Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Recommended Posts

Maybe you should keep your dock raised and keep fishing off of the neighbor's dock!

 

I saw my first mayfly today while over at Wolf Point. Also got my first mosquito bites of the season, saw my first humming bird at the feeder, heard a Hermit Thrush singing followed immediately by a Barred Owl hooting in a tree right above me...what a day. 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are Rainbows still the ticket for bait? Heading up tonight. I have leaches and crawlers too, but nothing beat minnows last weekend.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fished from Wednesday night to Friday morning.  Caught 11 walleyes in about 11 hours of fishing.  When I found them they bit quite firmly, but were hard to find.  Fortunately most were 14-16" so I got a couple of fresh walleye meals after 3 months without.

 

Got the last dozen rainbows at Fuel and Food and didn't find a rainbow in the bunch (only chubs and mud minnows), so I ended up using pike suckers on a multi-colored jig.  16 FOW.

 

Vermilion was very quiet until Friday morning, and by Friday evening it was getting very busy.  Saw this little fishing boat ready to go into the water Friday morning.

20200522_053805.jpg

  • Thumbs Up 1
  • l Love It 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are back up on the East End and was surprised to see 60 degrees in Daisy/Big Bay! Assuming the walleyes (my father in law's favorite) had come and gone from the shallows we tried chasing Smallies (my favorite) in like 8fow and on shorelines. Bass fishing was slow, the fish we did pick up were on DT-6's and Jerkbaits.

 

I love the comment on fishing different species on Vermilion. It offers so many different options! I don't get up here but a couple time from Spring - Fall and maybe twice in the Winter. I always struggle at sticking to one species. I fish em all, but not very well ?

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fishing picked up towards the end of the week. We started hooking minnows in the back instead of through the lips and it seemed to make a big difference. The bite on leeches was also really good, you have to fight through the perch but we picked up a few nice eaters with jigs and leeches. 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s exciting to hear of some reports of Walleyes  on west end of lake - wakemup etc… 

 

Its always been frustrating that east end walleye fish is so much better for numbers/eater size fish…

 

It would be amazing to get a walleye fish fry meal without the long drive to east end of the lake. 

 

Love the reports - keep them coming 

  • Thumbs Up 1
  • l Love It 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man I seem to be the only one not having any luck- I’ll be honest this lake has done nothing but frustrate me for the last 5 years. (My fault, clearly not the lakes!)

Growing up in Southwest Minnesota the prairie and basin style lakes as well as resivours all made sense to me but Vermilion being the shield lie with all of the structure has done nothing but tease me since meeting my now in-laws, and fishing out of their cabin on the south side of Big Bay, near Everett Bay. Be it winter or now summer the fish just elude me. 
 

I’ve gone west, east towards tower, tried to stay in the big Bay Area anywhere from the Potato area to around strawberry, around Pine, Ely Island, etc. 

 

Even the last few days have been more of the same. Regardless of jiggin, rigging or trolling- and minnows or leeches- shallow (6-8) or deep (20-30), first break or 2nd break, I can’t seem to not only buy a bite, but I can’t locate good numbers so far. 
 

Fingers crossed for an improvement or plans to stay until next Wednesday may get changed out of necessity and care for my mental well being ?

Edited by Cobber
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neighbor and I went out in Wakemup for a couple hours again tonight, got 5. Two were under 12", 14-1/4, 24-1/2 and one around 22", forgot to measure it. All on leeches, pulling bottom bouncers. 17'-26' of water. No pictures tonight, the background area is too obvious ?. Sure is nice to see the smaller fish on this end of the lake! Saw this little guy when I was driving the UTV up the neighbors boathouse road. It wouldn't get off the road, it took me about 5 minutes to get it to go into the woods.

Edited by CigarGuy
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, CigarGuy said:

Neighbor and I went out in Wakemup for a couple hours again tonight, got 5. Two were under 12", 14-1/4, 24-1/2 and one around 22", forgot to measure it. All on leeches, pulling bottom bouncers. 17'-26' of water. No pictures tonight, the background area is too obvious ?. Sure is nice to see the smaller fish on this end of the lake! Saw this little guy when I was driving the UTV up the neighbors boathouse road. It wouldn't get off the road, it took me about 5 minutes to get it to go into the woods.

Well, that didn't work! Short little video of a very young fawn walking down the road in front of me. The new light bar sure lights up the night!

Edited by CigarGuy
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Wow, ❤ 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/21/2020 at 1:53 PM, SkunkedAgain said:

It was a refreshing 60 degrees when I jumped into the lake around 7pm!

 
Seconded! I took down 3 pines on Sunday and a brief but refreshing dip followed.
 

Manick’s hadn’t been to Wakemup Narrows, so it was a working weekend around the place- fun to read the fishing reports, keep them coming!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I emailed manicks yesterday morning and voiced my concerns, 3 hours later my dock was in, but not the lift. It looks like they put all the docks in on the Partridge River. We got 6 more walleyes last night, 1- 12" and the others over 22". Back home now.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plan omg on heading up to vermilion about noon today for the afternoon. Wondering if anyone has some pointers on bait and depth. To fish. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my 15+ years of ownership, I have never seen boat traffic like we had in Black Bay over the week/weekend. During the week there were 5-10 boats and each day while this weekend there were 20-30 boats from morning-to-night hunting crappies. There was no hot spot, just boats everywhere. 

 

When I finally went home last night after 1.5 weeks up, I noted that someone backed their trailer into the dock at The Landing. The rubber bumper was hanging off. It must have been a hoot to sit around watching all of the boats going in and out.

