October 17, 2025 "Anglers Head North For MEA Weekend"

I wouldn’t call it a mass influx of traffic, but there are a number of folks heading toward north central Minnesota lakes this weekend. Some are taking advantage of schools closed for MEA, Minnesota’s last school holiday that occurs during the open water fishing season. Others are just trying to squeeze in a final weekend of fishing before wrapping it up for the year.

The weather forecast favors a good fishing weekend, daytime highs in the mid-50s, winds varying, but within manageable range and not much predicted rainfall. Water temperatures on most of the shallow water lakes in my region have dipped into the low 50s. Deeper water lakes hold on to their warmth longer, and some of them still have water temperatures in the 56 to 58 degrees range. The variations in temperatures explain, to a certain extent, the differing fishing patterns from one lake to another.

Walleyes, now feeding primarily on ..." Read Report >> October 17, 2025 "Anglers Head North For MEA Weekend"

October 16, 2025 "Experimental Sand Lake Walleye Regulation Under Review"

Grand Rapids area fisheries staff are recording positive results for Sand Lake walleye populations stemming from experimental regulation. The experimental regulation, established in 2016, placed a protected 17-to-26-inch slot on walleyes in Sand Lake.

For almost 10 years, anglers have been required to release all walleyes between 17 and 26 inches. Now, with the 10-year experimental regulation period set to expire, the question is whether to extend the current regulation, drop it entirely, or modify it, and start a new 10-year experiment.

At a public meeting held last night at the Squaw Lake Community Center, area fisheries supervisor Brett Nelson and assistant area fisheries supervisor Doyle Haas fielded questions and offered guidance about the options. In layman’s terms, the goals of any fishing regulation are to ..." Read Report and Learn More >> October 16, 2025 "Experimental Sand Lake Walleye Regulation Under Review"

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism, October 15, 2025

"Good numbers of walleyes are still being caught, and in numerous locations across the south shore of Lake of the Woods. More "fall-like" weather is starting to slowly bring the lake temps down which is a benefit to walleye anglers.

The current water temp on the lake is 55 degrees. Expect walleyes of all different sizes, saugers, jumbo perch and an occasional crappie or pike in the mix.

The best bite this week is in 17 to 27 feet of water. Vertical jigging with a frozen emerald shiner is definitely the goto presentation, however, some anglers are still trolling crankbaits with good success. Hot jig colors this week were gold or ..." Read Report >> Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism, October 15, 2025

News Release October 14, 2025 "News release: Minnesota DNR seeks public input on walleye slot limits on Sand Lake"

October 13, 2025: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reviewing the current protected slot limit for walleye on Sand Lake, near Squaw Lake. This regulation may be extended, dropped or modified. Public input will be important to informing this decision.

The DNR will be hosting a public meeting to discuss the slot limit and take public comments, from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Squaw Lake Community Center, in Squaw Lake.

Comments may also be submitted by ..." Read Full Report >> October 14, 2025 "News release: Minnesota DNR seeks public input on walleye slot limits on Sand Lake"

Wired2Fish "Passing It On: Why I Fish, and Why It Matters More Than Ever"

"Fishing is more than just a pastime; it’s its own world, its own culture. For those of us who live it, there’s truly nothing like it. Every angler has their own reasons for spending hours in pursuit of something they can’t see; the time spent on the water means something different to each of us.

As fall settles in and another season winds down, I find myself reflecting because, with each passing year, my reasons for fishing change. What started as a competitive drive has evolved into something deeper. Today, fishing is my escape. It’s my way of staying grounded.

The Pull of Competition: When I first got serious about fishing, it was all about competition. I’d grown up fishing from the bank or from an old boat, but tournament fishing pulled me in with the challenge to ..." Read Full Article and Learn More >> Passing It On: Why I Fish, and Why It Matters More Than Ever

October 13, 2025 "Walleyes For He, But Not For Me"

"Expecting an excessive anount of wind, I offered my Sunday charter customers an opportunity to bail out. They are tougher than most though, and opted to “go for it”, rather than cancelling. They hoped that we’d figure out a relatively quiet place to catch some fish, walleyes if we were lucky. At our morning confab, we talked about Lake Winnibigoshish, but ruled it out because of the forecast, 40 MPH wind gusts. That decision would come back to haunt me later, but I didn’t know that at the time.

After mulling over some options, I decided to launch the boat on the south end of Round Lake, near Max Minnesota. I was certain that I’d entertain the boys by catching northern pike. I hoped that a handful of walleyes, perch or maybe some crappies would be brought topside along the way. At the landing, conditions were better than I expected. The surface water was calm; the temperature was 59 degrees and ..." Read Full Report >> October 13, 2025 "Walleyes For He, But Not For Me" Sand Lake

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October 12, 2025 A Shallow "Garden Variety" Crappie Fishing Report

It’s mid-October, surface water temperatures are in the high 50s, or low 60s. If we want to fish for panfish and crappies, we need to go deep, right? The only place to find them is hovering over deep water, mid-lake basins, correct? The best answer to both questions is “not necessarily”.

