Managing Changeability During Mid-Summer: Peak Production Time For Winnie and Cutfoot!

Most everyone agrees that the recent spell of hot weather was too hot for human comfort! But we do have to admit that the stability it provided was great for both Winnie and Cutfoot, not only in terms of fishing success, but also as it relates to fish growth over the long term.

In terms of fishing, massive hatches of Mayflies occurred as the water warmed and walleyes responded by moving toward expansive, semi-soft bottom flats. It’s not uncommon to hear about folks catching walleye in what appears to be “structureless” territory. Random schools of fish, some large and some small, roam the flats gobbling up Mayfly larvae before they can reach the lakes surface and emerge as adults.

On Winnie, the water depth in many of these areas runs from about 14 to 18 feet deep. But similar soft-bottom flats can be found both deeper and shallower, so be creative in your search. Finding fish and catching them during bug hatches on the flats is easier than many believe, but presentation methods do depart from typical early season walleye presentations.

Because fish are scattered across a wide swath of territory, jigging, Lindy Rigging and similar, finesse presentations provide only limited success in these scenarios, it takes too long to cover enough water to encounter many fish.

Trolling at speeds of 1.0 to 1.3 MPH is a better way to cover territory. A bottom bouncer and spinner is a trick that the walleye pros use and it works well. A 1-1/2-ounce bottom bouncer, paired with a gold, chartreuse/gold or perch pattern Little Joe Spinner and tipped with either night crawlers, leeches or fatheads is a good starting point. Overall, crawlers are preferred by the pros, but they’ll keep you busy because perch of all shapes and sizes will attack them. Leeches can be used effectively to help reduce the number of fly-by perch attacks. Inexpensive fathead minnows, used by many of Lake Winnie’s fishing guides are good too and they will also encourage more strikes from northern pike, considered by many to be a bonus.

Rip-jigging can also be used while trolling or drifting at fast speeds and covers even more ground than spinners do. Forget about minnows, use ¼ to 3/8 ounce jig head tipped with large plastic tails. Action on the fall is key, so use paddle tails, twirl tails or shad body imitations. While trolling, cast your lures out and way from the boat, then use an aggressive upward sweep-fall-sweep-fall motion to entice strikes. Walleyes will surprise you by striking these lures aggressively and you’ll catch plenty of bonus pike along the way.
Folks with a knack for running their electronics love power-corking too. Move the boat slowly and watch your graph for fish and once located, drop 1/16 ounce jig, tipped with either a lively leech or ½ night crawler suspended below a slip float. Allow the fish a few minutes to sport your bait and strike and then move on to continue your search.

Deep water structure, like bars and humps have been slow to “turn on” this summer. For many, a trip to the middle, armed with Lindy Rigs and live bait would produce great results during this part of the summer. There have been and still are isolated cases of good fishing on the humps, but larger, mid-lake bars connected to shore have been better so far. All of the lakes “main bars” have produced fish for anglers over the past couple of weeks.

Key depths on the bars range from 16 to 22 feet and the rule of thumb is that shallower fish strike better and are likely to be larger than fish found in deeper water.

Before the cold front arrived, algae blooms, another by-product of the warm weather were gaining strength. The water was developing some color as the particles crew but may have suffered a setback this week. In terms of walleye growth rates, the more plankton the lake provides, the better winter survival of small fish will be. In terms of fishing, algae blooms help shade fish’s eyes from intense sunlight. That encourages fish to move shallower and makes catching them on structure easier, especially during late summer. We will keep you posted about water clarity as conditions change.

Panfish action remains spotty, most anglers have found that crappie fishing is best during the evening, just before sunset. Weed structure is the best location for catching either crappie or sunfish, cabbage patches are great, so is coontail and narrow leaf pondweed.  When you find wild celery, expect perch to be nearby, especially when the vegetation is located near gravel or rock.

Pike are still being caught primarily as a bonus fish while in pursuit of walleyes. To target them, move toward steep, deep structure at mid lake. Warm water temperatures encourage them to move toward deeper, cooler water. Live bait rigs tipped with large minnows are good, so are spinners tipped with minnows and jigs with large plastic tails.

As we move toward the 4th of July, mid-summer patterns will intensify and we’ll be here to keep you posted on their progress. Stay safe on the lake and if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for a chat, we’d love to see you!

Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnie Walleye Fishing Report

Our guests ushered in the 2021 walleye fishing season in style. Great weather, good fishing, and a fresh sense of comradery made our resort a happy, dare we say delightful, place to be?

