Fred's Bait Fishing Reports Archives

Many areas of the 1000 Grand Lakes Region were treated to the first killing frost of the season last week. The trees are showing some early fall color, some of the shallow weed growth is beginning to thin and water temperatures have cooled down to the low 60’s.

Crappies have shown us the first glimpse of the fall fishing to come. On several area lakes, these fish suspending in fairly large groups over open water, sometimes near shoreline weeds or deeper main lake structures like meandering bars and softer bottom humps. On several other lakes they are still using the weeds and can be found in areas of mixed Cabbage and Coontail adjacent to deeper water. Key depths have been from 12 to 24 feet depending on the type of structure they’re using. Although these fish are beginning to group up, they have not formed the huge schools that we will begin to see in a couple of weeks.

Searching the structures with your electronics, try to locate the larger schools of fish and work vertically over the top of these Crappies with jig/minnow combinations. Some of the schools are feeding aggressively while others aren’t. So it really pays to be persistent. Don’t give up until you’ve tried several schools of fish. If you haven’t been able to locate larger schools of fish, follow the deeper drop-off edges and fish slowly with a live bait rig using a five-foot leader and tip the hook with a small, lively minnow. As you move along, you’ll pick up some of the small groups of fish. When you locate a groups that shows some potential, stop the boat and try the vertical approach for a few minutes and repeat the process as needed.

The early signs of fall, a glimpse of color, cooler water and lots of Crappies! Just the way we like it.

Northern Pike have also moved out on to these flats and many of the areas we find Walleyes are also holding small to medium size Pike. To key in on more Northern Pike, troll your crank baits in areas with good stretches of mixed rock and gravel. Watch for some of the steeper drop-offs and do your best to hug these edges.

Perch action that was fairly good last week, has become sluggish again with many of the "weed fish" getting smaller and less numerous. The better fish we’ve caught have been in deeper water and are somewhat scattered on the flats. Hopefully, I’ll have better news next week.

Largemouth Bass are now mainly occupying the deeper weed edges and heavier weed patches up on the weed flats. Small plastic worms rigged Texas Style or on 3/16 ounce jig heads and fished slowly down the drop off edges will still produce some bass. It’s important to fish each spot more thoroughly because these fish are not moving very far out of cover to hit the bait. They can still be caught, but it may take several casts to the same fish before your bait gets close enough to entice a strike.

www.jeffsundin.com    jsundin@paulbunyan.net   Copyright © Jeff Sundin 2004

Here we go again! We had just about fully recovered from the passage of the last cold front and here comes another front gushing in from the Arctic Circle. On Wednesday we had enough wind to make almost everyone run for cover by mid day and I can honestly say that this was one of the few times I’ve ever seen the wind so strong that it made even the smaller lakes "un-fishable". After the last front blew through just over a week ago, we found that the Northern Pike and Perch action had picked up a bit. Then as the weather stabilized and temperatures warmed, the Walleye fishing gradually recovered as well. I’d expect the recovery to come somewhat more rapidly this time, because the water temps had already taken the big plunge from the last front and because the storms that blew in ahead of this front were nowhere near the severity of the last ones. In another couple of weeks the fall patterns will begin to emerge and we’ll be looking forward to these cooler temperatures.

Here’s the pattern I’d be watching for in the next few days. By this past Sunday, Walleyes were following the minnows and it was common to find the fish moving freely and remaining in one spot only so long as the minnows were still in that area. Even though the majority of this movement had been in shallow water with weed cover, there were still small groups of fish using main lake structures like humps and small bars. We had been consistently catching fish on jigs and minnows until the warm weather took hold on Tuesday. The speed of presenting the baits became more important and Spinners tipped with crawlers or minnows, as well as crankbaits became a better approach. In fact, Tuesday was one of the better Walleye trips this month and we caught almost all of the fish on crankbaits. Trolling the shallow weed line from 8 to 10 feet of water (depending on the weeds), with either Salmo’s "Sting series" or the old stand by Shad Rap was the clear ticket. You need baits that run just barely over the top of the deeper weeds, so don’t get too worried about hitting the bottom of the lake. These more active fish will come up for the bait. The same approach has worked out on the deeper flats except you’ll need baits that get down to 16 to 20 feet. Salmo’s "Perch Series" has been the ticket for these areas. Whenever we’ve contacted fish that won’t take the crankbaits, we always make a pass or two using rigs or jigs and we’ve picked up plenty of fish. The one thing that has been consistent is that the fish will move. You’ll have to be prepared to go find another group every couple of hours.