Anglers who fish for crappies in the fall may point to individual examples of a lake where deep water is the only game in town.  Maybe it’s their favorite lake, or perhaps one that someone asks them specifically to fish. On those lakes, no matter how diligently they search, crappies cannot be found in shallow water. If that’s the case, okay, the premise is accepted, fish where you must, and catch the number of fish you plan to harvest and then move on. But understand, harvesting your legal limit is fine, it's just that catch and release fishing is not a viable option on these lakes; it’s just not.

You may be saying “Jeff, catching crappies is fun and I want to catch and release as many as possible. I don’t even want to ..." Learn More >> October 12, 2025 A Shallow "Garden Variety" Crappie Fishing Report

October 11, 2025 "Lake Winnie Fishing Report"

Lake Winnie was good to most anglers fishing there on Friday. I know several guides, along with friends who were visiting, that were on the lake. Walleye limits came easily, and they came from several regions around the lake. The west shoreline, north shoreline, Stony Point, Raven’s Point and Tamarack Bay were mentioned specifically. My guess is that other areas were productive too but not visited by folks that I know.

Surface water temperatures ranged between 57 and 59 degrees. I did see one 60 degrees reading, but that was an outlier. Averaging at about 58 degrees, this temperature range is as good as it gets, in my opinion. Now the question is, how long will the “peak” of fall walleye action continue?

Key fishing depths around the lake varied by spot, and we caught walleyes in ..." Read Full Report >> October 11, 2025 "Lake Winnie Fishing Report"

October 8, 2025 "Lake Winnibigoshish Free Range, Grass Fed, Walleye, Perch and Pike"

After getting our butts handed to us by the windstorm last Sunday, Tuesday’s frosty morning air felt better. Even if I couldn’t feel my fingers tying the jig on my line, at least I could stand up without having my whiskers blown off.

Cruising along Winnie’s western shoreline to our starting spot, I watched my graph to observe the surface temperature. Averaging 61 degrees, I was hoping that the water was still warm enough for the fish to be active. Hoping too that the light chop on the surface would be enough to offset the bright sunshine, I stopped at the first spot that offered a good drift. A shallow, 5-to-7-foot breakline, adjacent to a large flat that has mixed patches of wild celery, clasping leaf pondweed and other vegetation. I set up drift, using 1/8 ounce jigs and fatheads, and focused on the deeper, 7-foot portion of the breakline.

The boat was quiet, neither I nor Ken had much to say. I think we were both ..." Read Full Report >> October 8, 2025 "Lake Winnibigoshish Free Range, Grass Fed, Walleye, Perch and Pike"

October 7, 2025 "Settling the Settle-Able: Post Cold Front Panfish"

In the aftermath of Sunday’s blast of cold air rushing into north central Minnesota, I observed panfish moving, but not far away from their summertime habitats. Early fall locations that were void of fish last week, were now filled with fish, albeit less active than I’d have liked.

The moderate, 1000-acre lake we visited is known as a mixed species lake. There are decent numbers of walleye, bass, crappies and sunfish. When we arrived at the landing, I was surprised by the warm surface water. The temperature, 65 degrees, was a contrast from the mid-40-degree air and felt warm to the touch. It made me hopeful that fish would remain active, despite the sharp dip in overnight air temperatures. There was still a stiff wind from the west, and I hoped that the “walleye chop” on the water would be helpful as well.

My crew, like most of my customers, hoped to catch some walleyes, and we ..." Read >> October 7, 2025 "Settling the Settle-Able: Post Cold Front Panfish"

October 6, 2025 "Turning the Turn-Able"

Turnover in natural lakes, an often misunderstood occurrence is in the news, again.

You know that the “teasers” I post on Facebook are not full reports right? What they are, are reminders that a new report has been posted to either fishrapper.com or jeffsundin.com. Typically, there’s a paragraph or two aimed at giving readers an idea of the information contained in the full article. At the end of the “teaser”, there’s a link that leads readers to the full report.

Okay, so when a reader follows the link, and then reads the full report, they find more links, ones that allow them to contact me directly via email, texts and the like, with their comments. I love it when folks take advantage of those, comments, questions, advisories, whatever, I love them all. So, I think you can understand what I’m hoping will happen.

The problem with using so-called social media is that all too often, folks don't read the ..." Full Report >> October 6, 2025 Turning the Turn-Able

October 5, 2025 "Chilling the Chill-Able"

The recent dialogue, focused on unusually warm weather, and non-typical fishing patterns is about to change. A cooling trend is on the way, and despite the image of this calm, morning fog near Max Minnesota, it’s gonna be a turbulent day on the lake. Today’s forecast calls for strong winds, gusting up to 40 MPH, driven by cold air. Tomorrow’s overnight low is projected to be 30 degrees lower than today’s 71 degree reading.

The full impact on surface water temperatures remains to be seen but impacted they will be. Currently, 64 to 69 degrees is a fair estimate of what you’d find this morning on north central Minnesota lakes. My guess is that within the week, we’ll see readings fall into the high 50s on shallow water lakes, and low 60s on deeper ones, more capable of retaining warmth.

Despite warm weather, we’ve already seen some fish transitioning into fall feeding patterns. So, the real impact on fishing patterns will be more dramatic on some lakes than it will on others. Deeper water lakes with vegetation like cabbage, coontail and eelgrass that hold baitfish now, may undergo a robust transition as cooling water forces minnows and baitfish toward the ..." Read Full Report >> October 5, 2025 "Chilling the Chill-Able"

Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnibigoshish Fishing Report October 3, 2025

"It’s not easy talking about the end of our fishing season when the weather is warm, sunny and anything but fall-like. Still, the calendar tells us that it’s time to begin the wind down in preparation for winter. As we issue this final report of the fishing season, we want to be sure that you know how much we appreciate you for taking time to check in with us, thank you!

