Fishing Report for October 15, 2018
Leisure Outdoor Adventures Guide Team
Leech Lake
This fall can’t decide if it wants to truly be Fall or if we want to jump right to November and early winter. Fishing on Leech Lake has been overall pretty good though the past couple of weeks if you are willing to brave the elements some days. We are finally in the traditional patterns which means one of two things.
First, look to shallow flats and windblow points and shorelines on the main lake in 6-12 feet of water depending on wind and light conditions. Simply drifting an 1/8th oz jig and minnow is great way to cover ground. Pay attention to your jig cadence, color, and speed to dial in the program for that day. Rainbows are a great bait this time of year but don’t overlook a fathead some days also. Also doing some rigging with red tails or creek chubs is another great tactic in these areas to catch big fat fall walleyes.
I would look to areas on the west side of the lake that are your wind blow points such as 1st and 2nd Duck, Pine, Ottertail, and the different Stony Points. On the East side of the lake, Battle, Sugar, and Five Mile have all been good as well as areas around Bear Island.
Second presentation, look to steep breaks that are next to deep water. This is structure fishing you often find in the deeper bays on Leech Lake such as Walker, Agency, and Kabekona Bays. Rigging with big minnows or vertically jigging a Rapala Jigging Rap in 25-35 feet of water are key areas to look at. The key are steep breaks and offshore humps and structure.
Perch fishing has been good on the shallow sand flats in 4-8 feet of water, pitching a 1/16th oz jigs and minnow is your best bet, and upsizing to an 1/8th oz on windy days.
Look for quality crappie action on the smaller lakes in the area. These fish are setting up for winter, so find those smaller basins and use your electronics to find these schooled up crappies. Vertical jigging with a jig and minnow or a #5 Jigging Rap is a great way to catch fall crappies.
We still have a few weeks left to enjoy this before its deer season and then winter and hardwater fishing! Enjoy the Fall.
Leisure Outdoor Adventures Guide Team
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–Jason Freed
President of Leisure Outdoor Adventures
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Outright Angling – Leech Lake Fishing Report for 10/15/2018
Well, with water in the 40’s now, we don’t have a whole lot of time to get out on the lake. Mother nature is in charge now, but the fishing has been pretty fantastic!
Walleyes have been schooling-up and binge-feeding on minnows the past few weeks. The bite windows can be short, but those anglers crossing paths with active fish are experiencing some really great catches. It’s pretty hard to beat casting a jig-and-minnow combo in 4-8 feet of water. We have also been getting bites on a bit heavier jig with a 3″-4″plastic minnow tail, and even rattle baits some days. We should have great opportunities for walleyes at least through the month of October this year, for those willing to brave some chilly fall temps.
Muskie fishing has been productive for those willing to chase “the fish of 10,000 casts” (luckily we do a bit better than that). We often do cast for hours (or troll) for the right opportunity with these fish, but the adrenaline filled pay-offs can be huge. Large spinners, big rubber baits and jerkbaits are all good options right now for muskellunge. Main lake points, rock reefs, and rocky shorelines where the wind has been blowing in are all good locations to search for that fish of a lifetime right now. If you want bragging rights on the biggest fish in Leech Lake, well…you sure can’t catch them from the couch. Get out and give it a try!
Cheers and hook-sets,
Capt. Phil Bauerly
