If the weather prediction holds true, then there will be more than a little “Walleye Chop” on Lake Winnie tomorrow morning. That means there will be lots of traffic at the boat ramps on Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot Sioux from folks who plan to avoid the big waves.

That’s why we’re refreshing our annual invitation to you, come on over to Bowen’s and put your boat on and off the water here.

It’s not free, but for the price of our landing pass, you’ll have help at the ramp, easy access to parking and a fish cleaning station for packing up your catch. Best of all, you’ll have comradery; you’ll find folks at Bowen’s cheerful and happy to see you.

A few years back, Jeff Sundin came here on the opener and made a little video about being optimistic for the fishing opener. We can’t help but feel that same sense of optimism around here today. As guests arrive at the lodge, we’re sharing stories about the great fishing we all enjoyed last spring and we’re optimistic that re-living those experiences will be on the agenda this weekend!

Fishing patterns and presentations on Winnie and Cutfoot should compare to an average opener. There’s a good chance that fish will be more widely dispersed than they have been for the past couple of openers. The Walleye spawning runs are wrapped up and a lot of female fish have moved back out through the gap into the big lake.

Male fish linger near spawning areas a little longer, so we anticipate seeing a good ratio of keepers in anglers catches this weekend.

The water levels are high and the water temperatures are low. There’s so much water in the lake right now that surface temperatures have refused to budge. In most areas, the water is still below 50 degrees and in some areas; it’s closer to the mid 40 degree range. By all accounts, shiner minnows have not begun moving into the shallow to spawn.

Under these circumstances, shiners, along with small perch and other baitfish will probably be located in areas where weed stubble, clam shells and gravel offer protection. Some of the larger weed flats that lay adjacent to deep water should be prime targets this weekend.

For anglers with larger boats, the trek out into Tamarack Bay might be worth the trouble. The expansive weed flats in the bay have been host to huge schools of small perch all winter long. Those small fish will attract feeding walleyes. With a strong south wind, the entire area from Tamarack Point down to the dam should offer prime fishing conditions. So will the stretch of water from Plughat Point up to the northeast corner of the bay.

Jig and minnow combinations will produce walleyes as usual. Bring some 1/16 and 1/8 ounce sizes to cover the shallow water and maybe a few 1/4 ounce jigs to cover the fish that hold on the deeper breaks.

We’ve got plenty of fatheads on hand, but we don’t expect to have shiners for the opener.

The anticipation is building and we’re looking forward to the beginning of another great season. Travel safely, have a great opener and stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated on trends and patterns as they emerge.