This week’s Grand Rapids Fall Fishing Report brought to you by Tom Neustrom. Tom is a professional fishing guide that owns, MN Fishing Connections guide service. Header photo caption: Bob Mickelsen from Chicago caught these nice crappies while fishing on a Grand Rapids, MN area lake with Tom Neustrom.
Walleye fishing continues to be excellent on the area lakes in Grand Rapids, MN. Most of the transition baits have gone to the jig and minnow which continues to produce walleyes right now. As long as you are not fishing a deep clear lake such as Deer, Trout lake in Coleraine and Wabana and Pokegama. Continue to fish shallow on most other walleye lakes. Good examples are Big winnibigoshi and Cut Foot Soux. The walleyes seem to be feasting themselves on young of the year perch. If you notice sometimes, you will see the young loons and terns crash the surface of the area lakes feeding on young of the year perch and shiners. It’s a key factor in watching these birds and the location they are, to find walleyes feeding right underneath them. It’s a fall tradition that has happened for many decades. Bid Winnie continues to be the lake of choice in the area, and the resorts and bait shops are providing good information for anglers coming in from outside of the area. With the extended warm weather of late the crappies have not really moved into their lake fall and winter locations. Water temperatures are still in the low 60’s but look for that to change as the temperatures drop another 4-8 degrees.
Right not it seems the best crappie fishing is early and late in the day. More of a late summer pattern than fall. Make sure you check out areas away from the weed lines. For the crappies and sunfish are not there. Depths of 12-14 feet and in some cases 20 feet are prime locations for crappies and sunfish. Small jigs with a plastic action tail or small minnow will be the bait of choice. If it is windy, it become very difficult to stay on top of schools of crappies and sunfish. Try to find calm areas to find better opportunities to catch crappies and sunfish. Some lakes to consider are Little Cut Foot Sioux, Loon, Pokegama, and several of the smaller lakes on the Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway.
For the musky fisherman it has been an interesting month. Anglers are starting to see several fish in a day and to the diehard musky fisherman a follow-up is as big as catching one. A good place to stop for information on where to catch musky, is Thousand Lake Sporting Goods. They are the musky fishing destination for the Grand Rapids, MN area lakes that hold muskies. Lakes to consider are Deer, Moose, North Star, and the Blandin Reservoir between the damns on the Mississippi River.
The fall colors are near peak, and it is the perfect time of the year to come fish, hunt, and enjoy the beauty of the fall.