2020 Lake Osakis Fishing Reports

[shake and bake]

So with the cloudy water...would i be able to get by using some thicker line for the sunfish? and for walleyes it should make things a little bit easier correct?

[JIvers]

Some color in the water, be it from algae bloom, sediment, or whatever, should help the fishing on opening day, as would wind or clouds, of course. Wind or clouds, even if the water is as clear as normal, makes the Northern fishing in the pencil reeds better, too.

I was on Osakis for the first time last year on June 6. (I knew better, but was eager to get up there. ) We had mostly calm, sunny weather, and on those calm days I could see my shadow on the bottom in 15 FOW, along with shells, rocks, weed clumps, and patterns in the sand. It was nice to see, but did not make for easy walleye fishing during daylight hours. Again, in my experience the most consistent May walleye action on Osakis is in the shallows after dark.

[UKCM]

The color is definitely not from an algae bloom. I am assuming it is just sediment from the runoff/high water. Who knows that could even clear up by the weekend. Again I am basing the statement 'the water is dirty' from nearby cabin owners as this is my first opener.

[Wayne Ek]

Not to give away any deep dark secret, but for years we have always had reasonably good luck fishing the emergent pencil reeds with a slip-bobber rig and leech on a small (remember small) jig head. Your choice on color, as it seems to change depending on the weather conditions.

[UKCM]

So I thought I would post our results.

We went out in that cold weather Saturday morning (a little after 6:30) and on our very first drift we caught one a little shy of 21 inches and a legal eater. Thought we were gonna have a day. We caught them on shiners and jig. The fishing slowed plus where we were fishing everybody and there brother was anchored slip bobbering making it next to impossible to drift. Given that we caught our fish at least 50 yards apart (one in 15 foot of water and one in 11) it seems hard to beleieve that being anchored was an efficient technique.

We did catch a couple more shorts in the morning. In the afternoon we casted for northerns like suggested in this thread. We caught some and it was fun but we actually caught more bass than northerns. That got me excited for the bass opener.

We went out in the evening again drifting and my buddy caught a nice 24 incher and a couple of shorts.

Sunday morning we put three in the livewell. This time we were drifting quite aways away from the anchored boats. Again the fish seemed spread out.

So we had fun and at least we caught some. If fishing truly gets a lot better come June then I guess I can not wait.

We caught enough panfish on Friday to have a fish fry on Saturday night.

All in all a fun opener.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions.

[JIvers]

Sounds like you did pretty well on Osakis for an opener. Trust me, in five weeks the walleye fishing will be better once the algae bloom happens and the deep weedlines grow in.

On that note, I am not surprised drifting worked this weekend. The weeds haven't really grown yet, so the fish would be more dispersed. The crowd of boats anchored on the structure would have broke the schools up, too, especially if the water is as clear as normal for this time.

All those anchored boats were not totally out to lunch, though--they were just a month early in their tactics. Once the water turns green and the weeds grow in, fish will usually be concentrated on the outside weedlines, and drifting or trolling bait on the edges is a hassle. Drifting bait on those 11' and 15' areas you caught fish on Saturday will be a serious challenge in six weeks. Slip bobbers are the most reliable way to catch walleye on Osakis most of the time past mid-June. Trolling or casting crankbaits do have their moments and places, though.

[LIPS]

Taking the family to osakis next weekend to do a little camping and fishing. I have never fished the lake before but heard it can be really good for walleyes.What presentation would work the best this time of year? Is it best to fish sunrise and sunset or is it good fishing all day long.Thanks in advance for any info.

Will be staying at Idlewilde red lund 2025 le,stop and say hi.

[MNSnow]

Myself and a few buddies stayed at Idlewilde for a weekend around the same time you'll be there. The best walleye fishing was right out in front of the resort. Trolling with Lindy rigs with a leech seemed to produce the most fish. We also had good success trolling shad raps crayfish color. The bite was at dusk and carried into the dark. A lot of people had great success fishing for walters right off of Idlewilds dock once the sun went down.

We didn't catch a single panfish during our stay but caught a lot of pike and a few bass.

[JIvers]

Essentially, the advice for fishing Osakis on opener pretty much holds for Memorial Day, although the walleye bite will probably be a little better as water temps rise and the weeds grow.

[MikeB2205]

Just curious what the best areas to hit over the 4th of July usually are. What is usually the hot fish bitting at that time. It will be my first time fishing Osakis. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[carpmanjake]

bluegills are always biting on osakis, i have alot of luck in lagoons in july, alot of BIG post spawn females, as well as big bass.

if you want pike or walleye, im no help at all

[MikeB2205]

Thanks for the help. I've got a couple of younger nephews that would love to catch big bluegills as well as my self. Any crappies spots during this time of year anyone know?

[JIvers]

The Fourth is a good time to fish Osakis for pretty much everything, so long as the recreational traffic isn't too bad. I'll be up there the weekend after, concentrating on walleye.

