Roach's No. 1 tip for Mille Lacs anglers is to steer clear of the crowds.

"There is so much structure and so many fish in Mille Lacs," he said, "you can always find your own fish. The trick is to get them to bite."

Roach recommended extending the distance between the weight and the bait on your Roach Rig up to 8 feet if necessary.

"One thing about Mille Lacs walleyes is that they've seen it all," Roach said, "and I've discovered when fishing heavily pressured walleyes, you can increase the number of bites by putting some space between that sinker and hook."

Judging by the amount of angling hours on Mille Lacs, it may just be the most popular lake in our state. Even with the heavy fishing pressure, it's a body of water that continues to produce plenty of walleyes on a classic structural setting.

LAKE OF THE WOODS
There is little doubt that the biggest lake in Minnesota is Lake of the Woods. It is also a classic walleye lake in every sense.

"There are a couple of patterns that prove effective in this classic walleye lake in July," Fairbairn said. "There is the downrigger presentation, and the live-bait rig and leech. For the most part, all the charter boats up there are trolling with downriggers in July. There may be other systems that let you get that lure down into 30 feet, but downriggers are the most effective way to do this on Lake of the Woods.

"At the same time the charters are targeting those basin fish, there are walleyes on the reefs that rim the big basin in Minnesota," Fairbairn continued. "Following the basin around the rim of the lake, there are some classic walleye reefs with some big boulders that come out of 30 feet of water and top out at 20 feet. There are a lot of walleyes that hold on those reefs, and the two primary patterns to fish them are with a Roach Rig and a leech cruising around the edge, or if there is some wind, you anchor and pitch out a slip-bobber."

GULL LAKE
Roach joked about Gull Lake, saying there is a canyon worn into the bottom in 17 to 19 feet of water from the guides in the area dragging Roach Rigs at that depth. Those walking sinkers dug a deep groove on this popular depth region. But even with the heavy pressure, Gull still remains a productive "classic" walleye lake.

"The fish may not be as big as we used to see on a regular basis on Gull," Roach said, "but there are still plenty of them, and they still love leeches."

Roach said his trick now to get those Gull Lake walleyes interested in his bait is to add a small spinner to his bait rig just above the hook. That extra attraction will generate a look and that usually triggers the bite.