Fishrapper Fishing Report Archives For August 2016



 

image links to fishing video fall magic up north

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report September 4, 2016 - Fall Magic Up North

"If I could have anything that I wanted, it would be adding a few extra days to the calendar during the fall.
As much as I love the rest of the seasons, I have a soft spot for autumn; there's just something special about this time of the year.
This is the season when all of summer's production reaches maturity and for hunters, fishermen; almost everybody, it's harvest time in the northland. View Video >> Fall Magic Up North" View Video >> Fall Magic Up North

imaGE LINKS TO BOATING ARTICLE

image links to wired2fish Clean Drain Dry Mobile App for the Outdoors

"For years, static signs posted at entry points and boat ramps have educated people on laws, rules and regulations. Rightfully so, to protect natural resources, but a new mobile app developed by Wildlife Forever and the Clean Drain Dry Initiative, works to change that using Augmented Reality technology to ..." Learn More >> Clean Drain Dry Mobile App for the Outdoors

image denotes link to fish rapper article Q&A Lindy Live Bait Jig and Fishing Rods For Walleyes, Cappies and Panfish August 30, 2016 From Eric Koeppen

"Hi Jeff, Hopefully you can clear some confusion that I have regarding the "Lindy Live Bait" jig that you use. I have scoured the Lindy website and cannot find a "Lindy Live Bait" jig. Now I know that almost any short shank jig will do for live bait which is what I do but am very courious as to what the lindy jig is. Can you please explain what jig on the Lindy website that you use?
Also, are you still using TFO rods? If so what models for your client fishing by species? Thank you for your website and all of the information that you present. Kind regard, Eric Koeppen"
A) Eric, The Lindy Live Bait Jig is new to their product lineup, it is a reproduction of a jig that I popularized early in my fishing career and one that I used almost exclusively until it was discontinued in 2012.
Lindy's Live Bait Jig is slated for release early in 2017 and probably hasn't found its way onto their website yet. In fact, it was a surprise to me when this Facebook post by Arne Danielson tipped us off to their introduction; "New From Lindy, Do These Look Familiar?"
Apparently, when they announced the introduction of the Live Bait Jig earlier this summer, there were some regional retailers that remembered the jig and requested early delivery. That means that if you want some now, there is good news; supplies available in the Greater Grand Rapids region.
I am not sure about the complete list of stores that got the early run, but I have seen them and know that they're in stock at Grand Rapids L&M Supply (218) 326-2926, Glen's Surplus (218) 326-1201 and in Deer River at Fred's Bait & Tackle (218) 246-8710.
Someone may see this reply and offer to add more information, if so, I'll update again as it becomes available.
About the TFO fishing rods, yes I am still using their 6' 9" model #GTS DSS692-1 for Lindy Rigging, trolling with spinners and small crankbaits and these rods have performed very well.
For jig and minnow presentations TFO’s 6’ 3” light action models are good too but these days I favor the lighter weight of the Omen Black spinning rod by 13 fishing. I bought a half dozen of the Omens this spring and I find myself using them more and more all the time. I am sure that you will see me add more of their rods to my lineup as well.
With the fall Panfish season coming up, I will be breaking out the 7 foot, PFS70XL St. Croix too. These super light rods are excellent for vertical jigging using light line and light lures.

image of jeff sundin Jeff Sundin's Fishing Stuff For Sale!

In case you hadn't heard, I'm planning on making a move, looking for a home somewhere in the Grand Rapids area. That means that I'm doing some pre-move, thinning of the stacks of stuff in the garage and shop. As I stumble into interesting items, I'll offer them up to you first, before I list 'em on the popular sale sites.
G. Loomis Musky Trolling Rod Model MUR946C 7' 10" NEW, Unused Retails For $275.00 Selling for $175.00
G. Loomis Drop Shot Rod Model Mag Light, 6' 10" 1 Piece NEW, Unused Retails For $250.00 Selling for $165.00 >> Contact by Email

image of fishing rod for sale

image of fishing rod for sale

image of Jake Premo with big Musky

image of Joe Thompson with big walleye

image denotes fishing report from Rour Seasons Fishing Resort Lake Winnibigoshish, Joe Thompson, August 29, 2016 Four Seasons Resort

"The northern fishing dominated our week here at the Four Seasons. The Jerry Anderson family was the group that inhabited most of the resort. They are some of the best northern fishermen we have during the season. 
They had two meals for 50 people and also took home limits of northerns. Sucker minnows and jerk baits were their main baits.
Jake caught and released this beautiful 52" musky on a Suick. The suicks also did the trick on this 26" walleye I caught. Always a surprise when you get a walleye on a 9" jerkbait!
The walleyes were not pursued this week. Will have an update for you next report. We have walleye fishermen in camp this week and I also have trips this week and will be walleye and perch fishing.
The fish continue to cooperate. Look for that trend to continue throughout September. Our specials kick in this week. The weather is nice, the fishing is great, and we have fall colors coming soon." Joe Thompson, Four Seasons Resort 218-665-2231

