2020 Bemidji Area Fishing Reports

[Fish Slayer]

Good luck and welcome to HSO natorade!

[fsnrod]

Whats travel conditions on area lakes

[Matt Breuer]

Got tough with the blanket from last week, but firmed up well in the following days on Bemidji. This new snow will make it interesting again. Lots of people getting stuck out there. On smaller area lakes there's quite a bit of slush to deal with. We were out with the sled on Tuesday and I was tossing water behind the track and floating often...

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Yes they are tough. I had a hard time getting around west of bemidji last night. Drifts and slush are a common theme out there right now. After this weeks warm spell it will improve a bit. We will see I guess.

[Matt Breuer]

Best time of year in the north country aside from fall... With the warmer weather we've been having, everything is starting to click. Crappies have moved shallow, and some bluegills are finally starting to slide in as well. Been out a few times with some okay numbers in the boat, not fireworks by any means, but enough for some nice meals and a few bigger fish tossed into the mix. This 14" fish fell to a Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub in pink...

Morels are also out in full force finally. With the rain we've received this week, and what's in the forecast, it should be a decent season as far as length and growth! Ferns are out and toward the end of their picking prime, so get out and get some while you can!

[chirp]

Matt, looks like a good meal.

[walleyeguy13]

Very quiet here. Our story for Bemidji... wind. Early Saturday we found a few in the old reed beds and plucked them out with jig and shiner. 5ft. When the wind started in the afternoon we headed to the north end and drifted from 9ft to 5ft and picked up a couple. Same story Sunday morning. Nice big rollers at the north end and a couple of walleyes picked up shallow (5ft). Absolutely nothing from 5:30-8:00 and we fished several spots.

[Matt Breuer]

We had a very good opener. Fished from 1:30 until 7:30 on Sat. and went through 7 scoops of shiners. Jigged in 6-23' of water, with most of our fishing coming in that 11-13' range. Sunday we blew through another 4 scoops and found most of our fish in either 9' of water or 23' of water. No rhyme or reason to either depth. Winds were strong, water level was low, lakes looked clean, bellies were empty...

This 29" fish hit in 6' of water..

[Jarrid Houston]

Nice Fish!

[shaneD]

Was up last weekend and had a great time with the family. Wind was big enough to keep us out of the boats a couple days but the shore fishing was phenominal! White gumballs with rainbows in 5 feet on the sand was the ticket. The south wind pushed all the fish right to us. Both my mom and my 5 year old daughter caught Pike in the 5 pound range and the jumbo perch were non stop. Not a lot of walleye but enough for a couple meals for the whole family.

Can't wait to go back.

[Otts]

Fished Bemidji on Sunday from 5 to 9. Caught 4 walleyes and a perch. The walleyes were between 14 and 20 inches and caught in 8 to 16 feet of water. Perch were pecking away at the crawlers the whole time. Lindy rig was better than a jig on this day.

[Matt Breuer]

Had clients on Sunday who found fish to be held up tight to the cabbage weeds in 7.5' of water. Blue or pink 1/4oz. Lindy jigs and shiners was the ticket. They kept a nice box of fish and tossed back a 23".

Yesterday I had a grandfather and grandson combo out early. We hit the water at 7:30 and were off by 11 with 12 walleyes caught and a few bonus perch and pike. They also had some overs, including a nice 25" 'eye that had 16" of line with a spinner hanging from her mouth... Fish were caught on everything from Lindy Shadlings to spinners to jigs and shiners. Jigs and shiners caught most of the fish. Fun morning until the rain blew in...

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Little south and west of the Bemidji Area, but the panfish have been putting on the feedbag all summer long, get yourself an ultra light set up, and head to the deeper weedlines. 8-16 fow, it's been fun verticle jigging, and pitching jigs up against the cabbage beds have produced some dandies!

[Matt Breuer]

Been out the last few days with clients, and fishing hasn't been fast and furious, but it's hanging on. I'd say it's taken the worst hit yet for the year in the last week, but fish are still biting if you can locate them and coax them into eating.

Sunday I had a couple up from Illinois who wanted a multi-species trip. We spent the first few hours pulling cranks in 8-12' of water, a combination of Lindy Shadlings and CC Grappler Shads. Caught a pile of pike, as well as 10 walleyes. The walleyes were sporadic... it was 1 here, 2 there, etc... all day. Ended the day chasing panfish which is always a nice change of pace.

Yesterday landed 3 gents in my boat who wanted walleyes. We pulled blades with crawlers or leeches in 12-24' of water to start. We were fighting whitecaps all day, and boat control/speed was a huge chore. We kept 4 'eyes and watched 2 others swim and decided we had taken enough abuse. We switched over to cranks and trolled 6-8' of water and picked off the rest of our fish for the day. Another 4 were kept and a few more swam to see another day.

I'm finding very few fish on shorelines right now, unless there's a big point or irresistible weeds... I fished during midday and touched on eve. and morning. I'm assuming the twilight hours are much more productive, but can't report on that. Musky fishermen are all smiling out there, so the fish must be on. Water temps have come down, and the thermocline isn't nearly as set up. Maybe we'll see a turn soon...

[Jmeyers]

Thanks for the report Matt!

[H0LE HOPPER]

Anyone willing to make a prediction in the area or what areas seem to be forming, got some buddies up that way sending me pictures from 3 different areas fishing already, would like to try and get up there thanksgiving weekend for a few days? seem possible?

[bemidjibasser]

seems like a pretty not smart idea from the lakes i've seen the past few days...

[lunkerlander]

It is 51 degrees here today.

[mnviking28]

Maybe, Maybe, Maybe next weekend (December 1), but definitely not before then. Especially with today's weather. They are calling for single digits for lows starting this weekend, but almost every lake I have looked at has open water. Wouldn't catch me out there.

[Jmeyers]

we got about an inch and a half out on Big Bass with the middle of the lake still open, hopefully next weekend

[Chris Haley]

-7 on the way in to work this morning. Making ice!!

[cluelessfisherman]

Looked pretty good on the south end of Bemidji when I left town... I'm sure you all will be out there in full force very soon.

As for me, it's back to work out in NW Montana until Christmas.

Will look forward to pulling the big house out when I get back!!

[Notime]

This is they way I file my spear, file my spear, file my spear!

[woodman]

Clueless- we will prefish the spot from last year and let you know how we do when the time is here!

[cluelessfisherman]

Sounds good Woodman!

Good luck out there everyone!

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Decent ice about 35 miles west of Bemidji.... I was looking at about 3" or so last night on a 700 acre lake.

[Bunger]

Has anybody been down to the small side of Grant Lake in Wilton yet wondering what the ice is like.

[H0LE HOPPER]

How is the ice looking on lakebemidji havent been paying attention to the weather in that area. Hoping to hit that or irving friday late afternoon before we go to red lake?

[quickfishnoob]

Plenty of guys out on Irving. Bemidji is sketchy. One house by Paul Bunyan park though.

[Notime]

There was a house on lake Payne Monday, but it might have a little water damage now, also it didn't seem to be sitting straight IN the ice!