Although our days were warmer this week, it still feels like fall on Lac Seul. More trees are now turning orange, and you can see your own breath in some mornings. It certainly fished like fall this week even without the dropping water temps.
Similar to last week, many guides were able to find fish consistently but getting the walleyes to eat was much more difficult. The most productive days were from boats that stayed on spots and ground away at fish that would bite. MW’s rule of “Never leave biting fish to find fish” certainly applied this week.
Locations and presentations were all over the place. Our most reliable presentations were 1/8s and drop shots, but some boats caught fish long-lining 1/4s both slow and fast. Gulp remained unsuccessful, but not for a lack of trying. A large portion of the biting walleyes were found on rock with high current. Key depths were from 15-35 ft.
For the week, we caught and released 6 walleyes over 27 in., including 3 -28s and 1- 29. Guide sheets averaged between 20-25 walleyes over 18 in. per boat per day. The highest daily total was 53.
There was not very much time spent dedicated to pike fishing, and the stats for the week show it. We caught and released 5 pike over 37 in., with 1 – 38 and a 40. Most main lake weed beds have fallen apart while some sheltered areas have survived.
Smallmouth bass have started to return to shallow water with more fish being caught. Pike anglers are seeing multiple fish follow spoons on some spots. Some are still in 30+ ft. of water, but the shallow migration has started. We caught and released 2 smallmouths over 19 in., with 1- 20.
Guest writer: Colin Jones – Fishing Guide
