A few good fish and smiles from the past year or so. 

                                                       We catch quality Smallmouth Bass

                      

Topwater frog fishing has been superb 

A couple of Rainy River Sturgeon from an action packed day in early-May

A few more smallies, they are so much fun! 

A couple of the better walleyes from Leech Lake

                                                 I'm already looking forward to 2023!!!

                                                                Cheers and hook-sets! 
 

Leech Lake Muskie Report- Summer 2021

The Leech Lake muskie bite has been pretty darn good over the past few weeks, with many successful catches and healthy releases. I managed to get a few shots of releases. Much more to come! 

*Note: I have quite a few October muskie dates open yet. Give me a shout if you'd like to chase the biggest fish in Leech Lake. 

Cheers and hook-sets, 

Capt. Phil

Just a Few more Highlights from 2020- Outright Angling Leech Lake

Update: We are still fishing open water at this point, trying to catch the biggest fish in the lake! I'm hoping to update this blog more throughout the late fall and winter, please check back. 

 Cheers and hook-sets, 

Capt. Phil

Pay to Slay- Experience a Leech Lake Muskie Hunt in 2020!

Too soon? No way!

I'm excited to be booking some 2020 muskie trips as of late! (Though some clients do book dates a year in advance.) There's still a lot of great dates open from June-November, there are some peak-period dates still available too. Passing-on seasonal patterns and techniques is my specialty, along with uncovering overlooked structures and patterns specific to Leech Lake. Please give me a shout if you have any questions, or you would like to get on my calendar and experience these amazing fish.

Cheers and hook-sets, 

Capt. Phil Bauerly

outrightangling.com

Late Fall Lunkers- Taking Full Advantage

The weather can be a bit of a crap shoot this time of year. I don't get to book too many guide trips after late October, but I try to pick good weather windows and make every effort to get out. Each mild day we get from here on out is truly a gift and it is THE best time of year to catch quality fish.

 My best Muskie of the year (so far) showed up on a 55 degree November afternoon and I'm pretty sure I had Leech lake to myself. This 53"er had a healthy 25-1/2" girth, a solid 40# fish.

While grinding out a slow Walleye bite a few weeks ago, this 30-1/4 incher made my day. 

 This 21" Leech Lake Bass ate a big swimbait and had many other quality fish with her. 

Cheers and hook-sets!

Casting Shallow and Cashing in- October Walleyes and Muskies

Expansive flats full of yellow perch and crayfish surround Leech Lake, and at times, harbor big Muskies and large schools of feeding Walleyes.

October is a great time to check out those shallow "spring" spots once again as cooling oxygen rich shallows teem with life. 

     Hooking and landing a bruiser Walleye in 5 feet of water can be a real battle on light gear.

                   This 2' Walleye was caught more than a mile from water deeper than 8'.

               It has been awesome weather this fall in Leech Land...surely we will soon pay for this.

                                                             Cheers and hook-sets!

Muskie Shootout = Good Times

I had a blast fishing the 3rd Annual Leech Lake Muskie Shootout with my bro this past weekend. It felt good to get into the money though it's hard to be satisfied after all of the big Muskies we had follow and miss our lures on Sunday. That's Muskie fishing...there is always next year.

Cheers and hook-sets!

Preditor Fish Love Turmoil

When the northwest winds blow in September, I head to shallow wind-blown rock shorelines. Shallow, straight and innocent looking rocky shorelines often go ignored for Muskies and Walleyes but when winds crash in for more than a day or two, it's a great pattern to test out. The "Zone of Turmoil" or "Washing Machine Effect" occurs within the first ten feet or so of shore, this is where baitfish become disoriented and are often preyed upon . Fish often face rock shorelines near the steepest drop and target anything that moves, cornering their prey against these rocky walls.  Casts that are 10 or 20 feet from the shoreline rocks often get ignored while placing your cast within inches of them can provoke sudden attack. Docks and boat lifts can also become prime ambush areas.

These windy rock shorelines can look intimidating to anglers but boat control can be easier than it looks. A seam occurs where the white-capped rollers meet the Zone of Turmoil. Utilizing my Autopilot or Heading Lock functions on my bow mount trolling motor, I can quickly find the correct balance between thrust and heading, propelling me calmly along and usually within a short to medium cast of the rocks.

Cheers and hook-sets!

Great fishing yet to come-Leech Lake

With great angling going into mid November the past few seasons, we are just past the half way point now with a lot of great open water fishing yet to come on Leech Lake. This season has already been one for the books as far as Walleyes go, for limits and big fish. The consistent bite has made experimenting with various lures and techniques a real blast. Walleye beat-downs have come on everything from leeches to Chubby Darters to large 6" minnowbaits and swimbaits. Slab panfish are here for the taking if you can find them and the Muskies are moving now too.

Here are some pics from the past two weeks...

Consider booking a fall Muskellunge hunt now.

Cheers and hook-sets!