July 18, 2025 "Mille Lacs Lake Walleye Limits Under Review?"
The announcement of a Mille Lacs Lake Advisory Group meeting on July 23, 2025, comes at a time when Tim Spielman, Outdoor News, published an update about walleye fishing on the big lake. In it, Spielman asserts, “For the second season in a row, the Lake Mille Lacs state-angler walleye kill remained at the end of June far below a quota set during state DNR-tribal co-management negotiations last winter. “
Apparently, the MN DNR is considering, or at least open to talking about the potential for raising bag limits for walleye anglers on Mille Lacs. Spielman’s article continues, “Now, with just over 20% of the quota (23,500 pounds of an allowed 113,600 pounds) considered harvested or having succumbed to hooking mortality, DNR officials are considering loosening regulations, likely in mid-August, according to Brian Nerbonne, DNR fisheries central region manager.”
For Mille Lacs Lake Walleye enthusiasts, this could be good news in and of itself. For fisheries biologists and anglers closely watching the debate over statewide walleye limit reductions, it renews concerns about one question. How many fish can anglers be allowed to harvest while still protecting brood stock sufficiently to replenish populations of one of the state’s most valuable natural resources?
To add your 2 cents to the Mille Lacs conversation, contact one of the members of the Mille Lacs Lake Advisory Commitee or attend the meeting, DNR announcement below.
News Release July 18, 2025 "Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting is July 23, 2025"
"The Mille Lacs Fisheries Advisory Committee (MLFAC) will meet from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at Appeldoorn’s Sunset Bay Resort (45401 Mille Lacs Parkway, Isle, MN 56342) and via online videoconference. The agenda will cover summer creel survey updates, regulations updates, spring northern pike and smallmouth bass updates, Fisheries Technical Committee highlights, and the Mille Lacs Band telemetry research project.
Members of the public may observe MLFAC meetings, but these meetings serve primarily as a way for the committee to hold group discussions. Ten minutes are reserved for public comments and questions. For the upcoming online meeting, members of the public who wish to observe the meeting or speak during the public comment period should contact millelacs.fisheries@state.mn.us by Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at noon. Meeting minutes will be posted after the meeting on the Mille Lacs Lake management page.
Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the Mille Lacs Lake area fisheries office by email at millelacs.fisheries@state.mn.us or by phone at 218-429-3031 or using your preferred Telecommunications Relay Provider.
The committee has been active since October 2015. Its purpose is to advise the Department of Natural Resources on the State of Minnesota’s fisheries management program for Mille Lacs Lake. For more information about DNR’s management of Mille Lacs Lake and how to get involved, visit the Mille Lacs Lake management page."
As always, your comments, opinions and questions are valued. Don't wait for a gold engraved invitation, drop me a line anytime.
— Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
July 17, 2025 "The Fish Do Not Have A Plan"
I found myself in an unusual situation on Wednesday; in a way, I was the “cleanup batter”. My charter, father and son, John and Jake Smithburger had already been fishing with another guide for a couple of days. So, they already had most of their legal limits of walleyes, and crappies, plus a smattering of pike, perch and sunfish. They hadn’t caught any smallmouth bass, so, after some deliberation, we decided to try a lake where we could get those and maybe finish off their walleye limits while we were at it.
The lake, roughly 3000 acres, is moderately clear, and offers a mix of most every one of the common fish species. When we arrived, the surface water temperature was 71 degrees, a 5 degree decline resulting from the arrival of Tuesday’s cold front, The east-northeast wind was chilly, and there were some whitecaps blowing across the lake. The sky was grey, and it looked more like a good duck hunting day, than a smallmouth bass fishing day. Still, that was the work assignment, and I set out to help the crew accomplish their goal.
Presentations for smallmouth that I prefer, like wacky worms and surface baits were off limits because of the wind. So, I chose wiggle worming as the first option and hoped for a favorable response from the fish. Controlled drifting while working the shoreline breaks in 8 to 16 feet of water was my “plan”. Long story short, the fish were fairly responsive and as you can see in the accompanying photos, we did get some nice bass. The problem was that my crew wasn’t necessarily thrilled with the weather adjusted “game plan”.
Effective or not, the finesse presentation wasn’t providing the same thrill as the action packed, mixed bag, spinner fishing they’d been enjoying on previous days. So, after a high-level confab with the fishing committee, I decided to switch game plans and move to a lake where we might duplicate their previous accomplishments.
The next lake, one that I’d fished on this past Sunday, was cooler too. Now, ranging between 70 and 71 degrees, the water temperature was 5 or 6 degrees cooler than it was on Sunday. The impact on fishing was obvious to me, but for the crew, maybe not. Northern pike, along with a few walleyes and crappies were semi-cooperative, and while the action was not fast and furious, it was better than we’d seen on our bass fishing expedition.
You probably know everything I can report about the presentation already. Spinners, tipped with fatheads and trolled along the weed edges worked as expected. The one notable difference from previous trips was that fish moved off of the shallower weed flats. Instead of holding over the weed tops in 6 to 7 feet of water, they re-positioned to sharp breaking weed edges in 9 to 10 feet. Once we modified “the plan” and began focusing on the steeper edges, the action did improve.
Summing it up, the day wasn’t the easiest one I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t bad either. We caught some nice size smallies, topped off the crew’s walleye and crappie limits and even enjoyed passing the inspection of a MN DNR Conservation Officer. All things considered, I guess I can call it a decent inning for the "cleanup batter".
Today, back on the search for walleyes and then, maybe some more above average size pike. I'll let you in on the results tomorrow. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
July 17, 2025 "News release: Minnesota DNR seeks input on proposed special fishing regulations"
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is asking for input on several special fishing regulation proposals. The DNR is proposing either new regulations or changes to existing experimental and special fishing regulations for the 2026 fishing season that address the following topics:
- Sand Lake walleye (Itasca County)
- Rainy Lake walleye (St. Louis and Koochiching counties)
- Platte Lake sunfish (Crow Wing County)
- Sullivan Lake sunfish (Morrison County)
- Green Prairie Fish Lake sunfish (Morrison County)
- Long (Higgins) Lake sunfish (Todd County)
- Moose Lake sunfish (Todd County)
- Maple Lake sunfish (Todd County)
- Jewett Lake sunfish (Otter Tail County)
- North and South Ten Mile Lakes sunfish (Otter Tail County)
- German Lake sunfish (Otter Tail County)
- Rush Lake sunfish (Otter Tail County)
- Rabideau Lake sunfish (Beltrami County)
The Minnesota DNR is taking input on these proposals via an online survey through Tuesday, Sept. 30. For additional details or to comment directly by email, U.S. mail, or phone about individual proposals, contact the area fisheries office for the proposal you wish to comment on. General input may also be submitted through Tuesday, Sept. 30 to Shannon Fisher at shannon.fisher@state.mn.us or 651-259-5206, or via U.S. mail to Fishing Regulations/Shannon Fisher, Box 20, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155.
The Minnesota DNR is also hosting a virtual open house and an in-person open house for Rainy Lake, and an in-person open house in the Twin Cities metro area to cover all proposals.
For those who want to attend one of the open houses, information can be found on the Minnesota DNR website or by calling an area fisheries office. Notification of the proposed changes to fishing regulations has been posted at the accesses at each lake included in the proposal.
July 16, 2025 "Depending on the Depend-Able"
If this week has proven anything to me, it is that my 2 favorite mid-summer walleye presentations will continue being my 2 favorite, mid-summer walleye presentations. They could be or dare I say “should be” yours too. All you need do to be successful using either one is to understand when to choose one, over the other.
