12/20 Ice Report

Everywhere I have checked in Walker bay I have found 5"-9" of ice, but it's a little too variable to be confident, so we are checking as we go. There are a few active cracks, one from First Point over to the city park, and one from Sand Point heading south to about 2nd Point. The bite has been good on the humps in 20-28 f.o.w.

The main lake really varies too. The southeast corner of the lake near Whipholt and Trapper's Landing Lodge probably has the best ice on the lake with a fairly consistent 10"-12". I have noted some thinner ice between Pine Point and Goose Island (3"-5") and off of Stony Point access. I have also heard reports of thinner ice to watch out for between Battle Point and Bear Island. Fishing has been slow for me on the main lake, but we haven't come close to exploring all of our options out there.

Smaller lakes appear to be about where they have been for the past few weeks. Most lakes have 6"-10" but much thinner ice is scattered throughout the region, so extreme caution should be used when venturing out.

Cheers and hook-sets!
Captain Phil Bauerly- Leech Lake
icefishleech.com

Early Ice Action Right Now

2017 Open Water Fishing- Outright Angling

I had hoped to put together a short 2 minute video highlighting the great open water season we had this year, unfortunately, there are just too many great moments to edit down. Here is a 5 minute slide-show featuring just some of the highlights from 2017 open water. 

I would also like to offer a big thank you to all of the guest anglers who fished with me this year, I would love to have you all aboard again sometime in the near future!

Cheers and hook-sets! 

Captain Phil Bauerly- Leech Lake

outrightangling.com

Flyrod Fiddy

I have had some huge fish in my boat, there are so many "fish-of-a-lifetime" in this lake it gives me chills.
This was one of the most rewarding for sure. Congrats to Kramer Jackson of Wyoming on landing a beauty on his fly rod.

Cheers and hook-sets,

Captain Phil Bauerly- Leech Lake

outrightangling.com

Late Summer Leech Lake Muskies on the Prowl

I've been a bit too busy chasing the walleyes, bass and muskies of Leech Lake to post lately. Now that peak season is winding down, I'll hopefully have a chance to catch-up on my blog. 

Here is a sample of some recent muskie catches from my boat.

Paying attention to seasonal patterns has been crucial to my muskie success. Action typically peaks on the "community" rock reefs around pelican island and the south shore in early-to-mid August. This bite doesn't last long these days as an army of bait-throwing muskie fisherman take turns giving these fish an education starting in July. 

Joe's personal best muskie crushed his topwater lure mid-morning. 

Getting follows and getting bites are two very different things by mid-August. I like to get away from traditional spots that hold tentative fish, and look for less-pressured fish. Most of the 250 miles of shoreline on Leech Lake has potential for holding a "hot fish". 

Flashy bucktails, and topwaters like the Lake X Fat Bastard have been great tools for finding the most aggressive fish in the lake, and getting them to bite. 

Mark scored his first muskie shallow, and at mid-morning while the sun was still behind the trees.

We can't always pick our weather, but clouds and a little wind sure help to keep fish shallow and active throughout the day. Only on sunny, calm days will I focus on finding fish in deeper than 6 feet of water. 

 The muskellunge bite should just continue to improve as the leaves change, and the water cools. 

Be sure to check back and look for updated walleye and muskie reports in the near future.

Cheers and hook-sets!

Captain Phil Bauerly- Leech Lake MN

outrightangling.com

Leech Lake Fools Gold - May 2017

We are just 3 weeks into the MN walleye season, and I must say, the bite has exceeded my expectations. Good catches of keeper sized fish, and picture-worthy specimens are coming in each day. Shallow, hungry fish have been taking mostly jig-and-minnow combos.  June should follow suit, with fish likely being a bit more spread-out, and likely falling to more varied presentations. 

 Cheers and hook-sets! 

outrightangling.com

Guide life.

Spawning Muskies- Leech Lake

50" muskie and her boo from today. A little over six weeks to go.

 Enjoy. 

Cheers and hook-sets!

outrightangling.com

2017 Leech Lake Muskellunge Forecast

How did your 2016 season measure up?

2016 was a great year on the muskie front, with solid catches coming in from every corner of Leech Lake. In fact, we saw more multi-fish days last season than any other year in recent memory, some 50+ inchers here-and-there added to the excitement. We found shallow action with big fish from July-November, with a good portion coming on our boat-side maneuvers. 

While I can't guarantee another great shallow bite this year, a healthy population of fish on this famous water will surely make it another great season of muskie action in 2017.

If you're an avid muskie angler just looking to improve on your catch rate, a 'bucket list' beginner, or somewhere in between, i'm confident I can help you dial-in on a big fish pattern in 2017. 

For more info, or to book an excursion visit outrightangling.com

Cheers and hook-sets! 

Captain Phil Bauerly- Leech Lake, MN

Midwinter Rundown - Leech Lake

With a bit of a late start this year, we have quickly made up for it. Ice conditions are very good right now with 14"-20" most places. Snowmobiles are still my conveyance of choice, but truck travel is good in many areas as well. 

The perch bite has been very good, with most of the bigger fish showing up shallow, and way off of the beaten path. Smaller fish are everywhere in Leech lake but finding the bigger specimens is the fun challenge that I really enjoy accepting. 

There is still a very good "happy hour bite" (4-6:00 pm) for walleyes when you can get on some untouched schools of fish.

Chasing perch during mid-day and then switching to walleyes in the evening is a smart way to stay in consistent action. 

It's typical to land a nice bonus burbot or two after the sun sets on our walleye spots.

The crappie action seems to be pretty good, though I will start scouting and fishing for these slabs more in February and March once the walleye bite slows down. 

Contrary to popular belief, larger yellow perch can be quite moody, but persistent anglers who are willing to try a few different techniques can usually fool these colorful favorites. 

Another overlooked bonus fish on Leech Lake is the lake whitefish. Cousins of the tullibee, they are much tastier, and are excellent eaten fresh. It's a real blast seeing these aggressive and curious fish on our electronics chasing a spoon from the bottom to the ice layer, often several times before biting. 

There is a lot more winter left to enjoy so let's get out there!

Cheers and hook-sets!

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