The latest fishing reports and ice content from JMO
Category: article
Oct 22nd, 2021 by Keith Worrall
Modified Oct 22nd, 2021 at 9:25 PM
LAKE KABETOGAMA
Been enjoying some nice days this fall mixed in with some rain and wind. Yesterday was cold on the water and today is going to be cold. Found water temps yesterday in the low fifties. Our editing team just wrapped up the episode we filmed on Lake Kabetogama.
LEECH LAKE
We have been fishing Devils Lake a lot and were also recently on Leech Lake. On Leech Lake, we found walleye scattered on the usual sand flats in fifteen feet of water during the day. These fish were in pods and moving fast so we chased them down with Lowrance Live Sight. We fished with Dusty Minke on Leech Lake and he was dialed into a productive slip bobber pattern. Slip bobbers haven’t been as popular on many Minnesota walleye lakes and I always assumed the one rod rule had some influence on that. With the new active sonar technology that is available to anglers where you can hunt down and cast to a specific fish or specific school of fish, we are seeing more anglers using slip bobbers in conjunction with this technology. Few things will trigger a walleye like a leech swimming below a slip bobber… now we know right where to put it.
DEVILS LAKE
On Devils Lake, we have been trolling roadbeds and catching a lot of fish on crankbaits. Been experimenting with the new Northland Rumble Shad as the water cools down. Early in the year and late in the year when the water is colder, I tend to lean towards tighter action lures without rattles that have a more subtle flash. I have been doing well slow trolling the Rumble Shads at about 1.5 miles per hour and have been pumping the rod a lot or stopping the lure to get bit. Deadly when the water gets colder. Kind of an interesting transition we see each year. Early in the year on Devils Lake, we use a lot of Shad Raps. As the water warms up, the Hornets and Flicker Shads kick in. The Rumble Shad seems to shine early and late in the season when the water temps are below sixty degrees as the bill has a shaved thin taper that really imparts dig and flutter at slow speeds and on the stall. We will release a video this upcoming spring describing how to shave the bill on crankbaits and some of the tweaks we did to the Rumble Shad and other cranks to catch more fish in cold water.
NEW ICE VIDEOS AIRING NOW
Still some good fishing ahead in the boat but we can see the end in sight. This feels like a year where we will go from summer to winter. We began airing our ice fishing programming on JMO TV. Last weekend’s episode Ice Fishing Jumbo Perch – Cascade Lake, Idaho – YouTube from Cascade Lake, Idaho featuring monster perch received a lot of great questions and responses. We feature sight fishing for big Iowa bluegills this upcoming week. Watch every Sunday on Bally Sports North at 9:00 am or follow our YouTube channel where we upload all programs.