If this week has proven anything else to me, it is that when it comes to catching northern pike, especially of larger size, location is more important than presentation. Once we know where they are, the “best” presentations are not always the most obvious ones.
Wiggle worming for walleyes, an idea that goes back to me searching for a way to help prevent my kids’ fishing lures from getting stuck in heavy rocks, has been very dependable this week. The jig and night crawler presentation has worked best when walleyes are located on small, well-defined structure. Submerged sandy points, especially when adjacent to weed growth, small rock pikes, and cabbage patches with openings, or gaps between the plants have been reliable.
Wiggle worming is perfect for working the small spots because we can get into the nooks and crannies without getting hung up on structure. Perfect too in the sense that we can move slowly enough to allow sight feeding walleyes the time they need to inhale the bait before small perch, panfish or pike beat them to the lures.
The disadvantage to wiggling worms in the weeds and for some, it’s a bad one, is that small fish will keep you very busy. On Cutfoot Sioux this past Monday, I and the Ted Austin group went through almost 200-night crawlers. Yes, I did say 200 of them. Small perch, sunfish, bass and other species were hitting the night crawlers often. But our reward for putting up with the bycatch, was a nice bag full of keeper size walleyes, and some photos of larger slot fish that we released.
Trolling spinners, my other preferred summertime presentation has worked well this week too. Unlike the ideal wiggle worming spots, the best spinner spots have been long stretches of shoreline weeds where walleyes are spread out horizontally. Trolling spots like these is ideal because we can cover lots of water fast, discovering isolated pods of walleyes as we move.
The disadvantage to trolling spinners, and for some, it’s a bad one, is that small fish will keep you keep you very busy. Sunday, with the Van Thomme family, and again on Tuesday, with the Tom Peterson group, trolling spinners produced a wide variety of fish, many of which were “un-wanted”. But our reward for putting up with the bycatch, was a nice bag full of keeper size walleyes, and some photos of larger slot fish that we released.
The accompanying photo of the Peterson group shows the makings of a very nice family fish fry. A couple of walleyes apiece, a little bit of coconut pike delight and a batch of blackened pike too. Believe it or not, the primary goal of that trip was to catch northern pike, but not walleyes, and that’s when we learned that there’s more than one way to skin a pike.
The Grand Rapids area lake that I selected was clear, and the fish are often less plentiful than many of the lakes with high pike populations. It was chosen for the opportunity to catch larger size pike, rather than catching tons of smaller ones. So, when I met the crew, I was packing a bag filled with large creek chubs. The idea was to split the crew, two of them casting artificial lures while the other two used lindy rigs, and large minnows.
Moving slowly along the outside edges of weeds in 15 to 20 feet of water, northern pike were paying more attention to the minnows than to the swim baits. Soon, the whole crew was using creek chubs and soon, the action became fast and furious. Soon too was the depletion of my bag full of creek chubs. The “all day” supply was almost gone by 1:30 and I had 2 choices, drive back to Grand Rapids to buy more minnows, or try an alternative presentation.
By now, the skies had darkened, and there was a stiff breeze blowing. It made more sense to try “spinning” the weedline than to drive away from the lake, so we stopped at my truck and picked up the fatheads living in my reserve cooler. After re-rigging, I headed for the first spot, a shoreline weed bed in about 12 feet of water. We got in position, threw our spinners in the water and began to troll at about 1.1 MPH. I think it took traveling about 50 yards to get the first fish, a feisty pumpkinseed sunfish, then a rock bass, and then …, a walleye. Hmm, that’s interesting, it looked like we might have a new game plan.
Long story short, the walleyes you see in the photo were all “bycatch” of us trolling for northern pike. While we were trolling, we did still catch a decent number of pike. The walleyes, maybe not the intended species, were nonetheless welcomed into the boat by my crew. If it were not for the ideal conditions, I doubt that we’d caught the walleyes in the shallow water, and that brings me to one of my opening thoughts about understanding when to choose one presentation over the other. Conditions dictate when trolling might work better than slower, live bait approaches like either Lindy Rigging or Wiggle Worming.
If I went back to the same lake and found the sun shining, spinning the weed lines would likely not produce the same results as they did yesterday. So, if I’d been fishing under a sunny sky yesterday, my decision would have been to drive back into town to get more creek chubs.
Use the information for what it’s worth to you, but keep in mind that there are times when going with the flow, and switching up your presentations, might be better than struggling to catch fish using your “favorite” methods at times when conditions do not favor them. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 16, 2025
"Walleye - Walleye reports this last week have some anglers finding walleyes sliding back up in water as shallow as 5 to 6 feet. Here, jigs tipped with half a night crawler, leech or paddle tails and pitched to the shorelines has been very effective for anglers.
Clearly not all walleyes are doing the same thing, (common for) this time of the year. So, reports continue coming in of anglers finding walleyes with spinner rigs tipped with crawlers or leeches and worked off the edge of sunken islands, transiti
on areas, points and weedlines in that 10 to 15 foot of water range. There have been a few reports of trolling crankbaits working but that remains on the slow side yet. Perch, firetiger and gold color baits have been the way to go.
Smallmouth Bass continue to be the safe bet for many anglers as they continue to be aggressive after all these fronts keep moving through the area. As usual for this time of the year, top water fishing continues to be very good before 9am, for smallies. Anglers should be looking to current areas, large boulder flats and down trees for the most consistent action. Once the sun gets up anglers should be adjusting their tactics to wacky worms, chatterbaits, square bills, and spinnerbaits to keep catching smallies. Reports of smallie catches out around sunken islands continue to grow. Oftentimes these are some of the biggest smallies in a system.
Panfish - Both crappies and sunnies are being found right in thick weedbeds right now. Jig and twisters have been a safe bet here for both fish, but any kind of live bait definitely is working here too. If weeds are nonexistent on your lake look at downed trees. Not all downed trees are created equal so some will hold fish while others hold nothing at all. White, pinks and blues have been the best colors for panfish.
Stream Trout - Rainbows trout were easy pickings for anglers trolling small trolling spoons and/or small crankbaits over deep water. Good rule of thumb is that the brighter the better. Trout can be anywhere in 5 to 40 feet of water so pay close attention to your depth finder. Anglers fishing from shore reported a little slower fishing than usual. Here nightcrawlers, fished 5 to 10 feet under a bobber, red/gold kastmaster spoon or 2 inch white twisters were getting the job done.
Lake Trout - Lake trout reports were few and far between this last week, but this isn't to say anglers aren't catching nice lake trout. Large trolling spoons fished behind downriggers in 30 to 50 feet of water were very effective. Anglers fishing from canoes mainly have been aggressively vertically jigging with heavy 5 to 6 inch tubes, while drifting over deep water.
Pike - Small pike continue to be a common catch for many anglers right now. Buzzbaits or large topwater baits fished early in the morning have been very exciting for early morning anglers. Like with the smallmouth, by 9 AM this bite cools off and if you want to keep catching pike, you go subsurface with large spoons, spinnerbaits and large minnow baits. Weedlines, mouths of shallow bays and areas where water comes into the lake, have been the best areas to fish." — Arrowhead Outdoors, 218-365-5358
Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 15, 2025
"It’s mid-July, and the fishing action on Lake of the Woods is nothing short of spectacular. From the Rainy River into Big Traverse Bay up to the Northwest Angle, anglers are making memories every day. If you need proof of just how incredible this fishery is, look no further than this photo provided by Fish Donkey, from the Minnesota Tournament Trail (MTT) walleye tournament this past week.
