Early Fall – Cool, foggy mornings, leaves are beginning to turn, and the fire ban has been lifted.
My last fishing report of the year sneaks up on me every time. This year is no exception. Between guiding and planning a major construction project for the Fall of 2027, the days just race away.
Fishing was up and down again this past week. Finding walleyes wasn’t the problem, getting them to bite often was. For every challenging morning or quiet afternoon, there was another bang-up bite that happened when a feeding window opened. Daily changes in weather often triggered a bite. The trick was to be at the right place at the right time. There were many round table reports this past week that listed 5 or more blanks in a row followed by 20 – 25 sheet fish from a single spot. Guides were much more likely to stick to a bite this past week rather than run around checking many spots.
The locations were unpredictable and so were the successful presentations. Drop shots were key to many good bites, but there were just as many reports of guides long-lining 1/4s and minnows. We tried again this week, but the Gulp bite was still inconsistent. Key depths were 20 – 35 ft. Main lake rock was more productive than main lake sand.
For the week, we caught and released 30 walleyes over 27 in., including 5 – 28s, 2 – 29s, and 1 – 30. Guide sheets averaged between 30 – 35 walleyes over 18 in. per boat per day. The highest daily total was 78.
There were few anglers casting for pike this past week and the results reflect the effort. For the week, we caught and released 8 pike over 37 in. with just 1 – 39. With higher water and some heavy winds, the weed beds are beginning to fall apart.
My 2026 fishing guiding season is officially over. Looking back, I can tell you with certainty that this has been the best guide staff that I have ever worked with. Most still have another month on the water and I am hoping that all of them return for the 2027 season.
MW – Out.
