August eyes Mille Lacs anglers have had plenty to smile about
this season. From opening day the walleyes have been consistently
giving it up for those working the right places at the right
time. Unlike the last couple of years; catching fish hasn’t
been much of a problem and has included plenty of those that
are outside the range of the protected slot. If the good news
isn’t good enough don’t worry, there’s more. Like anywhere else,
Mille Lacs goes through seasonal changes. These changes can
bring major shifts in walleye location and attitude. The big
lake is going through one of those changes right now, and you
better adjust if you want to stay on the fish. In a typical
year early August can make for pretty tough walleye fishing.
It’s a time when young of the year perch reach a desirable size,
and can show up in masse. With all of that bait it can be difficult
to get a walleyes attention. It’s also a time when walleyes
are in transition and they can be spread out. You can still
find a few fish on the mud flats, the deep gravel humps, as
well as on many of the shallow rocky reefs and bars.
Ron with a nice summer walleye
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One of the main ingredients to a good walleye bite
is large concentrations of fish. When they’re spread
out it’s easy to completely miss the action. If you’re
working a limited amount of fish the bite can be very
short lived. Even when your on the mother load only
a small number will be actively feeding at any given
time and why a concentration is the key to consistent
action. By the end of the month, many of the deep fish
make their way back to the rocks and join up with those
that have been shallow all season long. As more and
more fish start to show up the fishing keeps getting
better and better, and can make for the most intense
bite of the entire year. One of the keys to a good late
summer shallow bite is water clarity, or lack thereof.
On Mille Lacs as well as most of our fertile lakes throughout
Minnesota, summer can bring dreaded algae blooms that
cloud up water and turn it green. While it might not
be pretty, dark water helps to bring fish shallow and
can keep them there where they can be easily found and
caught. Wind is a necessary ingredient to triggering
a good daytime bite in shallow water. With out a little
wind you might as well fish for something else like
smallmouth bass or muskies. If you have the wind you
should try to use it to your advantage. To get the most
out of the situation you’d be wise to follow the wind
and spend your time in areas that have the benefit of
the heaviest waves.
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Waves crashing into rocks helps to get the whole thing started
as they can create current, current that will flush out bait
hiding in the cracks and crevices where they become easy targets
for ‘eyes on the prowl. Rocks in the four to ten foot range
are what you’re looking for and most of the good spots have
buoys on them, or at least close to them. The major rock reefs
and bars will be marked and they can all produce fish on any
given day. Some of the better secret spots are small rock piles
and knobs that are close to the marked structures. To find them
you have to be willing to waste a little time looking for the
unknown. By taking a trip out off of the marked structure and
keeping an eye on your electronics you’ll find some of the areas
that only a handful know about. A flasher type depth finder
like the Marcum LX-3 can be invaluable as it provides instant
information and will show the bottom, how hard it is, and the
presence of fish. To work rocks it’s hard to beat live bait
suspended beneath a slip bobber. Once you find that little secret
rock pile you’ll want to drop a marker on the spot and anchor
upwind. By anchoring a short cast away, you can strain an area
with the slip bobber by drifting the bait back across the top,
reeling it up, and repeating the process until your comfortable
that you have thoroughly worked an area. So many times it’s
one tiny little area that most of the fish come from, and if
you’re not thorough you might miss it. Leeches and night crawlers
are the top producers for late summer rock hopping. Leeches
should be hooked through the sucker, and crawlers should be
hooked one time through the middle of the bait. And instead
of a plain hook you may want to try a small jig head like a
Northland Doodle Bug. The Doodle Bug is designed for ice fishing
but is an excellent choice for working below a bobber and will
result in more fish hooked. The jig head gives your offering
some color as well as holding the bait down in the fish zone.
When walleyes are on the rocks they can hold pretty tight and
it pays to keep your bait close to the bottom. In fact when
the wind is really howling you’ll catch more fish by setting
the float so the jig just barely drags the bottom. Doing so
will keep the bait in the “zone” longer, and will get the walleyes
holding in the deep cracks and crevices. This method will cost
you some jigs, but it can pay big dividends. The other top late
summer pattern is trolling crank baits like a Grappler Shad
over the shallow rocky reefs, bars, and shorelines. Even when
fish load up on the spot on the spot there will still be some
that remain spread out, and yet are very catch-able. Trolling
gives you the ability to cover some water and can get your bait
in front of as many fish as possible. Although trolling crankbaits
can be produce all day long, Look for the bite to intensify
right before dark. See you on the rocks |