Well our Leech Lake Fishing Guides have been busy this past week and through Labor Day and I think we are getting closer and closer to our favorite time of year, which is FALL.
The fishing has been up and down the past week for walleyes, but as they are transitioning and waiting for those cooler water temps and fall days to arrive on a more consistent basis the best bet is to still think mainly summer patterns. Right now walleyes on Leech Lake are being found in 18-28 feet of water along steeper breaklines that have wind and bait blowing into them. Focus on these breaklines as well as underwater points, bars, and humps that top out in 24-30 feet of water to find active schools of walleyes. Same tactics as last week are still working with rigging crawlers, leeches, and minnows as well as using jigging raps.
Muskie Fishing
Musky fishing has been hit or miss lately on Leech Lake. We have had multiple fish days and days where we barely see a fish. All the classic musky locations are holding fish this time of year. Sand, Rocks, Weeds, Pencil Reeds in depths from 2 - 40 ft of water. The good news is you can truly fish them the way you want.
The bad news is that they seem to be very moody and somewhat shy when fishing pressure is high. Try to look for cooler water temp areas for the best success and fish around the peak feeding window times or when changes in wind or weather occurs.
Jumbo Perch
A bonus this past weekend was some jumbo perch were starting to show up in shallow areas, which is an added bonus when walleye fishing. Try using an 1/8th or 1/16th oz jig tipped with a minnow to target these jumbos. Late fall can be a great time to fish for them on Leech. As you look ahead to the fall whether it is jumbos or walleyes be sure to think about how things will change. Walleyes will go back to congregating on many of the classic main lake structures that have wind blowing into them.
Depending on the day though you need to have different kinds of bait with. September can be a tricky month with some warm days and others cool. So having leeches, crawlers, and minnows are all a necessity. In some instances it is a day to day thing and others it can be something that changes throughout the day. As we get farther into late September and Oct the bite typically transitions to a jig and minnow bite on the flats and points.
Bass Fishing
Area lakes are still kicking out great bass fishing. Fish are still relating to deeper weedlines an points have good weed growth and for the smallmouth rocks and rubble nearby is also a good thing. Drop shotting, pitching jig worms, as well as reactive style baits are all a go to right now to catch active largemouth and smallmouth. Some really good bass fishing is to be had as we move into the fall because these fish start to school up more and put the feed bag on.
Until next week