Lake of the Woods recently hosted two back-to-back, one-day catch and release tournaments on July 10, 11, 2025. The MTT uses Fish Donkey, a fishing tournament hosting platform that features Catch Photo Video Release technology. This means fish are quickly measured, photographed, and released back into the lake to fight another day.
The stats from these tournaments are simply jaw-dropping. There were 45 teams competing, and collectively, measured approximately 450 fish each day! On day one alone, there were 9 walleyes over 30 inches recorded and day two topped that with an incredible 16 walleyes over 30 inches.
It’s yet another testament to why Lake of the Woods is proudly known as the Walleye Capital of the World.
Fishing remains excellent along the south end of Lake of the Woods. Interestingly, the jig bite is still going strong, even though by this time of year most anglers typically switch over to pulling spinners with crawlers or trolling crankbaits. This season, all three techniques are producing fish.
- Jigging: The classic jig and frozen emerald shiner combo continues to catch nice walleyes. Hot jig colors have been orange, yellow, gold, gold/chartreuse, and orange/yellow.
- Spinners: Pulling spinners with crawlers is really picking up steam. Gold paired with red, pink, or orange on the blades is a solid bet right now. Trolling around 1.0 to 1.25 mph is a good starting point.
- Crankbaits: Trolling crankbaits is also delivering nice catches. In the stained waters of LOW, colors like gold, firetiger, pink UV firetiger, chartreuse, and chrome/blue are hard to beat.
Walleyes are taking advantage of various forage opportunities, hence, can be found in many areas and depths. The go to depths are 25 to 35 feet of water.
The Rainy River continues to be a relaxing and productive option for anglers. Right now, the sturgeon keep season is open, and some anglers are enjoying the beautiful summer days soaking crawlers for these prehistoric giants. Of course, walleyes and saugers are still in the river too, often hanging out in deeper holes or near current breaks. Plus, don’t forget about the strong population of smallmouth bass and pike in the river — they’re often overlooked but provide some awesome rod-bending action.
Up at the Northwest Angle, fishing remains strong with its variety of structure, scenery and wildlife amongst the 14,552 islands in this part of the lake.
- Walleyes: Many anglers are still jigging with minnows or plastics along the edges of structure, in neck-down areas with some current, and off rocky points. Sunken islands surrounded by open mud are also holding good numbers of walleyes. Drifting or trolling these areas with a bottom bouncer and spinner tipped with a crawler or imitation crawler has been super effective.
- Muskies: The muskie bite is picking up as the water warms. Good numbers of fish are being reported, with many caught right at the boat on the figure 8. Gold and bronze blades have been hot colors for those throwing big bucktails.
Multispecies action is common with pike, smallmouth bass and jumbo perch in the mix and shows why Lake of the Woods Shines All Summer. When other walleye lakes across the Midwest start to slow down this time of year because of heavy weed growth, too many young-of-the-year perch or bluegills competing for attention, and boat traffic, Lake of the Woods just keeps pumping out fish. It’s no wonder anglers travel from all over the country to experience this world-class fishery. Whether you’re after eater-sized walleyes for a fish fry or a trophy to photograph and release, Lake of the Woods has it all." — Lake of the Woods Tourism, (800) 382-FISH
Wired2Fish July 15, 2025 "Summer Bass Fishing – Beginner to Advanced"
"As the days grow longer, temperatures get hotter, and kids start getting out of school, you know one thing is coming: Summer is officially here! This is the time that many bass anglers across the country have been waiting for. The weeds are up, and the fish have moved into their summer patterns. Deeper water is back in play, and you can catch them almost any way you want to. This is the beauty of summertime bass fishing.
Understanding Summertime Bass Behavior: Unlike the springtime when bass are super shallow, preparing to or are actively spawning, summertime bass act completely different. Once water temps hit that 65- to 70-degree mark, both largemouth and smallmouth bass start changing their habits. While they were probing the shallows all spring, bass behavior shifts, in pursuit of food, shelter, and comfort. First, they need to replace all the nutrients lost from spawning. Then, they look for cover that will ..." Learn More >> Summer Bass Fishing – Beginner to Advanced
Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Memorial Day Fishing Report July 14, 2025
"Surface temperatures have been on the rise this week and were hovering around 75 degrees on Saturday morning. Caused both by warm and sunny temperatures, and an increased water flow because of the recent rainfall, the added warmth has brought on some additional algae blooms. The Secchi disk reading in Cutfoot Sioux was 10 feet deep on Saturday morning. Still clear by historic standards, but far better (for fishing) than the 18-to-20-foot readings we saw early this summer. The added turbidity makes less wary and somewhat easier for anglers to approach and catch.
Vegetation, especially in Cutfoot Sioux continues to mature. Fish holding plant varieties like cabbage, coontail and flat stemmed pondweed are green, lush and growing deep. Anglers with a long history of fishing Cutfoot Sioux will recall the days when finding a cabbage bed deeper than 8 feet was a chore.
Last week we reported that some of the popular trolling presentations were coming to their peak of effectiveness. Fishing with spinners tipped with live bait produced mixed bags of walleye, pike, perch, rock bass and sunfish. On Saturday, trolling spinners tipped with night crawlers were used to search for fish, but once located, wiggle worming was the preferred presentation and walleyes ..." Read >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report July 14, 2025
More Recent Fishing Reports
Lake Winnie 7-24 • Sundin 7-11 • L.O.W. 7-9 • Follow on X • Follow on Facebook • Sundin 7-06 • Lake Winnie 7-03 • Ely MN 7-02 • Walleye Limit 7-01 • L.O.W 7-01 • Brainerd 6-30 • Sundin 6-27 • Sundin 6-26 • Sundin 6-25 • Ely MN 6-25 • Sundin 6-23 • Lake Winnie 6-20 • Radomski On Walleye Limits • Don't Land A Citation 5-1 • 200 • MN DNR Rule Changes 02-13 • MN Hall of Fame 01-24 • Charts 1-23-25 • MAPS 1-22-23 • Upper Red Lake 12-8 • Barotrauma Study 1-25-24 • Fish Consumption • Forward Sonar • Panfish Workgroup
July 11, 2025 "Action Slows Down, Quality Picks Up"
With water temperatures reaching into the 77-to-78-degree range, fish metabolism is running high. So, fish species that become most active in warm water like bass, sunfish and rock bass are feeding fast, and often. I mentioned yesterday that in terms of catching walleyes, fishing action for panfish, perch and bass had been almost too good. “Too good” in the sense that small fish and bass, eager to get a meal, were gulping down our baits before walleyes could get to them.
That theory makes some sense, but isn’t easy to prove, is it? Thursday, there was some more evidence that helped bolster my belief.
My customers, Paul and Cindy agreed that we should re-visit a small lake that the Hippie Chick and I explored a couple days back. I’d given them advance warning that there would be a lot of “small fish” biting, and that we’d probably get some fish, crappies in particular, but that we’d have to do some sorting to gather “keepers” for the trip home. So, when we arrived at the lake, our expectations were not set too high, but we were hopeful that we’d get enough quality fish to make a day of it.
Before we even met at the hotel, a line of thunderstorms had blown through the Grand Rapids area. The series of early morning storms were not severe, and the post-storm conditions remained warm, calm and cloudy. So, the impact on fishing wasn’t dramatic, but the disruption did reduce the level of action just a little bit. As it happened, the reduction in levels of panfish activity actually worked in our favor. The ratio of larger crappies, largemouth and smallmouth bass improved. Small crappies and sunfish, while still present, were fewer and further between than they had been previously.