Over the past week, water temperatures have remained stable, locked into the middle of the 60-degree range. We see 65-to-66-degree readings at almost every stop on Big Winnie and in the Cutfoot Sioux chain, slightly warmer, reaching 68 to 69 degrees in calm, protected areas. Despite mostly sunny conditions, algae blooms are minimal, and in most regions, water clarity is on the rise. Secchi disk readings of 8 to 12 feet are common, but slightly dingier water can be found in shallow back bays and flowages.

Walleyes, perch and pike activity has generally increased, and at times fishing can be quite good. There are times though, like calm and sunny periods when fish activity can be slow. Even then, there is always someplace on the lake where fish ..." Read >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report October 3, 2025

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report October 1, 2025

"Walleye - Summer like temperatures have walleyes moving up shallower than normal for this time of the year. 8 to 12 feet of water has been where anglers were finding lots of walleyes this last week.

With water temps still reaching into the 70s, crawlers have been holding on but crankbaits, paddle tails, jig/minnow or jig/crawler have all been catching walleyes. Anglers have been finding walleyes out on sunken islands, main lake points and weedlines this last week. Wind has been the key to success here. Windy shorelines or the windy side of the structure has been best. Hot colors remain perch, gold and firetiger

Wired2Fish "Live Bait Fishing for Perch"

"They’re older, wiser and very selective. But they’re also incredibly tasty and respectably sporty light tackle targets.

That’s why Brian “Bro” Brosdahl doesn’t mind putting in the time to track down the jumbo yellow perch that often require more than the usual treatment. Plenty of perch fall for jigs and other artificials, but when dealing with the pickiest of perch, the Minnesota guide knows that nothing fools ‘em faster than the real thing.

“I always bring live bait, because even on big water, the bigger fish have had a lot of baits dropped on them,” Brosdahl said. “They come up on those flats and they ..." Read Full Story to Learn More >> Live Bait Fishing For Perch with Brian (Bro) Brosdahl

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism, October 1, 2025

"Walleyes continue to congregate along the south shore of Lake of the Woods. Despite unseasonably warm weather, anglers are putting good numbers of fish in the boat.

The best bite has slid slightly deeper this week to 22 to 30 feet. Vertical jigging with a frozen emerald shiner remains the top producer. Hot jig colors have been green, gold, orange, chartreuse, and glow white; on certain days, pink or plain gold still shine.

Schools of walleyes are located across traditional stretches, Pine Island, Lighthouse Gap, Morris Point, Zippel Bay, Long Point, and Twin Islands, with bonus jumbo perch mixed in.

While jigging is the go-to, some anglers continue to ..." Read Full Report >> Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism, October 1, 2025

September 30, 2025 "Defrosting Fall Fishing Patterns"

The average first frost date in the Grand Rapids region, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac is September 18th. Back around September 12th, we recorded an overnight low of 37 degrees, but to my knowledge, we have not yet experienced a first, frosty 32 degree reading. So, unless you know something I don’t, this, I believe, will be the first frostless September in my 40 years living in Itasca County.

With unseasonably warm temperatures, and unseasonably calm seas, fishing patterns we encountered on Monday were akin to July, more so than September. Fish of all species were holding tight to the weeds, and fast-moving presentations produced a classic mid-summer-like mixed bag. We caught sunfish, perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappies and walleyes all in the same spots, at the ..." Read >> September 30, 2025 "Defrosting Fall Fishing Patterns"

September 26, 2025 "A Sunny Sunfish Ending For The Reynolds"

Yesterday, I speculated that the Reynolds’, Karen and Kyle, might conclude their 4-day fishing trip by catching some sunfish. As it happens, that is what happened, and with a special guest, The Hippie Chick along for the ride.

The lake, at about 900 acres is known more as a crappie destination than it is sunfish, but there are enough of them to make the search worthwhile. When we arrived, the surface water temperature of the moderately stained water was 67 degrees. With a stiff breeze blowing, that temperature held steady throughout the entire day.

During mid-summer, I write a lot about searching for sunfish using spinners, tipped with leeches, night crawlers and the like. For me, warmer water is preferred, with the best spinner fishing often occurring at 74, 75 or even warmer surface temps. For that reason, I chose to ..." Read Full Report >> September 26, 2025 A Sunny Sunfish Ending For the Reynolds'

Wired2Fish "How to Choose the Right Hooks for Soft Plastics"

"Selecting the right hook can make or break your presentation. In this REEL Quick Tip, professional angler Ott DeFoe explains how to match hook styles with soft plastic baits for maximum effectiveness. By keeping things simple and focused, DeFoe shares proven ways to rig worms, craws, and creature baits using the right balance of strength and finesse.

For slender soft plastics, DeFoe always prefers a round bend worm hook. He explains that a wide gap hook is unnecessary for these narrow profiles. Instead, the round bend design offers consistent hook penetration and dependable performance. Depending on the cover and line choice, he will ..." View Video to Learn More >> How to Choose the Right Hooks for Soft Plastics

September 25, 2025 "Blooming Water = Better Fishing!"

