Fishing Report May 2026

May 24, 2026  Memorial Day Weekend

The Woman Lake weather has finally turned favorable for fishing with moderate winds and warm temperatures to warm up the lake water.  A string of daytime highs in the 80+ degree range is forecast which should help get the walleyes into a more normal spring pattern.  Boat traffic is predictably higher with the holiday weekend and nice weather, but it has not slowed the northern pike rampage.  The bird watching this spring at my cabin has been extra special with a huge array migrating birds in full breeding plumage coming to the feeders and woodlands.  Remarkably colorful this year.  I will post a few photos.  Big mayfly hatch starting at sunset tonight, may make for a tough walleye bite for a day or two.

May 16, 2026

The wind has continued to be horrific on most days, making walleye fishing and boat control somewhat of a challenge.  We still manage to catch our walleyes, but the big crappie fishing has been quite excellent in the shallow black bottom bays and channels, even with the high winds.  The water temperatures on Woman Lake basin have risen to the low 50 degree range with the recent sunny days, so the bite should continue to improve throughout May.  The northern pike are still on a feeding rampage.

May 11, 2025

The cold weather and high winds have maybe started to pass, and the forecast includes sun and maybe temps up to 70 degrees.  The walleye bite will definitely improve this week along with the water temperatures.  The big crappies were biting well yesterday, and that should continue for the next week or so, if we have fishable days.  The northen pike have been feeding agressively on everything.

May 9, 2026  -  Minnesota Walleye Opening Day

The MN Walleye Opener provided us with some real challenging fishing conditions this year, with very cold temperatures and 25 mph winds all day.  The surface water temperatures on Woman Lake have been in the 46-47 degree range all week, so the walleyes have not been very active as yet.  A few warm, sunny days are probably needed to jump start the good walleye bite.  We did manage to catch a few keeper walleyes, the largest being a nice 23 incher, along with a batch of northern pike and a bowfin.  I will post a few fish photos on the "Catch Photos" sections of this website.  We caught our fish on live bait rigs with shiner minnows or Rapala crankbaits, along shoreline sand breaks.  The crappies have started to get active in the deeper waters of Otter Bay.

May 6, 2026

The weather has remained cool and windy for a week or two around the Woman Lake area, and we even had a few snow flurries today.  The air is supposed to warm up to near normal temps for the MN Walleye Opener on Saturday, but I suspect the surface water temperatures may still be under 50 degrees.  Sunny days are forecast, which could certainly help out, especially for getting the shallow water crappie bite going.  The longer term forecast calls for sun and warmer temps on their way.  Shiner minnows will be the bait of choice for walleyes on the weekend opener.  Long line trolling shallow running crankbaits, like straight Rapalas, is often quite effective after dark over the shoreline sand flats.