It’s been a wild ride on the big lake this week, strong winds, combined with cooler water temperatures have forced a shift in location for baitfish and gamefish alike. Whitecaps turned some Cutfoot’s shallow weedy flats inside out too. Weed beds that were too thick to fish only a few weeks ago are thinning out and many of their former inhabitants are re-locating to deeper water.

Surface water temperatures were roughly 67 degrees on Wednesday and are not likely to go anywhere except down from here. As the temperatures decline, feeding activity definitely increases and it won’t be long before conditions become ideal. Over the years, we have seen some of the best fall fishing occur when temperatures transition from the low sixties, down into the high fifty degree range. Every season is different, but in 2017, that temperature range occurred during the last week of September, going into the first week of October.

One of the area’s popular fishing guides was guiding on Cutfoot this weekend clued us in.

“Rock Bass, Crappie, Sunfish, Walleye and Pike were spread out all along the breakline in water depths of 20 to 28 feet on Wednesday. Some fish were easier to catch than others, and some fish were better size than others as well. We caught everything from fingerling size walleye to massive, hubcap size crappies and they were all located in the same areas.”

The mixture of species, along with the wide variety of sizes is one sure indication that fall transitions have begun. Many of the small fish have been tucked away in the weeds all summer long. The entire food chain is shifting now that shallow sanctuary areas are disappearing; these fish are being forced into open water where they are vulnerable to predators. Predators showing up to reap the harvest are becoming more vulnerable to anglers with each passing day.

Walleyes are available, but finding consistent walleye action has been hit and misses for most anglers. Even though they may be easier to find, they are also very well fed and short feeding runs occur during periods of low light.

When they are feeding, they are vulnerable to a variety of presentations. Our guests Keith & Diane Eberhardt were fishing on Cutfoot earlier this week and caught some nice, keeper-size walleye using Lindy Rigs tipped with leeches and night crawlers. Paul Kautza and Dick Williams caught  a few walleyes yesterday using jig and minnow combinations and spinners tipped with minnows continues to produce fish as well.