My calendar says that it’s September 25, 2025, and for a time, the fish agreed with that. But the current warm and sunny weather trend has forced a reversal. On Wednesday, I wrote about my suspicion that previously preferred fall fishing patterns were reverting to late summer ones; yesterday’s trip offers a little proof.

I’d offered reports about discovering and catching crappies in deep, open water cover on several lakes last week. In recent days, I could see the schools of fish thinning out and disappearing from typical fall locations. Yesterday, I wrote about discovering them in shallow, 5 to 7 foot deep, weeds on Tuesday. I’d reported too that likewise, Winnibigoshish walleyes found on mid-lake bars last week, had disappeared too. Fish that we found there on Monday, were in weedy cover, and only in weedy cover.

With another sunny, calm day forecast for Wednesday, I decided to get rid of the idea that this is fall and operate with the idea that it is mid-summer instead. The shallow western Itasca area lake I selected is known for having heavy algae blooms, lots of weed cover and a mix of pike, walleye, perch and crappies. With a crew that fishes for 4 days, and likes harvesting any, or all of those species, it was the perfect time to ..." Read Full Report >> September 25, 2025 "Blooming Water = Better Fishing!"

September 24, 2025 "Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder"

I learned a new term on Tuesday, “Driving Iron”. My customers, Dave and Kim, with a K, tell me that it means to set the hook with authority. They say that their friends, who love to fish for musky, use it to describe the power required to drive large hooks into the bony jaws of monster-size fish.

I like the term, and I wouldn’t mind doing it myself, but I’m gonna have to wait for a better day than the one we enjoyed yesterday. While we may have had “Driving Iron” in mind, the fish had different ideas, something more aligned with the term “Nap Time”.

Catching fish wasn’t impossible, it was just ..." Read >> September 24, 2025 "Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder"

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 24, 2025

"Walleye - Another week of nice stable weather has the fall walleye bite rolling right along. Lots of anglers were reporting that they were finding active walleyes in 12 to 15 feet of water, right on the drop offs of sunken islands.

Again 4 to 6 minnows, tipped on a 1/4 ounce jig or fished on a lindy rig was the ticket to success. Strong trolling bite also continues for many anglers. Here anglers are fishing deep flats from 15 to 20 feet of water with perch colored crankbaits. Anglers trolling continue to catch good numbers of walleyes, but they often tend to be on the smaller side. Hot colors last week were perch, firetiger and gold.

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism September 24, 2025

"Walleye action has been excellent along the south shore of Lake of the Woods. The fall bite is setting up nicely, with fish spread out across a variety of locations. Jumbo perch remains a nice bonus, adding variety to the bucket alongside limits of walleyes and saugers.

Anglers are targeting traditional spots like Pine Island, Morris Point, Zippel Bay, and Long Point, but schools are showing up in other nearshore areas as well. Most folks are finding walleyes in 17 to 27 feet of water.

Vertical jigging with a frozen emerald shiner continues to be the top producer, with anglers reporting strong numbers of both walleyes and saugers. Jig colors making a big difference this week included ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report September 24, 2025

September 22, 2025 "Suspending the Suspend-Able"

As a rule, I look for crappies in the fall at the confluence of shallow flats, deep water, and steep breaklines. First, I look for areas where a steep inside corner meets the shoreline. If they’re not there, I check the weeds to rule out that crappies haven’t moved out yet. If they’re not there, I look for fish on deeper water flats that are spread horizontally, usually along the bottom. From mid-September on, whether they bite or not, one of those 3 locations almost always leads me to the fish.

This year, I’ve learned to add one more trick to the rules for finding early fall crappies. Suspended just below the surface, spread out horizontally, and over the deepest, mid-lake flats, but not over the deepest portions of mid-lake basins. Got it, simple, right?

The presentation for catching the crappies you see pictured here, along with others that my customers have caught in recent days were caught using ..." Read Full Report >> September 22, 2025 Suspending the Suspend-Able

September 21, 2025 "Slow Tapering Into Fall Fishing"

Surface water temperatures rebounded from the lows that occurred after last week’s cold front. A few days of sunny, warm and calm weather brought them back into the 64-to-65-degree range over the lake’s I’ve visited. For me, the longer water temperatures remain in this range, the happier I’ll be.

Why, you’re asking, wouldn’t you rather see the temperatures drop a little more to ensure that the fall bite ramps up even more?

The answer is no, while cooler temperatures “may” help whip the fish into a more intense feeding spurt, the tradeoff would be clearer water, and greater dependency on ideal weather conditions, especially for walleye fishing. Provided that clear water lakes remain stained, brought about by algae blooms, anglers who fish using traditional methods have a better chance of getting in on the ..." Read Full Report >> September 21, 2025 Slow Tapering Into Fall Fishing

Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnibigoshish Fishing Report September 19, 2025

"This week, summer-like weather returned, water temperatures rebounded into the upper 60s. Under sunny skies and warm temperatures, algae blooms held up and water, while clearing, remains moderately stained. So, in most regions of the lakes, the schools of migrating fish remained in place, and can be found on all 4 sides of the lake.

