Leech Lake Update

Got the opportunity to fish Leech Lake for a couple of days while the MN bow opener was going on.  The fishing on Leech Lake can best be summed up as tough right now in my opinion.  Typically this time of year we are in a fall type of pattern but that is not the case right now. Yes, fish are starting to show up in typical fall areas but water temps in the mid 70's are not idea for getting those fall fish to go.

The best walleye bite seems to be in the early AM while the shallow water is still cool from overnight temps that have been in the 50's.  By noon the bite seems to really fall off if you don't have a wind to break up the light penetration as the water temps rise.  So far this fall has been more like mid summer and the fish seem to be somewhat confused by these warm temps.  Pictured here is AJ with is personal best walleye, caught early in the morning while the bite was still good.  It won't be long before the morning bite lasts well into the day.

The good news is this warm calm weather can't last much longer and the full fall bite should be peaking in a few weeks as the days are getting much shorter very fast. Also, the bluegill bite remains excellent with many bluegill in the 10 inch range being caught.  Last Friday and Saturday I fished Bluegill and walleye and the bluegill bite on Friday was fast and furious but the size was not near what it had been.  Despite catching a lot fish we only had one that broke the 10 inch mark.  On Saturday the Bluegill bite was much slower but the overall size was excellent with several fish at the 10 inch mark.  The guys in the boat commented the Bluegill we were catching were bigger than the keeper walleye in our livewell, which kind of makes me laugh, as I love to fish Big Bluegill.

So, that is my Leech Lake update.  In my opinion the bite is tough right now.  It will get better and it shouldn't be much longer.  The fish are still very skinny for this time of year so there is a lot of feeding to be done yet before ice up.  Now time to leave for Bismark ND for the FLW Tour Championship.  Check back for a tour update from North Dakota.