It takes time to catch the bigger ones....

[MarkB]

I usually check my journal daily and, this past week, has produced close to the same results as a year ago. The bite is anything but tentative once you find the "biters". I'm not convinced you have to see fish to invest time fishing a "spot". Seeing fish is preferred of course, but I spend time, maybe too much time, fishing a "type" of structure that I "think" should hold fish, especially BIG fish. My wife and I have "lucked" into a school of large walleyes(20" and bigger) but, usually, we find them in some of the nastiest rock piles imaginable. This past week was no exception. One day we boated 7 walleyes between 18.5" and 25". These were all caught on leeches with big floats in 17'-20' of rocky, snaggy water. Two days we caught 10 and 14 respectively and included in those catches were 5 that measured 20"-22". All of these fish were caught on both crawlers and leeches. I use crawlers and my wife uses leeches. These fish were caught adjacent to reefs in 26'-30' on sand/gravel bottoms. People have asked how you tell sand from gravel and mud. Two ways: use a braided line and the "feel" will telegraph everything you need to know. Mud and sand both "feel" soft. Gravel feels like the "static" you can hear . OR buy a color HD sonar unit and the colors will identify bottom composition. Mud is light yellow, sand/gravel/rock is reddish/red/redder yet. If you don't have a HD sonar unit, the bottom band will lighten with soft bottom and darken with hard bottom.

I went out for few hours this morning alone. I decided to try some spots within sight of "home". I found no fish in some of my favorite "deep" water(for Daisy Bay) areas, but, eventually found a carpet of fish in 17' between a couple of small humps. I landed 12 walleyes before the wind eventually made life miserable. They literally tried to rip the pole out of my hands! Nothing big but loads of fun. Rocky/smooth ledgerock bottom with no snags. Crawlers were the ticket but I got a few on leeches.

Upon checking my journal, it appears that we generally make our switchover to minnows around October 1. Although I start taking minnows around the 4th week in September, our switchover usually coincides with consistent water temperatures in the mid-fifties. Once it stays in that range and lower, it's minnows all the way to freeze-up.

The adult loons have made their exit. The young loons are here until at least the end of October.

Good Fishing,

MarkB

[leechlake]

great information. An excellent rule of thumb is below 60 degree water temp- vertebrates for bait aka minnows above 60 degrees invertebrates aka leeches crawlers.