At the same time, travel conditions on Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux have been favorable. We can’t say that the action has been fast, but on most days, folks who search for active fish have been able to capitalize on an uptick in feeding activity; particularly improved has been perch action. Perch locations vary, but there are 2 main strategies for finding the best spots.

First, shallow patches of wild celery, known also as eelgrass are a preferred habitat for perch. Key water depths range from 2 to 6 feet and most common locations are in the outer flowages, and back bays. Explore the vegetation by either drifting or slowly trolling while fishing with jig and minnow combinations. Once encountered, anchoring, or “spot-locking” works well because the tightly formed schools of fish seldom move away from this type of cover.

Second, flats that feature low-lying grasses also hold good numbers of perch, mixed with walleyes and pike. Keye depths vary but generally range from 6 to 12 feet deep. On the screen of your graph, the vegetation appears to ..." Read >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report September 19, 2025

Wired2Fish "Bass Tactics for Walleyes"

"The drive took five hours, all spent traveling straight north from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The final 60 minutes were a slow slog along a bumpy and dusty dirt road. When I finally opened the truck door, 187 square miles of water spread out in front of me. This lifelong bass angler with more than two decades of tournament experience was in unfamiliar territory.

Cabonga Reservoir, with shorelines that stretch 2,800 miles around bays, creeks and main lake, is deep within Quebec’s Le Verendrye Wildlife Reserve. It’s home to two outfitters offering accommodations and three main species of fish. Lake trout and Northern pike are plentiful. But its walleye receive the most attention, and that’s what I traveled all those kilometers to catch. Now I had to figure out how to fish for walleye on this body of water.

When it comes down to it, bass and walleye aren’t much different. They cohabitate many of the same waters, often swimming around the ..." View Video to Learn More >> Bass Tactics for Walleyes

Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report September 17, 2025

"Walleye - Stable weather has the walleyes back on the fall feeding binge. Big minnows in the 4 to 6 inch size range have been getting the vast majority of bites now from both small and large walleyes, right up to the trophies. 3/8 ounce jigs have been very popular as anglers are finding walleyes in 20 to 30 feet of water now.

Anglers are reporting that walleyes can be on the sharp breaks that drop into 30 feet of water or are located near the base of these sharp breaks. Good reports from anglers who ..." Read >> Ely Minnesota Area Fishing Report September 17, 2025

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism September 17, 2025

"On the south end of Lake of the Woods, walleyes are setting up in good numbers, relating tp water depths of 22 to 27 feet of water. Reports coming from anglers indicate that the bite is excellent as we move deeper into fall.

Water temperatures remain in the low 60s, and fish are starting to slide into a variety of locations adjacent to the south shore. As the days shorten and the waters cool further, expect shoreline activity to steadily increase. Anglers are already reporting limits of both walleyes and saugers, along with some jumbo perch showing up in the mix as well.

Vertical jigging with a frozen emerald shiner has been the most popular and productive technique, but anglers are also having success with ..." Read Full Report >> Lake of the Woods Walleye Fishing September 17, 2025

September 16, 2025 "One Windy, Wavy, Wobbly Walleye Report"

"There’s more than one way to do almost everything, especially when it comes to catching a walleye. Bugs Benton, Dana Cooke and I did our best to prove that in as many ways possible this Monday (9-15-2025).

There was a strong south wind predicted for the Bena MN area, so we planned to start our trip at the south end of the lake. As we rolled out onto the water, the surface water temperature was 64 degrees, and would rise throughout the day. Thanks to a full day of sunny, warm weather, I was seeing readings as high as 66.5 by late afternoon.

In the morning, the breeze was steady, but not overwhelming so fishing on Big Musky Bar was “do-able”. Using the drift sock and backing into the waves allowed us to slip along the breakline in 16 to 20 feet of water. At speeds of .5 to .7 mph, 2 of us were able to ..." Read >> One Windy, Wavy Wobbly Walleye Report September 16, 2025

September 14, 2025 "Humiliating the Humiliate-Able"

It seems like a person, to have humility, would have to have been humiliated first, right? Humiliation comes in a variety of forms, and is the process, I think, that produces soft spoken, humble and sincere people. I, Cub Reporter, Staff #003-IHBFBB, consider myself to be one, a humble person I mean. But it’s been a while since I’ve offered you a good “humility update”, since the report of October 7, 2022, I think. So, I guess it’s high time for a refresher course on the subject; here’s how my latest dosage of humiliation came about.

Saturday, the wrap-up of my 2025 “Fun with Dick and Paul” fall session started off innocently. We could only legally harvest a couple of walleyes, so that was not the priority. We didn’t have their full limit of crappies, but we didn’t need many of those either. Perch were a long way from filling their larder, but they love catching them, so we ..." Read >> September 14, 2025 "Humiliating the Humiliate-Able"

September 12, 2025 "Fun with Dick, Paul and Winnie Walleye!"

I was drifting off to sleep when the Hippie Chick asked, “was it windy out there today?” “Yes, it was blowing pretty good,” I said. “Did it rain at all?” she followed up. “Nope, no rain, but it was foggy and cloudy, sort of damp,” I replied. “It must have been cold out there?” she queried. “Yup, it was perfect, I hope the weather is just like it again tomorrow. Night sweetie,” I concluded.