You'll find very good numbers of walleye on the deep weedlines; live bait on a slip bobber works best most of the time. By early July the Northern will be out there, too--no need to target them, as you'll get plenty of hammer handles fishing for walleye, along with a few snipped lines. Look shallower for larger walleye...

The pencil reeds should have plenty of bluegills; fish a small leech on a small hook and bobber with eight-pound test. That seems a bit heavy, but it'll make pulling fish out of the reeds easier, plus you'll probably hook something larger than a bluegill a time or two.

As for crappie, I've never targeted them that time of year on Osakis. I have made a few accidental catches while fishing for walleye on the deep weedlines, but I don't know if that is the best place to look for them.

And, the bullheads bite very well in the shallows after dark.

[MikeB2205]

Thanks a bunch for the reply, sounds like a good lake to catch all types of fish out of. We're really excited to try it.

[MikeB2205]

Hey eyehunter when you say deep weedlines, what do you mean? Where you locate weeds in deeper water, what depths do you normally look for?

[JIvers]

The deep submerged weeds in Osakis are coontail, and they end at about seventeen feet of water. Find that depth, along with the proper turns and pockets within the weedline, make sure the wind is blowing in to that spot, and you'll find a lot of fish.

There are emergent pencil reeds in the bays, out to about seven feet of water. That is where you'll find the bluegill, largemouth, and on windy/cloudy/rainy days, Northern.

There are also a lot of submerged cabbage beds that start about where the pencil reeds end. These are the "shallow" submerged weeds that don't grow as deep as the coontail that makes up the "deep" weedlines. You'll sometimes find Northern and bass over the cabbage beds, too.

[MikeB2205]

I really appreciate all the help, it's been great.

[Finlander]

Going up this weekend and haven't seen any news about Osakis lately.

Anybody having any luck?

[pushbutton]

uh huh !

[carpmanjake]

if not they will be soon! i have a secret spot on osakis for BIG sunnies, but im not sharing until i get a few

[foo]

The deep submerged weeds in Osakis are coontail, and they end at about seventeen feet of water. Find that depth, along with the proper turns and pockets within the weedline, make sure the wind is blowing in to that spot, and you'll find a lot of fish.

There are emergent pencil reeds in the bays, out to about seven feet of water. That is where you'll find the bluegill, largemouth, and on windy/cloudy/rainy days, Northern.

There are also a lot of submerged cabbage beds that start about where the pencil reeds end. These are the "shallow" submerged weeds that don't grow as deep as the coontail that makes up the "deep" weedlines. You'll sometimes find Northern and bass over the cabbage beds, too.

I am coming down the 2nd week in June to do some fishing---mainly bass, crappies and walleyes if i can find them--and was wondering if the coontail and cabbage weed beds are pretty easy to find or are they only certain areas? It will be my first time fishing this lake and have considered using a guide. Anyways thanks in advance.

[carpmanjake]

here are some sunnies from this weekend.

saturday:

sunday:

sorry for the poor quality, took it with my phone

[firefish_12]

hey carpmanjake--care to share your spot--I have some little kiddies that love to help catchj and release those sunnies

if you want you can email me @[email protected]

[JIvers]

By the second week in June the cabbage beds should be growing pretty well, and are visible in calm water...which is not a good thing. Clear water = spooky fish, especially in the shallower areas where the cabbage grows. The pencil reeds should be starting to grow, too.

The coontail will be starting to grow, but still too short to see except on really calm sunny days. You may or may not be on Osakis when the algae bloom takes off--it will depend on the weather. If you have a sonar or flasher, you can mark the weeds even on the windy or rainy days.

The cabbage and coontail beds are pretty widespread, but there are patches of sand where the weeds are thinner. The rocky spots don't have much plant growth, but that's OK--fish like rock. Be sure to note where the rocks are--your prop will not like them. They are marked with buoys, and noted on good lake maps of Osakis.

Even after the algae bloom you will be able to spot the shallower cabbage most of the time, and the key to the deep coontail is to look for about 17', as that is as deep as it grows. And by the time the algae gives the water that green color, the coontail will be high enough in the water to spot.

[carpmanjake]

email sent. i love kids, sharing my spot is the least i could do.

[Finlander]

My brother and I caught 16 15-20" and over walleyes over the memorial weekend tasted good over a shore lunch! Snappin on raps!

[1eyeReD]

My brother and I caught 16 15-20" and over walleyes over the memorial weekend tasted good over a shore lunch! Snappin on raps!

From boat? Shore?

[Finlander]

From a boat in 7-9' of water outside the weeds in the evening!

[Corno]

Hello carpmanjake,

Going up this weekend on a pontoon with 4 kids under 10. Would be great for them to catch a few like your pictures. Would you mind sharing the [email protected]

thank you

[fissh]

Can you fill me in too I have a little boy that would love to catch some. thank [email protected]