we don’t suggest fishing in deep water because it’s hard on the fish, barotrauma is dangerous to them. There are some exceptions though, and because almost all of the fish being caught are of “keeper” size. An angler who needed to gather a few fish for a meal could likely get some by searching the deeper edges of shoreline related bars. Key depths are 22 to 28 feet, with an occasional small school of fish showing up in 30 feet of water. The schools of fish are not large but appear as scattered smaller packs of 6 to 10 fish. Inside corners have been more likely to hold fish that points or straight stretches of breakline.

Nice Lake Winnie Walleye

If you decide to fish the deeper spots, take a few fish for a meal and then move on to another location or search for alternative species. Catch and release fishing in deep water is not a good idea.

 Whether you fish shallow, deep or in the middle, be prepared to move. If you catch fish in an area, and they seem to suddenly disappear, they are likely to be nearby, using a deeper, or shallower portion of the same flat, or related structural features.

 So far, jigs and minnows are still the best bet for catching walleyes. Water temperatures remain cool, 56 to 59 degrees, so faster moving presentations have yet to become effective. It’s a good idea to have an assortment of 1/16, 1/8 and ¼ ounce sizes and swap them whenever your depth patterns change.

 Shiners are widely available now, so you caan buy them if you like. Fatheads and rainbows are working though, so if you want to save some of the expense, grab an assortment instead of insisting on having only shiner minnows.

 Panfish have not appeared in the shallows yet, but we are watching for them. Updates will be available as the conditions turn warmer, and they begin moving towards the shoreline.

Lake Winnie Walleye Fishing Report May 15, 2024

“Boat Shy” a term that some folks have used to describe walleyes, and other fish that disappear whenever an angler’s boat moves over the surface water above them. The greater a lakes water clarity is, the more “boat shyness” schools of fish tend to demonstrate. Heavy boat traffic heightens the effect even more; fish become jittery and move away from boats even more quickly than they would when the lake is quiet.

Clouds, wind, algae blooms, warm water temperatures, or strong currents all help to reduce the impact of water. But what happens when the sun shines, there’s no breeze, the water is cold,  and the algae bloom is non-existent?

Well, the simple answer is that fishing for walleyes gets tricky. For some experienced anglers, fishing is good because they are aware of stealthy techniques and use them to sneak up on unsuspecting schools of fish. For those less experienced, the mystery of where the walleyes are, and how to catch them becomes difficult to solve.

Jump to the conditions for our 2024 walleye fishing opener on Lake Winnie. Calm seas, bright sunshine, 54 to 56 degree water temperatures and robust crowds was the challenge. Hit or miss, was the best term we can use to describe the opening weekend results. Many of the more experienced anglers did very well. Many of the less technically oriented anglers struggled.

The good news is that walleyes which were caught tended to be high quality fish. Keepers from the large 2019-year class now range from 15-1/2 to 16-1/2 inches in length. The population remains strong too, so there’s an excellent chance of gathering fish for a meal. The also strong 2018-year class, and a smattering of remaining 2013 year class fish provided folks with opportunities to catch-photo-release some larger fish. Reports of fish from 18 to 22 inches were common, some larger fish in the 24-to-26-inch range were reported by especially lucky anglers.

The key depths tended to be deeper than typical for most. Most common were reports of folks catching fish in the 16-to-22-foot depth range. Fish were also located shallower, but only in areas where turbidity was greater. Flowages, like Third River, or the entrance of the Mississippi River provided inflow of darker water and that provided cover. In these areas, 6 to 8 feet of water provided good action. Particularly on Sunday, when winds were stronger, and smoke from Canadian wildfires darkened the sky.

Jigs tipped with minnows, like most years was the key presentation. Weights varied with the water depths, but 1/8 and ¼ ounce sizes are most often deployed. Minnows of all varieties are widely available, including spottail shiners, the most popular among early season anglers. Despite their popularity, shiners are not necessary, large fatheads and rainbow chubs produced good results as well.

We began the report with news about the clear water conditions anglers faced over the opening weekend. The clear conditions are likely to persist until water warms, algae blooms increase, or we receive an increased flow of water from low-lying areas. If you’re able, plan your daytrip fishing for breezy, cloudy days. If you’re staying for several days, enjoy the sunrises and sunsets on the lake; fishing will be easier during those twilight periods.