Mille Lacs Lake Open Water Trolling in Mid August

The bite is getting a little tougher on Mille Lacs but there’s some things you can do to still put walleyes in your boat. Joining me for a day of open water trolling was a good friend/client of mine Scott Sealock, his brother Tyke and his father Warren. Tyke and Warren are from TX and are here visiting MN. I was honored to be a part of their day as their time here was limited. Scott and Tyke had never caught a walleye before and it’s been many years since Warren landed a walleye in Canada. I love taking out people who have never experienced the thrill of catching a walleye and have them encounter the openness of Mille Lacs Lake. I sometimes take that for granted and it’s cool to see their reaction on their faces when they first lay eyes on the big lake.

On Friday, it was windy out (15-20 mph) and I knew we would have to adjust our plans. We would be somewhat limited on where we could fish since motoring across the big waves would be a challenge. We motored out 9 miles to where I had some success the last time out. Scott and Tyke got a little shower on the way out and it was funny to hear them hootin and hollerin in the back of the boat. I reminded them that this was not about having fun – it was about catching fish! My Smooth Moves Seats in my Skeeter also got a good workout. I can’t believe the difference in comfort with these seats how it puts less strain on my lower back. I’m no longer sore the next day!

We spent most of the day making long trolling runs (2 miles) and worked our way further south with each pass. It wasn’t fast and furious but we grinded out the day and ended up catching 12 walleyes and missed some others. Overall, I was satisfied with our results due to the rough conditions and some big fish also found the net (25, 25, 26.5 and a 27). We also caught 3 under the slot fish (14, 19. 19.5) and a couple of those went home so Tyke and Warren could experience the taste of a Mille Lacs walleye.

When targeting these open basin walleyes, it’s important to understand what’s their preferred baitfish and adjust your presentation accordingly. I believe there’s a perch class out there right now that’s getting bigger and now becoming the preferred prey of these open basin walleyes. The last couple of times out, we’ve moved more towards perch colored crankbaits and have positioned those crankbaits lower in the water column where those perch like to congregate. Utilizing leadcore line was definitely the key in moving those baits down deeper. These fish are not very aggressive right now and many of them were barely hooked in the lip. Others hit the crankbait and immediately got off. Exchanging out the back treble hook with a VMC sure set treble hook can help produce a better conversion ratio. Downsizing your crankbait can also help increase your hook ratio.

On Friday, we were fishing in some big rollers. Whenever I encounter rough conditions, I realize that I’m somewhat limited on where I can troll on the lake and scouting becomes more difficult. Before you leave the landing, make sure you know which way the wind is blowing and map out your troll runs accordingly. The troll run that was productive the last time out may not be possible because the wind has changed direction and you now longer can troll the same direction with the waves. You may have to make some perpendicular troll runs intersecting your previous trail runs. Each fish I catch out there, I mark a waypoint. I then try to connect 2 or 3 waypoints in a troll run and now I have something to work with. Hopefully these waypoints are within a half mile or so and then I just troll back and forth intersecting these waypoints. If it’s windy, I troll with the waves, then bring in the lines, motor to my starting point and repeat the process. Boat control is also important when trolling in high winds. It’s key to make sure you troll exactly with the waves and as smooth as possible so that your crankbaits below are swimming true. When quartering with waves, you’ll get more boat surge and it causes your crankbaits below to pull/pause. Being in tune with your boat control at all times will help reduce unproductive troll runs.

In rough conditions, it’s also important to get those leadcore rods out of the holder as fast as possible and secure those hooks in the mouth of that fish. There’s a lot of play in that line since leadcore trolls with a “S” curve and that is even more exaggerated in rougher conditions because your speed varies so much. If you don’t react quickly enough, that fish as the opportunity to swim free back there trying to throw that crankbait and sometimes they are successful in doing it. What I like to do is grab the leadcore rod as fast as possible and while raising the rod up in the air, place my thumb on the spool so the drag stops peeling out line and put pressure on those hooks that are in the mouth of that walleye. If it’s too much, I simply thumb out some line while keeping adequate pressure on. I then tighten the drag accordingly just so I can gain on the fish and then take off the line clicker so the drag runs a little smoother. Now it’s time to start reeling. These little things seem trivial but if you’re losing fish, there’s a reason for it and you need to stop and think about what you are doing wrong.

It was truly a pleasure fishing with Scott, Tyke and Warren. These guys were really into it, asking some great questions about open water trolling and watching those planer boards like a hawk! It makes it so much fun when you have that type of energy and excitement in the boat. The day goes by super fast and there’s no boredom even during the lull periods.

There’s still some time left to get out there and experience the joy of open water trolling. This bite will continue through mid Sept so make your plans and get out there. As always, I’m here to help so feel free to shoot me a PM or email.

Until next time, keep trollin’!