Another crazy busy week for the fishing guides from Leisure Outdoor Adventures. We found ourselves on Leech Lake, Cass Lake, Mille Lacs, Brainerd Lakes, and smaller lakes in the Hackensack area in search of walleyes, bass, pike, etc. Lets see what the team has to report out for this week
Leech Lake
Captain Freed with a nice catch-and-release Muskie.
The bite has been up and down with the morning and evening bites being best. Try slip bobber fishing in the weeds in 6-14 feet of water with a small leech or lindy rigging with a crawler or minnow on the breaklines in 18-28 feet of water depending on the day. In Walker Bay, the shoreline breaks, under water points, and bars have still been best. Some of the humps are starting to show fish, but not always ones that want to bite. As we progress farther into August the bite should pick up.
On the big part of the lake, pulling crankbaits has been the best presentation by far. #5 or #7 Shad Raps or Flicker Shads are the best best. Try either long linging them, pulling leadcore, or using planer boards. 12-17 feet of water has been best. You will go for a while without catching one, but keep covering ground and you will come across schools.
Small mouth action brings out the smiles.
It seems as if the bright and calm days are best for this bite, with reason for that being the water is more clear and the fish can see the baits better. Colors will vary
from day to day and with sun light and water clarity so be sure to change things up. If you aren’t trolling breaklines along flats, look to the edges of the reefs or mud areas on the lake as there are suspended fish you can target as well.
Muskie fishing is starting to heat up. More fish are being seen on the Main Lake Rocks piles and reefs. Try casting bucktails or top waters and pay attention to your speed. As the water nears 80 degrees these fish will get more active and want to chase baits.
Otherwise many of the lakes in the area are also kicking out great multi species action. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing has been great. Working rocks and gravel in 12-15 feet of water has been best for smallmouth and largemouth are still holding on weed edges in 10-15 feet of water. Tubes, jigworms, drop shot have all been good. Many of these lakes will also hold great panfish, so focus on those weededges in the evenings with a jig and a tube and fan cast until you find them.
Keepers were the name of the day.
Typically they will either come out of the weeds or be suspended off of them in deeper water. Also don’t forget many of these lakes have some good walleye fishing if you find the right one, with many relating to the weedlines in 18-25 feet of water. Pulling lindy rigs with crawlers or minnows your best bet.
Cass Lake
Cass Lake has been overall a good bite right now. Look to find keeper sized walleyes in 18-22 feet of water. Shoreline breaks have been best along with under water points. Pulling spinners with crawlers, lindy rigs with crawlers, or slip bobbers with leeches have all produced fish. Allens Bay was good this past week as well as the main lake.
Biggest thing when fishing Cass is to pay close attention to your electronics and locate the schools of walleyes versus perch. Walleyes like to related to the weeds and sand edges so can for these areas. One tip if you are you are live bait fishing, trying going faster to keep the perch off if you are start getting into them.
Brainerd Lakes
Guide Freed displays his a nice small mouth caught by a happy young lady.
Fishing in the Brainerd Lakes area is great for multi species right now. Walleye fishing continues to be a day to day deal. Sometimes you will find good fishing on the weed edges or weed pockets. Try slip bobber fishing with leeches and working these areas over, trolling spinners, or lindy rigging with redtails or creek chubs.
Bass are still relating to the weed lines, with Gull, Round, North Long, Hubert, and other lakes all pumping out great action. A Jig and plastic worm is a go to presentation when fishing these lakes. Pay attention to color, because that often times can make a huge difference. Our favorites are motor oil and blue fleck!
Mille Lacs
Smallmouth fishing on Mille Lacs has been overall still very good. Depending on the day you may have slower fishing, but on average numbers are still very good along with some really nice fish mixed in.
Happy young man with a nice small mouth bass.
Try drop shotting them in 10-14 feet of water using a your favorite plastic, one important thing to note when you start catching fish is the shape, color, and profile of your plastic. There have been days this has been the key to putting alot of fish in the boat. Minnow looking plastics like a twitch tail minnow, senko, imitation leech are some of our favorites.
Pay attention to your lake map, identify the reefs and high spots and then work those areas where the rocks transition to either mud or gravel and those isolated rock piles seems to be the ticket. If you aren’t drop shotting, on calm days top waters are still good, pitching tubes or crayfish imitation plastics, or even deeper diving DT crankbaits will put smallmouth in the boat.
That is it for this week! The boats are fueled up and the guides are covering a huge area again this week in search of fish! Until next week tight lines!
