Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report 7-10-24 | Walleye and Bass Fishing Skip to content
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    Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report

    Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report 7-10-24

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    Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report

    Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report 7-10-24

    The Heat is on

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

    The Heat is On”. Temperatures are going to reach into the low to upper 80’s in the next week or so and that could change the fishing around for different species. The summer locations for species  such as walleyes will change, but not dramatically. Off shore structures will start to have “occupants ”but don’t dispel shoreline breaks, weed beds, shallow rock piles and depths of 12-16 feet. Some lakes, especially with maximum depths of 20-25 feet or less most often have darker water than much deeper and larger lakes. These can be key lakes in the summer when warm weather sets in and can give you a decent walleye bite most of the season. As with many species we have learned to catch them a multiple of different ways from simplistic to advanced methods.

     Jig and minnow, slip sinker rigs with a leech or crawler have been standards for decades. Even a few spinner combinations have been essential to put walleyes in the boat. Some methods that seem to come to the forefront of late are modifications of existing rigs and new adjustments of tried and true presentations. Case in point are spinner rigs that incorporate a single size 1 or 1/0 long shank Aberdeen hook. Used with live bait or even at times plastics. Appropriate amount of beads as not to interfere with the spinner can be key for the proper adaptation and trigger walleyes into biting. Fished through and around weed beds and other mid to shallow structures this can be a deadly rig. Speed is an important ingredient in the presentation with 1.20-1.50 a preferred trolling or even at times drifting when there is maximum wind. If you are fishing a darker water lake approximately 25-35 feet of line is all you need out. If the water is clearer, then 40 to 60 feet is much more productive. We prefer gold #2 or #3 spinners that will get the job done. 1/8th to ¼ bullet sinkers work best to slip and slide through vegetation in depths of 10-20 feet. Don’t be afraid to use 12-17 pound test Fluorocarbon to tie your rigs. This is not a finesse rig but a triggering one. The leader should be about 30-36 inches in length attached to a swivel  The sinker is above the swivel free to slide freely. Give it a try.

    A jig and minnow is still a top producer and can be used all through the season. I like to fish 1/16th to 1/8th ounce jigs and with Northland Tackles assortment of Tungsten jigs there is one for every angler. With needle sharp Gamakatsu hooks they are a jig that every angler needs to have in his arsenal. All around, I am particularly fond of the 1/8th long shank because I can fish it with live bait or plastics. Several of the lakes in the area are giving up walleyes. Big Splithand, Swan, Big Winnie, Bowstring and Jessie have been producing of late. 

    Bass fishing has been excellent and the traffic on the area lakes has let up a bit. For Smallmouth Bass, Wabana, Deer, Pokegama and the Mississippi River have all been giving up nice Smallies. For Largemouth spin the wheel. There are hundreds of good Largemouth lakes in the Grand Rapids and Itasca County area with several great opportunities for both. National Bass Tournaments have come here and said this is probably one of the premier bass fishing destinations in the country. That’s a lot to be said from anglers like Mike Icconelli, Kevin Van Dam, Mark Zona, and many others.

     With over 1,140 area lakes, you will catch fish in Grand Rapids, MN. Check back each week for a new Grand Rapids MN Fishing Report by Tom Neustrom.

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