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Kind of a slower week this last week. One might call it the dog days of summer. Right now the key to success on the lake is to take advantage of those key feeding times. The early morning bite, evening bite, and those certain feeding periods during the day are what are producing the best fishing. Pay attention to the solunar calendar major and minor feeding times, although not 100% accurate is does more often than not prove to be correct. Also when the wind picks up, changes direction, cloud cover rolls in, or any weather change are other things to key in on to catch active fish. Right now with all of the bait in the lake, the fish don't have to work too hard if they won't want to. On the South End of the Main Lake, trolling crank baits and spinners has been the most productive. Secondary Rock Reefs found off of well known pieces of structure, in 18-25feet are all producing fish. Diamond Point, Rogers Point, Huddles and Variety Reef, and the reefs off of Big Rock Reef have all had bites from day to day. The crank bait bite is best trolling off of long steep breaks or large basins such as the ones found in Portage Bay or Paris Trench. Leadcore, long lining, or planer boards are all effective ways to fish crank baits for walleyes. Musky fishing is starting to pick up and with the warm temperatures we will be facing this week, they should really start to move. Weed bays or long stretches of isolated cabbage such as the ones found in Portage Bay are a good place to start casting bucktails or twitch baits. Also the main lake rocks are heating up and more fish are being seen near Mokey, Submarine Island, and Pelican Island. The best is yet to come here. On the West End, Walker Bay continues to be the most consistent. Fishing the Humps in 18-35ft of water with a leech, crawler, or chub has produced the most fish, with many being slots. Keepers are still relating mainly to the shoreline breaks in 18-30ft of water on windy days. Aggressive tactics such as throwing swim baits or rippin raps in 6-10ft of water early in the day or in the evening has also produced keepers to put in the livewell. The other local lakes are producing great smallmouth and largemouth fishing as well as some great bluegill and crappie fishing. Look to the weed edges in the more and evenings for the crappies with deep water adjacent. Both smallies and largemouth are relating to weedlines or small mouth to transitions between rocks and gravel. A jig/worm or small jig tipped with a leech are both productive and ways to fish them. Until next week Tight Lines!

What an Opener it was! Leech Lake didn't disappoint this past weekend putting out lots of numbers of keeper sized walleyes and some big ones as well. The lake was loaded up with anglers eager to catch their first walleyes of the season. Reports were solid throughout the whole lake. West Side of the Lake The areas around Goose Island produced alot of fish. West Goose Flats, Pine Point, Star Point, and Little Hardwoods were all solid producers. Anywhere from 4-11ft of water seemed to produce fish and with the amount of boat traffic getting away from the crowds was the key. A Jig and a shiner minnow or rainbow was the ticket. Be sure to pay close attention to your speed and jig cadence, anglers who focused on these things found more success this past weekend. 1/8th oz jigs were the best, but consider heavier if conditions call for it. East Side of the Lake The report from the East and South side of the lake was definitely a mix of slot fish as well as some keepers. 8-12ft seemed to be the best, but windblown shores and points found active fish as well up shallow. Jig and a minnow and casting crankbaits were all great presentations for putting walleyes in the boat. Partridge Point, Diamond Point, Rogers Pt., and the areas around Bear Island were all solid producers this past weekend. It is setting up to be a great spring this year again. Crappies are still being found shallow in 2-8ft of water pitching jigs or a slip bobber and a jig/tube. Perch were mixed in with the walleyes throughout the weekend with many jumbos also being caught. All in all what a great start to the year. Give us a call if you want to book a trip! Attached are some pics from the weekend. I happened to do battle with a 41" musky a few minutes after a 27" walleye. Both fish were healthy and swam away giving me the hold fish splash goodbye. Jason Freed Leisure Outdoor Adventures 1-855-LOA-HOOK www.leisureoutdooradventures.com https://www.facebook.com/leisureoutdooradventures?ref=hl