Fishing Report April 2016

April 28, 2016

     The ice went off Woman Lake a couple weeks earlier than typical, so I expect the walleyes will be ready-to-go on the May 14 Opener, if we get some decent weather.  The DNR concluded their walleye egg stripping operation on the Boy River a few days ago and there were plenty of very nice walleyes coming into the nets each night.  This year’s quota for this station was 180 quarts of eggs, and based upon my visit on 4/20 it appeared they would likely reach that quota by last weekend.  If you ever get a chance to visit one of the DNR walleye trap sites, I would encourage you to do so, as it is a fascinating process from trapping the walleyes, to sorting the fish, to stripping the eggs, to fertilizing the eggs, to oxygenating the eggs, to transporting them to the DNR Hatchery sites.  I will add a few photos documenting this year’s process to the Catch Photos (April) section of this website.  The DNR has also just implemented a walleye tagging study to estimate the number of adult walleyes in Woman Lake, so if you catch a tagged fish (white spaghetti tag) this year, remember to log the number on the tag and report it on the DNR web site.  The crappie bite is now in full swing in the black bottom bays, channels, and harbors so get your gear ready and come on up to fish.

April 5, 2016

     We have experienced a remarkably mild winter, at least by Northern Minnesota standards, and it looks like we will enjoy an early ice out this spring.  The DNR has already installed the docks for the Boy River Walleye Traps, between Squaw Lake and Bungey Bay on Woman Lake, so they can begin their walleye egg stripping operation once the fish begin to run.  I suspect you can already find northern pike spawning in the river, and the walleyes are usually not too far behind.  Hopefully, the Woman Lake ice will go out this week, which would be a couple weeks earlier than the average ice out.

     I have decided to expand my ObeWan Fishing Guide Services into a full time job for 2016, so in addition to being available on weekends, I will be offering guiding services 7 days / week on Woman Lake.  While the fishing on Woman Lake has always been very good, last year was maybe the best I have seen in many years.  We enjoy a broad selection of strong walleye year classes with many catchable fish in the ideal "eater" sizes of 15-19 inches.  You will likely catch many fish in the 20-25 inch range as well, but we always encourage you to release the larger females if they are healthy.

The Minnesota Walleye Opener is Saturday, May 14, and the lake should be in prime walleye fishing condition by then.  But a special treat on Woman Lake is the big early crappie bite when the water temperatures in shallow warm bays start to hit the 50 degree mark.  The algae starts to bloom on sunny days once the water gets warmer, which spawns a whole feeding cycle from the zoo plankton, to the minnows, to the crappies, to the big predator species, and this typically lasts up through the dates of the Walleye Opener.  See you on the water !!!