Edited by SkunkedAgain
  • Wow, ❤ 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, SkunkedAgain said:

In my 15+ years of ownership, I have never seen boat traffic like we had in Black Bay over the week/weekend. During the week there were 5-10 boats and each day while this weekend there were 20-30 boats from morning-to-night hunting crappies. There was no hot spot, just boats everywhere. 

 

When I finally went home last night after 1.5 weeks up, I noted that someone backed their trailer into the dock at The Landing. The rubber bumper was hanging off. It must have been a hoot to sit around watching all of the boats going in and out.

On Big Bay we experienced levels of boat traffic like you did - it was more than most any 4th of July weekend.  On Saturday night at 8 pm, we were in the middle of Big Bay and counted 77 boats that we could see from that spot.  After seeing all that boat traffic we figured there would be lots of traffic on the way home, but we left at 4:30 pm and were very pleasantly surprised that there was no traffic to speak of.  Either everyone left early, or they were staying until today.

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lakes across the state are going to have much more noticeable traffic this summer. No twins games, kids sports, restaurants, festivals, parades, meat raffles, garage sales, concerts, movies, etc, etc, etc, etc to go to. 

  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bite was good over the weekend. Found fish on deeper sand/gravel. Boated 86 walleyes from Friday morning-Monday morning. Fishing mornings and evenings. Lindy rigging chubs and leeches produced. Did also find some fish throwing jigs in 4’ of water in mornings. Hoping the bite is good this weekend ??

  • Thumbs Up 2
  • Wow, ❤ 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/26/2020 at 9:27 AM, side_laker said:

Plan omg on heading up to vermilion about noon today for the afternoon. Wondering if anyone has some pointers on bait and depth. To fish. 

Last weekend they seemed to be shallower than the week before like 16-20’ crawlers and leeches starting but rainbows still working.

  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Need some advice. I'm sure if I scrolled through all the posts I'd definitely find what I'm looking for but that's a lot of reading! I'm a southern MN fisherman. I fish mostly the rivers but my son has earned a trip to Vermillion. Saw it on a fishing show and has begged me. He earned it so we are heading up. He wants to catch bass and small mouth in particular. I'll be staying near eveleth. Any one mind pointing me in the right direction? I'll be boat fishing by the way too. 

Thanks in advance! The little guy has earned the right to cast all those obnoxious lures he got from lucky tackle box haha

  • I Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only make it vermilion once a year but it is always the first or second week of June.  If he’s looking for bass bust the rocky shorelines with inline spinners, wacky worms and topwaters baits and he should find plenty of action.  Generally catch 90-95% smallmouth doing this in my experience.  Good luck and enjoy.  Vermilion is one of a kind

Edited by EyeWannabee
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, MSUhockey said:

Need some advice. I'm sure if I scrolled through all the posts I'd definitely find what I'm looking for but that's a lot of reading! I'm a southern MN fisherman. I fish mostly the rivers but my son has earned a trip to Vermillion. Saw it on a fishing show and has begged me. He earned it so we are heading up. He wants to catch bass and small mouth in particular. I'll be staying near eveleth. Any one mind pointing me in the right direction? I'll be boat fishing by the way too. 

Thanks in advance! The little guy has earned the right to cast all those obnoxious lures he got from lucky tackle box haha

when?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smallmouth should be on beds spawning. Good time to fish smallmouth. Fishing off shallow water off rocky islands on East side of Vermilion should be in play. Troll and throw spinners to shore.  Look for line where big rocks end and small rocks/gravel starts. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was up last weekend(Memorial Day weekend) at the cabin on Birch Point. Where my electronics reading right that water was 64-66 degrees? Also tried up in the shallows in the pencil reads and sandy rocky bottoms of big bay, the side of the point our cabin is on, hoping to find crappies on beds, but nothing. Seems like the perfect area and water temp for all other lakes I’ve fished and there was nothin. Not a sight of beds or fish. Maybe there just isn’t good crappie numbers there? Anyone will to share some shallows for sight fishing on beds? And info on that water temp or what it currently is. and if that was right, is that still not warm enough for vermillion? Gonna be up the weekend of 6/5 to try again, and hoping to not miss it this week. Thank you

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My smaller bay was 71 degrees over Memorial Day weekend, so I expect with the warm temps forecasted this week that most of the lake will be in the 70 degree range by this weekend.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent all last week on the lake.  We fished on the east end all week.  We found the water temps on the east side, Armstrong Bay, was in the low 70's and on the west side, Daisy bay, was in the low 60's.  Kind of a wide range.  We found walleye shallow, even caught quite a few of the dock, 5'-9'  We found pike in the weeds, perch outside the weeds in the bays.  Pike would hit a swimbait or fluke worked through the weeds.  We caught the perch on a small 1/8 oz spinnerbait.  The smallmouth were making beds in the warmer water and staging in the cooler water.  The fish on beds are easy to catch, the staging fish would hit a medium size red squarebill crankbait.  It did help if there were rock present, volleyball size or bigger.  Pike and smallmouth fishing should only get better in the weeks to come.  We did see a dozen or more musky cruising the shallows.  

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in a group of 5 that heads to Vermilion once a year.  We'll be on the West end starting 6/13.  We're open to traveling but will be looking for walleye primarily.  I'll keep an eye on the message board, but any input for success would be appreciated.  In the past, we've had luck with crawlers and leeches, but not much with minnows.  We've had the most luck with lindy rigs and slip bobbers.  We'd like to get ahold of some crappies too if anyone has any pointers.  We're used to Mississippi River fishing so we're kind of at a disadvantage when it comes to Vermilion.  Thank you in advance!

  • I Like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • The title was changed to 2021 Lake Vermilion Fishing Reports

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.