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 28, 2016 - Fall Crappie Bite; Bowstring Lake

The report from Erin Charlton at Trails End Resort July 26, 2016;Trails End Resort came to my inbox as a single sentence; "Howdy from Bowstring! The Fall Crappie bite is ON!!!!"
You can read whatever you want into that report, but as it happens, I’ve been on Bowstring a couple of times myself this week and I can vouch for Erin’s succinct report. Crappie action does seem to be ramped up and the fish are holding in a variety of locations.
Everybody has their favorite way to catch Crappies and for me, jigging is the most fun. On Friday, we caught fish doing that, but after a few hours of struggling with heavy weeds, Pete was inkling about trying to catch ‘em with spinners. I was a little reluctant, water temperatures were lower, now down to about 66 degrees and the idea of getting our Little Joes snipped by small Pike was haunting me too. Still, it was a good idea and I knew that it was worth trying, so I got everyone rigged up and started trolling and … Wham!
Despite my reluctance to abandon the jigs, the Little Joe Spinner, tipped with a minnow was working better. In fact, they were just as productive now as they were a couple of weeks ago when water temperatures were in the mid-70 degree range.
We only fished 3 areas on Friday; all of them were weed flats and they all contained respectable numbers of Crappie. On Wednesday though, I fished some deeper water too and there were crappies holding out there as well. Many of the lakes reefs, especially those on the north end contain rocks and these rocky spots were the preferred territory for Crappies.
A welcome by product of our trolling was a few bonus Walleye and Jumbo Perch. Right now, I don’t think that I could promise a limit of good size Walleye by “spinning the weeds”. That’s because with the cooler water temps, Walleyes are more prone to strike slower moving baits and on Wednesday, I proved that to myself.
With a nice “Walleye Chop” and a good drift produced by steady southeast winds, a 1/16 ounce Lindy Live Bait Jig tipped with a fathead allowed me to pull a limit of good size fish out of the shallow cabbage. On Friday, without the benefit of some wind, the jigs were less effective, but even then, we gathered enough for a good fish fry. The action just feels slower when it’s calm, the weeds feel a lot heavier and it takes too much concentration for some folks; especially when your primarily goal is relaxation.

image of Crappie Fishing Guide on Bowstring Lake
The report from Erin Charlton at Trails End Resort came to my inbox as a single sentence; "Howdy from Bowstring! The Fall Crappie bite is ON!" Yes, I think she's right.

image of Lindy Wally Demon
Dabbling in weeds using crankbaits, I found a similar mix of Crappie, Walleye and Pike. For me, the 2-1/2 inch Wally Demon was the best crankbait.

image of Walleye caught on Wally Demon
I started with the Purple Passion color and it worked, so I never tried other colors; I'll leave that experiment up to you.

On Wednesday, I dabbled in the weeds with crankbaits too and found a similar mix of Crappie, Walleye and Pike. For me, the 2-1/2 inch Wally Demon was the best crankbait, I started with the Purple Passion color and it worked, so I never tried other colors; I'll leave that experiment up to you.
Summing it up, I’d say that Erin’s report was a good one. I do believe that you will find active Crappies on Bowstring this week, but don’t overlook poking around in the weeds, using a variety of presentations for Walleye and Perch too.
"OH, by the way, Erin wrapped up her report with an offer; "Come enjoy the fast and furious bite with a 10% Discount on cabin rentals, now through the end of October!..." - Bill & Erin Charlton, Trails End Reosrt .

 

image links to smallmouth bass video

image links to wired2fish Barefoot Log Rolling to Flip for Smallmouth Bass!

We're going off the beaten path for some cool fishing videos and taking you with us as we go. This is a short VLOG we shot up in Minnesota of Kyle Peterson jumping floating logs to vertical fish log jams for smallmouth bass no one else can reach! He's part American Ninja Warrior and part hand-to-hand flipping combat veteran with these rambunctious smallmouth bass. Peterson has ... View Video >> Barefoot Log Rolling to Flip for Smallmouth Bass!

image links to wired2fish Fisherman Pulls Gun Over Fishing Hole Dispute

"Thomas Mast of Pinconning, Mich. allegedly pulled a gun at a family who was fishing in “his” spot.
This isn’t the type of news we like to see, but it can serve as an important lesson for all of us. A boat with 3 adults and one small child headed out to do some fishing on ..." Read Full Story >> Fisherman Pulls Gun Over Fishing Hole Dispute

image links to story about gun incident

image of Josh Haggemeister with big Walleye
Photos courtesy: Captain Josh Hagemeister, shown here with fantastic Walleye.

image of fisherman with big Bass
Good Smallmouth action on shallow rocky gravel areas using a jig head tipped with a plastic crawfish.

