Steve Nosbisch Guide Service
Serving the area of Leech Lake, Cass Lake, and Bemidji, MN
8/3/2018
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Fishing is starting to pick back up on Leech Lake. Walleyes are becoming more abundant, and the Muskie fishing has been decent. Walleyes are scattered around the deeper flats in 12-16 feet of water. Pulling crankbaits in perch and crayfish patterns near the bottom has produced some really nice fish this week. Areas around Pine Point, Goose Island, Stony Point, and Hardwoods Point are good places to start your search.
The Muskies has been fantastic as of late. They are set up on their summer haunts now. Use bucktails and topwaters to locate fish, then go back to those areas at prime times to get them to bite.
The Bass and Northern Pike bite has been very good in the shallow bays. Casting spinnerbaits and spoons around the shallow weeds will surely produce bass and pike.
7/19/18
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It is safe to say that the Dog Days of summer are officially here. The walleye bite seems to be moving daily, but the multi-species fishing is very good. Northern pike, Bass, and Sunfish can all be had in the shallow bays. Casting spoons and spinnerbaits around the shallow weeds will certainly produce northern pike and bass, while the sunfish have been found in the shallow reed beds as well as along the deeper weed edges close to the shallow reeds.
Walleyes have been found along weed edges and break lines in 8-15 feet of water. Paying close attention to your electronics to find schools of bait fish has been key. When you locate an area that has a good amount of bait fish Meticulously comb the area using either a spinner rig and night crawler or crank baits.
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The muskie bite is really starting to take off now that the water has warmed up. Casting bucktails and topwater baits around deep cabbage weeds or over rock humps has proven to be most effective recently. Areas that have a little wind blowing into them seem to be holding the active fish right now.
7/11/18
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Fishing seems to be picking back up again. The bug hatches are slowly diminishing, and the walleyes are beginning to look for other food sources. Staying mobile and checking lots of spots has been a key to putting fish in the boat as of lately. Find and area that has bait clouds and you will find walleyes. Live bait rigs and spinner rigs tipped with a Night Crawler has been producing the most multi-species action as of late. Trolling crankbaits over the vast flats has also put a few fish in the boat. Areas to key in on are wind blown sections of shore line that are close to deep water. Areas with a soft bottom has been good. The active fish that are willing to bite seem to be coming in the 9'-14' range. One thing to note is that there are distinct bite windows that are taking place, and the bite windows have been fairly short. Being on the water during prime times is key right now.
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7/2/18
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Fishing has been decent over the last week, but it’s had its ups and downs. Bug hatches are still taking place on the lake and are affecting the bite some. Many of the fish are full of mayflies, crayfish, and small perch, so timing a bite window and fishing during key times is important right now.
There are a lot of areas on the lake that are holding Walleyes right now, but staying on the move to contact fish that are willing to bite is key. Look to transition areas from weeds to sand or rocks to mud to be holding fish. Live bait rigging night crawlers has been the most consistent producer this week with a jig and night crawler coming in close second. A majority of fish were found in relatively shallow water this week with 4’-10’ of water being most consistent. Break lines in 17’-24’ of water are holding fish as well, but timing a bite window is important in these areas. The areas around Cedar Point, Goose Island, Grand Vu flats and Huddles Reef are worth checking out. Trolling crankbaits or a leech under a slip bobber towards evening and after dark have also been producing some fish.
Panfish are now slipping out of the shallow water and are setting up in their summer homes. Look for deeper weed lines near breaklines to be holding fish. Move around until you find a school of fish then come back to them and fish the area more thoroughly with either live bait or small plastics.
The Muskie fishing is just starting to really take off out on Leech Lake. Casting bucktails and topwater baits over new cabbage weeds is turning a few fish. This will only get better over the next few weeks.
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6/25/18
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Things are beginning to heat up around the area. Fish seem to be on the move, but when you find them they seem to be willing to bite. There is a mixture of fish in the transition areas right now from Sunfish to Walleyes. Pulling spinner rigs and live bait rigging night crawlers have been the go to lately. Weed line transitions between 8-12 feet that are close to deep water have been best, but recently when the wind blows there have been walleyes in the shallow weed edges in 4-6 feet of water. Casting jigs to these shallow fish have put a few in the boat. When the sun is shining and the lake is calm moving off some of the deeper shoreline breaks in 17-22 feet of water around mud transitions have yielded a few fish.
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6/13/18
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As May 2018 is now behind us and and we enter June things are beginning to change on Leech Lake and the surrounding area. Up to this point the the walleye bite has been prominently a jig and minnow bite with the fish being fairly schooled up, but recently the yearly bug hatches have started to take place and the fish have started to spread out. Staying on the move has been the key to success the last week or so. The bait of choice has switched from a jig and minnow to leeches and crawlers. Look to wind blown areas that are near a bottom transition to be holding fish. Transitions from sand to rocks have been holing more fish in the last few days. The areas around Submarine Island, North Bar, and Goose Island are good places to start. Finding fish with a spinner rig and night crawler or a crankbait has proven to be a good way to locate fish. Once you have found an area with fish a live bait rig with a leech or night crawler have been successful ways to put some fish in the boat.
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Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks.
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5/17/18 Opener 2018
The 2018 Minnesota Walleye opener is in the books and it did not disappoint! The fish were a little difficult to find at first, but once they were found they were more than willing to eat a jig and minnow. Most of the fish in my boat were caught between 6-9 feet of water using a small jig and a minnow. Nearly all of the fish came from some sort of sand/weed transition area. KenKatch Tackle Company makes a great long shank jig for when you're using a bigger shinner minnow.
It seemed like the afternoon bite was a little stronger than the morning as the water temp warmed up. The water was still cold over the weekend and ranged somewhere between 48-54 degrees. The bite should only get better in the near future as the water warms up. Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.