Walleyes, the primary reason for our initial exploration of the lake, never showed up at all on Tuesday. Yesterday though, we caught 7 or 8 of them and harvested 4 “keepers” and they were located along the very same weed edges as the rest of the fish were. The weeds, on this lake, consisted of some cabbage, clasping leaf pondweed, and a lot of flat stemmed pondweed. The vegetation grew to about 12 feet deep, and sometimes tapered off into deeper, 16 to 18 feet water depths.
To get our spinners running deeper, we added #4 split shot sinkers behind the 3/16-ounce bullet sinkers. My reasoning was that we might find fish in shallower locations, and removing the split shots would be easier than re-tying the rigs entirely. That didn’t happen yesterday, and we stuck with the same sinker set up all day long and they produced good results through the trip.
Because of the discontinuation of Little Joe’s hammered brass blades, my standard spinners these days are the ones I tie myself. I use #3 hammered gold, and #3 hammered copper Indiana blades primarily. Occasionally, I’ll use some colored blades, but I doubt that it’s necessary. On most days, tipping the single 2/0 gold Aberdeen hooks with fatheads works fine. I like to experiment with night crawlers and leeches too, because walleyes sometimes do show a preference. On this lake though, the small sunfish ripped the nightcrawlers to shreds, so I did give up on them and revert to using all fatheads.
Walleyes, on a lot of “mixed-bag lakes”, can be targeted using my wiggle worming presentation. Sometimes, it’s worth putting up with sunfish striking the night crawlers because they are large enough to provide some additional harvest. On this lake though, the sunfish were not quite large enough to get our attention, so other live bait presentations were abandoned as well.
For me, fishing during the crepuscular periods isn’t often practical. So, I need to do whatever I can to catch walleyes during the daytime. For you though, catching walleyes on lakes that have a lot of panfish might be better if you focus on the early morning and late evening periods. I got the idea yesterday that walleyes would become more aggressive later in the evening, or on darker, windier days. So, if you’re not into the mixed bag action bite, maybe skipping the middle of the day, and fishing in the evening would be a better option for you.
Okay. So, yesterday’s fishing trip worked out alright, we caught and released a bunch of fish. And the livewell looked good too, we harvested 15 crappies along with the 4 walleyes I mentioned. I think we all went home from the little lake happy. But most likely, this will be the only success story of the season from this small, 400-acre lake. For me, 1 or 2 trips per summer is the most attention most small lakes like these can withstand.
Beginning this Sunday, my work schedule intensifies again, and I’ll need as many ideas as I can muster. So, today, I and the Hippie Chick are planning another exploration to find some more fresh territory. We’ll let you know how the trip turns out. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
Wired2Fish July 11, 2025 "Fluke and Topwater Smallmouth Smackdown"
"Join Wired2fish’s Kyle Peterson and his wife Britta on a perfect summer day as they explore Lake Mille Lacs, targeting aggressive smallmouth bass using flukes and topwater poppers. With water temperatures hovering around 70 degrees, conditions are prime for quick action and explosive surface strikes.
Scouting Structure for Smallmouth Bass: Rather than fishing heavily pressured areas, the Petersons focus on subtle contour changes and overlooked rock transitions in sandy flats. Using side imaging, Kyle marks isolated boulders and hidden structure that often hold unpressured bass. These less obvious spots offer a better chance to connect with quality smallmouth bass.
Flukes for Clear Water Success: Fluke-style soft plastics are the pick to kick things off. These baits mimic fleeing baitfish, triggering aggressive strikes even in ..." View Video to Learn More >> Fluke and Topwater Smallmouth Smackdown
July 10, 2025 "Searching the Search-Able"
I apologize for the brevity of my report this morning. I woke up to some computer issues and correcting them took up most of the time that I would typically spend writing. But, with the help of my lovely assistant, pictured here, I think you’ll get the idea about what I’ve been up to the past couple of days. Searching for “fresh territory”, I and the Hippie Chick have visited a couple of lakes that we’ve never fished before, and a couple of them that we haven’t visited for a few years.
The quick update is that water is warm, ranging between 75 and 77 degrees and small fish, sunnies, perch, rock bass and crappies are very active in and around the weeds. Small fish are so active in some lakes that catching preferred species like smallmouth, walleye and large northern pike has become troublesome. Trolling presentations like spinners and minnows will keep you in the action, but expect to consume a lot of bait, and expect to do a lot of “sorting”.
Tomorrow, I’ll elaborate on a couple of ideas about how to single out walleyes, if that’s what you’re into. And I’ll bring you up to speed about where, and how we figured out catching crappies like the one you see presented here by the Hippie Chick.
Before I go this morning, I want to give you an update on the walleye possession limit story. Some folks believed, or maybe hoped that Lake Winnibigoshish, because of it’s present “Special Regulations” status, may be spared the reduction in the possession limit of walleyes. A discussion about that triggered me to wonder what would happen on Lake of the Woods as well. So, I reached out to Minnesota DNR Fisheries staff for an update.
Yesterday, July 9, 2025, I did receive confirmation from Shannon Fisher, MN DNR Populations and Regulations Manager who said, “All border waters (such as Lake of the Woods) follow their own border waters regulations. Therefore, I change in the inland walleye daily and possession limit would not impact any of the border waters. As for all other inland waters, the bag limit change would go into effect UNLESS there is a special regulation already in place. In the case of Winnie, I did not see any special regulations that pertain to bag limits. Therefore, the daily and possession limit would go to 4, but the length limits would stay in place because those are a special regulation.”
That’s where I have to leave the report this morning, but I’ll expand on these and more topics tomorrow morning. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 9, 2025
"Smallmouth - Early morning topwater bite remains strong on many of the area's best smallmouth lakes. Anglers have been working shorelines with downed trees and large boulders for the best bite. Once the sun gets up anglers switch to subsurface bait like square bills, chatterbaits, wacky worms and Ned rigs to keep catching smallies. Walleye anglers have reported that smallies have begun moving out to sunken islands now. Majority of smallies are being caught in 10 feet of water and shallower.
Walleye - Walleye have been settling into their classic summer patterns like weedlines, sunken islands, windy shorelines and edge of points. Crawlers have been hot, hot, hot lately with many anglers reporting the best bite happening on crawlers. Spinner rigs pulled with bottom bouncers or jig and half a crawler have been getting the job done. Best depth has been 10 to 15 feet of water with firetiger, gold and pink continuing to be the must have colors.
Panfish - Crappies continue to be found in shallow weed beds. Isolated lily pads have been holding crappies as well as coontail clumps and downed trees. 2 inch twisters and other soft plastics have been getting the job done for anglers. Sunfish bite remains strong too for many anglers. Sunfish are being found shallow in wild rice beds and weedbeds. Small leeches, green crawlers, angleworms and wax worms, all fished under a bobber, have been very effective on the sunfish.
Stream Trout - Stream trout anglers seemed to have taken the week off as stream trout reports cooled off. Still, anglers that went out looking for rainbows reported good fishing for them. Many anglers reported finding rainbows on the bottom, with a night crawler floated off the bottom with a marshmallow or a shot of air. Trolling cowbells, with small minnow baits or small trolling spoons has also been very effective.
Lake Trout - Trolling season has started for lake trout anglers in the Ely area. Majority of lake trout anglers are setting down riggers 30 to 50 feet down and trolling large trolling spoons over deep water. Anglers fishing in the BWCA are drifting over deep water while trolling with keel sinkers and trolling spoons, in 30 nto 80 feet of water.
