The phrase “It is all about location”, is often credited to somebody in real estate. But we think that the phrase could have easily been coined long ago by a seasoned, veteran fisherman.
That’s because right now on Winnie, it truly is all about location. In fact, we’ve observed that catching fish is a simple as finding fish. It is one pivotal time of the open water season when our guests who know how to locate fish on their electronics turn in consistently good fishing reports.
On Cutfoot and Winnie, the transition from summer into fall is always an exciting time. Fish, migrating from summer hideouts into fall feeding areas makes them vulnerable to anglers. For a time, they are easy to catch, but at the same time, they are prone to moving frequently from one area of the lake to another.
Migration corridors on the big lake really aren’t hard to figure out. A large proportion of Winnie’s walleyes follow the breaklines of mid-lake, super-structures, huge mid-lake bars that connect directly to the shoreline, The Bena Bar, Center Bar, Sugar Bar and Stony Point Flats are all good examples.
As small schools of fish move toward the shoreline by following the edges of these bars, they start showing up on shoreline breaks and on the flats that lay adjacent to them. As smaller schools continue to arrive, they amass into larger and larger schools, and feeding becomes their #1 priority. This is how we find ourselves in the throes of “the fall bite.”
At this point, we have already seen evidence of some early migrations. Our guests have found good schools of walleyes along both the north shore and also further west toward Ravens Point. Those areas were prime locations during a recent period of continued, strong west winds. Now that the winds have calmed and become more variable, similar schools of fish are showing up on the east side of Winnie too. Tamarack Bay, Highbanks and Little Stony point are entering the conversation much more frequently.
The image of the dock at our marina shows dislodged aquatic vegetation and foam floating at the surface. The dye-off of both plants and plankton are sure signs of fall, they reveal how cool air temperatures bring about change in fish habitat.
Foamy Surface and Dying Vegetation Reveal Cooling Water Temperatures
As the water cools, it has cleared somewhat, but there is still a healthy algae bloom. The above average turbidity compares favorably to the past few years and continues to encourage a good old fashioned shoreline bite on the big lake. Weed edges found at water depths of 6 to 8 feet still produce good catches. Deeper breaklines along the shore hold fish too; fishing in depths of 10 to 12 feet was particularly productive over the weekend. Still deeper, the breaklines leading into mid-lake are hosting schools of fish too; you will find them at 20 to 24 feet deep.
Jig and minnow presentations are overtaking summertime trolling presentations, especially when fish are found on structure. Fish located on long stretches of shoreline can still be caught using Little Joe Spinners, but we now think of this presentation as a method of exploration. If you don’t already have an idea where to fish, it’s a good way to find good fishing spots. Once located, schools of fish can be more effectively pursued using the jig and minnow.
Pike, in large numbers, will be found on the shoreline breaks along with the walleyes. You wouldn’t need to do anything special to catch some, but if you are interested in catching larger numbers of them, then trolling would be a good tactic. Spoons, large spinnerbaits, crankbaits and even the Little Joe Spinners will all produce pike.
It’s been interesting to see the number of these fish that have grown large enough to grow out of the protected slot size. Fish exceeding 26 inches are not the norm, but they are not rare either. Pike anglers have a good chance of catching a couple larger fish, along with plenty of 20 to 21 inch fish for the dinner table.
Panfish and perch are teasing us, they show up sporadically, but fishing for them has been inconsistent. Relatively few crappies and sunfish have evacuated the weeds and whenever any small school of either species moves out into open water, they are immediately located and pursued heavily by anglers. It will probably take another cold snap or two before weeds will die off and force panfish into open water.
As fall migrations progress, we’ll weigh in with news from our friends and guests who are fishing the lakes. Enjoy the scenery and Good Luck!