On the south end… A fantastic week of fishing on Lake of the Woods. Walleye anglers are coming in with lots of limits and great pics of bigger fish that were released as well.
Crawler harnesses are catching a lot of fish. Using a 2 hook snelled spinner with a crawler and 2 ounce inline sinker or bottom bouncer. This technique has been deadly for walleyes. .
For the spinner blade, try a small (#2) to medium (#4) sized blade in gold and / or glow red, orange, pink or glow white.
Some anglers are using a minnow on their spinner rig with success. Jigging with a minnow is still catching a lot of fish, especially when on structure. Leeches are just starting to work for walleyes, and will get better as the hot summer weather continues.
Good reports from anglers trolling crankbaits both in the shallows along shore and in deeper depths.
Most walleyes are being caught in 7 – 25 feet, water temps in the 70’s.
Great pike reports, with many nice fish being caught by unsuspecting walleye anglers.
On the Rainy River… River anglers are finding some nice walleyes in many of the traditional walleye haunts such as current breaks, holes and rocky areas. Some fish are showing up in shallow flats as well.
Try pitching a jig and minnow to high probability areas with structure or a current break. To find and catch fish spread out on a flat or along a break, troll crankbaits or spinners / crawlers.
The Rainy River has some incredible smallmouth bass fishing. Target feeder rivers, bridges, and areas with rocks. For pike, weed beds, bays and feeder rivers to the Rainy River.
The sturgeon season opens again July 1st.
Up at the NW Angle… Walleye fishing continues to be excellent. Most are jigging with a minnow or plastic on underwater points, neck down areas, flats with moving water and edges of reefs.
With the water warming, spinners and crawlers are coming on strong. They are a great way to cover water and put your bait in front of a lot of fish.
Caught plenty of walleyes and want to mix it up? Try casting bays or areas around points. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits and swimbaits are great all around lures that will catch a mixed bag.