image denotes link to fish rapper article Alexandria Ottertail Area, Capt Josh Hagemeister; August 27, 2016

"What another great week for fishing in north central Minnesota area. This week there was a big uptick in the smallmouth bass action on all the lakes in the area with the smallmouth bass in them. The fall equinox is upon us and causing the fish to school up more heavily and become more aggressive in preparation for winter so feeding is constant. I've been catching a lot of nice bass on shallow rocky gravel areas using a jig head tipped with a plastic crawfish. If you're into live bait use nightcrawlers on a Jig as well. The walleyes are split down the middle with many fish still using the weed lines in the 15 to 20 foot depth range well others are schooling heavier on steep drop offs leading to Deepwater as far down as 40 feet each lake is different so try both. Live bait options range from a 3 to 4 inch minnow to a nightcrawler. Many of the big bluegills can be found roaming deeper flats adjacent to weeds the flats seem to be best at 15 to 20 feet in depth. Using your electronics to find the schools and then simply drop down a small tube Jig to catch them. The larger northern pike can still be found suspended out from the weed line over the basin of the lake. Using a crank bait that may dive down to 10 to 15 feet cast away from the Weed line towards Deepwater and reel it back towards you that suspended northern pike will attack. Good fishing!" Capt Josh, Minnesota Fishing Guide Service 218-732-9919

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 26, 2016 - Another "Crappie" Fishing Trip!

It didn't take long, all I had to do was post a few pictures of Crappies and the next day, emails and texts started coming in, questioning the whereabouts of Mr. Speck and his extended family.
Well, so far the migration of Crappies from shallow weed edges into deeper water has been slow, maybe even a little bit behind schedule, but they are starting to trickle out there.
Thursday, we managed a respectable score on our entrance exam into the U of SSU’s advanced fall crappie class. Just a half day of fishing and the two of us, I and Pete scored 17 out of a possible 20 fish limit, a solid B+.
For anybody who’s ever fished with me during the peak of fall Crappie migrations that will sound like slow fishing and in some ways it was. But it wasn’t so slow that we ever lost interest, it was simply that the schools of fish are very small and not all of them were striking aggressively.
The takeaway from today’s report ought to be that it’s not a bad idea to start checking some of your favorite deep water holes for Crappies, but don’t give up on the weeds. On the lakes that I’ve fished, that’s still where the majority of fish are located. In fact I’m going to test my theory today by spending most of our trip fishing in and around the weeds, instead of looking in deep water.
Surface temperatures hung in steady at 71 degrees yesterday despite chilly, mid-sixty degree air temperatures. But as the water cools and shallow vegetation dies off, fish will continue to trickle out into open water.
The presentation we used was straightforward, a 1/16 ounce Lindy Live Bait Jig tipped with a small Fathead. For folks who have fished with me before, this jig is very familiar and is absolutely one of the best lures there is for presenting live bait. The colors we used were both Pink and Glow Perch, neither of which seemed better than the other.
The Glow Perch color could seem a little bit offbeat to some, but for me, it’s a great color to use when you’re testing the water for Bluegills and by tipping it with a cut piece of night crawler, I am frequently able to discover Sunfish in the vicinity of our Crappie holes.
I’ve written about the early fall pattern before and for details about locating fish,  it’s easier to refer you to this >> Crappie Fishing Report August 2014
By the way, the 1/16 ounce live bait jig also works great with 2 inch action tails and this is what I use for casting to the weed edges for Crappies, Walleye and Pike.
So get your ultra lights polished up and get ready for a Crappie fishing trip of your own. image of fish smiley

image of Crappie fishing guide jeff sundin
For folks who have fished with me before, this jig, the Lindy Live Bait Jig is very familiar!! And yes, it is absolutely the best lure there is for presenting live bait to schooling Crappies.

image of Jeff Sundin with big Bluegill
The Glow Perch color may seem a bit offbeat, but for me, it’s a great color to use when you’re testing the water for Bluegills and by tipping it with a cut piece of night crawler, I am frequently able to discover Sunfish nearby the Crappie hole.

Fish ED Video New Episode August 26, 2016 "Choosing The Right Color Crankbaits"

"Walleye have excellent eyesight, which makes choosing the lure color a key concern in many situations. In fact years of guiding have taught Jon Thelen that tailoring the right color crankbait to water clarity, preferred forage and other factors helps put more Walleyes in the boat on every trip. In this video, Jon shares time tested tricks for quickly finding the best colors for any situation. " View Video >> Choosing The Right Color Crankbaits

image links to Fish ED video

image of susan bolos with net full of Crappies

 

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 25, 2016 - Cooling The Coolable and Working the Workable