Smallmouth Bass remain grouped up on deep-water rock/gravel points and humps. They can still be caught on artificial baits with Tube Jigs and crank-baits leading the way. Live bait rigging with large lively minnows or Leeches will also produce some nice catches, but be careful not to allow the fish too much time to swallow live bait. In general, we release all Smallmouth and live bait fishing can put some of these fish at risk. So try the artificial baits first, then go to the live bait only as needed.

www.jeffsundin.com    jsundin@paulbunyan.net   Copyright © Jeff Sundin 2004

Thanks to what is one of the most dramatic Mid Summer Cold Fronts I can remember, some types of fishing have been set back this week. Water temperatures have dropped from the low seventies down into the mid sixties in the past few days. While we are still managing to catch some fish, the action has dropped off for walleye, Musky and Bass. Interestingly, the Northern Pike and Perch action has actually improved and some of these fish have been better size than we were catching before the front.

Northern Pike have really perked up during the past week and even though we’re not seeing any really large Pike, we have been catching lots of the good "eating size" fish in the 2 to 4 pound range. We’ve been catching the better fish by casting Jerk baits like the Suick and shallow running crank baits like Salmo’s 7 inch Whitefish. A slow, deliberate retrieve giving the fish plenty of time to zero in on the bait has worked best. Another option for catching Pike is to drift across weed flats while fishing with Sucker Minnows and bobbers. This slower approach gives some of the more finicky fish a chance to locate and bite the bait and when you set up a good drifting pattern, there can be several people casting, while someone else is bobber fishing. Now you can cover both bases at once and there’s usually enough action to keep everyone interested.

Walleye fishing has moved in large part to the shallow weeds and we’ve been forced to get in and grind out enough fish to make a respectable catch. There are still nice fish being caught if you’re willing to work a bit more intensely on the project. Jigs tipped with minnows or live bait rigs tipped with leeches and crawlers are working equally well. Make sure you use a light enough bullet sinker or small egg sinker to allow you to wiggle the rig through the weeds. At times you’ll encounter groups of Perch or other panfish and I’d recommend slowing down and fishing the area thoroughly for them before moving on.

Perch action has really picked up, with the best action in heavy to moderate weed cover. It’s even better if you can locate weed patches adjacent to gravel or light rock. Our best approach has been to fish along the weed edges pitching a jig and minnow into the heavier weeds. Once we locate an area that has some potential, we slow the boat down to a crawl and try to fish vertically over the school of fish. Whenever the action slows down, start fan casting around the area. This helps draw more fish closer to the boat. When the action slows down, repeat the process until you find the next batch of fish.

Largemouth Bass are now mainly occupying the deeper weed edges and heavier weed patches up on the weed flats. Small plastic worms rigged Texas Style or on 3/16 ounce jig heads and fished slowly down the drop off edges will still produce some bass. It’s important to fish each spot more thoroughly because these fish are not moving very far out of cover to hit the bait. They can still be caught, but it may take several casts to the same fish before your bait gets close enough to entice a strike.

Smallmouth Bass remain grouped up on deep-water rock/gravel points and humps. They can still be caught on artificial baits with Tube Jigs and crank-baits leading the way. Live bait rigging with large lively minnows or Leeches will also produce some nice catches, but be careful not to allow the fish too much time to swallow live bait. In general, we release all Smallmouth and live bait fishing can put some of these fish at risk. So try the artificial baits first, then go to the live bait only as needed.

Crappies are starting to show early signs of their fall patterns and are occasionally suspending in fairly large groups in open water, near shoreline weeds or main lake rock structure. The fish have been finicky and we’ve located several schools of fish that won’t bite the first time we see them. If we wait and return later in the afternoon or early evening, we can sometimes get them going. Vertical jigging with 1/8 or 1/16 ounce jigs above the school seems still to be the best approach, but we’ve had moderate success by rigging slip bobbers and casting to the school, rather than sitting on top of them.

www.jeffsundin.com    jsundin@paulbunyan.net   Copyright © Jeff Sundin 2004

Walleye Fishing always has its twists & turns and this week has been no exception. One day we have great fishing on the main lake bars or humps in deep water, the next day we catch a good bunch in the weeds. But the most interesting twist has been their irksome habit of spreading out on main lake flats that meander for miles. It’s like taking a handful of marbles and flinging them across a gym floor. You know that all of the marbles are there, but you have to hunt them down one by one. On some of those days when the fish just seem to disappear, we generally assume that they have suspended in deep water. But in many cases, these fish are active and feeding up on the top of these large flat areas. Lately, we’ve had some very successful afternoons by moving across these flats in 18 to 22 feet of water trolling with deep diving crank baits. Salmo’s Perch series has been one of the better baits for us because they run so true, we hardly ever have to "tune them up" and they run well at a fast speed, around 3.3 miles per hour.

