Fishing Report October 2019

October 6, 2019

     The walleyes are schooling up in large numbers on their traditional fall locations, but the cold windy weather has made for a marginal fishing bite and tough boat control.  Water temps are hanging in the 57-58 degree range now, which is perfect.  I think once the weather mellows out, the bite should get hot.  We have had major cold front conditions with rain and high winds all week, but we have still managed to catch decent walleyes, including plenty of bigger fish.  I would have expected by now that minnows would be the preferred bait, but we are still catching more fish on leeches.  The big smallmouth bass have been aggressively taking the minnows when we fish them.  Most of the fish we have found are either staged along the 18-20 foot deep sand breaks, or up higher just outside the 15-16 foot weed edge.  Trolling crankbaits over the shallow sand flats in the evening is also an effective technique.  I suspect Woman Lake will have some very good fishing over the next couple weeks, if we get some more fishable weather.

     My walleye guiding for 2019 has now wound down to the end of the season.  I have a Memorial Service to attend, my high school class reunion, and my 35th wedding anniversary all happening over the next 8 days, and then I head off to chase pheasants in South Dakota with my trusty dog, Jersey, for a week or two.  I would like to thank all of you who fished with me this year as Woman Lake once again provided a great bounty of wonderful walleyes all year long.  Unfortunately, I had to take a 6 week break from guiding during part of July / August to deal with a flooded homestead, but we are all past that now and still enjoyed a great fishing year.  My next fishing will likely be in early December, as soon as we have some walkable ice covering Woman Lake.  I will be back on the open water next April when the crappies begin to pile into the shallow bays, and then we will be getting ready for the MN Walleye Opener in May 2020.  I hope to see you all then.  Good Luck and Good Fishing.