Fishing Report September 2018
September 28-30, 2018
We have just experienced a couple real cold spells, and the water temperatures on Woman Lake have now dropped to the 57-58 degree range. We are finding larger pods of walleyes in some traditional fall locations, primarily shore related sand breaks in the 17-22 foot depths. We are catching some very nice fish in lengths ranging from 14 - 24 inches, with many of them being in the upper half of that range. Both leeches and redtail chubs have been working well on live bait rigs. I expect this more active walleye bite will last well into October, at least on days where the weather cooperates. It has been very cold on the water, so remember to dress accordingly, including your life jackets. I have posted some of our fish pictures in the "Catch Photos" section on this website, so take a look them, and see how much fun you can have up here.
September 21-24, 2018
The walleyes are slowly beginning to group up in traditional fall locations, finally, and deeper sand breaks seem to be their preferred location. I am still fishing leeches, but this is the time of the year when big redtail chubs do their magic on bigger fish. This is the best time of the year to try out jigging raps, too, if you have not tried them. Wet, cool, and windy weather has now brought the surface water temperatures down to 63 degrees, so dress warm and wear your life jackets. The adult loons are all gone, and the lonely juveniles are gathering into small flocks on the water. Colors are beginning to look like fall, but we still have at least a week or so before the colors really start to pop.
September 12-14, 2018
I have not posted my fishing reports for a few weeks because I was on two extended fishing trips up to Voyageurs National Park on the Minnesota/Canadian border waters in late August and early September. Now that I am back on Woman Lake, I see the surface water temperatures have cooled down to the 67-69 degree range, which should signal better walleye fishing very soon. The walleyes are beginning to show up in bunches in some locations on my depth sounder, which is always a good sign. Main lake basin sand flats in 20-22 feet of water is where I have found them. It is still not a very active walleye bite, but you can catch some every day. I will post more observations after I have had a few more days on the water. I expect the walleye bite will improve significantly over the next week or so. Many of the adult loons have already departed for the winter, leaving a bunch of confused juveniles who are now learning to live on their own. In 6-8 weeks time, these young loons will figure out they are supposed to head south as well.