I know, it still feels warm and the sun is still shining, but look close; the trees are beginning to change color and summer is slipping away.
On Wednesday, the Humminbird reminded me that surface water temperatures are slipping away too. Mainly still above the 70 degree mark, there were a few 69 degree readings popping onto the screen. Cooler water means changing fishing patterns and the changes are beginning to show up in daily fishing patterns.
Crappies typically begin to dominate the conversation during early fall and I’m sure that you’ve noticed more Crappies in the mix lately. I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking for “Good Schools” of them, but until yesterday, the fish have shown up only in small, isolated packs. The school of fish that we found on Wednesday was good, and it represented the first really productive episode of vertical jigging for suspended fish during this 2016 season.
Despite what I just told you about this single school of suspended fish, I think your best bet is to continue pursuing Crappies in the weeds. Most of the fish that we’ve caught during the past week have been weedline fish, inhabiting water depths of 7 to 12 feet, depending on the weedline on your favorite lake.
Casting 1/16 ounce Live Bait Jigs, tipped with 2 inch action tails, we’ve turned up Crappie, Sunfish, Walleye, Bass, Perch and of course … Pike-O-Plenty!

On Tuesday, trolling the weed edges with a 2-1/2 inch Wally Demon produced a nice mix of Walleye and Crappie and historically, the “crankbait bite” usually gets better throughout the Labor Day weekend.
The best game in town for Walleye and Pike fishing continues to be Lake Winnibigoshish and that’s where you’ve spotted me for most of the past month. If you missed it, read the report from Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report August 24, 2016, this is a good, up to date report about what’s happening on the big pond.
For me, the pace is scheduled to be more relaxed for a few days as my good friends the Raquets, make their way back to Minnesota. Whatever we catch today, you can rest assured that we will have “worked as hard as we possibly can” to get them.

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 22, 2016 - A Taste Of Fall, Water Cools Down, Action Heats Up!

Oh I know, there's another heat wave bearing down on the Itasca region, but the weekend weather provided a welcome hint of cooler times lying just around the corner. Hot muggy weather gave way to the cooler air temperatures delivered by a cool northwest wind.
In typical, early fall fashion, the cold air mass forced surface temperatures on Lake Winnibigoshish to plummet, falling 6 degrees in 2 days, leveling out at 68.8 degrees by the end of our fishing trip on Sunday.
For me, planning a fishing trip after cold fronts of this proportion can cause jittery nerves and sleepless nights. But on Sunday, Walleye and Pike shrugged off the chill and fed steadily for several hours.
No matter how you look at it, this is good news and it reinforces Joe Thompson’s comments this Sunday; “If you follow my fishing reports over the years, you know that I only say we have a hot bite once in a great while. So if you are considering a place where you will catch fish, you need to come see us very soon.” Based on my own experiences, it’s hard not to agree with Joe, the fishing has been reliable and during recent days, it’s been steady, even when I didn’t think it should have been.
The familiar pattern of trolling Little Joe Spinners over the weed tops continues to produce fish. But as of yesterday, I began carrying a supply of larger minnows for jigging, just in case I arrive at the same time that the fish switch their feeding preferences. Even though surface temperatures will rebound during this next warm period, the trend downward will prevail. As temperatures sip into the mid 60’s, jig and minnow presentations will become reliable. Drifting, backtrolling and vertical jigging will overtake the fast moving trolling presentations.

image of Jeff Sundin with nice walleye
Little Joe Spinners over the weed tops continues to produce fish. But as of yesterday, I began carrying larger minnows for jigging, just in case I arrive when the fish switch their feeding preferences.

image of jeff sundin hoisting nice crappie into the boat
The best bet for catching good numbers of Crappie continues to be fishing early morning or late evening along the weed edges.

 

Crappies, still primarily weedline related are just beginning to show up in small numbers over open water, but the best bet for catching good numbers continues to be fishing early morning or late evening along the weed edges.
You will find more than just Crappies, there’s a mixed bag of Walleye, Pike, Sunfish and Rock Bass too. We even caught a couple of Largemouth Bass mixed in the weeds last Friday. Move slowly along the weed edges casting small, 1/16 ounce jigs tipped with action tails toward the weeds, allowing them to fall into pockets and openings in the heavy cover.

image denotes link to fish rapper article Marcell Area - Edge of the Wilderness, Frontier Sports, August 21, 2016

"In this area, in late summer, Weeds Matter! Last weekend saw both Walleye and Pike in the heavy coontail weeds in water depths of fourteen feet to twenty four feet. These beds appear on your graph as a solid mass of yellow. In the deeper weeds you’ll find that the top of the weed beds are around seven feet from the surface. In situations like this I’ll troll lipless crank baits like the LIVE TARGET Yearling Baitball Rattle Bait right over the top at three miles an hour, periodically ripping it as I go.

