Nice basket of fish headed to the cleaning station.
Here is your Leech Lake, Brainerd, and Mille Lacs Fishing Guide Report. Our Fishing Guides, have been busy hitting the water in search of walleyes on Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, and within the Brainerd Lakes area. We are hitting the summer bug hatch and things are officially changing. For some anglers this is deemed as a challenge, but we think the bug hatch can bring some of the best fishing of the season.
Leech Lake
The mayfly hatch is in full bloom and should continue for another week or so throughout the lake. When the mayflies hatch, our fishing guides on Leech Lake break out a couple different presentations to catch these Leech Lake walleyes. Using your electronics, keep an eye on gravel to mud transition areas and bug hatches taking place under your boat. Trolling spinners with crawlers or leeches or using a slow death hook and a crawler are our go-to righs for putting Leech Lake walleyes in the boat. Both of these presentations, do a good job of matching the hatch that is taking place. SPEED is the key. This past week slower was better than faster. .6-.8MPH was best.
Leech Lake walleye in the boat
On the Main Lake, the major rock bars and reefs are still producing fish in 16-20ft of water. Mokey, North Bar, Big Rock Reef, Sub, Annex, and the reefs around Pelican Island are all good places to start. Be sure to be ready to switch up presentations and baits, because it can change by the day and even by the hour at times. Also the flats and transition areas around Goose Island, Duck Points, Little and Big Hardwoods, and Traders Bay are also producing fish in 10-15ft of water.
In Walker Bay, fish are still being found on under water points in 18-25 feet of water or shoreline breaks. Lindy rigs with Leeches or chubs have been the best producers. Fishing in Walker Bay has been tougher, but should improve as we move farther into the summer.
There has also been a good slip bobber and leech bite going on. Look to wind blown shorelines, points, or weed beds. This is a great way to catch walleyes when other things aren’t working.
Really nice smallmouth bass.
Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs has been going really steady this week. The bigger walleyes can be found out on the mud flats preparing to eat bugs. Drifting a night crawler or leech in 24-32 feet of water normally will produce. There are still walleyes in the rocks and the best presentation is a Lindy Rig/leech or crawler.
The smallmouth bite has been going strong , and cast a marabou jig in 4-10 feet of water. The rock/sand transitions have been holding the bass. Dark colored tubes, jerkbaits, and drop shots have also been catching bass.
Brainerd
Fishing has been pretty darn good around the Brainerd Lakes Area! Walleyes have been biting on Gull, North Long, and Whitefish. Keeping an open mind on what technique to use has been important because some days the walleyes will be in the weeds, and other days they are off the weed edge.
Great day on the water with walleyes like these.
When the walleyes are in the weeds, pitching a jig/minnow or a jig/plastic into the cabbage weeds is best. If that does not produce walleyes, then switch to a slip bobber and leech. Cast the bobber into the weed pockets and let it sit for a few minutes, and if it does not get bit, re-cast the bobber and tr a new spot. If you can graph fish out on the weed edge, use a Lindy Rig with a red-tail minnow, creek chub, leech, or night crawler. The best depths for the weed walleyes is 5-12 feet and the deeper fish normally will be located from 10-30 feet of water. Be sure to fish the windy weed beds first as this will drive the bait fish into those areas. If the walleyes
Until next week. Tight lines!
Leisure Outdoor Adventures Guide Team
