“It’s one of the drawbacks in Minnesota,” he said. “You can only use one line per angler when trolling. If you want to have four lures running, you have to take three of your fishing buddies along.”

Johnson trolls two lures of differing colors, action and depth on each side of the boat in order to determine a walleye’s preference.

“I really work for my walleyes,” he said. “Most guys just run out some lures and put the boat in forward. I run a lure for about 20 minutes and if it’s not getting hit, I change it. Walleyes will eventually show a preference and then I get the same style on all lines.”

Anglers who prefer well-established resorts may be disappointed. There are some hotels in Washkish, but there never has been any resort development, so anglers must use the public landing and launch on the day they fish.

LEECH LAKE
Fishing on Leech Lake has made a tremendous comeback, thanks to a DNR program to increase the walleye population by lowering the number of cormorants and increased stocking.

Johnson said he likes to work the deep structure of Walker Bay during dog days.

“Walleyes will tuck into the rocks in 25 to 30 feet of water and you have to coax them to bite,” he said. “This requires some serious boat control and patience.”

Johnson uses a live-bait rig with a leech and no less than 3/4 ounce of weight.

“You go through a lot of leeches,” he said, “because you want the bait to be swimming strong. Gary Roach told me one time that you have to have real lively bait when you’re fishing tough conditions and he was right on. The livelier the leech, the better chance you have of tempting a bite.”

Johnson admits there are times when a spot just turns on and walleyes won’t hesitate to suck up a leech. This typically occurs during a weather change, so if you see that situation unfolding, prepare for great fishing.

For more information on Leech Lake, visit leechlake.org.

CASS LAKE
Cass Lake always causes some deliberation for Johnson. Should he start shallow on the reed beds or look for suspended fish? There will be walleyes in both places.

With perch migrating over the tops of the bulrush beds, walleyes like to move up during the low-light periods of morning and evening and feed. Some stay for the day sliding into the shady pockets created by the emergent vegetation. Toss a slip-bobber with a shiner on it or pull a weedless jig and a fathead around the stalks and chances are you’ll hook into some nice fish.

On the other hand, ciscoes will be suspended over deep areas and there are plenty of deep-water regions to search.

“It was a hot morning and I was headed over to Allen’s Bay to flip a weedless jig into some bulrush beds on the north side of the bay,” Johnson said, describing a trip to Cass. “As I cruised past Potato Island on the south side, my sonar showed signs of suspended fish. It was a huge pod of ciscoes and there were big fish all over. There were three of us in the boat, but I only put out two long lines to see if these fish were biting. In two hours, we landed 10 nice walleyes and had a 46-inch muskie right up to the boat.”

For more information regarding Cass Lake, visit casslake.com .

LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH
Lake Winnibigoshish has been hot for walleyes for the last six years and shows no signs of slowing down. Kavanaugh said there is more than one reason for this.