Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 9, 2023

Surface temperatures, at their peak reached the high 70 to low 80-degree range. After a cooler, breezier weather pattern developed at mid-week, Winnie’s waters were churned by the choppy water and temperatures settled back in to the 72-to-73-degree range.  

The warm water generated a moderate algae bloom and that added some color to the “gin-clear” water in Lake Winnie, which had previously been a problem for walleye anglers on sunny days. There haven’t been any large-scale insect hatches so far, but evidence is mounting that there will be some soon. Walleyes caught on the mid depth flats are coughing up insect larvae in folks’ live wells and tiny white, gnat-like bugs have been hatching over the deep-water mud flats.

 The development of submerged vegetation has influenced walleye location too. Earlier this week, walleyes were caught in good numbers by anglers fishing cabbage patches in shallow, 4- to 7-foot-deep water.

 With the ever-growing food chain, reduced light penetration, and blooming vegetation, the array of angler’s choices has now widened. Jig and minnow presentations continue to work and are still used by many of our guests. But trolling presentations like spinners and crankbaits are producing fish too. Lindy rigs tipped with lively leeches and night crawlers are also producing fish and so are slip floats combined with live bait. The best rule of thumb for choosing a presentation is to adapt your presentation to the fishing situation you encounter.

Our guide, Jared Saufferer tells us that calm water encourages walleye to move onto breaklines and sand-to-mud transitions. Key water depths there range from 22 to 28 feet of water. Jig and minnow combinations still produce fish, but Lindy Rigs are a good choice here as well.

Saufferer advised that on breezy days, walleyes move up onto sand flats and small rock piles in the 10-to-14-foot depth range. Here, the jig and minnow combination still produce the most action, but slip floats, combined with either ½ night crawler or large leech will produce fish too. Using the slip floats is an excellent way suspend bait above the newly emerging “moss-like” vegetation called Filamentous Algae. The algae clings to jigs, rigs and other lures that encounter it, so suspended baits below a sip float improve efficiency by helping to avoid fouling hooks.

In shallow water, cabbage patches trolling spinners is the key to success. Spinners move through the vegetation when other presentations get snagged and fouled. A #3 Indiana blade, a #2/0 Aberdeen hook and medium size fathead will get you into the action. The spinners are not only great for walleyes, but will trigger other warmer water species like sunfish, crappies, pike, and bass. Speaking of warm water species, many have been very aggressive this week.

Crappies wrapped up their spawning migrations about a week ago and have disappeared from shallow cover. Now, they’ve moved into deeper cabbage and along steep, shoreline related breaks. Daytime activity is minimal, but anglers fishing during late evening or at dawn will find schools of fish roaming the edges of cabbage as they feed. Using small jigs tipped with minnows and suspended below a bobber is one standard tactic. Casting small jigs tipped with plastics is also very effective and so are spinner type jigs like the Beetle Spin, Road Runner or Mepps. Fishing from an anchored position, or with the aid of a spot-locking trolling motor, focus on areas where larger expanses of cabbage meet shoreline breaks that lead into deep water.

Bass, rock bass and sunfish are in various stages of spawning right now. As of Monday, for example, rock bass were solidly pinned to their spawning beds and aggressively defending against intruders, including jig and minnow combinations. Often overlooked as a game fish, rock bass seldom get the respect that they deserve. Some folks do harvest them for dinner, but most don’t, but they are a blast to catch. They are scrappy, eager to strike and in the case of Lake Winnie, come is sizes Extra Large, through HUGE! Fish for them in and around bulrush patches, especially the ones that occur in conjunction with sandy, or hard gravel bottoms.

 Largemouth bass and sunfish have been active in shallow water too but are found somewhat deeper. Anglers accustomed to finding them in shallow water spawning cover will be surprised to learn that the warm weather accelerated the process, and many have already moved in, and back out again. Cabbage, coontail and eelgrass patches have been prime examples of their present-day habitat. Fast moving lures like the afore-mentioned spin jigs are a good presentation choice.

 Northern pike are active now as well, but not widely targeted yet. Most folk who do harvest them have caught them as a byproduct of walleye fishing. Folks trolling with spinners tend to catch more pike than folks using jigs, and the size potential of fish caught with spinners can often be greater, so this is the preferred “casual presentation”. Folks interested in targeting a larger pike today should consider large minnows, suspended below slip floats.

Late evening, early morning best for crappies

 A 30-inch pike may allow your jig or spinner to pass by unmolested, but it will have a harder time saying no to the ’full meal deal”. Use a quick strike rig to present lively sucker minnows in the 8-to-12-inch range and suspend them below a large slip float like Thill’s Big Fish Slider. Focus on patches of healthy green cabbage, and on rock points or rock bars located on the flats.

