Minnesota Walleye Fishing

The walleye is king in Minnesota and Leech Lake is known for being one of the premier walleye lakes in the state. This is in large part due to the extensive local task force effort in cooperation with the DNR in stocking walleyes, cormorant control and rusty crawfish research. Fishing is as good as it’s been in decades and it’s only getting better. Expect to catch a lot of fish from 14” to 25”.

Note - there is a 4 fish limit, with an 18"� to 26"� protected slot, and one over 26"� allowed.

Spring: Location is fairly simple - points, shorelines and shallow flats of 10' or less. Nothing fancy, basic jigs & minnows - particularly shiners - are hard to beat. Try these jigs - Northland Stand-up Fireball, Bait Rigs Odd-Ball jigs; colors - green/chart, lime green, blue/white, orange/black, gold. Rigging - 36"�-48"� Roach or Lindy rigs - try minnows, leeches and crawlers, keep sinker as light as possible while still maintaining bottom contact

Summer: Locations can be flats, rock reefs, points and shorelines where the wind is blowing in. Cabbage weeds will also hold fish, along with deeper weedlines and humps. Pitch jigs & minnows or Gulp into cabbage weeds - try Northland Weed Weasel jigs Rigging - try rainbow minnows but expect better productivity from leeches and crawlers on Roach Rigs or Northland spinners.

Tip: One of the most productive presentations has been a 48"� gold spinner on a 1 ½ or 2 oz. bottom bouncer with a Berkley Power Worm or Gulp crawler in natural color. Crankbaits - #5, #7 & #8 Shad Raps, Salmo Hornets and Bullheads, or Berkley Frenzies. Colors - crawfish, perch, shiner, blue/silver, chartreuse, firetiger.

Tip: Dusk into dark is an extremely productive time, but cranks will work all day long also.

Fall: Basically the same locations as spring - points, shorelines where the wind is blowing in, as well as some flats. However, later into the fall a deep bite also occurs. Look for fish on your electronics along the edges of deep points and humps – particularly where the hard bottom transitions to a softer bottom. Same shallow patterns - jigs & minnows, but rainbows are the 1st choice. Bigger minnows, such as redtails are also effective either on jigs or rigged.