Minnesota's Best Bets for Fishing
JULY
Lake Minnewawa Big sunfish are the norm on Aitkin County's Lake Minnewawa.
There are many places for them to hide because of all the vegetation. If you want the big sunnies, think deep. There are pockets in the vegetation where the big bluegills are sitting.
Deer Lake This is a 3,700-acre piece of prime walleye habitat in Itasca County. This is textbook walleye fishing with sunken islands, reefs, points, saddles, inside turns and rockpiles. Yet the lake is not too big to be able to manage it well. Pick a piece of structure and strain it, but don't worry if nothing bites there. There's plenty more where that came from.
Medicine Lake The big pike are showing up with regularity on Medicine Lake in Hennepin County. In July, just tie on a crankbait that runs to 12 feet and troll the well-defined milfoil weedlines. If there is too much milfoil floating, vertical jig a 1/2-ounce live-rubber jig tipped with a small sucker in 14 feet of water.
AUGUST
Lake of the Woods There are no "dog days" at Lake of the Woods, and in August the big walleyes start flexing their muscles.
Some of the charters lower crankbaits on downriggers and do very well. Those not equipped with the heavy metal can use a slower approach with a bottom-bouncer and spinner rig.
Prior Lake The secret is out. The big largemouth bass on Prior Lake in Scott County are on the midlake humps and they are suckers for a deep-diving crankbait. Don't use a steady retrieve. Instead, reel the bait down until it makes contact with the bottom, and then start and stop it all the way back to the boat.
Mississippi River Smallmouth bass restrictions have made parts of the Mississippi River the finest smallie fishery in our state, and the best stretch is from St. Cloud to the Coon Rapids Dam. The problem is that most anglers don't know how to navigate rivers, and they mess up their props, lower units and boat hulls as they try to motor around. If you value your boat, take a canoe or car-topper and drift a small stretch. The base of any riffles is productive.
SEPTEMBER
Pokegama Lake There have been a lot of bass tournaments on Itasca County's Pokegama Lake the past few years and while you may think that smallmouths would be the target, it's the largemouths that dominate the catches.
Most of the anglers are shooting through the Jay Gould Channel into the heavy vegetation that lines the channel that feeds Pokegama. There are a lot of huge bass in that cabbage.
Cedar Island Lake In September, the game fish most Minnesotans choose to chase are in a transition period. And if you hit a lake during turnover, forget having a good day on the water. So if your lake is not productive, consider the channel catfish in Cedar Island Lake in Stearns County. In September the channel cats are putting on a feedbag and devouring minnows, night crawlers and even crankbaits.
Maple Lake September might be your last open-water month to get big bluegills before they disappear and make you wait until first ice. Wright County's Maple Lake is a good place to find some. Plenty of vegetation on the east and west ends of the lake make these the perfect spots to find the big bluegills. Use an 1/8-ounce jighead, a panfish leech under a slip-bobber and fish in 12 to 14 feet of water.
OCTOBER
Cass Lake Think bulrushes in October on Cass Lake for walleyes.
The tullibees will move up into this vegetation, and the pike and walleyes follow them in for a feast.
Use a shiner minnow on a jig in the sparse vegetation. In the thicker weeds, a slip-bobber can be the ultimate presentation.
Lake Alexander In October after a lake has turned over, the walleyes can be at any depth. On Morrison County's Lake Alexander that means an angler has a lot of options. The best locations will be deep sunken islands that top out at 25 feet or more. This structure was devoid of walleyes all summer, but those fish find it more attractive now that the thermocline is gone.
Diamond Lake Diamond Lake in Kandiyohi County is the perfect lake for trolling crankbaits for fall walleyes due to the nice even taper of the bottom. The weedline extends out to 12 feet, which is a good place to start. Fortunately, crankbait manufacturers are building lures that will get down to 20 feet or more, which allows anglers the opportunity to strain more depths - a real advantage on this lake.
NOVEMBER
Sturgeon Lake Everyone is deer hunting, so the pike get ignored in November, and that's when the big ones come out to play on Sturgeon Lake in Pine County.
The technique requires a lot of casting, and the lures should be oversized, like small muskie lures.
Cast to the shallow vegetation, running the lure just a foot or two below the surface as it churns, spins or wobbles back to the boat. If the pike aren't in the shallow weeds, troll big crankbaits along the weedline.
Pelican Lake The walleyes will be up on the shallow rubble shoreline regions in November on Pelican Lake in Crow Wing County. Cast a jig tipped with a minnow, much like you do in the spring. Small shallow-running crankbaits are also a good option.
Rachel Lake Tullibees in a lake almost always means the pike will be big. That's why it pays to check out Rachel Lake in Douglas County. The pike eat the tullibees, they get big, and they bite readily in November. Rachel is not a large lake, so you can get around it casting to all the vegetation in a good day of fishing. Release the big gals.
DECEMBER
Lake Melissa Hope for an early ice-up and go chase the walleyes on Becker County's Lake Melissa.
There is great structure on the south end. There are a couple of big points and the sunken island on the southeast corner is always productive. As the ice gets thicker, you will find yourself migrating toward the long, narrow reef in the center of the lake.
Big Turtle Lake During the early ice of December, anglers chasing crappies on Big Turtle in Beltrami County start on the south end where the deep water intersects with a shallow bar. As the ice thickens, those anglers move northward where sharp inside turns cut right into the deepest water in the lake. The crappies in Big Turtle suspend far enough off bottom to make them sonar-friendly.
Little Lake Winnibigoshish The names Winnibigoshish and big perch are synonymous, so why wouldn't you expect to find big perch in Big Winni's little brother, Little Winni. This basin is 940 acres and has a nice well-defined weedline that can hold perch all winter long. There are perch up to 12 inches caught with regularity, so if you're only getting small ones, move.
* * * There. That should be enough to keep you busy for a whole year!
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