 As summer sets in, fish migrations toward mid-lake structure should begin at almost any moment. We’ll be monitoring conditions and reporting in again next week. If you’re headed for the lake this weekend, good luck and remember, you’re always welcome to stop in to launch your boat, or for a chat.

Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux Fishing Report June 1, 2023

The combination of stable, nearly perfect weather, active fish, and a traditional family holiday turned the Memorial Day weekend into a “Mega Fishing Event” on Lake Winnibigoshish. It’s fair to say that there were few if any disappointed anglers on the lake and a cheerful buzz about the great fishing was the norm around our resort.

Dick Williams with Lake Winnie Walleye May 31, 2023

Walleye locations around the lake were focused primarily on shoreline structure, but the earliest signs of migrations toward mid-lake structure were noted by some of our guests.

 On Lake Winnie, shiner minnows typically begin spawning around Memorial Day, and that pattern was on track this week. So, we think that the shoreline bite will continue for a week or so, especially in areas adjacent to the sprawling sand flats where shiners perform their spawning cycle.  Small perch and other baitfish move onto the same shallow flats where shiner minnows are spawning, and these add to the attraction for hungry walleyes.

 Clear water conditions favor fishing during the twilight periods during morning and evening. Key walleye depths range from 12 to 18 feet along shoreline, shoreline related points and rocky structure also provide decent walleye action. During the daytime, especially on calm days, walleyes slip deeper down the breakline, preferring the 22-to-26-foot depth range. In the dark of night, they’ll move over shallow flats in the 10-to-14-foot range, maybe shallower at times.

Jig and minnow combinations continue to be the prominent presentation for our guests. Jig weights of 1/8 ounce are sufficient during twilight when walleyes move shallow. During the day, ¼ to 3/8-ounce weights are required to maintain contact with walleyes. Shiners are readily available now, and do appear to provide an advantage on Winnie, but larger fatheads or rainbows will get the job done too. Minnows in the 3-to-4-inch range, no matter which species, are the key.

 Alternative presentations are beginning to produce results now too. Trolling spinners, Lindy Rigging with larger minnows and trolling crankbaits have produced fish this week. Experiment if you like, but keep the jigs and minnows ready, as a backup plan.

Walleye Location Lake Winnie May 31, 2023

 While the water clarity on the big lake is still high, surface temperatures have risen into the 65-to-68-degree range. This, combined with lots of sunshine are promoting algae production. On Wednesday, while the underlying water remained clear, there was a thin film of plankton spreading horizontally across the surface of the lake. The “algae bloom” is important to anglers because it helps decrease clarity, making fishing daytime fishing easier. To the tiny walleyes that hatched recently, algae blooms represent an important element to survival, food!

 Overnight Tuesday, into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, thunderstorms rattled the lake. Calm, sunny conditions on Wednesday produced a setback in terms of walleye action. Fish were caught, but at a lower pace and by a smaller group of anglers. Deeper structures, located near the shoreline were one key to “scrounging” decent catches of fish. See the fish on the Humminbird screen above? These tightly grouped schools of walleye are predominantly 2019-year class, 14-to-15-inch fish. When you see images like these on your graph, that’s what you should expect to catch. Anglers in search of larger fish should look for smaller groups of fish, or even singles and doubles appearing on the sonar.

Paul Kautza Showing Early Signs of Crappies Moving Shallow

Crappie fishing over the Memorial Weekend was slow, folks were looking for them, but few were caught. On Wednesday, singles began appearing in shallow water spawning territory. “They were not stacked up, but we saw early signs of movement”, one group of anglers reported. “We caught more rock bass than crappies, and a largemouth bass too, so we’d expect to see more crappies moving shallow over the next several days.” They added.

 Perch fishing is good at times, not so good at others. They appear to be on the move, some anglers find a good school of keeper size fish one day, then lose track of them the next day. Perch populations are lower than average in Winnie right now. But when located, there are some nice size fish available, 11-to-12-inch perch can be expected, if you search for them.

 Pike fishing hasn’t begun in earnest yet, but there are folks catching them as they fish for walleye. Apparently, the protected slot for northerns must be working because catching 23-to-25-inch fish is becoming common. It’s early in the season though, so let’s see how pike fishing progresses as the summer sets in.

