Awesome Walleye and Sauger Bite

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

On the South End... In a nutshell, walleye and sauger fishing has been awesome.  If you want to catch fish, the bite is on.  Anglers are finding fish ranging from 18 to 29 feet. The cooling water temperatures after a brief fall warm spell are down to about 64 degrees.   

 

Again this week, many anglers have reported success jigging with frozen emerald shiners, but fathead minnows are also working well too.  Areas from right in front of the Lighthouse Gap where the Rainy River enters Lake of the Woods west to the Morris Point area, Zippel Bay area to Long Point.  Some nice schools of fish.  

 

Prominent jig colors this week are gold, chartreuse, orange, and pink.  Gold combined with a color is often a good choice too.  

 

Many of these fish across the south shore are over mud.  No structure, just a lot of forage that holds the fish.  Get out amongst the fish, anchor up and get your jig on.

 

Some nice perch and occasional pike are being caught mixed in with the walleyes and saugers.

Drifting spinners / crawlers or trolling crankbaits is still effective for many anglers.  

On the Rainy River... The river is producing some nice walleyes, but with the warmer temps, not the big traditional run as of yet.  There are definitely some nice fish in the river however and it will only get better as water temps cool and days get shorter.

Sturgeon fishing continues good and should pick up as water temps cool.  The sturgeon "keep" season goes through September 30th.  After that, it is a catch and release season through April 23rd.  The season extends through May 15th and then closes through May 30th.    

The river is relatively small and a nice option for most sized boats.  Depending upon the day, Four Mile Bay and even the south shore is accessible depending upon the wind which varies day to day.  

Up at the NW Angle... Fall up at the Angle is a special time with multi species action.  Walleye fishing remains strong, with fish located across different areas with structure as well as flat areas.  

 

The deep mud east and northeast of Little Oak Island. Effective methods continue to be a mix of jigging and spinners, with crankbaits also producing good results.

Pike and muskies are active in weedy areas over rocks.  Jerkbaits and inline spinners are catching some good fish.  

Smallmouth bass are showing up strong, particularly around scattered rock areas extending from points.  Tube jigs, swimbaits and crankbaits working well.