Fishing Minnesota - Fishing Reports, Outdoor & Hunting News

New York Mills, Minn. (January 31, 2011) – Competitive anglers have been captaining Lund Boats ever since the first wager for “most” or “biggest” walleye was made across a poker table in the late 1940s. Decades later, competitive, professional anglers continue to reap cash rewards from modern day Lund boats. And now, Lund Boats continues this legacy of supporting professional walleye fishing tournaments. For the 2011 season, Lund will offer a $5,000 contingency bonus* for each of the four AIM Pro Walleye Series™ tournaments. The formula is simple for tournament players. Run a Lund. Win (the challenging part). And start filling out your bank deposit slip. Above and beyond the call of duty, Lund will award the AIM Angler of the Year a juicy $10,000** for being the big man or woman on ... [ Read More ]

One of the most exciting late season patterns is sight fishing for panfish which includes angling right below the ice over shallower water where you can actually see the bottom and see the fish. It’s a great a late season pattern although it can produce all season long. Going eyeball to eyeball with fish that are directly below your feet and just under the ice is what we’re talking about and is a real gas when it all comes together. If you haven’t had the pleasure you don’t know what you’re missing and is definitely worth a shot. The key to it all is location and the pattern doesn’t setup everywhere. Some of the hottest hotspots are current areas where you can still find some standing green weeds. Current means more oxygen and a better chance for some of the weeds to survive. ... [ Read More ]

During the early 2010 -2011 Ice Fishing Season on Lake of the Woods we’ve found many suspended Walleyes deeper than we’ve ever experienced this early in the season before. Is there any rhyme or reason to it? I honestly don’t know, but as my father always used to say, “It is what it is, and we’ll have to deal with it”. So, if you’re not rocking a Lowrance, Vexilar, MarCum, or a Humming Bird sonar system, you might just be experiencing some very tough Walleye fishing, but if you’ve one of these remarkable devices, you are in for a real treat this winter on Lake of the Woods. This is one reason why we have been given this technology to use, so those elusive suspended Walleyes wouldn’t travel around without being noticed out there in our massive body of water. There are many different ... [ Read More ]

When it comes to ice fishing in MN, it is tough to argue that the Walleye truly is king. Ask 10 people what they are chasing and its a good chance that 8 of them will say walleye and really you cannot blame them, especially when it comes to the table, walleye is fantastic, but for myself personally though, I've decided to think outside the walleye and target a less common species known as the Channel Catfish. Huh? Did he just say Catfish? When I tell people this, I get a lot of mixed reactions. Everything from, "hey that's cool", to "well,why would you do that?". For the naysayers, this is what I tell them. When I go out on the ice, I first and foremost want to have fun, second I want to catch some fish, third I like a fish that will challenge my gear, and lastly, if I want to ... [ Read More ]

Whenever I get downwind of a product involving electronics and computers combined with fishing, my ears stand up straight and I take notice. I will come straight out and say this is the future of fishing. To find out what 'this' is just keep on reading. When we need to gain that added edge for an upcoming fishing trip checking up on the latest fishing reports at HSO comes first and then many of us hit the “Big Box” outdoors and sporting goods retail stores. You may have noticed that some things are and have been changing. What used to be displayed next to Lindy Little Joe spinner rigs might require a little more needed knowledge than when it comes to tying a Uni or Polymer knot. Mapping, data, tracking, logging and GPS computer software programs have taken the place where handwritten logs, ... [ Read More ]

Even though the ice season is fresh upon us, I already felt the need to try my hand at a different species. Having been out on the ice a number of times this year, the crappies, for the most part, have proved to be more than willing biters and have been nice in size. Never-the-less, a change was in store and that’s where Big Winnie walleyes come in. A call was made to Ryan Peterson of “Ryan Peterson’s Guiding”. Fairly new to the guiding scene, Peterson has been taking people fishing, off and on, for the past four years during the open water period. A painter by trade, his business slows down enough in the winter to allow him a winter guiding business. Focusing on the south end of Big Winnie, he has three rental units, which include a day house and two sleepers. Although Peterson ... [ Read More ]

As the wind dies and the waves start to dissipate, Lake of the Woods becomes a Rapala and Reef Runner fisherman’s dream come true. As the lake settles down, which doesn’t happen too often, but it does happen, you must troll to get the Lake of the Woods most prized Eye! I personally like to throw a little twist in there and troll the ROCKS, which has become my favorite way to pull plugs (rock rapping). When fishing the rocks, get ready to donate some tackle though, it happens, but as the old saying goes, “Risk and Reward”. Over the past year and half trolling with lead core and fire line, accompanied with an assortment of Rapalas and Reef Runners has become a proven method of fishing the mighty Walleye of Lake of the Woods for me. The fish consistently hunker around the rocks all year ... [ Read More ]

Lake of the Woods is known as the Walleye Capitol of the World, but the fact of the matter is, Lake of the Woods has an extremely wide diversity of species covering all the different nooks and crannies of our 997,000 acres of water. This diversity brings fishermen and fisherwomen alike to our tremendous fishery each and every day from all corners of the globe, and each fall they come in droves to search for our mighty Northern Pike. As the vibrant colorful October transformation begins in northern Minnesota the Northern Pike begin to feed a little bit more aggressively, and this is an excellent time to start pulling plugs across the rock/sand edges to find those big “slimmers”. At this time they are starting gorging themselves on their favorite foods before the ice covers them for the ... [ Read More ]