Fishing the Memorial Weekend on Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux May 25, 2023

With almost 2 weeks of fishing in the history books, our guests and friends have shared lots of stories from the lakes, and some very helpful fishing tips for both Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux. So, going into the Memorial Day holiday weekend, our guests will be armed with the knowledge they’ll need to have a productive fishing trip.

Lake Winnie Walleye Action

Surface water temperatures have warmed up and we’re seeing daytime highs ranging from 56 to 58 degrees on the north side. Folks travelling toward the south end of the lake report cooler temperatures, 52 to 54 degrees is the norm. Extreme back bays, and areas where darker water drains into the lake are warmer, 61 to 63 degrees can be found. The variation from one area to others results in differing opinions about both fish location and presentation.

 Regions of the lake with the coolest water temperatures also feature the clearest water conditions. Walleyes in these regions show a strong preference for feeding during low light periods. Anglers do report catching some fish during the daytime. But in the words of one guest whose here right now, “The evening bite is on fire, when the sun starts touching the treetops, the fish start feeding. We’re fishing in water depths of 16 to 20 feet using ¼ ounce jig heads and minnows.”

Mike Cooley with Lake Winnie Walleye

Warmer water, with darker color translates into a whole new story for folks fishing those regions. One of the better area guides says this, “On Wednesday, we fished in the extreme back regions and found 61.5-degree water. “There were some scattered, but still green cabbage plants, along with some stubby, newly emerging vegetation too. There were walleye, perch and smaller northern pike using feeding there.”

 “We caught a mixed bag of fish by moving slowly along the shallow break, in water depths from 4 to 7 feet of water. The best presentation was pitching a 1/8-ounce jig tipped with minnows.  We cast the jigs away from the boat and retrieved them slowly using a hop-pop-hop-pop motion. Shiners worked, but attracted more pike than walleyes and medium size fatheads attracted more walleye and perch.”

Newly Emerging Vegetation In Warmer Water

The contrasting reports, both from trusted sources, teach a lesson. “Be creative and don’t fall into the trap of believing that there’s only one good fishing area, or one presentation that works. The array of productive fishing habits widens every day, fish are showing up in shallow water, deep water and even on the flats.

 Jig and minnow presentations are common thread that runs through almost all of the best fishing reports. Shiners are now widely available and despite the high cost, are being used by a lot of folks. On the big lake, especially in areas with the clearest water, shiners appear to offer an advantage. In darker water, that advantage is diluted, fatheads, rainbows and “river mix” minnows have all been equally productive. You’re better off bringing a small variety of each, rather than stocking up heavily on any one minnow type.

Lindy Rig Using “Lip Hooked” Minnows

An alternative to fishing with jigs and minnows is the Lindy Rig. If you’re fishing over a school of fish that appear un-interested in your jigs, drop down a Lindy Rig, and fish with larger minnows. A 6-to-7-foot leader with a minnow size hook #4 or #2 if needed for larger minnows, and tip them with larger bait. Unless they are very large, and very lively, avoid using fatheads for this presentation, walleyes respond more favorably to the liveliest shiners or rainbows. Hook the minnows lightly through the upper lip to help preserve their liveliness.

Crappies Begin Showing Up In Shallow Water

Crappies, another popular target during spring, have just begun getting active. Earlier this week, warm, calm weather encouraged them to move shallow in preparation for spawning. The cold front that arrived here on Wednesday dispersed them, but as the weather settles, they should begin moving toward shallow spawning areas again.

Perch fishing hasn’t caught yet on as a feature part of our guest’s fishing plans, but there are some nice ones being caught as they target walleyes. Perch have shown up in both deep and shallow water locations, but if you’re interested in targeting perch specifically, you’d be better off taking your search into the shallow water. Perch will use shallow habitats like bulrush, cabbage and other “woody structures” for spawning. Most of them have finished spawning, still, you’re liable to find them hanging around in areas like these.

 So far, northern pike haven’t been targeted much either but do show up mixed with walleyes. Pike, especially smaller “eater size fish” will strike your jig and minnow presentations. To target larger fish, Lindy Rigging with larger minnows like suckers, creek chub or lake shiner. Slip floats used to suspend minnows is popular too, position your boat near rocky points, or cabbage patches.

 Have you checked the weather forecast? If it comes true, we’re in for a fabulous Memorial Weekend. Sunshine, warm air temperatures and breeze should combine to provide good fishing in a variety of areas, for a variety of fish species. As always, you’re welcome to drop in and launch your boat, or stop by for a chat. If not, then we’ll see you on the water, enjoy your weekend!

