Mother Nature decided to fight the Canadian wildfires on her own this week. The skies have finally been cleared of the smoke. With that good news also comes great news that, because of the rain and wind, fishing really peeked this past week. Many big walleye have been landed as well as many other bonus species of fish such as smallmouth bass, jumbo perch, northern pike, crappie, sturgeon and even rock bass.
We are officially in the 8th week of summer. Anglers discovered a solid summer pattern in week 6 that has produced and is continuing to produce fish of all sizes including big, beautiful trophy walleye. As reported last week the pattern includes only two techniques, drifting with a spinner rig (crawler harness) or trolling crank baits.
The famous Lake of The Woods jig bite seemingly took a backseat in week 6. The change was mostly attributed to the patterns that the fish themselves developed regarding where they were finding their forage. 22 – 30 feet of water over the mud flats of big Travers Bay as well as heading out of Zipple Bay and fishing the same depths across the lower basin has been the hot spots using both techniques. On the spinner rigs, blade colors have been gold, yellow, pink, orange, red or a combination of red and white. The crankbait colors blue/silver, brown/orange or a solid color of gold or orange have been producing the best.
When faced with weather that chases you of the big water, head to the Rainy River. She never disappoints and will always provide a bounty of many different species. Walleye will hang in holes, over breaks and in current breaks especially on rock piles. Smallmouth bass can be found in the same areas just mentioned and around any kind of structure you can find. Smally’s are simply not targeted on the Rainy with any kind of real pressure and they are plentiful. Northern pike will be found along weed lines and current breaks. Jumbo perch can be found in 14 – 17 foot of water on the river in areas of a more solid bottom or around structure. Crappie are found around any vertical structure like dock pilings as well as in any natural woody structure like old stumps or sunken tree limbs. Of course, the mighty sturgeon lurks within the depths of the Rainy along her bottom.
Pitching jigs and walking them back to the boat is the best technique on the river. Use a brightly colored jig head like orange or yellow and tip it will a minnow. Either a frozen shiner or a live fathead will almost always produce. Plastics, a white, yellow or black Mr. Twister Tail, will produce pike and smallmouth seemingly immediately around any structure.
Until next week … don’t be afraid to shake it away from the crowd. Our call agents are waiting for your call and will assist you with booking your next trip to Lake of The Woods with River Bend Resort. If you are bringing your own boat, you can book your cabin online through our website and give us a call to reserve a dock space.
Until next week … Keep a Tight Line! Bugs & Fishes ≤º))~{