Ironically, I’d had a similar exchange with Paul earlier yesterday. I was talking about how beautiful the weather was, how the clouds and wind and whitecaps were making me happy. “You realize how backwards and odd that sounds, right? Paul asked.

Yeah, I know, it’s not the weather that most folks appreciate, they’d prefer sunshine and calm seas. If you love to catch walleyes though, pulling up your hood and bracing against the waves with a bent fishing rod in your hand just feels so good! I wish the weather would ..." Read Full Report >> Fun with Dick and Paul September 12, 2025

September 11, 2025 "Fun (In The Sun) With Dick & Paul, Fall 2025 Day 2" Crappies move, Sunfish Don’t, Perch and Walleyes Hunker Down.

Day 2 of Fun (In the Sun) With Dick and Paul featured warm sunshine and calm water. As I headed across Hwy 2, my brain was telling me not to try fishing for perch and walleye today. My heart was telling me that I might get lucky, especially if fish that I found in the weeds last week were still in the same locations and were willing to bite.

An optimist by nature, I imagined that crappies, another species that I’d found in the same locations last week might still be there too. So, I listened to my heart and headed toward that lake again, but not without a Plan B.

When we arrived, the surface temperature was 64 degrees, and the lake was calm as glass. Looking into the water, we could see every blade of grass in the formerly stained, but now clear, Zebra Mussel infested water. Now concerned, but still optimistic, my thoughts turned to the shady cover and how all of those dense weeds would ..." Read Full Report >> Fun (In The Sun) With Dick and Paul September 11, 2025

September 10, 2025 "Reporting the Report-Able"

"The weather began stabilizing on Monday, in the wake of the recent cold front. Winds moderated, blowing at about 5 to 10 MPH throughout the day, but cloudy weather persisted. Surface water temperatures stopped going down, settling in at about 60 to 61 degrees. In my opinion, the fishing trip on Lake Winnie should have been excellent that day. Instead, I’ll call it “okay” for walleye, but “good” for perch.

Perch always respond well to overcast weather, and Monday was no exception. Most everywhere I fished with my crew, Kevin Corwell and Keith Carpernter, pictured, we caught numbers of them. Some were better than others, with lots of fish in the 6-to-9-inch range hitting both jigs and minnows, and spinners tipped with live minnows. Occasionally, one of the perch would be larger, entering the 11-to-12-inch category and by days end, we’d added about a dozen “keepers” to our larder.

Walleyes were biting, and ..." Read >> Lake Winnie Fishng Update September 10, 2025

Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism September 10, 2025

"Surface water temperatures are starting to drop into the low 60s on the south end of Lake of the Woods. The wave buoys located on Big Traverse Bay are now showing temperatures in the 61 to 63 degrees. This cooling trend combined with shorter days signals the transition period for walleyes, and anglers are finding fish in a variety of places.

Some walleyes are still holding over the deep mud, but as waters cool, more fish are pushing toward the shorelines. So other schools of walleyes are showing up adjacent to shorelines and on the edges of submerged reefs. This seasonal movement will only increase as the fall progresses.

Three primary methods of fishing dominate on L.O.W. and ..." Read >> Lake of the Woods Fishing Report Septmber 10, 2025

Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnibigoshish Fishing Report September 7, 2025

"Walleye fishing, prior to this cold front was better than it had been during the weeks previous. As you’d expect, the action was best on cloudy, breezy days. But even during calm weather, our guests were picking up fish, albeit at a slower rate. The trend, typical of Winnie’s late summer, early fall period was encouraging because it is an early indicator of the start of our “fall walleye bite”. Once folks begin catching some fish on the so-called “off days”, we can count on great fishing when conditions turn favorable.

Walleye fishing on the lake this weekend provided more clues that an uptick in walleye activity has been triggered by the falling temperatures. Evident too, was a trend toward one of the classic fall fishing patterns, jigs and minnows. According to one of the local guides, jig and minnow presentations were far better on Saturday than were trolling spinners, his previously accepted best presentation for walleyes. “Just to be sure, we switched back to using spinners in an area where the fish were hitting. On a block long trolling pass, no fish were caught. As soon as we stopped, and resumed jigging, the action picked right back up again,” he commented.

The habitat, revealed in this screenshot, shows fish of all shapes and sizes that were located near ..." Read Full Report >> Bowen Lodge Lake Winnie Fishing Report September 7, 2025

Wired2Fish "How Playing Mario and Zelda Made Me a Better Fisherman"

"Fishing is a unique and interesting activity. There is literally no wrong way to do it. After all the tutorials, seminars, shows, workshops, training sessions and attempts to break fishing down analytically and scientifically, I’ve seen the wildest ideas work to fool fish into taking an artificial lure. Does how you hook your plastic worm matter when it comes to coaxing a bite from a largemouth bass? Sometimes. Other times, when fish are fired up, or if little to no fishing pressure exists, few things seem to matter other than having a hook tied on.

