Any recent reports?

Taking the daughter up over the fourth and have never fished the southside. Current Water temps? And structure on the south doing better? Thanks guys!

From limited reports I have it sounds slow. I would be focused on mid lake rocks and trying to get presentation away from the boat. I’ll be up for a week in mid July.

How did you do Bob?

Fishing was very tough. Full on may fly hatch started on Thursday night and got a little better each day, however the lake was completely coated with them. We tried rocks humps, shoreline structure, and cabbage bays. All we were catching was smallmouth. I did not see another boat catch a single fish in 4 days….

Dealing with the may fly hatch every year on Mille Lacs, this was one of the worst I’ve seen. My buddies on the north end said the hatch wasnt as bad, but still poor fishing.

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We used to do well on Leech, but the fishing has gotten noticeably tough the last 4-5 years.

Still a fun place to explore and we enjoy beach hopping with the family.

That, however, is a serious pile of mayflies and I’m sure that didn’t help. Thanks for the report.

I can second the mayflies. We are on Pine Point and the bugs are disgusting. Piles and piles on shore and smells like a porta potty. On top of that the biting flies are everywhere too.

I am very grateful for my very slow fishing. With out those biters.

Seriously nasty. My step dad did get two walleyes this morning pulling cranks, I haven’t gone out yet.

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Lol that is just gross. A hatch of biblical proportions.

The smell of them rotting in the sun on the beach was sickening.

We had folks shoveling up mayflies from their yard with snow shovels on the east side of the main lake. I ran the lawn mower with bagger to clean up mayflies in the yard. It’s been ridiculous! The hatch seems to have slowed considerably recently.

Is the hatch still going on there? I hoped it was finished last weekend. Came home to the mayfly hatch on mille lacs.

Yes there are a few still hatching. It seems like the majority is done, but then again I did see some clouds on my sonar this afternoon. Got some dink perch and one pike, was only out 1 hour

Did you get get any good smallies? They can make a slow day of walleye fishing entertaining if they are the right ones.

We did. A few over 19″. Planning on heading back in a week if the walleyes pick up a bit

I appreciate the reports from Leech. I have made two weekend trip this year to Leech and struggled to find fish. It was very windy and rough, so that didn’t help. I was planning to head up again this weekend but maybe I will reconsider, given the mayflies and poor reports. Would you anticipate the hatch to still be going strong this weekend?
Not sure how the bite would be in the days or week following such a large hatch. Are the walleyes full from gorging themselves on bugs? I usually fish Leech in May/June, and then again September/October. So, I have not pursued a mid-summer bite for Walleyes, not sure what to expect. Thanks for any thoughts or feedback.

Just got back from 6 days at Leech. Fished 4 days. We did very well. Spent lots of time using side imaging to locate fish. 1 spot out 4 held fish that would bite. Best I found was rock to sand transitions in 17-22’. Mostly caught 20-24” fish – early am was best. Eating size fish 10-12’ weed edge. Lots of looking at spots. Most guys said it is still very slow. But if you move around and keep looking there are fish to be caught

Correct, if you really pound it AND you know what you are doing you can find fish. However it is not easy.

I have been taking a very casual approach. Mostly because I have young kids but also if I wanted to fish that hard I would fish a different lake hands down.

Our take ended up being 7 walleye and 10 pike for the week of fishing. I fished maybe two hours a day, my step dad a bit more. Very tough bite IMO. You could mark fish but they would not bite. Tried cranks, spinners, crawlers, slow death rigs, and leeches.

Best was 14/15 ft with rattling cranbaits in the early am. Bite seemed to shut off by 8am most days.

Sodie wrote:

Just got back from 6 days at Leech. Fished 4 days. We did very well. Spent lots of time using side imaging to locate fish. 1 spot out 4 held fish that would bite. Best I found was rock to sand transitions in 17-22’. Mostly caught 20-24” fish – early am was best. Eating size fish 10-12’ weed edge. Lots of looking at spots. Most guys said it is still very slow. But if you move around and keep looking there are fish to be caught

Guys:

Got to appologize… I was part of a group that stayed up there from the 6-18 to 6-25. Wanted to do a report, but got back and work took over. From reading the entire thread, Sodie’s post most closely mimiced our fishing. Wind was the/our biggest issue to start with. We were lucky to be in front of the may fly hatch, but it was starting and we felt it was the second biggest impediment to our catching.

We went Saturday arriving at noon, couldn’t get out til 5 from Federal Dam because of t-storms, fished from Whipholt Sunday during a 70 bass tourney (1 SMB), then Monday went to Walker and fished Walker Bay and Agency Bay (1 Walleye), then Tuesday Stony Point and finally found some biting fish from 13 to 24′ of water, kept 10 for a dinner of 5 big eaters.

The wind finally laid down, so went to try all of the wind blown structures from the pounding of the previous 4+ days (only Rock Bass). A wily old guide once said “Never leave biting fish to find fish!!!” Truer words were never spoken!!!

Went back to the biting fish on Thursday and found enough fish (8) for a second meal and decided to fish the same area again on Friday even earlier, our last fishing day. T-storms kept us off the lake, til 11:00, then chased us off the lake at 11:30, finally back out at 1:30 and managed 4 fish.

I agree that it was/is more of a morning bite. We pulled bouncers with slow death for most of our fish, though some did come slip bobbers and a few on jigs…

Mark

only report i can give is a truck went threw on a plowed road near horseshoe bay resort. i guess the driver of the truck got out OK.

i’M OF THE OPINION THERE AINT enough ice to drive on yet!!!!!!!

glenn57 wrote:

only report i can give is a truck went threw on a plowed road near horseshoe bay resort. i guess the driver of the truck got out OK.

i’M OF THE OPINION THERE AINT enough ice to drive on yet!!!!!!!

It was the resorts plow truck and they were expanding their roads I guess

Anybody been out on Leech lately? Wondering if the May Fly hatched has started…