Jerry Bellfy with a nice Walleye caught while cranking the flats with a Salmo Perch model. This pattern helps put fish in the baot at times when "Nothin's - doin'"

Using this system, we pick up some fish with the crank baits and as we move along, I watch my graph for signs of larger schools of fish. When I think I’ve spotted a larger school, we stop and fish the area with the traditional Walleye baits like a plain live bait rig tipped with crawlers or leeches. More than a few times, these larger groups of fish have been using areas with patchy gravel and mixed rock. The spots are noticeable on your graph because the bottom reading changes, but they’re generally not associated with a significant change in water depth. We fish the area until the group of fish seems to have dissipated or moved, then go back to the trolling until we locate another group of fish.

Northern Pike are a bonus side benefit of this trolling pattern because they also use these large flats and are commonly caught while trolling with the crankbaits. There are some differences in the preferred colors, so if you experiment with colors, you’ll find some that trigger more Pike than Walleye.

Largemouth Bass are now mainly occupying the deeper weed edges and heavier weed patches up on the weed flats. We’ve still been able to catch some fish on spinnerbaits, but fishing the outside edges with plastic worms, has produced a lot more fish. Twelve to twenty feet of water, mixed Cabbage and Coontail and a good drop into deep water have been key areas for us.

Smallmouth Bass remain grouped up on deep-water rock/gravel points and humps. They can still be caught on artificial baits with Tube Jigs and crank-baits leading the way. Live bait rigging with large lively minnows or Leeches will also produce some nice catches, but be careful not to allow the fish too much time to swallow live bait. In general, we release all Smallmouth and live bait fishing can put some of these fish at risk. So try the artificial baits first, then go to the live bait only as needed.

Bluegills have begun showing up in the mid depth weeds and are being caught primarily in the evening using small jigs or plain hooks tipped with a simple cut piece of night crawler. Poke along the weeds slowly and fish until you make contact, then concentrate on that area until you’re convinced there’s a good school of fish. If the action tapers off, move on to a new location.

Perch action continues to improve with most of the fish coming from mid depth gravel bars that are home to small Crawfish or deeper water humps that harbor schools of young (3/4 inch) Perch minnows. Jig and minnow will catch some of these fish, but spinners or even a plain live bait rig tipped with a minnow will do nicely too. We’ve had some really nice fish, although I’d say numbers are down a bit compared to a normal summer. This means the best is probably still to come.

Crappies are starting to show early signs of their fall patterns and are occasionally suspending in fairly large groups in open water, near shoreline weeds or main lake rock structure. The fish have been finicky and we’ve located several schools of fish that won’t bite the first time we see them. If we wait and return later in the afternoon or early evening, we can sometimes get them going. Vertical jigging with 1/8 or 1/16 ounce jigs above the school seems still to be the best approach, but we’ve had moderate success by rigging slip bobbers and casting to the school, rather than sitting on top of them.

Muskies are still on the prowl and even though I haven’t continued to fish them this week, friends are reporting several sightings each day. Some of our better moon phases are still approaching, so I’m looking forward to some good Musky experiences in the next 10 to 20 days. Surface baits have out produced the others recently, but fish are still coming in to buck-tails and jerk baits as well.

Good Luck! Check Back For Updates!

After a week of sluggish fishing for Northern Pike and Muskies, the approaching full moon, together with the rainy weather that moved in on Wednesday, teamed up to produce some above average action. We’ve been casting and trolling on Leech Lake, Moose Lake, Cutfoot Sioux, Winnie and Cass Lake for the past week and only seen a few fish, but yesterday we had five Muskies working our baits and caught a ton of small to medium sized Pike to boot. Some of these well-known areas were empty of fish as recently as this past Monday, so their sudden arrival was welcome to say the least. While we had some action on bucktails and tandem spinnerbaits, our best lure was the Suick fished at a slow-steady pace. Black & Orange combos were best, with plain Black and Blue also producing some decent fish. If this plays out like past experiences, the action spurt will last until this weekend when the moon begins waning or until the weather gets sunny again whichever comes first. If the weather is predicted to be sunny, I’d recommend starting really early in the morning (before daylight if possible). Even on the worst days, there has been some movement in early morning or late evening.

