Bowstring Lake Walleye Fishing Guide Jeff Sundin Early Bird Guide Service Favorite Minnesota Fishing Lakes

Bowstring Lake Fishing Overview

     This move is usually associated with the insect hatches that occur over the soft bottom surrounding these mid-lake structures. Fish will remain in these areas throughout the summer until cooler water eventually halts the insect hatches. During this warmer water period, live bait rigs with medium length snells of 4-6 feet in length tipped with lively leeches or night crawlers will produce good catches of Walleye. As the water warms, begin adding spinner blades to your rig to trigger the more active “summer fish”.

     Fishing the weeds in mid summer will produce nice catches of Walleye too and fishing the pockets and open areas near heavier weed cover with live bait rigs is a good starting point. Another good all-around summer Walleye option is the use of slip bobbers.

     Frequently, you’ll find Walleyes using only a tiny portion of a bar or weedbed. Anchoring the boat and concentrating on these “mini spots” using slip bobbers, small jigs or plain hooks and tipped with lively leeches will work great.
     Crappies are present in all areas of Bowstring Lake. Crappie size quality is good and numbers are generally excellent. We’ve found Crappies in shallow water, deep water and on the rocky portions of main lake structures. In the spring spawning season, there are miles of Bulrush flats that support spawning. Fishing the edges of the Bulrushes with a small jig, minnow and bobber combination will produce nice catches, especially during early evening hours.
     During summer, some Crappies will use heavier cover while others move to deep-water structure. Depending on your favorite approach or personal fishing style, you could choose to concentrate on the deeper edges of weed beds, humps with rocky terrain or by moving slowly along the deepest main lake drop off areas looking for schools of suspended fish. Most often a combination of these approaches will help you get zeroed in on some Crappie action.
     Perch are generally of excellent size, but somewhat scattered around the lake. You can find some larger schools of Perch,

but frequently will locate small schools of above average size fish. In spring, Perch will often be mixed with Walleye and you’ll catch them as a bonus during your Walleye trip. As summer progresses, Perch tend to seek out areas richer in Crayfish population. Weed edges and pockets of hard bottom among weeds are good locations as are hard bottom portions of main lake bars and points. It’s not necessary to find heavy rocks, but gravel or mixed sand, rock and weeds are ideal locations.
     Northern Pike are actually too plentiful! Although the average size is small, they are clean and the quality of their flesh is excellent. At peak times, an angler could expect to catch as many as 100 Pike per day and these feisty fish are perfect for youngsters in their early development. Anglers who like to eat fish would be doing the lake a favor by frequently utilizing the supply of these abundant fish. I’d recommend clicking here to see some great tips for care and preparation of the Pike.
     To sum it up, Bowstring is the classic Northern Minnesota fishing lake. Not a lot of water sports, few, if any sandy beaches. There’s a heavy emphasis on fishing, with an abundance of structure and lots of opportunity for action.