image of cassidy with nice largemouth
I usually have about a hundred feet of line out and slightly zig zag across the bed. Walleye are in the weeds for shelter from daylight and for food as well as a better oxygen supply. At this time of year the deeper main lake areas tend to have lower oxygen levels and fish start heading for the weeds. Walleye really smash these lures making such a racket over their heads and when they strike, they immediately plunge back down into the weeds making landing the fish quite an uncertainty. The same thing is also true with Pike, although they tend to be patrolling the outer edges in deeper water. Large swimbaits and crank baits really produce at this time of year. Crappie fishing has been very good with reports of mainly nine to eleven inch fish. Big Bluegills are being caught off the deep sides of sunken islands and rock bars that feature good sized weed beds. The water temperatures right now are in the mid-seventies and may dip lower over the weekend with the expected storms and lows into the forties forecast for the area. Just what effect these events will have on fishing success, well we’ll just have to go and find out for ourselves. The tackle department and bait shop are fully stocked and ready to provide you with just what you need for a successful outing. Be sure to drop by the store and see what’s new. Have a Great weekend everyone!!"
Frontier Sports features a complete and fully stocked Sporting Goods department and Bait Shop, Gas, Grocery, Deli and Gift Shop. Frontier Sports is an authorized LIVE TARGET and SAVAGE GEAR dealer. Frontier Sports 218-832-3901 or Email .

image of Mary Castellano with nice northern pikeLindy Rigs and Creek Chubs turned the heads of five Pike for Mary Castellano. Measuring in at 33 inches, this is her personal best to date.

image of float plane
We were also treated to a small air show while we fished.  We watched this plane make a couple landings and take offs.

image denotes link to fish rapper article Deer River Area, Brian Castellano , August 19, 2016;

"I was able to get on the water the last 2 days.
Tuesday night a friend, his 2 boys, I hit Pokegama for the full moon walleye bite. We started out Lindy Rigging creek chubs on some 20-30' humps but only found a half dozen pike in the 3-4 lb. range.
We then put on the crankbaits and started trolling some flats in 8-14' of water.  We ended up putting 4 nice walleyes in the boat from 15-19" and a few small pike that must have been night owls.  I caught a pike at 1 am. The boys got tired and we headed for home around 2 am.
Wednesday afternoon Mary and I loaded up with a dozen big creek chubs (7-9") and headed up to Big Cutfoot in search of some northern or a Muskie. We rigged them on heavy duty Lindy Rigs using a 30# test 6' leader w/ a 7/0 circle hook, and a 3/4 oz. slip sinker.  We then back trolled around 1 mph targeting both mid lake and shore line structure in the 20-30' range.  The big hook decreases chances of gut hooking fish.
In the couple of hours we fished Mary caught northern that were 30", 33", 27", and a 26".  The 33" was her personal best so that was the icing on the cake.  I was able to put 2 gators in the boat, a 27" and a 26". All of the fish were released.
We were also treated to a small air show while we fished.  We watched this plane make a couple landings and take offs."

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 18, 2016 - Fishing Good?

I'll bet that after reading yesterday's comments about the full moon, you're curious about how our fishing on Winnibigoshish was on Wednesday. Rightly so too, because I don't think the weather could have delivered any more perfect conditions under which to test my theory.
Under a bright sky, and floating on calm seas, fishing was good. Catching; that was a little tricky, but the reasons for that didn't concern the fish. The Walleye were there and they were willing to bite, we just didn't get them as efficiently as usual.
We had enough opportunity; any missteps that discouraged us from filling our bag were caused by our own slip-ups, over-anxiousness and a crowd of anglers who had trouble learning how to "work together".
That’s the way it goes sometimes, you can do everything almost right, and still not hit the nail on the head. Under the circumstances though, I still think we had a respectable showing, we CPR’d several nice “slot-fish” and still left the lake with 7 good keeper Walleye along with a couple of bonus Pike.
The contrast between this day and Tuesday, gave me a chance to make another observation about my own personality. I love tinkering around a lot more than I like “hard core fishing”.
Bob and Joe, arguably two of the most relaxed fishermen that I know, love to go with the flow; they allow me to putt around the lake sniffing out the nooks and crannies for interesting things to do. They don’t really care what we fish for, they just like having fun, so I turn up a good Sunfish bite, and that’s what we do. Crappies, Pike, Perch, and Walleye … whatever, every species are fair game. It’s a blast for me; in fact you can read the story I wrote last summer about >> Bob abd Joe, “the Ideal” guide customers.
On Tuesday we sifted through weeds, rocks and deep breaklines and we stumbled into Crappies, Sunfish Pike and eventually, landed on top of Walleye Bob’s  grand finale’, boating lots of Walleye. It never felt like I was working at all, we were just wandering the perimeter, stumbling into whatever came along to tickle our fancy.
On Wednesday, the goal wasn’t exactly Walleye or die, but it was close. Pike would serve as an adequate alternative, but we were definitely not fishing for any fish whose dimensions could be taller than their length.
Before you get the idea that my crew was pressuring me, don’t. They weren’t and they never would, they are the easiest folks to get along with in the whole wide world, they would never pressure me; I do that to myself.
I can’t explain why, but for me, the heightened sense of importance always seems to make me jittery and on Wednesday it showed. I hooked and lost at least a half dozen fish, probably more; that’s pretty unusual, but it does happen. That made it even harder to focus on my crew and their success and that leads to even more frustration. At the end of the day, it makes the fishing seem harder than it really was.
I just went a long way around to make this point, but here it is. I believe that the secret to catching more fish is to have more fun during the pursuit of them. Everybody loves reeling ‘em in, but truthfully, that only happens for a few hours, even on a good day and it’s the conversation, the shenanigans and the banter that makes the fishing trip fun.
Whenever it gets too serious, the fish figure it out and I think they believe that they’re doing us a favor by leaving us alone. Yes, I think that when we’re too serious, it’s like hanging the do not disturb sign on your door; they perceive us as needing “quiet time”. But whenever they hear us joking and laughing, then they want to join the party too.
Sound silly? Well maybe it is, but I don’t think so.
Statically speaking, the fishing conditions on Winnie typical of late summer. Surface temperatures ranged between 70 and 72 degrees on Winnie. Cutfoot Sioux featured warmer temperatures, ranging between 72 and 75 degrees. Despite the warm sunshine and calm seas, surface temps are slipping overnight and I think that the warmest water period of the season is now behind us.
Weed flats continue to hold good numbers of fish and this has been the primary focus for several weeks. I do believe though that there are also good numbers of fish on the larger, mid-lake bars and there are liable to be fish on sand flats too. Partly for a change of scenery, partly to check my intuition, I plan on moving away from the weeds and into open water for a day or two.
Watch the reports for a progress report and you’ll be the first to know how the mid lake action stacks up.