Pike - Large pike remain elusive for anglers this last week as large pike out over deep water chasing ciscos. Smaller pike remain active in shallow bays, weedlines and river mouths. Large spoons, spinnerbaits and large minnow baits trolled or casted around these areas have been very productive." — Arrowhead Outdoors, 218-365-5358
Reader Comments July 9, 2025 "Honoring the Honor-Able"
"Jeff, I was very interested in reading your recent article. As a very lucky person to have a cabin on Cutfoot Sioux Lake, I get to see a lot of anglers exhibit all sorts of behavior. Both by “locals” and “resort guests and outstate guests”.
I can’t say that I have a great sense of how the new (walleye limit reduction) regulations will impact the fish population. The bad actors, those who bring in fish over-limits will not be affected. I believe the only road for improvement comes from within the fishing community. Continuing to stress the “common good and stewardship” of our beloved sport falls to each and every one of us to kindly state the case for conservation and stewardship that is everyone’s responsibility.
What I do feel strongly about is welcoming our outstate guests who vacation in Minnesota. I would love to see the DNR create the capability of someone buying an outstate license to designate a “window “when buying their license when they would be able to keep 6, 8 or more walleyes.
Being able to enter a two-week window of dates on their license at their point of purchase seems to be a great way to demonstrate our appreciation of the tourist dollars they bring to our economy. I believe the technology is there and is in the hands of the DNR and conservation officers in the field.
From the MN DNR Survey: Regarding the 4 daily 6 in possession provision, I would be in favor of that for Minnesota residents. Thank you for your important message to us all. Bob Cass"
Thank you for the comments, Bob. I hope I didn’t misunderstand the meaning of your term, “bad actors”. I assume that your reference was to my recent article about the MN DNR announcement of the walleye limit reduction proposal when I said, “Thousands of anglers simply disregard possession limit rules every season. They repeatedly catch fish and take some of them home every time they go fishing and wind up over their limit. They believe that if they stay within the so-called “legal daily bag limit” that they’re good to go.”
To be clear, not everyone who “stockpiles” walleyes in their freezers are intentionally breaking the law. Many simply don’t realize that the term possession limit is to be taken literally and means that when you have your "limit", you are not allowed to harvest any more. They innocently bring fish home and save them for a rainy day, never thinking for a second that they’ve done anything wrong. Admittedly, there are some anglers who knowingly disregard that rule, and have little fear that anyone will ever catch them.
Either way, my point wasn’t necessarily to identify anyone in particular as a “bad actor”. Rather, I hoped to call attention to the fact that tourists, whether traveling in the state, or from another state, do not enjoy that option. They have no choice but to travel with the fish they possess and must remain within their legal possession limit or suffer the consequences.
You’re right, folks spend a lot of money to visit Minnesota and that money goes a long way to support small town economies everywhere in Minnesota. I agree with you, if tourists who travel some distance to stay at a resort, family cabin, motel or campground are already happy with the current regulation that offers “the potential” to bring home 6 walleyes, then we should bend over backwards to help make that happen.
I agree too that using positive peer pressure is the best way to influence folks not to over-harvest our shared resources. There already aren't enough conservation officers to go around. I can't imagine any way that we could hope to "regulate" the number of fish people have in their freezers. Like you said, it falls to us to set good examples, and do our best to encourage our fellow anglers to follow suit.
Sometimes the topic of limits, and how they are enforced, comes up in my boat. What I tell my customers is that mostly we use "The Honor System" to ensure folks don't harvest too many fish. Then I add, when it comes to "Honor", you either have it, or you don't; that usually gets the point across. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858
Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 9, 2025
"It’s classic midsummer on Lake of the Woods, and the fishing is living up to its world-class reputation. Right now, anglers are catching walleyes and saugers three main ways: jigging with frozen emerald shiners, pulling spinners with crawlers, and trolling crankbaits. Each of these techniques is putting plenty of fish in the boat.
On the South Shore, good limits of walleyes and saugers continue to be the story. Fish are being caught in a wide range of depths, from 12 feet all the way out to 36 feet. Many walleyes have made their summer move over the deep mud, where both eater-sized fish and plenty of protected slot fish (19.5 to 28.0 inches), like the one Tim "Wingnut" Hill and his charter fishing customer (pictured) caught this week.
If you’re looking for hot colors this week, try pink/gold, blue/white, gold/red, or orange/chartreuse. Jigging with a frozen emerald shiner is still going strong, but spinner rigs tipped with crawlers are really picking up steam. Running spinners at 1.0 to 1.25 miles per hour is a great way to cover water and find active fish. Trolling crankbaits is also very effective, whether you’re using leadcore, snap weights, bottom bouncers with a shallow diving crank, or downriggers to target the 25 to 36 foot depth range.
On the Rainy River, July 1st kicked off the sturgeon “keep season,” which means if you have a sturgeon tag, you can harvest one sturgeon between 45 to 50 inches or over 75 inches per calendar year. Catch and release is still allowed as well, offering plenty of chances to battle these prehistoric giants. The river is loaded with sturgeon right now, so it’s a perfect time to try your hand at these big fish that can reach weights over 100 pounds.
Walleyes and saugers are also being caught in the Rainy River, especially in deeper holes and around current breaks. Don’t overlook the river’s strong smallmouth bass population either — there are some real footballs to be caught.
There are some great summer options for fishing the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River. It is also a nice option if the wind blows or you want a change of scenery.
Up at the Northwest Angle, most anglers are still jigging around the thousands of islands in 15 to 30 feet of water. As the summer progresses, bottom bouncers paired with crawler harnesses become even more effective, letting anglers cover ground across flats and along edges where mud meets structure.
It’s also muskie season up at the Angle, and fishing is going strong. Anglers are catching and releasing some beautiful fish. Remember, muskies are sensitive predators, so please take extra care when handling and photographing them to ensure a healthy release.
Why Lake of the Woods Shines in Summer. Across much of the walleye belt, summer can bring tough fishing. Weed growth, millions of young-of-the-year perch and other baitfish, and heavy boat traffic make them harder to catch. But that’s not the case on Lake of the Woods. The massive mud basin, countless reefs and rock piles, and sheer abundance of walleyes keep the bite consistent all summer long." — Lake of the Woods Tourism, (800) 382-FISH
Reader Comments July 8, 2025 "Frustrated By DNR Walleye Survey"
"On 7-7-25 Brandon Flaata wrote, "I took the DNR survey regarding the reduction of the daily and possession limits. I have to say I am very disappointed in the survey, as in my opinion it is very skewed. (It is set up) so the majority of answers could allow the DNR to justify reducing the limit.
Some of my major concerns: Why wasn't there any research data to read before taking the survey to be able to better react to why they are proposing the solution (there was some high level explanation, but detailed information was omitted)? Why weren't there any questions around other possible solutions, like statewide slot limits, so people could react to other ideas that have been presented? Why was there no research presented explaining how existing/recent reductions, slot limits or other special regulations have impacted fisheries?
I'm frustrated as it feels like this was a way to let people think they have a say in the matter, but they aren't going to listen and do whatever they want in the end." — Brandon Flaata
Sundin: Brandon, like you, there have been several others, including some highly knowledgeable fisheries biologists making the same observation about the survey's construction. By now, it should be fairly obvious that the high ranking DNR Fisheries Management does not view this regulation change as a response to scientific research. Rather, they view it as a "proactive" regulation aimed at, in their view, preventing future declines in the quality of walleye fishing opportunities in Minnesota.
