For those you you that are sitting at home, boat already winterized you have my apologies for what you are about to read. I feel bad for you.
NOT! Grab that boat out of mothballs and get your butt up here!
The bite on Mille Lacs on the back side of the full moon is actually improving each night with more fish and a better average size coming to the net than last week.
About the only thing that is slowing our bite is a hard and nasty wind from the east which sends us running from the west side over to the NE corner where we’ve been finding some darn nice fish, just not in the quantities we have located on the west. Cloudy nights have actually been better than clear and we’ve been doing well in the shallow water without wave action so curse the wind if you plan to put the boat on the lake over the next couple nights.
I fished with Craig Schmidt and Chad Wold on Wednesday night (wish you could have been here Kooty… it was one of THOSE nights) and we had a great trip with some super fat and healthy fish coming to the net.
Chad is shown in this first photo holding one the beefiest TANK o’ walleyes you’re likely to see from the pond! Awesome fish Mr. Wold! Craig is in the green jacket in the other pics and he did a bang up job of making sure that Chad didn’t get too far ahead in the fish catching category.
The husky jerk bite has fallen off and we’re now seeing a decided preference for rogues and super rogues from smithwich. Anything with a black back and an orange belly is getting smoked as is the tried and true lazer craw patter. We’re getting a few fish on HJ’s each night but for the most part those baits have been relegated to second string in my boat for the time being. I do expect the HJ’s to make a strong come back once the water levels cool further over the weekend… so don’t leave them at home.
7′ – 9.5′ on rock to weed transitions have been the best for me. Trolling speeds are still right around 1.5 MPH with more and more fish coming on inside turns when the plugs slow to that side of the boat. Expect trolling speeds to continue to fall and I suggest working in long pauses to trigger strikes as the fish get more lethargic.
IF this bite keeps improving I may look to add some additional dates next monday and tuesday. Anyone up for a night trolliong trip? I did fill that saturday opening for those that have inquired.
See ya’ on the big lake. I’ll have another report up in a couple days.
* Click on Photos to Enlarge *
I’m going to throw these out in order with the time and date stamp info so you guys can get a better idea of the peak bite times.
#1 – 9:17 PM
#2 – 10:34 PM. For some added info we lost 3 more piggies between this second fish and the first.
#3 – 11:36 PM.
We had a lull in the action on the biggies for a couple hours starting around midnight. Around 3 AM the fish went bananas!
#4 – 2:53 AM
The guys are looking colder but they’re holding in there!
#5 – 3:33 AM.
#6 – 3:42 AM
Suffice it to say, being on the water from 3 – 4 AM is a mighty good idea right now.
#7 – 3:57AM.
Great fish guys!!
I’m never letting the wife go back to school again!!!!
If you didn’t notice, this was my annual night with Mr Holst and I had to cancel due to my wife taking classes. I didn’t realize it in time and couldn’t reschedule.
Great report and fish James. Those are some monsters
So, what’s the length on those fish?
I was up Mon-Thu., We also pounded the fish between 9pm and 5am. Around 3 am was NUTS!!! 
Our biggest fish was 26″ and we caught a good handful of those, just couldn’t stick the real piggies. By far the best #’s bite I’ve ever been on! Just got home and after seeing those pics I may head right back up! 
BIRDDOG
No words needed
Nice pics James! Did you find anybody to cook for you since koonce left?
Wish we were still up there.
Shed
I have just 2 words…HOLY SH_T!!!
Kooty, didn’t you read the report. They’re fishing for eyes, not pout and pike buddy.
Nice fishies boys! Man, I think I’m having withdrawls!
Really nice fish James………The guy’s are sure on some big fish on the westside of the lake. I am still catching fish on the eastside….just not as many big fish! I spent 2 hours tonite from 7pm to 9pm and caught 2 / 21’s for the pan tommorrow nite and one pushing 7-8 pounds put back to fight another day………no pic’s…as the battery was dead in the cammera. Mesa my golden retriver saw it!!!
I’ll post up some of my pics tomorrow…To tired now. But Wow! What a week it was!
Awesome fish and great report James. I found it very interesting that the fish went on the feed around 3:00 a.m. Do you guys follow and believe in peak feeding activity according to the lunar phase? I sure do. The lunar tables show 3:00 a.m. being smack in the middle of a strong 2:00 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. bite. The moon was overhead at that time. Keep the reports coming!
James,
There are pigs and there are sumo-pigs, Those are sumo-pigs. way to go.
Jack..
James…..those are some true piggies
!!!!! I was on the pond last night and all’s I have to say is WOW!!!!!!!!! For my efforts, 24 walleyes made there way to my net and 5 were lost at the boat. The big girls have arrived at Indian Point. The biggest fish came in at 29″ and two more not too far behind at 28 1/2″ & 28″. All in all, that was the best night of fishing I have ever had on the pond. The rouge was the ticket…..black back, silver and orange pounded them into submission. If you have put your boat away…..hhhmmm…..I guess that leaves more piggies for the rest of us. As Travis would say….get on the natch!!!!! Good luck to all 
Nice, nice, very nice.
What he didn’t say.