Friday, May 29, 2015

Another Great Week On Leech Lake

It was another great week aboard the "All Wx" on Leech lake. One day the bigger slot fish and over slots are on the chew, and the next it's all eater fish. You never know what each day will bring, either way, we just go with it.


                   Jim ended up with this hog (his P.B.) on Tuesday on a jig and Leech.    


Lex dialed in his fan-casting with jigs and shiners and really cashed in.


Limits!


                                                                    A nice 35" Pike.


I love showing people what this lake has to offer!

Cheers and hook-sets!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Dialing In Daily - Leech Lake in the 60's

For years I have been telling people that when the water temps are in the 60's on Leech Lake, stay nimble and bring every bait type and lure that you can get your hands on. You never really know what each day will bring. Whether it's trolling crankbaits, rigging leeches, pulling spinners and crawlers or the standard jig and shiner, or even rigging big chubs in Walker bay, leave nothing off of the table. One day you can have an incendiary pattern of rigging leeches in 9 f.o.w. and the next, snap jigging minnows is the only thing that will wake them up. Being willing to "shake the etch-a-sketch" and start all over when bites are slow is really key in June.


This week I found some schooled up fish and jigging shiners or rigging leeches was the best presentation to maximize the catch.


When fish were scattered, a spinner rig and minnow or shallow crankbait located some really nice ones and allowed me to dial-in on some smaller loose schools. 


Having a system while trolling is important. I like to start shallow and work deeper. I like to use a couple of different presentations that work at similar speeds. Shallow crankbaits behind planer boards and spinner rigs on bottom bouncers strait back both work well trolled at 1-2 mph.


      Having more than one live bait type out to start the day has been a good idea too.

We have been seeing a fun mix of 1/2 keepers and 1/2 bigger slot fish the past week. 


Cheers and hook-sets!

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Week One is in the Books - Leech Lake Walleyes mid May

When the week started out, we could do no wrong. Fish were caught on basically every one of my proven spots, as long as a light jig and shiner minnow were presented. As the week progressed, the bite windows became shorter and many spots held fish with lock-jaw, so a bit more persistence was required. Having a milk run of good spots and not wasting too much time trying to force feed neutral fish is the key to maximizing your time out there.


Roughly half of the catch so far is bigger slot fish from 20"-25", the other half have been perfect 15"-20" eaters. 

Heavy rain downpours, gale force winds, snow showers and cold fingers are all just part of Minnesota Walleye fishing in May. We can handle it. 


                                  Even one elusive Leech Lake Smallmouth joined the party.


I can't wait to see what week two brings. 
Cheers and hook-sets!

Monday, May 11, 2015

Walleye Opener Morning #2 - Leech Lake Update

With high winds and cold on Sunday morning we didn't do a lot of running around. Having to settle for a closer-in spot, the fishing was a little slower. Two of us toughed it out for four hours. We ended up with some nice ones, and threw quite a few more back. The forecast looks cooler for the next two days and then it should be game on again here in Leechland!


A healthy mix of sizes is out there, most of our Walleyes caught so far have been between 15 and 25 inches.


 I even kept two fillets for myself and enjoyed a crispy Walleye sandwich on a pretzel roll 
with sriracha mayo! 


And Just one more month until Muskie time!
Cheers and hook-sets!

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Walleye Opener 2015 Leech Lake

My group had a good opening morning. We got away from the crowds and found 2/3 slot fish and 1/3 keepers. A jig and shiner was the best presentation by far. The keepers were filleted and packaged by lunch time. I can't wait to get back out there after the crowds thin a bit.






Cheers and hook-sets!