Bluegills and Crappies have begun showing up in the mid depth weeds and are being caught primarily in the evening using small jigs or plain hooks tipped with a simple cut piece of night crawler. Poke along the weeds slowly and fish until you make contact, then concentrate on that area until you’re convinced there’s a good school of fish. If the action tapers off, move on to a new location.

Mixed weeds are always a good choice for almost any species of fish. We've had good luck locating crappies in weeds surrounded by open pockets. A 1/16 ounce jig tipped with a small minnow or cut piece of night crawler will do nicely.

Walleye fishing is well above average for this time of year as these fish continue to move in the shallows on breezy days and provide steady action in deeper water on the calmer days. We’re still doing well using live bait rigs with leeches or night crawlers, but crankbaits are becoming more reliable.

Nine year old Sarah Steele was the star of the show when she caught these and many other nice Walleyes on her afternoon outing "with the boys". Sarah is definately dream team material all the way.

With the bulk of the Mayfly hatches finished and water temperatures moving toward the mid- seventies, my favorite time of the year is heading our way. Mid-summer is the time for mixed bag fishing and when you plan your trip to the right lake, you can catch 3, 4 or more species of fish all in the same trip. This week we’ve enjoyed the Walleye, Perch and Northern Pike mix.

Samantha's 28 inch Walleye came on a live bait rig and night crawler. Simple, but effective.

Magnum Perch are showing up in the deep water water Walleye haunts. With Perch like these, wouldn't you mix it up a little?

Northern Pike have been concentrated mostly in deeper water and the two best ways of catching them have been live bait rigging with larger hooks, heavy mono leaders and large minnows like a 6-inch Creek Chub or by trolling deep running crank-baits over open water in the main lake. The deep trolling passes should take you near deep structures like bars and humps where the fish are often hanging nearby. As the boat approaches these structures plan your route to run parallel to the structure as often as possible. Deep down Husky Jerks, Number 9 Deep Shad Raps, deep running Reef Runners or Salmo baits are all producing some nice Pike. When you hit the right color you’ll even pick up some bonus Walleyes on the crank-baits as well.

Walleyes on a flyrod? Carl Bergquist, a pioneer of flyrod Walleye fishing proved it can be done. There's still some perfecting to do, but he's hot on the trail.

Smallmouth Bass are grouping up on deep-water rock/gravel points and humps. They can still be caught on artificial baits with Tube Jigs and crank-baits leading the way. Live bait rigging with large lively minnows or Leeches will also produce some nice catches, but be careful not to allow the fish too much time to swallow live bait. In general, we release all Smallmouth and live bait fishing can put some of these fish at risk. So try the artificial baits first, then go to the live bait only as needed Largemouth Bass are also moving deeper, but can be caught on spinnerbaits or crankbaits fished along the bulrushes and mid depth weed flats. Whether you’re fishing for Smallmouth or Largemouth locating weedlines adjacent to rock stretches or have scattered rock mixed in will tip the odds in your favor.

Bluegills and Crappies have begun showing up in the mid depth weeds and are being caught primarily in the evening using small jigs or plain hooks tipped with a simple cut piece of night crawler. Poke along the weeds slowly and fish until you make contact, then concentrate on that area until you’re convinced there’s a good school of fish. If the action tapers off, move on to a new location.

The tables are being turned on anglers who have enjoyed Walleyes that were on an "Auto Pilot" bite for the past couple of months. The Walleyes have found their own "Mother Load" of food and are now feeding on Mayflies, huge schools of young Perch minnows and other assorted mid-summer snack food. The fishing action has tapered off from its peak, but is still fairly good and when you get favorable conditions, great catches are still possible. During the next several weeks it will be common to have one great day followed by a slow day and so on. The fish have so many feeding opportunities that is they who will call the shots about when and where they will be active.

This nice Walleye was caught on a live bait rig and large golden shiner combo.

Best fishing approaches have been live bait rigs with a 5 to 7 foot leader using a large, lively Leech. Spinners with bottom bouncers using either minnows or Leeches are also producing some nice fish, we’ve had our best luck with a #2 silver Indiana blade, but red, pink and yellow have produced some fish as well.

We've found some of the better Walleye fishing by concentrating on lakes where the bug hatches aren't as heavy. If you aren't limited to one lake right now, try moving around a bit.

Mayflies are hatching on area lakes offering Walleye plenty to eat. It's not the end of the world, but it slows things down for us. If you can, try finding lakes that aren't in the midst of a big hatch and concentrate your efforts there for a while.

