Bad Medicine Lake MN

My grandparents have a cabin on bad medicine lake that I go to most weekends since I was a kid and I’ve really struggled to catch fish. I tend to do pretty decent on other lakes but this one has been beating me for years. I can see the fish off the dock or on the boat however I can’t get them to commit. I’m interested in catching walleye, smallmouth and rainbow trout. I got a down-rigger this year to try and catch trout. Any help with tactics, lures and gear and seasonal trends would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to pm.

No rigger needed for bows. Sticks,
spoons and cranks casted or better yet trolled behind a boat are what bows take. Most times early and late but sometimes daytime too.

Walleyes usually bite best late evening to dark on Bad Medicine since the water clarity is over 20 feet. We’ve done fairly well most of the time. I’ve seen some huge girls pulled in around the island. Lindy with a crawler or leech should do the trick.

mark-bruzek wrote:

No rigger needed for bows. Sticks,
spoons and cranks casted or better yet trolled behind a boat are what bows take. Most times early and late but sometimes daytime too.

What depth do you troll in? What depth do you keep your lure? What kind of rod works best?

Also what line and do you use swivels or snaps?

What speed do you troll for the trout? And what profile cranks work best? Is flashy and bright better or a natural presentation since the water is so clear?

Yup, for the Rainbows, trolling raps and using snap on weights to get them down an extra 10 or so feet. Speed around 2 mph.

Also trolling Raps along rocky break lines 10 to 15 feet… all after dark. Gotta love the skeeters for sure!

What rods work best as far as length, power and action?