Fishing Report September 2021

September 30, 2021

Woman Lake water temperatures remain unseasonably high (64-65 degrees) for this time of year, and I suspect that has slowed our walleyes transition to their typical fall season hangouts.  We are seeing and catching walleyes on the traditional fall season locations, but not in the quantities we would normally expect for the end of September.  I think the best fall walleye bite is yet to come.  The walleyes we have been catching have ranged from 14 inches to 20 inches in length, with no smaller throwbacks and no larger throwbacks, and 16 feet of water was the preferred depth today.  We are also catching lots of smallmouth and largemouth bass on these same walleye spots.  We are now finding that larger minnows (specifically redtail chubs) are clearly outfishing both leeches and crawlers.  This is also a great time of year to try a vertical jigging bait (rip jigging) like the Moonshine Shiver Minnow, Rapala Jigging Rap, or ACME Hyper-Rattle.  I see that Kevin McQuoids son just won the National Walleye Tour Championship tournament on Ottertail Lake, and he caught all but one of his fish on the Hyper-Rattle.  Don't be afraid to try vertical jigging, it absolutley works.  The fall colors around Woman Lake are spectacular right now, so get out on the water if you have the chance.

Fishing Guide Service Notice:  My family wedding duties have now concluded and my annual fishing/camping trip up to Voyageurs National Park is over, so I will be back ready to accept Guide Fishing Trips beginning Friday, September 24th.  The fall colors are starting to appear around Woman Lake and the walleyes are getting more aggressive.  It is my favorite time of the year to be on the water.  Come on up and enjoy the fishing.

September 17, 2021

Woman Lake walleyes are currently transitioning to their traditional fall locations as the lake water cools.  This time of year the walleye bite typically gets stronger from now through early October.  While leeches are still my preferred bait right now, this will shift to larger minnows (particularly redtail chubs) very soon.  The 17-19 foot depths have been most productive during the day.  Smallmouth bass season closed for possession on September 13th, however you may still practice "catch and release" legally, and largemouth bass is still fully open.