Smallmouth Bass have been scattered and we’ve caught a few on top water baits, spinnerbaits and jigs. They have mainly moved out of shallow spawning areas and are heading for the deeper water points and rock piles. As they go deeper, live bait rigs with large minnows or leeches will catch these fish. Don’t feed line to these fish as you would with a Walleye on a live bait rig. Just hold the line steady while you feel the fish take the bait. Set the hook early to avoid letting the fish swallow the hook. Largemouth Bass are also moving deeper, but can be caught on spinnerbaits or crankbaits fished along the bulrushes and mid depth weed flats. Whether you’re fishing for Smallmouth or Largemouth locating weedlines adjacent to rock stretches or have scattered rock mixed in will tip the odds in your favor.

Smallmouth are scattered but catchable. As they move deep, schools will build and action will pick up.

Northern Pike have also been susceptible to the deep-water crankbaits. In fact, some of the better Pike we’ve caught in the past couple of weeks have come in on the crankbaits we’ve used during our Walleye fishing. There are certain colors that seem to be preferred by the Pike and we’ve found that by switching colors occasionally, we will eventually stumble into one or two that seem to catch mostly Pike. The colors have changed from day to day, so I’d recommend having a variety of colors to choose from. Deep Diving Reef Runners, Salmo and "Deep-Down" Husky Jerks are all producing some nice fish. Muskellunge anglers are starting to see and catch some nice fish. The best success has been late evening to dark and fishing main lake weeds with large bucktails.

Bluegills and Crappies have begun showing up in the mid depth weeds and are being caught primarily in the evening using small jigs or plain hooks tipped with a simple cut piece of night crawler. Poke along the weeds slowly and fish until you make contact, then concentrate on that area until you’re convinced there’s a good school of fish. If the action tapers off, move on to a new location.

We've also had some good Crappie fishing in deeper water where we can locate cover in the form of brush piles or "cribs". These fish love to hit baits that are slowly sinking, so these spots are best fished by lowering your jig slowly into or near the brush and enticing the Crappie up to hit your bait. Repeat the process often by lifting up your rod tip above your head and walking the jig back down on a tight line.

Nice Walleyes like this "Rainy Lake Special" are coming on crankbaits trolled over deep water.

The best news about these movements is that you can fish a variety of presentations and enjoy catching some fish on most of them. During the past week bottom bouncers with spinners & crawlers have been good search baits on these large flats. In fact some of the larger fish have been caught with this method. Keep moving until you locate a school of fish with the spinners and then fine tune your presentation with jig & minnow or rigs & leeches. During the early stages of this movement, expect the locations to change on an almost daily basis and try to get in the habit of checking a variety of spots every time out. On any given day a hump or bar that was empty yesterday may be filled with fish tomorrow. The large flats with water depths of 12 to 18 feet have subtle structures like dips, gravel, rocks and inside turns that will hold fish during these transitional periods.

On windy days we fish the shallows and on calmer days we fish the deeper bars. We’re still catching plenty of fish on jig & minnow too, so if that’s your favorite, go that way and you’ll be safe for another week or maybe more.

Last week when we found a small rock pile that was holding fish, we had a great experience using slip bobbers and leeches. This is a lot of fun and works great, but you must have the fish "pinned down" in a small area where you can predict the accurate placement of your bait. Set the slip knot about 18 inches above the bottom and use a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig head. Make sure that the leeches are swimming strongly and replace them when they start to get tired looking.

A slip bobber and leech was the clear ticket for us when we found a nice school of fish on a small rock pile.

I'm a little behind right now because of the hectic times, but I'll catch up on the rest of this report tomorrow.

Good Luck Fishing!

www.jeffsundin.com

Walleye anglers are still enjoying consistent fishing. I know it sounds like a broken record, but the fish just keep biting in the shallows and jig & minnow fishing is still the best and fastest way to key in on them. The extended shallow bite this season is probably the result of water temperatures that remain in the low to mid 60-degree range coupled with the abundance of fish from the 2001-year class.

We're always showing you the big ones, but here's a look at one of the thousands of the "Class of 2001 Walleye" we've been catching. These "eaters" have put a smile on many a face this spring and early summer!

