July Fishing Report

[Walleye #1]

This week's Leech Lake Fishing Report

 

The week for the most part has been the typical July grind.  Some days finding Leech Lake's walleye bounty and others picking them off one at a time and having to fish alot of spots. Being versatile and still have lots of presentations ready from spinners, crankbaits, lindy rigs, slip bobbers, jigs, etc. all ready to go to find out what is going to work for the day.  The crazy weather pattern has definitely created an up and down bite as well.  

 

Main Lake

 

For the most part the main lake has been overall slow. With water temps in the low 70s the trolling bite should steadily get better on the reefs and steep breaklines either long lining shad raps, flicker shads or using leadcore to fish for suspended fish or fish on the reefs.  Going 1.8-2.3mph is usually the target range.  Some fish are still being caught using lindy rigs on the reefs or off on the edges, but the slow methodical way of fishing has been tough.

 

West Side of the Lake

 

Walker Bay has had a decent bite in 15-25ft of water along the shoreline breaks and on some of the humps.  Lindy rigs with leeches or crawlers has been best.  Some of the cabbage in Steamboat, Agency, and Kabekona has also produced some fish with slip bobbers during those early and late feeding periods.  There have been mixed reports around Goose Island with some days the points such as Pine, Duck, and Ottertail producing fish if the wind has been blowing in to them.

 

The musky bite is starting to get better and anglers reporting some fish being caught and moved.  Cabbage beds have still been the best with bucktails or glide baits.

 

Panfish bite has been good in 6-15ft of water on the weed edges or find clumps of good cabbage.  A small panfish jig with a small leech or chunk of crawler is the ticket.

 

Until next week!

 

Jason Freed

Leisure Outdoor Adventures

 

[Walleye #1]

Leech Lake was overall a slower bite this past week.  Fish were still caught but the feeding windows were short at times and you needed to be ready to go and have the right presentation when they were active.  

 

The early morning and late evening bites have proved to be the best to have the most consistent action as well as putting some keepers in the livewell.  A windy and cloudy day will also.  Fishing shallow can pay off dividends, whether it is fishing weeds, depressions withing flats, or windblown points or shorelines.  A jig with a minnow, leech, or crawler or a slip bobber are great ways to fish for these walleyes.  Another good presentation is trolling crankbaits such as a #5 Shad Rap or Flicker Shad by either long lining them or putting them out on planer boards.

 

During the mid day hours, trolling crankbaits and spinners is a great way to locate active fish.  Long breaklines in 12-16ft of water or deeper in 18-28ft of water seems to be the best zone for walleyes.  Working deep rock or sand humps with lindy rigs and crawlers, leeches, or chubs has also produce on the south end of the Main Lake or in Walker and Agency Bays.  

 

The multi species bite has also been good on local lakes in the area targeting weedlines in 12-18ft of water.  Slip bobbers, casting plastics, lindy rigging are all great ways to work these lakes over and catch everything from pike, smallmouth, largemouth, panfish, and even walleyes.  Give it a shot. 

 

Until next week!