Typical of many openers, Bowen’s Bay and Cutfoot Sioux were about as far as our guests needed to go to catch walleyes. But some folks like to travel first, then fish, and for them, Big Winnie did not disappoint either. There were schools of fish on all 4 corners of the lake, so depth and presentations varied depending on which area folks discovered.

Mike and Lisa Lindholm with nice Lake Winnie opening day walleyes.

Although the 2018-year class of walleye has dominated recent conversation, there were still plenty of larger fish in the mix too.

 The accompanying photo of Lisa and Mike Lindholm was typical of what many anglers enjoyed this weekend as well. A healthy smattering of fish from the 2013-year class helped keep the cameras clicking while folks gathered some of the 13 to 14 inch 2018s for family fish fries back at camp.

 On the south end, walleyes were stacked up along a steep shoreline break. To the west, they were straddling a slow tapering breakline between the shallow flats and deeper water. Up north, walleyes were holding in a trough formed by the tailwaters of Third River Flowage, the large flat between Stony and Mallard Points. To the east, folks found fish along the Mississippi River channel and on the weed flats in Tamarack Bay.

One generalization about the 2021 season so far is that fish are located significantly deeper than they were during the 2020 fishing season. That is because the water, especially in Lake Winnie is much clearer than it was last year. For now, it’s anybody’s guess whether the clear water conditions will persist this summer. That will depend on how much rainfall the area receives; how warm the water gets and how effective the Zebra Mussels reproduce this season. We will keep you posted about water conditions every week.

 Because the water is so clear, most fish have been caught in water depths of 15 to 22 feet. There were exceptions, anglers who hit the lake early in the mornings or stayed out late in the evening have found some action in shallower water. But during the daytime, conditions have been clear, sunny, and calm, 15 feet has been the minimum starting depth for most anglers.

Walleye Location Depends On Baitfish Habitat Click Image For Article

Clear water is slow to warm, but the trend is upward. Anglers are reporting surface temperatures ranging from 53 to 58 degrees on the big lake, slightly warmer in both Cutfoot and Little Cutfoot. Shiner minnows are responding to the warming trend and live bait trappers say that they began running in earnest about 5 days ago.

Schools of spawning shiners will be key to locating not only walleyes, but perch and pike as well. Assuming that we eventually get some cloudy, breezy weather conditions, baitfish along the shoreline SHOULD trigger periodic shallow water action. When that happens, all 3 species can be caught at the same time, using the same presentation. For an informative article about walleye location in relation to baitfish, click the image above.

Jig and minnow, as usual, has been the mainstay presentation for most anglers. Using ¼ ounce weights has been best for anglers fishing over the deeper schools of fish, 1/8-ounce jigs are better at the shallow end of the spectrum. Shiners have been plentiful so far and that is what most folks are tipping their jigs with. Large fatheads and rainbow chubs are producing fish too, so for jig fishing, don’t be afraid to use them as well.

Lindy Rigging has started earlier than usual for some, rigging large, lively minnows or air injected night crawler have added extra fish to their larders. Probably because of calm conditions, the slower, more methodic presentation is triggering strikes from neutral-to-negative fish. So, if you mark a school of fish on your graph and they snub your jig and minnow, try Lindy Rigs before you leave the area.

Walleyes and walleye fishing consume most anglers during the early season, but occasionally folks ask about whether crappies have begun spawning. The answer today is not yet. We thought that maybe we’d find some in shallow water on Monday, but an hour-long scan of the shallows didn’t produce any sightings. This is likely to change soon especially if the warming trend continues, we’ll keep you posted.

We love eating fish and we want you to enjoy a family fish fry whenever you want to, but we also think it’s good not to go overboard. So, before we end the report today, let us give you one “conservative minded” sales pitch about the class of 2018 walleyes.

These 2018 fish have the potential to provide years of great fishing, if we don’t pull out too many, too fast. Most, if not all of the 13-to-14-inch walleyes in Winnie have not yet matured. But they will this summer and if they are left in the lake, will spawn for the first-time next spring, just before the 2022 fishing season begins.

We suggest helping them along by setting your own voluntary size and bag limits and then sticking to them. Keep a few for a meal, release a few to provide seed for another season; it only makes sense.

During our formative years at Bowen Lodge, we made a lot of headway with anglers by promoting conservation. Ideas like voluntarily releasing adult, female fish and being selective about which fish made it to the fillet table. We would love to see that spirit of cooperation return to our lake and there is no time like the present to get it started.