The wind has been another key to the good shallow water fishing. Because it’s been rare to get stuck with a flat calm day this season, we’ve been able to drift and jig the shallows in a number of areas. During the few calm times we’ve had, we have been able to find enough fish in the deeper water to keep us busy while we waited for the wind to pick up. The average size of the fish on the main lake bars and humps has been larger than the schools of fish in the shallows, but there are signs of increased fish movement to the deeper structures and some insect hatches are beginning to occur. Once the bug hatches get going, the deeper, softer bottom areas will gather fish quickly.

Even though we continue to catch plenty of fish with the jig & minnow, I have been fishing with live bait rigs and leech a little bit each day. At the moment, leeches are coming on strong and most days we could get plenty of fish by using leeches for everyone. I’ve gotten a few reports that spinners and/or live bait rigs with crawlers are also producing some nice catches, but we haven’t fished this way just yet.

As has been the case recently, the Walleye fishing on most of the better known Walleye lakes in 1000 Grand Lakes area are producing enough fish that you don’t have to get boxed into one lake or one style. Do your research and you’ll find at least 20 lakes with good to excellent potential and you’ll find that there is a good bite on most of these lakes right now.

Bluegill anglers are in heaven at the moment as well. These fish have moved onto the spawning beds and are providing folks with some great action. Spawning areas are located in shallow, mixed sand, gravel and silt bottoms. The beds can be seen from some distance and it’s best to sight fish by locating the beds and cast small jigs toward them. You can catch lots of the fish with a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jig dressed with a 1-1/2 inch tube or twister tail in colors like black, brown or some of the darker greens. Be careful not to move in close enough to "spook" these fish.

Crappie fishing has been the highlight of the season for me so far. I can never remember more consistent or reliable action. Slowly but surely the spawning areas are becoming vacant and the Crappies are gathering in the deeper holes and weed beds near these spawning areas. Although we’ve still spotted some fish in bedding areas, these deeper fish are much more concentrated and have been willing biters. My favorite approach is to locate deep pockets of "Cabbage Weeds". Crappies can be caught in and near these weeds by fishing with either a slip bobber/jig/minnow or by fishing with a jig tied direct to your line and cast toward the weeds and lift drop retrieved slowly back to the boat. In calmer water or toward evening, this casting & retrieving approach is far better than the bobbers and will get you some amazing bonus fish. Depending on the lake you can catch Walleye, Bass, Pike and Bluegills in the same areas and you can come back with the true, mixed bag.

Here's a truly mixed bag. Sunfish, Pike, Bass Crappie and Walleye. All you have to do is jig the weed line. Work slow, Use light tackle and be prepared to be amazed.

A key to this type of fishing is to let the jig drop into the weeds, so you need to use light equipment that will handle 1/16 oz or even 1/32-oz jigs. A light rod like my 7 foot G.Loomis SR842 lets me cast the light baits and I can really "feel" the structure. I can't emphasize enough the importance of using a light, sensitive rod and light line. If your equipment is too heavy, you'll have trouble casting the light baits and feeling the structure.

Cast the jig into the outer edges of these weeds and let it begin to fall, if the jig hits weeds, drop your rod tip so the line goes slack, then sharply "pop" the tip of the rod upward and most of the time the jig will be free. Let the jig fall again and continue this type retrieve until you have fished it out of the cover. If you go too heavy on the jigs, they will plow into the weeds and you will have problems getting stuck. You could become frustrated and eventually give up before you realize how great this system really works.

Perch action is available in a variety of covers and situations. Some fish are using the shallow gravel bars where hatching Crawfish are available. Other Perch are being found in the deeper weed patches and are frequently mixed in with the Crappie and Walleye we’ve been catching and still other schools of Perch are located on the deeper points and main lake bars. This past week, we’ve discovered that a spinner and minnow is out producing all other methods we’ve tried. The spinners can be a number two Colorado or Indiana blade on about a four-foot leader. Fish through the areas at a steady pace.

Northern Pike fishing remains consistent and with the arrival of some larger fish has become more interesting. We’re still catching tons of smaller pike on the jig & minnow combo’s, but now we are seeing some big Pike too! Casting large spoons and Spinnerbaits are producing Pike of excellent quality and in numbers good enough to make a full day out of Northern Pike fishing. The big Pike turned on this week when they moved in to the shallow areas where Walleye have been feeding. We’ve found Walleye in the stomachs of some of the Pike we’ve cleaned and I presume that there were also Walleye in the larger fish we’ve been releasing. The big Pike location is fairly simple, stay with the first drop off from the shallow areas where Walleye, Perch or Crappie are plentiful and concentrate your efforts along the edge of this sallow drop off. Casting is my favorite, but trolling and bobbers rigged with a live sucker minnow will produce nice fish too.

