Gull wisdom

[Guest]

I fished Gull for the first time on Sunday. When I talked to the guy at the bait store he made it sound like everyone was catching 50 walleyes per day. While I know this is a bit exaggerated, I'm sure the fishing is starting to get really good for those that know how to catch 'em.

I fished Gull from 7AM to 2PM and Mille Lacs from 6PM to 9:30PM. I live in the cities, so this was a 22 hour trip - WHEW!! Anyway, on Gull I caught 3 walleyes - 2 18" and a 25". Not a lot, but since it was my first time on Gull, I was kind of proud of that. I kept the 18"s and released the 25" (beautiful fish!) - I can't see carving up a fish like that.

From what I know, Gull has great potential to catch lots of fish, and lots of big fish. A challenging, yet at times very rewarding lake. I think definetly worth learning.

I'd like to hear (read) about your (anyone's) best day/days on this lake and maybe some advise for this Gull newcommer. Also reports on Round would be appreciated.

[Paul S]

Fished Round lake on Saturday afternoon, boated 13 walleye, only kept one 20" for my supper. Fish were in 22 to 25 feet of water, used strictly shiners and moved slow. I don't fish Gull much until September, then fish it with crankbaits or redtails. On a side note, I fished N Long Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, walleyes were shallower on this lake ( 15 - 18 feet ) and my best luck was with jig/minnow combination. I did see some of the local guides using leeches and doing well.
Paul

[Toad]

The bite is definitely on right now-- Gull, Round, Pelican and Whitefish all have hungry walleyes going in anywhere from 15 to 30 feet of water. Leeches and shiners are both working-- though for bigger fish, shiners seem to be the ticket.

On Gull, June and October have always been key months. I'd probably take a look at the old archives from this site. There's a lot of discussion on Gull here starting a few years back (at least I think there are archives available???). In fact, it'd be a fairly decent guide for just about anyone (myself included) wanting to learn or re-learn reliable seasonal patterns. If not, I try to keep a fairly updated log of patterns throughout the year here. So stay tuned.

As far as great trips on the lake, in recent years, one of my more memorable occurred in October of 1996. As I'd so often done in the past, was trolling big minnow plugs at night. Glass calm out; only boat on the water. This was on a spot called 'The Bra.' Round about 10pm the big walleyes really turned on. First fish is a 26-incher. Then another large fish. Fifth or so walleye about a half hour later is a mean 31-incher. And the action didn't stop there. In fact, fishing actually picked up. By midnight, a friend and I literally could've had limits of 5 to 11-pound fish. (We put all but a few 18-inchers back-- the only "small" fish of the night.) I believe we could've continued well on into the wee hours had we felt the need.

Tell ya, I've seen days with better 'numbers' action on both Gull and Round, but so many giant walleyes on a crisp peaceful autumn evening like that is something we should all get to experience a few times. I'll be ready next time.

-a friend called Toad

[Guest]

Toad, I enjoyed your story. Have you had any days on Gull in June that stand out in your memory?

BTW, are there big walleyes in Round, or is round more of a 'numbers' lake? I suppose numbers of one to three pound walleyes should be good enough for anyone, I'm just curious.

[Toad]

easy,

June's nearly always good on Gull. Last couple years, though, daytime fishing has been rather inconsistent. Great one day, very difficult the next. The night bite? Well, that's a different story. First two weeks in June last year the fish went crazy on shallow flats on the north end of the lake. Best night for me offered up nearly 20 walleyes. During the same time period, a friend told of over a hundred fish between his group of three anglers in just a few nights of fishing. But it was a short lived bite . . . a few days after the great fishing you couldn't believe it had ever happened. The walleyes had simply left the area, as the perch had also moved on.

This year, the night bite was excellent from Opener and then for a week or so after. Now last night I was out for about three hours and fishing was pretty decent-- 5 nice walleyes on #5 Shad Raps.

Gull is such a dynamic and varied fishery that from year to year, let alone day to day, patterns can change a lot. Takes dedication to stay on a bite sometimes. But the key is still to keep things as simple as possible. Stick with what you've got confidence in lurewise. And fish different spots until you find fish (you will find them eventually).

Round Lake? It's definitely known as a 'bread-and-butter' walleye lake. But there are big fish out there. Though I've never quite cracked the 30-inch barrier on Round, I came within an inch this past winter. And a number of other anglers did score tens at first ice last year. Round's a great lake for simply learning how to catch walleyes. Small enough to learn easily, yet varied enough structurally to throw a lot of options at you. The search is always fun. And at least in my book, that's what it's all about.

By the way, easy, where are you from? Maybe we'll see you on the water sometime.

-a friend called Toad

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply Toad, I appreciate your insight.

I'm from Bloominton, MN. If I'm on the water I'll be in a tan Alumicraft Navigator with a 60 HP 4 stroke Sazuki tiller, Minkotas on the bow and transit. If you see me, say hello.

[Borch]

Looks like I'll make it up to Gull Friday night. Hopefully catch the evening bite then see if I can't troll up a few into the night. I'll be in an old lund predator with my son. Best of luck if you make it out. This will be my first soft water trip on Gull. I like what I see on the maps. A lot of varied structure and big eye potential.