The late summer doldrums are finally here. Fishing has slowed down big time. Shore fishing guys are reporting some very slow action. Weeds have gotten very thick along the shore line making it difficult to get your bait in the perfect zone. However you can still get out and fish. I always say the best way to catch fish is to go fishing. Boats are reporting slow bites as well but fish are still being caught. Fish seem to be holding in deeper summer patterns. The best action is around the outside edge of weed beds and along the deeper edges. A few walleyes are being caught near the creek mouth. Small mouth bass are still being caught, the finesse techniques are out fishing many others. Looking forward to some cooler weather coming in the next few weeks, I anticipate with the cooler weather coming fishing will start to pick back up in the early parts of September and beyond.

Fishing has slowed down this week. We have had lots of drastic weather fronts come through in the last week and I think that combined with the busy days on the lake from the heat have turned the fish off. I talked to lots of anglers on Saturday who all reported slow fishing from across the lake. Several fisherman from shore reported fishing was very slow. Lake traffic was very high over the weekend with the warm weather, I noticed jet ski traffic was up big time. I talked to shore fisherman near Sibley landing and they also reported slow fishing. One gentleman down in the tail race had caught a nice musky, he guessed roughly 38″ and very healthy.

Walleyes can still be caught in the channel and channel edges, pulling spinners seems to be the most effective. A great way to cover lots of water and locate pods of fish. We caught a few walleyes snap jigging and also landed a whopper crappie, released to see another day.

Smallmouth are being caught all over, several nice fish came on a top water bite. I caught a lot of very nice small mouth under a slip bobber with a worm. This method seemed to catch quite a few fish, but you never know what would be on the end of your line. Small perch, crappies and bullheads would also grab the bait.

A smallmouth from shore near Ashtabula Crossing.

While it is not a fishing report please take note that there is a kids fishing derby Saturday July 23rd at the city park! Please take a kid fishing!

Mid summer fishing is upon us! With the fourth behind us traffic on the lake has slowed significantly. Traffic was the hardest thing to deal with during the week of the fourth, with the added noise and pleasure boaters on the lake the fishing seemed to really slow down. Focus on the deeper edges now to find fish. Many people are pulling spinners, and having success on many different species. Slip bobbers with a small jig and leech have been productive for the walleyes. I did not make it over to the fishing pier this week to see how things have been from the shore.

Shore Fishing heats up! Water Temperatures are still rising. Shore Fishing has also started to really heat up. This weekend i caught up with several folks around the lake and everyone reported to be catching fish. With 73.1 miles of shore line there is plenty of space to fish from shore! Also don’t forget about the public fishing pier at the 2nd Crossing. I saw many people catching bass from shore, some perch and also a couple walleye. White bass Have been prevalent as well. Moving into the holiday weekend the lake will be very busy. Campgrounds are full and I anticipate traffic on the lake will increase all week. Focus on the early morning fishing before all the pleasure boaters hit the lake.

Fishing has been on fire. Water temp has come up. Casting cranks seems to do the trick, if you can get away from the white bass!

33rd Annual Barnes County Wildlife Walleye Tournament – Results

6/10/2022

Last weekend was a busy time on the lake, the weather was perfect, wind was minimal and temperatures were great! Every launch on the lake was filled with boat trailers. It is great to see people out on the water. While the water is still warming up and running a little cool yet the sun and heat coming this weekend should get the water temp to that 64-65 degree mark quickly. Fishing was very busy with about any type of fish you wanted to catch. Small mouth were plentiful and more than willing to bite, we caught several trophy class fish. Walleyes were also mixed in and we did best in shallow water pitching cranks. White bass haven’t moved into the shallows yet and we were able to mostly avoid them. The upcoming weekend should be a great time to get out on the water and fish!

Shore line fishing is heating up! Many very nice pike are being caught from shore. The water is high but fishing has been very good. Many nice walleyes are also being caught in 2-4 foot of water with a basic jig and a twister tail. Some people are targeting perch with smaller tackle from shore as well, that fishing has been rather slow but sometimes productive. Rain is in the forecast for the next few days and the water levels will more than likely remain high. On the positive side the water is warming up and fishing will continue to get better.

The ice is all off the lake now. Northern Pike have started their spring runs even with all the high water. Find them in shallow back water this time of the year. Bright flashy lures have been performing the best. Numerous large fish have been caught. Walleyes will be moving into the shallows shortly. I suspect with the rain holding off this weekend will be a busy one on the lake.