In deeper main lake areas where you find schools of Walleye or Tulibees, try using a special live bait rig that you can make yourself. Tie a 2/0 hook on to a five-foot leader made of 17 to 20 pound mono line. Fish the rig with a larger (6 to 8 inch) lively minnow. Creek Chubs, Red Tails, Suckers or even large Rainbow Chubs will all work. This rig is fished in the same manner that you’d fish a live bait rig for Walleye. In fact, you’ll catch some nice Walleye fishing this method as well.

Bass fishing has escaped my attention so far this season, but the reports are good. I will try to focus on some of the key Bass information for next week’s report.

Good Luck and please check back for updates.

The Early Bird-Jeff Sundin

Walleye action continues to be good in the 1000 Grand Lakes Area and anglers continue to enjoy the benefits of the record breaking 2001year class of 13 to 14 inch fish. But now there’s a new twist. Larger fish have fully recovered from this year’s spawning runs and are feeding actively. At times they’ll be mixed in with the large groups of smaller males that still frequent the shallows, but to key in on some great catch and release sport fishing, head for the main lake bars in deeper water. You won’t find as many fish out there just yet, but the larger fish are finding their way to these structures. This is a sign that the summer peak draws near and soon the action will be centered on many of the bars, humps and deep-water points.

Jig and minnow fishing is still reliable. We’ve been able to get good catches this past week with my favorite "Bug Eyed Shorty" tipped with either shiners or rainbows. Live bait rigs with Leeches are also producing right now and on calmer days, I’d recommend rigging part of your crew with rigs/leeches and part with jig & minnow. As one method emerges as the preference for that day, switch everyone over to the preferred bait. On windy days when the boat is moving faster, it’s likely that the jigging will work best and on calmer days, rigging leeches is an advantage.

This is a great time to experiment because virtually all of the area’s better Walleye lakes are producing some nice fish. Most anglers who do their homework will be rewarded with good catches. Here’s a tip on trying new lakes; Avoid trying new water on "tough fishing days". After a cold front or on calm sunny days, use your old reliable locations. During stable weather and when conditions are favorable to you, try the new areas. You’ll learn more and learn it faster when the fish are cooperating.

Crappie fishing continues to be strong!

Lot's of folks are experiencing great catches of Crappies. This has been one of our best spring Crappie runs ever!

This is one of the best early season Crappie bites that I can remember. Most anglers are doing very well, and for the most part the Crappie report is the same as last week. Crappies can be found in 3 to 8 feet of water in areas that contain gravel and light rock. These spawning stretches should be located near heavier cover like cabbage weed, bulrush or even coon tail patches. Slip bobber/jig & minnow combinations are one good choice, but we have also had great success by using a 1/16-ounce Jig tipped with a small size fathead minnow. Another nice approach is to use a 1/8-oz Beetle Spin with a twister tail. Cast the jig and fish it back toward the boat using a slow, vertical pumping motion.

Here’s a conservation tip for spring Crappie fishing; if you want to minimize your impact on your favorite Crappie lake, select the Crappies that have turned really dark black for harvesting and release the ones that look more "normal" or appear to be full of spawn. During the spawning period it is the male Crappie that takes on this distinctive dark black color and you can catch plenty of these aggressive males to feed the family, leaving behind the females to spawn again. This will help maintain a balance in the population and give you better fishing in the future. Really!

Bluegills and Bass are still in the early stages of the spawning run to shallow water. With some fish fanning beds in one to 3 feet of water. Bluegills are still spooky and you’ll need to go into these shallow areas in stealth mode, but some of the fish can be caught on light jigs. I like to use a feather jig like a flu-flu in 1/32 oz or 1/165 oz sizes. It shouldn’t be necessary to tip these with live bait unless the fish are extremely spooky and your attempt to catch them on the plain jig is frustrated.

Perch action has really started picking up. We found some small Crawfish in the stomachs of a recent catch of nice Perch and with the arrival of Crawfish hatches, come the schools of Perch to the gravel and rock bars in shallow water. Jig and minnow or live bait rig with a minnow is the preferred choice for catching these fish and one you locate a good stretch, the fish will be more than cooperative. Perch like a vertical presentation best, but I will often cast out away from the boat and retrieve the jig to drag schools of Perch closer. Once the fish have moved in, switch back to vertical jigging until the action slows down. Repeat the process as needed.