It is obvious too that whether the regulation will actually result in any improvement is irrelevant. For them, it is the adoption of the rule, not the effectiveness of it that’s important. We can see by their actions that this philosophy is what drives their narrative. So, we should not be surprised that their survey, titled "Walleye and Sauger Limit for Inland Waters" would be skewed toward enactment of the rule change.
Last week, I answered the survey questions myself, and I found that the survey does offer participants an opportunity to provide individual comments. For me, this was more valuable than answering the questions themselves. So, despite the ‘pre-ordained” sensation the survey questions conjure up, it is still worthwhile to respond with answers in the comments sections.
One additional thought for folks who aren’t “survey takers” or do not believe that their input is valued. The survey provided by the DNR is NOT the only way to provide input. I find it very easy to reach my area fisheries supervisor, along with a variety of the fisheries field staff in my region. These folks are easy to find using the state’s website, and you should contact them directly with your concerns and comments. Some may not believe me, but I think that the regional fisheries folks and their field staff are very responsive and considerate.
Obviously, we’ll be following the debate closely over the next 5 weeks, and will provide updates frequently. In the meantime, let your opinions be known here, they are both valued and appreciated. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858
Reader Comments July 8, 2025 "Ethics: Explaining the Explain-Able?"
7-1-25 Matt Saigeon wrote, "Jeff, I live close to Sand Lake just north of Bowstring Lake. We've been here for 7 years now and I fish (many of the local waters) as well as the occasional trip to Upper Red Lake. I'm a regular follower of your fish report and honestly, your "wiggle worming" technique has greatly improved my success at catching walleyes. I greatly value your advice.
I have one observation and am wondering what your take on it is. I wouldn't say that I'm an expert fisherman, but generally speaking, I don't have much trouble finding and catching walleyes. What I have noticed in recent years is that if I catch and land a fish on the lakes around here, and if there are boats close enough to SEE me catch the fish, there is about a 90% chance that those boats will quickly come over to my particular spot and begin to fish right next to me. In many cases, they will get within casting distance of my boat. I had a case on Bowstring earlier this year where I saw only one other boat on the entire lake, I caught a fish and within minutes, the other boat was trolling behind me so closely that they were positioned over top of my bait.
This happens to me almost every time I'm fishing on these lakes up here. On Sand Lake recently, I was fishing a mid-lake hump and there was another boat trolling the shoreline several hundred yards away. I caught a walleye and the other boat immediately raced over and he was trolling circles around my boat at no more than 15 yards away from me. (My perception) is that when this happens, the other boat is usually a big, expensive boat.
I fish from a modest, alumacraft. Nothing fancy, but very effective. I have several theories about why this happens so often, but I'd like to hear your take on it. I'm sure, since you fish the same waters, that this also happens to you. Personally, I would never do this to another fisherman because I value privacy and fishing in peace and quiet. This has become so commonplace that I sometimes find myself avoiding fishing because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. Thank you and I appreciate your comments. — Matt Saigeon"
Sundin: Matt, I’m both sorry and disappointed that some of our fellow anglers have behaved so disrespectfully. I’m afraid that like you, I too see frequent examples of what can best be described as poor sportsmanship on the lakes. I wish that I could offer a snap-of-the-fingers solution that would make the lakes more peaceful and enjoyable for everyone.
No doubt, there are a handful of people that are just plain rude. But for me, I find it helpful to remember that most people who come uncomfortably close are simply trying to catch a fish. Sometimes they don’t know what to do, or where to go and when they see anybody bring in a fish, it gives them a spot in which to focus their attention. I try to put myself in their shoes and give them some consideration by moving to a different location.
On June 30, 2025, I wrote about me taking a class, and passing the Minnesota Boater Certification course. At the time, I thought about boating ethics, and how that course could have placed a lot more emphasis on boating and angling ethics. Truthfully, nobody teaches anybody anything about ethics before they buy a boat and head toward the lakes. In my opinion, this needs to change.
When I wrote about the boating certificate I obtained, I mentioned that because of my age, I would never have been required to take the course or pass the test. But, if it was left up to me, boaters of any age, operating watercraft of any type and on every lake in Minnesota would be required to obtain a boating certification. For me, the certification would not only require passing the current test but would also include an equally stringent “boater ethics” section. Some of which covers the simple problems of where, and when it is acceptable to be near other boaters.
Finally, Matt, I appreciate you bringing this topic into the light and I’m guessing that we’ll be hearing a lot more about angling ethics in the coming months. So. I will add more thoughts, and a couple of firsthand stories as time allows. For now, it's on all of us to do our best, set a good example and try to correct the problems through supportive, education based peer pressure.
Wired2Fish July 7, 2025 "How to Frog the Thick Stuff with Cal Lane"
"In this video, professional angler Cal Lane demonstrates an efficient and high-impact approach to frogging thick vegetation. With a focus on surface mats and heavy grass cover, Lane shares real-time strategy adjustments, target areas, and bite-triggering techniques. Each cast is designed to draw strikes from bass holding beneath dense cover, resulting in aggressive topwater action.
Targeting Mats in Heavy Vegetation: Frogging success often comes down to finding the right kind of vegetation. Lane looks for mats that form a solid layer over the surface, where fish can sit comfortably just under the cover. When these mats mix with open patches or thinner grass nearby, they ..." View Video to Learn More >> How to Frog the Thick Stuff with Cal Lane
July 6, 2025 "Loving The Love-Able" “What I Do, and Do Not, Love About Being A Fishing Guide”
If there ever was a week that revealed the contrast between what I love, and what I don’t love about fishing; it was this past one. There were some easy fishing days, but there were some tough ones too. There were some love-able people, but there were some un-love-able ones too. And there was some gorgeous weather, but on the other hand, some uncomfortable ones as well.
The common thread running through my most favorite days? Families. Moms, dads and kids, sometimes all together, sometimes just the kids, sometimes just the parents, but always, everybody together at the end of the day. There’s a certain dynamic that doesn’t come any other way, family fishing is supportive, not self-centered. Almost always, people are happy when they see their family members having fun, happiness isn’t performative, or dependent on one’s individual success.
The common thread running through my least favorite days? Elitism. Individuals who regard one species of fish, or one style of fishing, or one brand of anything, as “better” than any other.
I don’t dwell on the negative, but I will say that I was taken aback by one person in particular. Who when learning the wiggle worming presentation and catching a wide array of fish species, became noticeably upset by attention from any fish that was not a walleye. It is perfectly fine to target walleyes, but if you want to single them out, it can’t always happen. This is particularly true when you select a lake that has more of everything else, except walleyes. There are times when catching the mixed bag, and sorting through what this person called “garbage fish”, is the only option.
Back to families, and why I love fishing with them is that the so-called “garbage fish” are appreciated, even loved by most. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappies, sunfish and northern pike are not always harvested, but are usually appreciated for their ability to keep the level of action steady. Sometimes, part of the by-catch IS harvested as well, and that adds to the fun. For me, there’s a recipe for every species of fish that elevates them to all star status as table fare. Admittedly, I haven’t done too well cooking bullheads, but some folks do, and I wish they’d share their secrets with me.
Anyway, a day of catching fish, no matter which fish they are, and what we do with them, goes faster than a day of grinding away to catch a handful of walleyes. If I told you we brought in 9 or 10 walleyes on a given day, it may or may not impress you. But if I mentioned catching 100 fish, and then added that some of those fish happened to be walleyes, then you might be more appreciative.