I’ve come a long way from tying my hooks with triple overhand knots. I’ve learned how to tie a Bimini twist to an Albright, and connect my braided line to a leader with technical knots like the FG. Learning along the way has been a journey. Early on in that learning curve I embraced the pursuit of knowledge. I embraced having a mind of my own and finding creative solutions to ..." Read Full Story to Learn More >> How Playing Mario and Zelda Made Me a Better Fisherman

September 6, 2025 "A Tempestuous Day on the Lake"

Tempestuously, that’s the description of how the winds blew this Friday. Whitecaps, flowing into the gap between Cutfoot Sioux and Lake Winnie stopped us in our tracks, forcing us to backtrack, and look for fish anywhere we could locate calm spots. Even in calmer areas, whenever I figured out a way to deal with the strong-but-steady northwest wind flow, an outburst of even stronger, nastier wind would hit us, blasting my boat backwards.

Surface water temperatures over most of Cutfoot Sioux, driven down by the cold winds, settled in at about 63-to-64 degrees. Later, on Little Cutfoot, we found a somewhat warmer 65 degree reading, which turned out to be the highest for the day.

Readings on the screen of my graph indicated that fish were widely scattered both vertically and horizontally throughout the water column. Most activity consisted of small packs of suspended fish holding at ..." Read Full Fishing Report >> September 6, 2025 A Tempestuous Day on the Lake

September 5, 2025 "Polar Plunge Into Fall Walleye Fishing"

If you are ready for a shakeup, then this news should make you happy. A head on collision between summer and fall is happening right now and will culminate today with a cold northwest wind gusting to 30 MPH. Water temperatures had already fallen from the mid-70s into the upper-60s and are likely to have dropped even more than that early this morning. So, today’s report is a short one.

When this means to me, it is that any recent fishing report, delivered by anyone, including me, is now obsolete. Whatever happened earlier this week, or even yesterday, should be reviewed only as a historical account. Tomorrow, the flow of information will begin anew. Then we can start making plans for the fishing patterns that will emerge in the aftermath of this cold front.

For lack of a better term, I’ll call the expected uptick a ..." Read Full Report >> September 5, 2025 Polar Plunge Into Fall Walleye Fishing

June 23, 2025 "Can You Talk Yourself Into Winning?"

The past week hasn’t been an easy one, stormy weather, heat, calm seas, sunny conditions; all the things that keep guys like me awake at night.

In this line of work, tough conditions are part of the game and meager catches, occasionally, are a foregone conclusion. Even on tough days though, I understand that failing is not an option, and my task is to figure out a way to help my customers catch something. So, on days when odds are stacked against catching fish, it’s on me to be the “cheerleading section” that keeps the crew’s heads in the game and moving toward that goal. Sometimes the job is easy, other times, it can be more complicated.

Long-time readers of these reports recall stories about the powers of positive thinking. Terms I’ve used like “The Snyder Effect”, “Rainbow Fish Meditation” and ‘Willing Fish to Bite” come up in articles periodically. The concept culminated in a presentation that I ..." read >> Sundin Walleye Fishing Report June 23, 2025

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May 2, 2025 "Minnesota Walleye: Is Limiting the Limit-Able, Needed and Reasonable?"

Early Monday morning, I shared the results of that poll aimed at gauging expectations among those supporters of that proposal. If you haven’t read the results yet, you can find the full story here >> Reader Poll Invitation April 22, 2025 "Walleye Limit Reduction: Supporters Poll"

At the time I offered the poll, I asked for input from scientists, biologists and fisheries manager who support the rule change. My hope was to provide you with some “scientific evidence” that dropping the walleye limit would produce the desired results. While the response to my reader poll offer was good, the offer to provide a platform to “pro rule change” scientists fell on deaf ears. The response to that plea for information was zero, 0%.

On the other hand, there was plenty of response from scientists who Do Not favor the rule change. Some of those researchers plan to ..." Read Full Story >> Minnesota Walleye: Is Limiting the Limit-Able, Needed and Reasonable?

Wired2Fish 2025 "Power Fishing Walleyes With Moving Baits on Big Water"

"Pro bass angler and multi-species guide, Adam Rasmussen, heads out on sprawling Green Bay to target scatted spring walleyes using moving baits. Top spring walleye baits such as jerkbaits and paddle tail swimbaits allow you to cover water fast and trigger aggressive reaction bites.

Fishing Post-spawn Walleye In Cold Water: Following the spawn, walleyes often hang around warmer, shallow waters to recuperate and feed.

Rasmussen targets 6- to 8 feet of water, where the fish are most active. Despite the cold temperatures, these fish still respond aggressively to reaction baits like jerkbaits, blade baits, and paddle-tails. Rasmussen explains how aggressive presentations used in conjunction with fish finder tech such as ..." View Video and Learn More >> Power Fishing Walleyes With Moving Baits on Big Water

May 1, 2025 "Reader Poll Gauges Support For MN DNR Walleye Limit Reduction Plan"

Over the past week, supporters of the MN DNR proposal to reduce Minnesota’s walleye possession provided their input. The sample size is not huge, but it is meaningful because readers who wanted to participate in the survey were required to jump through a few hoops to opine.

Unlike most click and submit surveys, participants were required to request the poll via email, complete the survey and then return their answers, again via email. The reader participation poll, while not a scientific one, does qualify as an above-average effort to gather meaningful insight into why supporters of the rule change believe that it will help. The response, I believe, exceeded my expectations. Most participants provided well-reasoned and thoughtful comments.

