Portside Bait & Liquor – Walleye Fishing continues to be “OFF THE HOOK”! Mille lacs is on FIRE and not many people seem to know about it, which makes the fishing very easy for those “in the know”.
Big numbers of Walleyes in ALL size ranges are being reported from ALL areas of the lake. It sounds too good to be true, but feel free to check out social media and SEE the proof. Tournaments the last 2 weekends ( catch-photo-release) have produced unheard of weights and numbers.
Most patterns are working and the cloudy days are pounding fish.
SMALLMOUTH is beyond normal as well. The number of Smallies being caught is only outdone by the average size ( TOADS ) of them.
Lundeen’s Tackle Castle – The walleye bite on Mille Lacs has started to shift around to some of the more traditional summer areas – this week we saw some good action scattered around the gravel humps on the southern half of the lake as well as a few of the mud flats. Use a 6-8 foot snelled rig… the more basic the better! A colored hook or a single bead above the hook seems to be enough color for now. Green and yellow remain the 2 top colors. We see a few fish beginning to go on spinners, but this approach falls a distant second to the simple approach above. Some of the better areas include Shaw’s, Sloppy Joe’s, 7-mile flat and Sherman’s Flat. Toward evening, the bite is scattered from 6 to 30 feet! On any given evening we’re seeing fish caught on the shallow reefs, mid-depth reefs, deep gravel, mud flats and off the structures in 30+ feet. With the fish so scattered, you’ll do better if you locate a pocket of fish BEFORE you drop anchor – simply driving to your favorite waypoint might lead to a slow evening. Leeches under a slip bobber are the ticket here. Some of the better evening spots include the Graveyard, Hennepin Island, Hawkbill Reef, Garrison Reef and Otto’s Reef. We’re seeing a lot of smallmouth “bedded-up” – Sometimes these fish will hit, sometimes they won’t… no matter what you throw at them. That said, small tubes in watermelon or green pumpkin or live leeches have been the best approach.
The “night ban” is now in effect.
McQuoid’s Inn – Fishing has been nothing short of fantastic. This past weekend marked Minnesota’s Muskie opener and several anglers found luck and action on top water baits.
Smallmouth Bass fishing has still been on fire. Anglers are finding fish shallow. Most are post spawn and have been hitting aggressively on dark colored plastics like worms and tubes, crank and jerk baits. Target 7-12? breaks and areas adjacent to spawning areas.
Walleye action has also been good. In the southeast corner we are finding bigger fish in 15 feet or less with windy and overcast days producing the best bite. On calm and sunny days rig 25-30 feet of water. Bobber fishing has also been productive for shallow water walleyes.