Last week, I mentioned that we had begun seeing the development of a mixed-bag, action bite. At the time, trolling spinners, tipped with minnows was producing a mix of pike, perch and walleyes. Then, water temperatures were just above 70 degrees and this week, the sunshine has warmed surface temperatures into the mid-70s. Now the fish metabolism is running even higher, and in response, action ramped up even more. Now we’re catching the full-scale mixture of every fish species in the lakes. It’s becoming common to get 7 or 8 species of fish on most trips.
Even clear water lakes are warming, yesterday, on Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids, we swam in 76-degree water. It wasn’t exactly a “fishing trip” but we did troll for a while as we waited for the fireworks. There was just enough time to figure out that the mixed bag bite is kicking in there as well. My daughter, Annalee and her family, Austin and Audrey Jones helped spin up some crappies and sunfish from the weeds. I don’t recall anybody being upset that we didn’t catch a walleye. In fact, they looked pretty happy with the fish they did catch, don’t you think?
Rest assured, I love catching walleyes just as much as anybody and without them, I’d be out of business. There are times though that catching walleye, and only walleye, absent the presence of so-called “garbage-fish” like smallmouth bass and sunfish, is not a realistic goal.
During mid-summer, walleyes have lots of feeding options, so they can be particular about what they eat, and when they eat it. Add to that that, other gamefish are more active than they are duing the cool water periods and often get to your bait faster than walleyes do. So, walleyes, while present in the mix, are often overshadowed and outcompeted; the ratio of them to other gamefish is diminished.
The solution? Avoid multi-species lakes and only fish lakes where the only predators are walleyes. Upper Red Lake for example is one place where the odds are higher for walleyes than they are for most other species. Alternatively, select lakes that have some mixed species, but only have populations of fish that you enjoy catching. If you research lakes in north central Minnesota, you can find a wide range of gamefish blends. Any lake with the highest walleye population, and the lowest populations of competing predators could be an option.
Okay, with the Independence Day holiday, and the early season walleye fishing rush behind me, I’ll be enjoying a more relaxed pace this week. For me, discovering new (to me) places to wet a line is the priority. What I hope to discover, are a few more lakes where the “mixed-bag-action-bite” shows potential for some upcoming family fishing trips during the rest of July, and into August.
Speaking of a more relaxed pace, I do still have a handful of open dates available during the summer. If you’ve been thinking about getting the kids out for an adventure on the lake, let me know, I may have the right day available for you.
Before I wrap up for this morning, I do want to take a minute to remind you that the MN DNR Fisheries Chief, Brad Parsons, has presented the formal announcement to move ahead with the much-anticipated Walleye Limit Reduction plan. Slated to take effect for the May 2027 walleye fishing opener, the rule is set to reduce Minnesota’s Walleye Possession Limit of walleyes from 6 fish, down to 4 fish. Anglers will be allowed, if enacted, to have in their possession 4 legally obtained walleyes.
Contrary to public perception, there is no provision now, nor will there be under this rule, any multiple of the so-called “daily bag limit”. The daily bag limit IS your possession limit. So, whether you have 4 walleyes in your freezer, at your cabin, or in a shoe box under your bed, you cannot legally harvest another walleye from ANY LAKE in Minnesota until you consume the ones you already have.
I know, thousands of anglers simply disregard that rule every season. They catch fish and take some of them home every time they go fishing. They believe that as long as they stay within the so-called “legal daily bag limit” that they’re good to go. That’s great for local anglers, folks who can hide their fish at home, or at their cabin. But travelers, both resident and non-resident anglers alike have no choice but to carry their catch, in their “POSSESSION” when they travel home from the lake. For them, they are completely exposed and subject to being checked by the game warden at any time. That’s why the statewide 4 walleye possession limit rule is a big deal to me. It discriminates against tourism, and favors local anglers who can and do, keep more than their fair share of the total harvest.
In my opinion, the daily limit could be set at any random number, and I’d still be happy. You could limit me to 1 fish, and I’d be satisfied, so long as my possession limit remains at the present level, 6 walleyes in my possession. You’ve read before, or maybe not, all of the reasons why I believe the 4 fish daily limit won’t fix anything. Fisheries biologists have said repeatedly that the cuts would have to be much more dramatic to impact the overall statewide harvest. So, supporting the 4-walleye limit is unlikely to result in any benefit to you, or to the walleyes, or to the future of fishing.
Is the walleye reduction rule a done deal? No, it's success, or failure, will depend on how the public responds to the proposal. First, there is a public comment period in which citizens may present their opinions to MN DNR Fisheries staff. One way to participate is to answer questions in a MN DNR provided survey called "Walleye and Sauger Limit for Inland Waters"
Another way to present your opinions is to share them here, with your fellow FishRapper readers. We’ll publish, with your permission, comments on both sides of the issue, even the ones thay we don’t agree with. So, make your best case, if you support the rule, tell us why and if not, let us know that too. Either way, your opinion matters, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to influence the future of walleye fishing in Minnesota. — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X Photo >> Decker Hastings • Owen Cheatham • Claire Cheatham • Annalee Austin Jones • Owen Blaine Cheatham
Cutfoot Sioux, Lake Winnie Memorial Day Fishing Report July 3, 2025
"We are heading into the Independence Day holiday weekend on a warm note. And as the sunshine warms the waters of Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux, productive summertime fishing patterns for walleye, perch and panfish have taken hold.
Surface temperatures on the big lake range from 71 to 73 degrees, and back bays with darker, calmer waters are running warmer, 74 to 76 degrees in some areas. Vegetation is maturing too, cabbage, coontail and many of the “pondweed” varieties are green and thick. Wild rice beds are starting to stand tall above the surface, and bulrushes are green and mature too. All plants, no matter where they grow, provide cover habitat for fish of all species, including the most popular game fish pursued by our guests.
During the warmup, insect hatches began emerging and hatches of many insects continue today. Fishing for walleyes during any “bug hatch” can be challenging, but in many ways can be rewarding too. Finding the areas where maturing insect larvae is most likely to emerge will lead anglers to success. Where maturing larvae exists, minnows, small gamefish and predators will be nearby; all participating in the “summer peak” food chain cycle.
Marl, the mixture of semi-soft, clay, sand and shell pieces are prime real estate for bloodworms, fish flies and mayfly larvae breeding grounds. Marl can be located whem we ..." Read >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report
Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report July 2, 2025
"Walleye - Walleye reports have walleyes sliding out a little deeper. Majority of walleye reports this last week has angler finding walleyes in 8 to 16 feet of water now. Anglers have been pulling spinner rigs, tipped with crawlers, along weedlines, transitions area along points and out over sunken islands. Gold, perch and blue spinner blades have been popular this last week. Reports of shallow water walleyes remain. Here anglers are catching walleye with soft plastics fished on a 1/8 or 1/4oz jig, over rocky shorelines. Jig and half a crawler has also been worth noting here.
Panfish - Crappies have been snapping in shallow water in and around lily pads this last week. Thick lily pad beds are no good. Scattered lily pads have been the best for crappies. Anglers have been casting small jig and twisters, crappie minnows under a bobber to these lily pads, to catch crappies. Sunfish remain shallow and are being caught back in pencil reed beds and weedbeds. Wax worms, green crawlers and angleworms, fished under a bobber have been very effective here.
Smallmouth Bass - The once super hot topwater bite has been cooling off to mainly early morning for the best bite (before 9am). Once the sun gets up anglers have been having luck with square bills, wacky worms, chatterbaits and spinnerbaits. Rocky shorelines with downed trees, large flats, out around islands and rivers are all holding active smallies. White, crawfish colors and green pumpkin have been hot colors this last week.
