Grand Rapids Fishing Report 5-17-21 - Visit Grand Rapids Skip to content
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    Grand Rapids Fishing Report 5-17-21

    This week’s Fishing Report is brought to you by Tom Neustrom, owner of professional fishing guide service, MN Fishing Connections.

    The 2021 Fishing Opener has come and gone with positive reviews from most anglers. Saturday’s weather was spectacular and many fisherman came off the lakes with nice catches of walleyes, northern pike, and panfish. Some lakes, like always, produced better than others and depths walleyes were caught varied. Big Winnie, Bowstring, Jessie and the Mississippi River were the best choices to put walleyes in the boat. Big Winnie and Cutfoot had a lot of traffic and the fishing was excellent most places. The traffic at the landings kind of reminded people of days gone by with boats and vehicles lined up at the accesses and parking places few and far between. The bait shops were especially busy and the excitement was very evident around Grand Rapids and Deer River with traffic backed up many blocks heading to the lakes and resorts. It was good to see!

    Jig and minnow combinations were the best option for walleyes, but leeches and rigs were also catching lots of fish. The warmer then normal spring weather at times pushed the spawn ahead this year and on many of the lakes the walleyes had left the shorelines and moved out a bit deeper. It should be a good season the next few weeks, Look for walleyes to move off into summer locations earlier than normal in the next couple weeks,

    Panfish were especially cooperative and crappies on some of the area lakes were in 2-3feet of water getting ready to spawn. Many anglers found mixed groups of crappies and bluegills in the same locations and the action was steady. A slip bobber with a small jig baited with a minnow, small leech, or chunk of worm put fish in the boat. With new emerging weeds starting to grow with the warmer water temperatures it was pretty easy to find productive locations.

    Northern Pike also were biting fairly well and it added to a mixed bag with a few walleyes. Northerns were mixed in with the walleyes and the jig and minnow was hooking them pretty consistently. Pokegama, Big Winnie, Bass, and Round had steady action for northern pike .

    The fishing will continue to get better in the coming weeks and people are getting out and enjoying fun on the water an getting together.