image of Julie mills with nice Walleye
It was a good day to be Julie Mills who CPR’d several nice “slot-fish” and still bagged 7 "keepers" and some bonus Pike.

image of Bob Slager with nice Crappie
Bob and Joe, arguably two of the most relaxed fishermen that I know, love to go with the flow; sniffing out nooks and crannies for interesting things to do.

image of Joe with nice Crappie
On Tuesday, we found Crappies to be interesting.

image links to video about dow rigging on lake of the woods

image denotes fishing report from Rour Seasons Fishing Resort Lake Winnibigoshish, Joe Thompson, August 15, 2016 Four Seasons Resort;

"This past week we had a lot of things happen on the fishing front. The walleyes have been active in the shallow water and are staging like it is going to be an outstanding fall bite. Musky Dave caught muskies on back to back days this week. The first was 40" and the second was a 51" whopper. Northern fishing continues to be in the awesome category. Most days you can catch double figure numbers of pike. Musky Dave had to best my 37" I caught last week with a 40.5 inch behemoth!
The walleyes are being caught on crankbaits, jigs and minnows, and rigs or spinners trolled fast tipped with crawlers or leeches. Look shallow for the best action. Today I fished with jigs and minnows and caught them as shallow as 6 feet. Most of the action is tight to shallow structures such as rocks or weedlines.
Northern fishing is wide-open with all the normal tactics working. Find weeds, find fish. The difference between this year and last is the fish last year related to the breaklines while this year it is more of a weed bite.
The perch are starting to shape up this week, as well. Jake and Ali took out a motley crew consisting of my nieces and nephews. They boated some very nice perch on jigs and minnows. Most of the fish were caught in 5-7' of water. They were on the sand ripples on river bar. The fish were gorging on crayfish.
The way things are going, the fall fishing is going to be one for the books! We are offering our normal 20% off fall discount. We still have most weekends in September available. Check your schedule and give us a call. You don't want to miss out on this fall bite. It can be a lot of fun." Joe Thompson, Four Seasons Resort 218-665-2231

image denotes link to fish rapper article Lake of the Woods, Border View Lodge August 15, 2016;

"Phenomenal was the word of the week! Fishing has been excellent this past week, one guest even made the statement of it being “too good”. Additionally, we have had fantastic weather!
Our guides have been covering all areas of the lake again this past week. From Four Block to Archies reefs, around Garden Island and off of Pine Island. The weather allowed us to go wherever we wanted and apply whatever tactics anglers preferred. In quality and numbers of fish caught, down rigging is definitely at the top of the list. The bait fishing had its moments this past week. There has been a school of nice fish about 6 miles outside the Lighthouse gap. It is still early in August but we hope to see it continue to grow and eventually start a trend towards the river as we are seeing fall coming soon. The day light hours are definitely getting shorter.
Whatever style is chosen for the day; the comraderie of fishing remains the same. The anticipation of the next fish being the biggest! A big swing and a miss! Or collecting some great eaters for shore lunch or dinner! Jokes are tossed around and you feel left out if you didn’t take your share of the ribbing!
We are seeing a forecast showing more of the same for the week ahead. As always this time of year there are thunderstorms predicted and they do pop up from time to time. Temperatures are forecasted with highs into the 80’s and lows into the 60’s for the week ahead." - 1-800-776-3474 Border View Lodge .

