July 31^st, 2009 Mille Lacs / DaFish Fishing Report

Hey everyone, the walleye bite here on Mille Lacs has been hit and miss this last week.  We have had some weather on and off all week.  The fish are scattered, but we are still getting them.  The water temp has been hovering from 67 to 69 degrees which is still lower than normal for this time of year.  That in its self is the primary reason the fishing is still as good as it is.  This is a good thing!

The mud flats, mid lake basin and deep transitions are the areas in which we are catching the majority of the fish.  As I have been saying in the past reports, look for fish and higher concentrations of them before you fish.  Some days we see some fish and start trolling…may as well fish if you are searching!  I am seeing fish in all areas of the water column.  This time of year I am focusing on deep water.  Most of the time is spent in 30 to 34 feet of water.  The fish seem to occupy all areas of the water column.  We have had the most success catching the fish in the bottom third of the water.  All flats seem to have fish on them, but some are better than others.  I haven’t fished the gravel, so we can’t report on that sorry.

This week I spent time trolling more than anything.  Lead core, mono and Fireline and using boards too.  We also worked rigs, spinners and bobbers.  Spinners have caught some fish but trolling has been the most productive, with lead core out producing flat lining and planer boards so far.  My logic for that is the crank baits of choice, the fish’s choice not mine has been number 5 and 7 shad raps.  I believe that the fish are feeding on young of the year perch and probably tulibee.  Both trolling and spinners are search baits.  Since we are looking for active fish we can cover a lot of water until we find the right numbers of fish.  I did a water rescue this week 4 miles out.  Not on a structure at all.  After we hooked the lines to the disabled boat we decided to troll home.  I followed a deep water transition line and caught a few fish in the middle of nowhere!

Lead core line allows you to get a lure deeper than it will run by itself.  A number 5 may run a maximum 8 to 9 foot deep on mono and maybe a bit deeper with Fireline.  With lead core you can control the deep it is running in the water column.  Matching the bait fish that the walleyes are feeding on is the key.  A number 5 or 7 shad rap seems to be doing that.  Speed and depth are the next issues to conquer.  That is a challenge some days.

Color, size and speed are a tough deal.  Any one of them wrong and you won’t catch as many fish.  It appears to me that the more active fish are lower in the water column.  Many days just off the bottom.  This is a little backwards but I spent a day fishing high on fish I mark and didn’t catch much.  Lowered the baits and caught fish.  With the lead core we have been trolling around 1.8 mph to 2.2.  Lure color has been different, but one consistent seems to be a white belly…  With all trolling try to keep the bait above the fish.  We have had to put out 3 plus colors of lead and a 30 foot 10 lb Trilene XT leader to get the baits deep enough to catch fish at this speed.  I use line counters with my lead.  You don’t need to, but it helps.  Start at around 150 feet and work it up and down with lure color changes til you start to connect.  Trolling is a matter of duplication…catch a fish or two and duplicate what you did!

Night fishing with bobbers and a leech on and off the structures is catching fish as well.  Move until you find them and put the bait right in front of them.

Smallies are still on the rocks chasing crayfish and minnows.  Fish slow in the rocks with tube baits or real small spinner baits like a beetlespin.  Let the bait play right in the rock crevices. 

Musky fishing is just around the corner.  With the water temps still so low for this time of year, we are getting sporadic and mixed reports.  Some rumors are that some are catching them shallow in traditional spots, while others are catching them in deep water were they are chasing tulibees.