Responding to question 1, “Assuming that if a proposed statewide limit reduction from 6 walleye, down to 4 walleyes in possession passes, do you anticipate an improvement to the quality of walleye fishing in Minnesota?” As the chart, "Angler Expects Improved Walleye Fishing" upper left shows, 57% of the respondents said ..." Read Full Story >> May 1, 2025 "Reader Poll Gauges Support For MN DNR Walleye Limit Reduction Plan"

April 2, 2025 "Minnesota Minnow Farms Growing The Grow-Able"

Supplying Minnesota’s anglers with live minnows for fishing bait has always been a big job. Amidst concerns about importing “Aquatic Invasive Species”, strict regulations prevent the importation of minnows from out of state. Regulations prevent trapping minnows from AIS infested lakes and rivers taking a lot of prime water out of production too. Minnows that were once easy to harvest are now off limits because of fear that bait dealers will inadvertently transfer zebra mussels, faucet snails, spiny water fleas or a dozen other nasty critters that we haven’t even heard about yet.

Competition between bait trappers is fierce too; locating places to catch live minnows is increasingly complex. And when they find them, potential fishing waters must first be tested for purity, at the trapper’s expense, before any minnows can be taken. Add it all up and it’s easy to see why keeping up with angler demand is a seemingly impossible job for bait dealers in Minnesota.

One bright spot, or at least a potential point of light has been the birth of ..." Read Full Report >> "Minnesota Minnow Farms Growing The Grow-Able" April 2, 2025

February 24, 2025 "Ice Fishing Late Winter Season"

"Before we head into the new week, I want to thank everybody at F-M Walleyes Unlimited, Inc. for inviting me to speak at their annual meeting last Thursday. The folks there were warm and gracious in every possible way. They were especially welcoming of the topic of my talk, “Better Angling Through Inward Facing Technology”.

My presentation isn’t your basic how-to-catch-‘em seminar, where speakers pontificate about using various technologies, hopefully to find and catch more fish. Instead, I explore our deeper, primordial connection to both fish and fishing, looking into our innate instincts and how they influence a typical day on the water.

Though I’ve never featured the topic in any presentation, it is not new. Frequent visitors to my fishing reports and media have seen references to ..." Read >> Sundin Report February 24, 2025

Jeff Sundin January 7, 2024 "Baraotrauma - We Already Know More Than You Think" Fishrapper Fishing Articles Section: Barotrauma Research, Studies and Reports

I was on the phone Saturday (1-6-2024) morning with Uncut Angling’s Aaron Wiebe talking about his recent video presentation about barotrauma affected crappies. I was then, and am now, most grateful for his willingness to engage with me in the lost art of civil discourse. Our conversation was fairly long, so I won’t bore you with every little detail. Instead, I’ll just cut to the chance and start by saying that I agree with 90 percent of his presentation. Where we differ, opinions about whether fish caught in 35 feet of water can be “safely” released, will likely lead to more conversations down the road.

You’re probably worried now that I’m headed down the path toward debating the “science” of barotrauma again, but I’m not! We’ve debated enough about that already. I wonder though, after following the commentary, have you noticed a certain behavioral phenomenon like I have? Have you noticed that folks have a tendency to pick and choose selected details from a story, and then use those, and only those select details in order to advance their own, personal opinions? Wiebe and I talked about that, and I shared with him, my concern about one of ..." Read >> January 7, 2024 Baraotrauma - We Already Know More Than You Think

Jeff Sundin January 5, 2024 Barotrauma, "Responding to the Respond-ABLE"

Personal responsibility, that’s my thing, and folks who know me understand what I mean. I’m sure my kids grew weary of hearing me use the phrase “low expectation, low result” during their formative years. Folks that know me well realize too, that I never set a standard that’s higher for someone else than the one I set for myself. Still, even when I try my hardest to be responsible, I still can’t always reach the “high bar”. I realize my shortcomings and try to correct them. I like to think that my standards are set high enough so that even when I can’t score high on the curve, I at least come close.

If you don’t already know, those standards extend to the service I’ve set out to provide for you. I want you to know that before I write an article for you to read, I’ve studied, learned, and reflected on information I’m preparing to share. I try to get my facts straight, and close to being accurate, to the extent that its possible. To do that, I interact with a lot of people who are smarter than me, people whose knowledge I respect.

Disappointing to me is the number of people in our world who would bypass the pursuit of excellence. Folks who believe that they were born with more knowledge than ..." Read >> Succesful Release or Wishful Thinking? January 5, 2024

Jeff Sundin January 4, 2024 Pointing Fingers Or Working It Out? — Releasing Crappies Caught In Deep Water, Who Proved What To Whom?

Ever since last week, when I shared the Uncut Angling video of Aaron Wiebe challenging the “integrity” of the Lindner Media and MN DNR video about barotrauma, there’s been something bothering me. I feel like I should come down on somebody’s side and support them, but I can’t. There isn’t anybody who is clearly in the right, or in the wrong either. I’m conflicted because laying assumptions and opinions aside, nobody, me included, actually KNOWS for sure, what they’re talking about.

In case you missed it, the video produced by Uncut Angling host Aaron Wiebe accuses Minnesota’s DNR Fisheries Staff of purposely creating a flawed study. Wiebe’s assertion is that the project, a joint video production between the MN DNR and ..." Read Article >> January 4, 2024 Pointing Fingers Or Working It Out?