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 8, 2016 - Warm Water Fish; "Hot to Trot!"

It depends on which lake you fish, but I'll bet that your favorite one has the potential to provide you with a "mixed bag, action bite".
Surface temperatures are nearly 80 degrees on many of the Itasca area lakes and most of the fish are on a rampage to chase down fast moving baits. During the warmest part of summer, fish metabolism is racing and they feed extremely heavily. In fact, if you've been fishing the weedline and haven't had great action, then most likely, the remedy will be to get moving faster.
Over the weekend, I was on a busman’s holiday, fishing for fun with family and friends and I'm convinced that's part of the reason we had so much fun.
When I let everyone know that I didn't plan on cleaning any fish, the pressure of trying to fill the creel disappeared. The fish seem to KNOW when there's no pressure and that's when they really bite. In just one small bay of the lake, we caught and released Bluegill, Bass, Pike, Rock Bass and even Walleye all using the same weeds. Some were easier to get than others, but generally speaking they were just about as aggressive as fish get.
Finding them wasn't hard either, there was only one rule; locate weedy flats that lay adjacent to deep water. Whenever I found weeds, there were fish, most often they were Sunfish, but Bass, Pike and Walleye were in there too.
I can't think of many baits that are easier to use and more reliable than the Little Joe Spinner and this day was perfect for trolling with their #3 gold blade and a cut piece of 1/2 night crawler. Speeds of 1.3 to 1.6 MPH were perfect, but when you cover water that fast, the trick is to find a spot that's large enough to allow a fairly long trolling run. Small points contained fish too, but we whizzed past them so fast that our efficiency suffered. I tried stopping and fishing slower using live bait jigs tipped with action tails and it worked, but not as well as the spinners.
Today, I have a crew that's looking for just this kind of a spot, so we're gonna take another run at it. This time, I'm bringing a big supply of jig spinners too and we'll try casting them on some of these smaller points. I'll bet that it works, but I'll have to make you wait until tomorrow for proof.

image of gary sundin with nice bluegill
My little brother Gary showing off his handywork as he mentioned; "I gotta get in on more of these!"

image of Jp Bellamy holding nice Walleye
A little more charming than the boys, my almost adopted daughter Jo sweet talked this nice Walleye out of the shade.

image of Sunfish hooked on spinner
Sunfish of all shapes and sizes dominated the fishing and chased down our Little Joe Spinners at 1.3 to 1.6 MPH.

image denotes link to fish rapper article Marcell Area - Edge of the Wilderness, Frontier Sports, Paul Larson August 5, 2016

"Despite Monday nights storm which dropped nearly four inches of rain in some locales, fishing has rebounded somewhat. It was slow going Monday   (my day off… go figure), probably due to the approaching thunder storm but by this morning things were getting back on track. The Walleye bite came back with most of the action coming from deep weed beds. Leeches, pieces of a crawler on jigs and crankbaits pulled at a good clip got the nod.  Bass, especially Smallmouth, are on a tear on some of the better known Bass lakes in the area. The good news is that the Pike seem to have gotten very hungry in the last few weeks and are now on the prowl looking for some groceries. Anglers fishing with Sucker minnows have been having some success off the deep weed edges while others trolling big cranks and spoons have also been kept busy. I had a heck of a time catching a Crappie over eight inches Monday night, add to that a generous helping of Rock Bass and well that adds up to a bad evening of fishing, resulting in my early departure. All in all, fishing is improving and if the storm that’s supposed to hit this evening doesn’t mess things up we should see an upswing in fishing this weekend. Better weather is on the way. The tackle department and bait shop are fully stocked with everything you’ll need for a successful fishing trip so be sure to drop by when you’re in the area.  Have a great weekend everyone!..."
Frontier Sports features a complete and fully stocked Sporting Goods department and Bait Shop, Gas, Grocery, Deli and Gift Shop. Frontier Sports is an authorized LIVE TARGET and SAVAGE GEAR dealer. Frontier Sports 218-832-3901 or Email .

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 4, 2016 - Surface Temperatures Pass 80 Degrees, Sometimes

Warming water temperatures, now above 80 degrees on many Itasca Area Lakes have a way of changing everything. What we see is green, grungy looking water known as an “algae bloom”.  What this is happens to be an increase in the production of Phytoplankton, the primary building block of aquatic life.
The soupy looking water is really good for fish because it’s all food, billions of microscopic critters that feed everything in the lake, all the way up the food chain.
One side effect of a heavy algae bloom is that they consume Oxygen and that means that throughout the summer, deep, cool water and mid-lake structures actually become less inhabitable for game fish. With the passage of time, many fish are forced to move away from deep water into weeds where Oxygen, shade and security are abundant.