Lake Winnie Cutfoot Sioux Walleye Fishing Report May 17, 2023

Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux did not disappoint walleye anglers hoping that the action would be great for the 2023 fishing opener. The weather was fabulous, there was a nice chop on the water and the walleyes were snapping. It’s fair to say that on opening day, there were more folks catching fish, even limits, than those who did not.

Cutfoot Sioux Opening Weekend Walleye

On Sunday, and each day since, the climate has been warm, bright, and calm. The water temperature is now in the 55-to-57-degree range and the water is clear. Walleyes continue to bite, but have been located spread out over the flats, along the shallow sides of steepest breaklines. Most fish are not on the steep edges, but rather on top of the flat areas that lead toward them. Key depths on calm days have ranged from about 15 feet down to 18 feet of water.

 With the fish scattered, anglers are covering more territory between strikes, but are still catching good numbers of fish. Trolling with ¼ to 3/8-ounce jigs tipped with minnows has been the primary presentation. When better schools of fish are encountered, stopping the boat, anchoring and “pitching” jig and minnow combos has been effective too. So have Lindy Rigs tipped with larger, super-lively minnows.

Ashley Heigh with a hefty Lake Winnie Walleye

For our guests, travel times have been short because there are enough fish located along the north shore. We hear reports from friends who say that the west side of the lake was also good on the fishing opener. If the breeze picks up, shallow structures near Ravens Point, Mallard Point and Stony Point should be checked out too. With walleyes barely finished their spawning runs, mid-lake structures have yet to attract many walleyes.

 Shiner minnows are available in our region, but the supplies are still spotty. They have not been mandatory for catching fish though, our guests are catching plenty of fish using fatheads and rainbows as well. Our suggestion would be to have a little bit of everything, rather than loading up on any one type of minnow.

 At this point, walleye has been the primary focus on 98% of the anglers on the lake. Perch, pike and panfish, when caught, are the result of “good luck” encounters as folks pursue walleyes. If the weather stays on its present trajectory, shallow water will warm fast and panfish will st4art getting more attention. We’ll keep you posted about that in the upcoming days and weeks.

 Let’s wrap the report with a note about walleye size structure. Anglers are noticing that quite a few walleyes from the strong 2018-year class have now crossed the line into their protected slot size. For one of the guides fishing the lake on Tuesday, fish in the 18.25-to-18.50-inch range represented about 10% of the total catch. Fish in the keeper range, 15 to 17 inches range made up about 60% of the catch. The remaining 40% were fish ranging from 13.75 inches, down to about 13 inches.

All that means is that with Lake Winnie’s fast growth rates, the summer of 2023 will likely be the one that offer anglers the perfect balance of excellent action, quality size and “keeper” size fish in the ideal size ranges. It should be a great summer at Bowen Lodge!

Lake Winnibigoshish • Cutfoot Sioux 2023 Walleye Fishing Season Outlook

Walleye anglers, curious about the progress of the ice breaking up on Lake Winnie may have had a few anxious moments this spring. But, compared to last year’s “ice-out cliff hanger”, this is going to be a walk in the park. Today’s images of Cutfoot and Winnibigoshish compared to those we viewed around the same time in 2022 indicate that we’re 4 to 5 days ahead of where we were last spring. Admittedly, this still constitutes a later than typical ice-out, but at least we have a little bit of wiggle room to work with.

Bowens Flats Lake Winnibigoshish May 1, 2023

One of this week’s top news items is whether the MN DNR will set up gear for the walleye egg take at Little Cutfoot Sioux. As of Monday 5-1-23, the current working plan was to set up and collect eggs to be taken into the Grand Rapids hatchery. For that to happen, Little Cutfoot would have to be ice-free by later today, or Wednesday at the latest. Then oxygen monitoring would determine the start date for walleye trapping. With brisk breezes and choppy water, dissolved oxygen could reach desirable levels in 3 to days. Following that timeline, even the most optimistic schedule would place fisheries staff at the traps sometime next weekend.

During that time, assessing catch rates from some of the other regional egg takes will determine whether Grand Rapids can meet the 2023 quota by receiving eggs from other areas. Area egg take operations that have opened already are off to a strong start. So, early indications are that the Grand Rapids operation at Little Cutfoot would be short and fast if it happens at all.

Either way, the 2023 walleye season is going to happen on schedule, and we’ll be ready!

 This year, we’re anticipating a continuation of the strong angler catch rates we enjoyed in both 2021 and 2022. The 2 back-to-back, “dynamo year classes” of walleyes from 2018 and 2019 will continue to dominate the population. This summer, the size structure of walleyes from both years will be very desirable. Many of the fish from the 2018-year class will range between 16 and 18 inches and by summer’s end, there will be a significant number exceeding 18 inches.

