Deeeeeeep is the word for the walleye in the larger lakes surrounding the Bemidji area. The last few evenings we have found our most active fish in 30-60’ of water. This time of the year we normally switch over to a larger presentation such as a large Jigging Rap (Orange/Gold) or my personal favorite is a jig with large minnow set up.
Keep in mind when jigging in this deep water you will most often not feel the bite as you would jigging in shallower waters. Watch your line and concentrate on what your presentation is doing. More often than not you will see your bite as just the rod tip bending with weight on it. Feeding that jig/minnow to a walleye takes a bit of time so do not be in a hurry to set that hook. But when you do set that hook, set it hard if you are using monofilament as you have to get the stretch out of your line in order to get a good hook set.
There is still plenty of great boat fishing still to be had this year so it will be a while before I am putting my boat away unless the weather really turns sour in a hurry here. I enjoy fishing this time of the year as much as I enjoy fishing early season