Stream Trout - Area Stream Trout lakes remain popular for good reason. Rainbow trout have been snapping! Limits of rainbows are being caught trolling small minnow baits or small trolling spoons over deep water. Good rule of thumb is the brighter the better as far as colors go. Anglers fishing from shore have been having really good luck casting a 2 inch white twister, small spoons and the tried and true nightcrawler floated under a bobber.
Northern Pike - Pike anglers have been catching good numbers of quality pike this last week. Anglers have been throwing spoons in and around weedbeds for very consistent action. Anglers targeting larger pike have been trolling large spinnerbaits, large minnow baits and large soft plastic baits along weedlines, river mouths and mouths of shallow bays. Best depth for the bigger pike has been 8-14 feet of water.
Lake Trout - Lake Trout anglers have been reporting that lakers are slowly going deeper as surface water temps warm. Anglers have been reporting that they are catching lakers from 30 to 80 feet of water now. Many anglers have been trolling large trolling spoons, with down riggers, over deep water to find active lakers. Anglers fishing from a canoe have vertically jigging large bucktails and tubes over deep water. Red/white, blue/white and solid chartreuse have been popular colors for tubes or bucktails." — Arrowhead Outdoors, 218-365-5358
July 1, 2025 "News release: Public input sought on reducing statewide walleye limit from six to four"
If you’re a believer in reducing Minnesota’s walleye possession limit from 6 fish, down to 4 fish, then this is your happy day! The Minnesota DNR Fisheries Office released the much-anticipated formal announcement yesterday.
MN DNR, “Changes in lake habitat, ecology and conditions coupled with technological advances in fishing gear and methods are prompting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to seek public input on a possible reduction in the statewide walleye possession limit from six to four fish.
If enacted via a rulemaking process, the change would not become effective until May 2027.
“We consider this a proactive step to maintain quality walleye fishing,” said Brad Parsons, DNR fisheries section manager. “This regulation has been in place since 1956, and conditions in Minnesota’s lakes have, and continue to, change. Our consideration of a walleye limit reduction is a wise management response to what’s happening.”
People can comment from now until …” Read Full Article >> July 1, 2025 Public Input Sought, Reducing Statewide Walleye Limit
Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism July 1, 2025
"Fishing continues to be outstanding on Lake of the Woods. Whether you’re jigging, pulling spinners, or trolling crankbaits, anglers are enjoying steady action and taking home plenty of walleyes and saugers.
On the South Shore, there are good numbers of walleyes now gravitating to the deep mud basin regions. This time of year, it’s common to see bug hatches over the deep mud, which attracts hungry walleyes looking for an easy meal. Fishing anywhere from 27 to 35 feet has been productive.
The jig bite remains strong. Many anglers are still anchoring up or spot-locking and working a jig tipped with a frozen emerald shiner. Hot jig colors this week include orange and chartreuse, gold combined with orange or pink, as well as glow white. Mixing up your colors and letting the fish tell you what they want can really pay off.
Spinners and crawlers are also gaining momentum. Drifting or slowly trolling at 1.0 to 1.25 mph with a 2 to 3 ounce weight or bottom bouncer, a two or three hook harness with a hammered gold blade paired with pink, orange, chartreuse, or glow red or white beads has been very effective. This technique is a great way to cover water and entice walleyes spread out over the basin. Many anglers report catching a mix of walleyes and saugers using this method.
Trolling crankbaits is another excellent option right now. Some anglers are trolling using downriggers to get their lures down to the fish. Others are using leadcore line, snap weights, or a 3 to 4 ounce bottom bouncer paired with a 6-foot monofilament or fluorocarbon leader with a shallow diving crankbait. These setups are helping anglers reach the right depth and keep their baits in the strike zone. The ability to cover lots of water while presenting wobble, vibration, and color makes trolling cranks a very effective way to locate and catch walleyes.
On the Rainy River, reports indicate that the river is still producing some nice walleyes, and it won’t be long until anglers start shifting their attention to sturgeon again. Sturgeon fishing season opens on July 1, 2025 and the river is loaded with these prehistoric giants. If you’re planning a trip in July or August, soaking a few crawlers on a sturgeon rig can give you the chance to hook into one of the biggest fish of your life.
Excellent fishing also continues up at the Northwest Angle. Walleyes are being found from 12 to 24 feet, relating to both mud and structure. The jig and minnow bite remains solid on rock and sand transitions, while other anglers are also pulling spinners or crankbaits along shoreline breaks and over deeper mud areas. This is producing not just walleyes, but also a nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, and even smallmouth bass.
Muskie anglers have been busy with nice numbers of fish and some big ones. Some fish exceeding 53 inches were caught this past week.
Plan Your Trip. Lake of the Woods is living up to its reputation as the Walleye Capital of the World. With a healthy population of walleyes, saugers, pike, smallmouth bass, and soon, sturgeon back in season, now is a perfect time to get out on the water. Whether you’re fishing with your own boat, hiring a guide, or jumping on a charter, the opportunities for success are excellent." — Lake of the Woods Tourism, (800) 382-FISH
Wired2Fish 2025 "Chasing Bruiser Bluegills: Top Tips and Tactics for Catching Bulls"
"Growing up, I could always count on a certain fish to make my day. One that was always willing to bite and put a good bend into an ultralight. That species has made its way into the hearts and freezers of millions of Americans nationwide.
You likely know it as the bluegill. For fishermen across the country, bluegills are often considered a stepping stone into getting hooked on fishing. They’re in most freshwaters across the country, and growing in abundance around the globe. Plus, panfish are relatively easy to catch.
While bluegills are widespread, finding big bluegills can be a challenge, especially catching them consistently. Standard tactics will work, but there are certain baits and presentations that ..." Read Article to Learn More >> Chasing Bruiser Bluegills: Top Tips and Tactics for Catching Bulls
You Are Invited To Become A Duly Deputized Fishrapper Cub Reporter Too!
If you've been waiting for a gold engraved invitation to participate in the daily reports, then stop waiting and consider this your own personal invitation.
Helping your fellow fishermen and women stay abreast of fishing conditions in your area is good for everybody and it's easier than you think! You don't have to write a book, you don't have to share your secret fishing spots and you don't even have to mention your lake. But even a few words about general trends, seasonal patterns and local weather conditions can really help.
Be like me, become a duly deputized "Cub Reporter", it's good for fishing! Contact Us or if you prefer to be "social", Fishing Reports Minnesota, the Facebook counterpart to this page is open to the public, so you can post your own fishing update or just share a photo of a nice catch.
Wired2Fish 2025 "[VIDEO] How to Spool a Spinning Reel with Braid"
"Spooling a spinning reel the right way isn’t just about loading line—it’s about preventing slip, reducing twist, and maximizing performance. In this step-by-step video, Wired2fish’s own Kyle Peterson breaks down exactly how to spool braid with a mono backing and why each step matters.
Why a Mono Backing is Essential: Braid lacks stretch and grip, which means it can slip around the arbor under tension. To prevent this, Peterson starts by adding mono as backing. The mono grips the spool better, creating a secure base layer that locks the braid in place.
Choosing Mono Based on Arbor Size: The size of a reel’s arbor determines which mono line works best. A smaller arbor calls for lighter, thinner mono, while a larger arbor can support heavier mono. Peterson uses 8-pound mono for his setup, but stresses the importance of matching the backing to the reel size to avoid bulking.
Quick, Effective Knots for Reliability: Rather than tying complex knots, Peterson uses a ..." View Video to Learn More >> How to Spool a Spinning Reel with Braid