After spending much of the week fishing the Whitefish chain I can tell you that most of the walleyes are up in the weeds. A few days before the GNWC tourney I was on some really nice fish along the weedlines, but as the wind changed so did my fishing. The size of the fish on the chain now is absolutely amazing, the lake is full of 16-26 inch walleyes. Look for some great fishing out there in the next few weeks. The progression from spring to the summer peak has been a slow one because of the unseasonably cold weather and rain we have experienced. I think the tourney timing just missed by about a week. I fished the tourney with my partner Rene, it was a beautiful day on the lakes. We caught plenty of pike but struggled to catch walleyes that were the right size. Our downfall was our inability to adapt. It always seems to be a problem when you fish your home waters. We got caught in rut and stuck with our Lindy Rigs and Redtails. After a couple of hours in the morning I figured the fish were scattered in the weeds and I should have switched to spinners and crawlers or shad raps over the weeds. Pitching small jigs and minnows would have been another good option. Like I said sometimes we get too smart for our own good and get stuck in rut. I have to give credit to Bernie and his crew for a running tremendous tournament and hope they will again choose to fish our lakes in the future. Congrats to all the tourney anglers that did bag fish, the conditions were a little tougher than expected and you guys put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Our fishing seems to be getting better everyday here in Nisswa. Finally the walleyes are up on the weedlines. Our guides have been catching lots of nice fish in 10-18 feet, right through the weeds and along the edges. Some of the better lakes have been Gull, North Long and Pelican. For the walleyes anglers have had success using Leeches, Nightcrawlers, and of course Redtail Chubs. Lindy Rigs have been our primary tactic but success has been had pulling spinners too. Northerns have also been very active along the weed edges, medium to large suckers minnows have produced some real dandies. Fish the Gull Chain, Whitefish, or Edwards for Pike action. For largemouth bass just look a little shallower. Most of our lakes are producing bass action on a variety of baits both, artificial or live. Our crappies have started to disappear, but the sunfish are going gangbusters in the shallows. All you need is some worms or leeches for some great sunny action. Summer vacation has started and so has our great fishing.
Jason Erlandson
[email protected]
Dave’s Sportland Bait and Tackle
Sportland Guide Service
www.sportlandbait.com
Nisswa MN
218-963-2401
Thanks for the update Jason. So much water, so little time.