 Walleyes from the 2019-year class, many now ranging from 14 to 15 inches, will also be desirable for folks interested in a family fish fry. This ultra-strong year class will grow throughout the summer too and before fall, will provide anglers with lots of opportunity for both quality and quantity.

 Walleyes from the strong 2013-year class reached maturity in the 2016-2017 seasons and many of them are still swimming in Winnie. Folks interested in catching larger fish for a “photo op” will continue to have a great opportunity to achieve that goal too.

 As always, we’ll be encouraging folks to be selective, targeting fish that are most likely to be males. Female walleyes tend to be larger than their male counterparts of the same age. So, it makes sense to get familiar with the average sizes of each year’s class and when possible, select fish in the smaller range for harvest. We will be in close contact with DNR fisheries staff and will provide frequent updates about growth rates during the season.

As happy as we are about having strong walleye populations in Cutfoot Sioux and Winnie, they may be contributing, at least in part, to an overall decline in populations of Yellow Perch.

 All those hungry walleye mouths to feed could be responsible, in part, for lower-than-average perch numbers in Winnie and Cutfoot. At 3.3 fish per net, the fall survey recorded the lowest number of Yellow Perch in recent history. The decline appears to be in the most recent year classes, affecting fish of the smallest sizes.

As is often the case though, lower numbers of fish have resulted in more anglers catching perch of greater quality size. In 2021, 25% of perch recorded in angler surveys were over 9 inches. Fall fishing produced good numbers of quality fish, often mixed in with walleyes. Over the past winter, we observed firsthand, anglers with good catches of fish in the 10-to-11-inch range, with an occasional 12-inch bonus.

Perch enthusiasts fishing the lake this summer will be well advised to cover lots of water, checking a variety of habitats. Perch, like most fish are highly adaptable and can be found feeding on anything. Crawfish, minnows, insects and young of the year gamefish are all on the menu. Habitat like gravel bars, weed beds and semi-soft, marl are likely feeding territory and could be found both shallow and deep.

Northern Pike, another popular species with anglers, are well suited for Winnibigoshish and connected waters. The protected 22-to-26-inch slot appears to be having a positive impact on size structure. It’s too early to prove statistically, but anglers on the lake do report catching more pike of larger average sizes. The trade-off is that catch rates of smaller pike have declined.

Most folks would take declines in small pike as positive news, and DNR fisheries staff agree. “That was the point of instituting the 22–26-inch protected slot”, said retired DNR Large Lake Specialist Gerry Albert. “Obviously, pike sizes tend to improve simply by protecting larger ones with a slot limit and keeping more of them in the lake. But there are other less obvious reasons that lower populations can be desirable. Less competition for forage, more space for fish to grow can be helpful too.”

It’s not clear if the protected slot limit is responsible for the change, but we’ve also seen more anglers catching fish within the protected slot sizes but have also noted more fish over 26 inches being caught too. Anecdotally, we see evidence that folks have an excellent chance of catching some “photo op” pike in the 26-to-30-inch range.

Panfish are important to our guests, especially during summer and fall. If you hadn’t already heard, Cutfoot Sioux made the list of lakes to receive protection under the “Quality Sunfish initiative.” The initiative, widely accepted by anglers, is aimed at helping restore larger panfish into systems where heavy harvest pressure has occurred. Also anecdotally, sunfish numbers throughout the Cutfoot system appear to have rebounded. We have noted though that many of them had not achieved larger sizes. Like the pike regulation, it is too soon to assess the impact on the size structure of sunfish. But assuming our lakes follow the trajectory of other lakes that have these protections, the future of sunfish here could well be a happy one. So, for our guests, the 5 sunfish daily limit could be an exciting development, we’ll know more as time goes on, but we’re hopeful.

Crappie populations everywhere in the region had been declining for a few years. Lake Winnie and Cutfoot Sioux were not exempt, catch rates for our guests have been lower than average recently. During 2022, there was an apparent year class of young ‘up-and-comers”. Crappies in the 5-to-7-inch size range were showing up not just in Cutfoot and Winnie, but in dozens of north central Minnesota lakes. We’re hopeful that the next couple of seasons will bring these fish to maturity and we’ll be updating the progress every chance we get.

 Like you, the timing of this year’s ice out had us a little anxious for a while. But it is settled now, and our attention has turned toward getting the cabins, lodge and grounds ready for the fishing opener. We’re looking forward to seeing everybody and we’re grateful for another season.

 We’ll be keeping you posted all season long, so be sure to check in often.