Cheers and happy fishing, we will be seeing you on the lake! And don’t forget, if you’re in the neighborhood, stop in and say hi, we’d love to chat and give you a tour!

Lake Winnibigoshish Cutfoot Sioux 2021 Fishing Season Outlook

Well here we are, a week away from the Minnesota Fishing opener and anticipation for a great season on Winnibigoshish is high!

 Early data from MN DNR 2020 Fisheries surveys supports the widely held belief that walleyes from the 2018 year class now dominate the population of “catchable” size fish in the system. As the class of 2018 matures, the stage is set for our guests to enjoy good fishing walleyes this summer. And during 2021, we expect to see not only strong numbers of fish, but also improving size quality.

During the 2020 fall assessments, the arithmetic was favorable. In fact, DNR fisheries staff recorded the third highest walleye numbers observed in fall test netting. From Dave Weitzel, Grand Rapids Area Fisheries manager; “The catch was largely driven by a high proportion of age-1 and age-2 fish. Age-2 fish had an average length of 12.5 inches in the fall of 2020. This suggests favorable angling opportunities for the next few years as these fish continue to grow.”

Winnibigoshish is known for its above-average growth rates, so during the 2021 fishing season, that 12-1/2 inch average will likely increase by 1 to 3 inches, making those 2018 year class walleyes very desirable for our guests. Combined with the lakes natural ability to grow fish fast is that these fish have a lot of room to grow.

Weitzel; “The last strong year class was 2013 which was a large contributor to angler success. These fish were age-7 in 2020, with an average length of 22 inches and comprised 5% of the overall catch. Recent surveys show a period of low recruitment from 2014 to 2017, while 2018 and 2019 appear to be stronger.”

That 4-year gap in year classes means that competition for food is on the low side, providing an added advantage for those hungry walleyes born in 2018. The class of 2019, also believed to be strong, will grow this summer too and by fall, we should begin to see a wide variety of walleye sizes caught by our guests.

Ted Goodwin with “Big Winnie Walleye” 2019

Just because fish from the 2018 and 2019 year classes are so strong doesn’t mean that these are the only fish in the lake. There are still larger fish for anglers to catch as well. Even during a “slow” spawning season, some fish will always be produced and those fish showed up in fall test netting assessments too.

Weitzel: “Protected slot length fish comprised 17% of the sample in 2020. About one third of the slot length fish were from the 2013 year class.”

So, if 1/3 of the “slot-fish” were from 2013, that means 2/3 of them were from other years. We think anglers can expect to see good numbers of fish ranging in size from 18 to 23 inches, along with a healthy smattering of fish up to 26 inches for the photo album.

Perch are popular with our guests too and if the 2020 season was an indicator, 2021 should be a good season. Several years back, perch populations exploded, probably coinciding with several below average walleye classes. The massive amount of small perch was obvious to everyone who fished here, but last year, there was a noticeable shift in both numbers and size.

Winnibigoshish, a destination Yellow Perch fishery has a history of producing large fish. Fish over 11 inches are not uncommon and in 2020, we heard numerous reports about fish over 12 inches. Weitzel; “The catch for eight inch and greater perch has averaged 8.4/net and the proportion has averaged 34% since 2007. During the 2020 test netting assessments, Yellow Perch exceeding eight inches were sampled at a rate of 5.7/net and comprised 35% of the sample. This suggests roughly one third of perch caught while angling in 2021 will be of a size anglers elect to harvest.”

Northern Pike are another popular species with anglers and are well suited for Winnibigoshish and connected waters. We thought that our guests were catching pike of larger sizes during 2020 at least that was our observation.

Will the protected 22 to 26 inch slot result in a larger average size pike, who knows? One thing we do know is that anybody who wants to catch “eater” size pike on Winnie can certainly do it. According to the test net results, Lengths ranged from 15.1 to 28.8 inches with an average of 22.8 inches in 2020. With a bag limit of 10 fish under 22 inches, it doesn’t take long to gather enough fillets for fish fry, a plate of blackened pike or even better yet, coconut pike delight.

Panfish are important too, but for our guests, don’t receive a ton of attention until summer and fall. We’ll have plenty of time to bring you up to date articles and reports about panfish on Cutfoot and Winnie, so check back for frequent updates.

For now tough, the countdown to the opener has started and like most of our guests, we have walleyes on the brain!

By the way, if you’re in the neighborhood next weekend and want to avoid the large crowds, stop here and see us. We offer our boat ramp to the public for a modest fee and we’d love to see you.