image of Deb with nice Walleye
The thermocline, a barrier that forms between warm and cold water adds to the effect. Thermoclines make it hard for water from the Oxygen rich surface to mix with the Oxygen starved water below it.
Not all lakes are equal though and fish living in some of the deeper, cooler, less fertile lakes may continue to inhabit deep water all summer long.  The problem for us is to figure out which one is which.
This week, we’ve fished deep water, mid-lake humps successfully. Walleye holding in 18 to 24 feet of water have been hitting Lindy Rigs tipped with Leeches and night crawlers. The bite has been fairly reliable, but presentation needs to be precise and the opportunity to catch a Walleye cannot be squandered. Every fish we miss or lose comes right off of the bottom line, getting limits of fish has been rare.
On some lakes though, shallow water weeds have been much better and here, there’s a mixed bag of species. We’ve been trolling at a quick pace, 1.3 to 1.6 MPH using Little Joe Spinners tipped with fatheads and picking up Crappie, Pike, Perch, Bass and Sunfish. On these waters, Walleyes are still included in the mix, but now make up a smaller percentage of the catch than they did a couple of weeks ago.
The question for me has been whether I want to keep people busy, maybe not always catching Walleye, but catching fish. Or do I want them to catch Walleye, but at a slower, more methodical pace.
If you are a purist, passionate about catching Walleyes and nothing else, then I’d suggest the deeper lakes where cooler water is more likely to provide Oxygen to Walleyes on mid-lake structure.
If you’re like me and prefer action, then the answer is to fish fast moving baits over weeds, especially Cabbage weeds.
For today, Leech Lake is gonna get some attention and I will do my best to catch up with whats going on over there. Whatever we learn, you will be the first to know!

image denotes fishing report submitted by Jeff Sundin Fishing Report August 1, 2016 - Mixing The Mixable During Dog Days

Turmoil, turbulence, volatility, sweat, discomfort and piles of broken stuff; I won't miss it a bit. Nope, for me, seeing July in the rear view mirror is gonna be a real treat!
It’s been my experience that the “Dog Days” of summer represent a turnaround in the warm water fishing period. This is the period of time when surface water temperatures peak, Oxygen levels in deep water begin to decline and fish of all shapes and sizes begin moving back toward the shoreline, inhabiting weedy flats.
Nobody ever intended “Dog Days” to be used as a fishing reference; it just happens to work out that way.  What it really is about is the position of the constellation Canis Major in the night sky. If you want to read more about that, here’s a link to >> Canis Major, The Greater Dog.
What it means for me is that just when I think that the fishing has reached its lowest ebb, the weeds fill with fish, the warm water fires them up and the mixed bag, multi-species action bite carries us into the pre-fall fishing season.
For me there are two favorites; Sunfish, Bass and Walleye – or – Walleye, Pike and Perch and both of these mixed bag opportunities are open for business right now.
Surface temperatures are currently hovering on either side of the 80 degree mark. That means that under most circumstances, fast moving baits will out produce slower presentations. Trolling at speeds of 1.1 to 3.0 MPH will help you bag consistent catches, providing that you choose the right lure to put in front of the right fish.
For the past few seasons, there’s been a reliable “spinner bite” and fishing with Little Joe Spinners, tipped with live bait has gotten tons of attention. Don’t forget though, trolling with crankbaits is also a great option and so is casting to the weeds; especially for folks who like the Pike and Walleye mix.
For Walleye purists, another presentation that holds its own during the dog days is the wiggle worm. A 1/16 ounce Lindy Live Bait Jig tipped with a whole night crawler can be slithered through the thickets weeds and Walleyes have a really hard time saying no to this presentation.
After a tougher than usual July, I am counting on today to represent the launch into a new, more upbeat month and with luck, the dogs that greet us will be wagging their tails; not snarling like those nasty July dogs.

image of goettl family with triple
Depending on the lakes you like to fish, the mix of species could be almost anything. Pictured here are Phil Goettl, Al and Kristin Pietras and a true triple of Walleye and Bass.

image of constellation Canis Major
“Dog Days” of summer represent a turnaround in the warm water fishing period. Water temperatures peak, Deep water Oxygen levels begin to decline and fish of all shapes and sizes begin moving back toward the shoreline, inhabiting weedy flats.

image of blugill caught using li'l guy
Fast moving baits will out produce slower presentations. Trolling at speeds of 1.1 to 3.0 MPH will help you bag consistent catches, providing that you choose the right lure to put in front of the right fish.

Do You Know that you can post your own helpful hints to our fishing reports page on facebook? YES! You Can! You don't have to tell us your secrets, just go ahead and brag a little when you get a whopper! Click >>> Fishing Reports Minnesota .
And ... did you know that Jeff's Thursday Morning Program is available for two weeks after the air date? Yes, you'll never need to miss the show. Click the image and then select the 6:00 hour on Thursday. Scroll in to about 6:20 AM and you're in business! Link to KAXE Audio Archive