Good Luck! Check Back Often - Jeff Sundin

Walleye fishing has been steadily improving this week for folks that are searching for "Ol’ Marble Eyes". Water temperatures are slowly (but steadily) rising and we’ve actually broken the 60-degree barrier on a few of the darker water lakes in the area. Although, most lakes are still showing surface temps in the middle to high 50’s, with about 57 now being the average.

I am still asking my customers to fish jig & minnow for Walleyes, but I’ve seen some folks that are already catching Walleyes with live bait rigs using lively minnows as bait. An excellent minnow for the "rigging approach" is a 4 to 5 inch rainbow chub, hooked lightly in the lips. The swimming action helps attract fish and really keeps their attention and convinces them to bite. We observed another group of anglers this week that were using slip bobbers rigged with Leeches and fishing from an anchor position on the point or "tip" of a main lake bar. This family had 8 nice Walleyes the day we talked to them and thanks to the slip bobber approach, the kids were doing most of the catching!

We’ve all been talking about the colder water temps this spring and even though they are still below normal, the calendar is at work too. With some minor insect hatches going on, there are signs of the fish beginning to move toward deeper structures. They are also starting to be more concentrated on rock/gravel structures during windy periods especially. Main lake bars that connect to shoreline structure are also hosting some small, but active groups of fish. These are locations that will become the predominate fishing areas in the next week to ten days.

Crappie Fishing has turned on in many of the area lakes and Crappies can be found in 3 to 8 feet of water in areas that contain gravel and light rock. These spawning stretches should be located near heavier cover like cabbage weed, bullrush or even some coon tail patches. Slip bobber/jig & minnow combinations are one good choice, but we have also had great success by using a 1/16 ounce Jig tipped with a small size fathead minnow. Cast the jig and fish it back toward the boat using a slow, vertical pumping motion.

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Perch action has really started picking up. We found some small Crawfish in the stomachs of a recent catch of nice Perch and with the arrival of Crawfish hatches, come the schools of Perch to the gravel and rock bars in shallow water. Jig and minnow or live bait rig with a minnow is the preferred choice for catching these fish and one you locate a good stretch, the fish will be more than cooperative. Perch like a vertical presentation best, but I will often cast out away from the boat and retrieve the jig to drag schools of Perch closer. Once the fish have moved in, switch back to vertical jigging until the action slows down. Repeat the process as needed.

Good Luck! Check Back Often.

Even though Walleye locations are somewhat different than we’ve come to expect during the early season, the fish are aggressive feeders and we’ve found several lakes in the 1000 Grand Lakes Area that are producing consistent catches of Walleye. The spawning success of the year 2001 was fantastic and area lakes reflect the abundance of these 13 to 14 inch fish. That was a record breaking year for spawning on many of the area lakes and you can expect to see lots of fish in the 13 to 14 inch range this summer. Conversely, there is something of a shortage of fish in the 15 to 17 inch ranges. Don’t expect to land a pile of whoppers right now, but you will get plenty of action and gather a catch of perfect eating size fish.

The exception seems to be Leech Lake, where fish have been few and far between for most folks with and average size of 19 to 22 inches.

Walleyes like this nice one caught by Jim Moe are hitting on jig & minnow in 8 to 10 feet of water.

Northern Pike action is great, but the average size fish is running a bit on the small side in several of the area lakes. In fact, some of us are trying to keep as many of these small Pike as possible to use for pickling, smoking and canning. The fish are delicious to eat and according to our DNR Regional Fisheries folks, we probably can’t even put a dent in Pike populations by harvesting these smaller fish. The cold water of early spring/summer is perfect for these fish and they will continue to bite until the baitfish move out of the shallows. If you have youngsters who like fast action, rig them up with a 1/8-oz jig head using a 12 inch leader you make yourself by using a swivel and 17 pound test monofilament line. This leader stays flexible, but really reduces bite-offs. I have posted several recipes on my web site. These are great ways to utilize these fish, so your family will love going out to catch them.

Perch have been hard to find until yesterday. They are beginning to show up on some of the shallow points and weed lines. Jig and minnow is the right bait, but we had to present it in a much slower and more vertical manner. Fish are hanging on the bait lightly and the secret to catching them was using a soft "wrist flick" type hook set. Set the hook too hard and watch the fish swim away!

The average size fish has begun to improve and we're seeing a lot more fish in the "release category". The action is steady and there are still plenty of eaters coming in.

Memorial Day weekend is always a busy time on the water. Please do everything you can to make this a safe and fun boating weekend. We've already seen a couple of boating accidents in the area and this weekend is a perfect chance to show that we can keep it safe on the water.