In the ebb and flow of the natural world, fish and wildlife populations fluctuate. There aren’t many places where the fishing, hunting or even berry picking is always good; populations rise and fall in response to changes in weather and habitat.
We, along with our guests have watched Lake Winnie’s response to changing conditions and can’t help but to be amazed at the resiliency of this body of water. Despite changing conditions, she keeps kicking out impressive year classes of fish. The big year classes don’t always come at the precise time we want them to, but they do come and we’re watching one massive year class mature right now.
The walleye year class of 2018 is among the best ever for Winnibigoshish. Not only were there huge numbers of fish hatched, but they had both good survival and great growth rates during their first year. We’re seeing anecdotal evidence that they must have also had a great survival rate over this past winter because anglers are catching them left and right this spring.
The ‘18s aren’t ready for the creel yet, at an average length of around 11-12 inches, they’ll for sure be eaters by next spring. Some of the really fast growers may even reach an acceptable size later this fall; we’ll keep you posted about that as the season progresses.
On the lake, the wind calmed down and allowed the sunshine to work its magic this Wednesday. Surface water temperatures jumped up for a time, briefly exceeding 60 degrees but dropped back into the 56 degree range once an afternoon breeze churned up the water.
Some of the local guides have been on the lake this week and report that Walleye anglers are catching good numbers of fish at both ends of the size spectrum. There are a lot of fish in the 20 to 22 inch range and a lot of the small, 2018 class fish being caught as well. Fish in the middle sizes are at a premium for now, but do occasionally strike and there are some keepers available.
It’s amazing though how Mother Nature provides alternatives. While we wait for the gap in in “keeper” size walleyes to narrow, perch of both good size and good numbers provide plenty of table fare. The massive populations of perch that we’ve observed in recent years have matured. Many fish now exceed 10 inches and there 11, 12 and even 13 inch perch in the mix as well.
Most anglers take advantage of opportunity when they come across perch during their pursuit of walleye. But for folks who want to gather a fish dinner, they can be targeted with great success.
Finding the fish has not been difficult; the best structures are soft bottom flats adjacent to the lakes large bars. There are some hatches of small insects going on out there and the large, spawned out females have gathered for the feast. Shoreline related bars appear to be better than mid-lake structure, at least for now. Watch your electronics as you follow the edges in water depths of 14 to 20 feet; you will find them.
Under most circumstances, 1/8 to ¼ ounce jigs tipped with fatheads is a reliable presentation. If you encounter finicky perch, here’s a trick for triggering them to strike. A Lindy Rig, trimmed short, to about 36 inches and tipped with a lively minnow, like a rainbow chub will elicit strikes from neutral fish.
We typically use a ¼ ounce sinker, but additional weight could be added in deeper water or under windy conditions. Troll or drift along the breakline slowly, best speeds are from .4 to .6 MPH. Let the minnow do the work, you don’t need to impart any action, and just keep the bait in the strike zone and you’re set.
Panfish haven’t become active yet, but they could be soon. Water temperatures will likely rise over the next few days and that will encourage crappies to begin roaming into spawning territory. During this time frame, crappies in Cutfoot almost always stage a feeding run during twilight. You have to be prepared for the moment, position your boat along the weed edges in the early evening. Crappies typically begin to move just before sunset and are active for an hour, maybe less.
Most folks rig small jigs below a slip bobber and tip it with a crappie minnow. But casting small jigs tipped with artificial tails can also be effective.