CLICK HERE TO VIEW A VIDEO ON FISHING LAKE VERMILION
Jan. 25th, 2012
Ice travel is still pretty good despite all the new snow the last couple of days. There is over 20 inches of ice under my shack right now. The Walleye action has been pretty slow but I have been catching some nice Pike the last few days.
The walleye bite on Vermilion has slowed down in many areas with all of the holiday traffic that has been on the lake the past couple of weeks.
There are still fish being caught though!
The best bite has been had by the anglers that have ventured into areas that have not been hit hard by the holiday crowd. Such areas are easy to find as not many anglers have ventured very far away from the traditional winter areas out from McKinley Park.
We have been catching a fair amount of walleyes and jumbo perch in water depths ranging from 26' to 36'the past couple of weeks.
The best presentation has been either tip-ups,dead-sticks, or Rattle Reels baited with a rainbow or small pike sucker. Jigging has produced an occasional walleye or jumbo also but not nearly as many as the sit-and-wait method! There is very little snow left on the lake again after the thaw we had the past couple of days.
Ice conditions are excellent with thickness ranging from 14" to 16" in most areas.(Drove out to Spider Island with no problems in my F-150 today)!
Ice conditions are excellent in the McKinley park area of Big bay right now s we have about a foot of good ice. The Walleye action is still very good, especially early in the day. From shore I can see about 60 to 75 ice house already near the park.
Finally got the shack out on Monday. We caught 7 Walleyes in two full days of fishing. Two 24 inchers were released and we kept 5 for the pan. The early morning action has really slowed down the last few days. I did here that a few anglers got limits in shallow water early in the week. I am in 29ft right now and looking forward to a better bite than what we have seen this week.
The past week has had a fantastic walleye bite for me and many other ice fishermen!
There have been walleyes caught in depths that range from 10 feet to 32 feet all over the East End of the lake. The prime times have been early morning and late afternoon but the mid-day bite has been very good on many days also. I have been having my best luck using pike suckers on my rattle reels and small chubs or rainbows on my jigs. The bite has been about 50/50 as to which works better.
Many slot fish being caught along with a lot of the upper end keeper fish. Ice depth has been ranging around 9 inches to 11 inches in the areas that I have been fishing. That being said, be very careful out there as the ice is very unpredictable this winter and there are a lot of dangerous pressure ridges popping up all over the lake!
Saturday I pulled out one of my wheeled houses through an area that had a couple of ice heaves at around 11:00 am, I returned using the same route at 5:00 pm and drove my ATV right into a 20 foot wide lead that had opened up between the ice heaves!
I was very lucky that I was prepared for just such an occurrence because I was wearing Arctic Armor,(which acts like a life preserver), and I had ice picks in my coat pocket to assist me in getting back onto the very slick ice! NEVER trust any ice fully!
Ice conditions on Vermilion are excellent with 9 to 10 inches of good solid ice in most areas. Surface conditions are also excellent with only a light dusting of snow on the ice. The Walleyes are biting and there have been some very nice fish caught in the last few days. Happy Holidays!
Ice conditions have really improved over the last couple of days. Most reports have 5 to 6 inches of ice. The McKinley park area of Big bay was pretty busy over the weekend and reports on the fishing were pretty good. Itr will still be a week or so before we start moving our shacks out. Surface conditions are excellent and we aren't expecting any snow for a while.
Fishing reports from the McKinley park area have been pretty good. The Walleyes have been moving around a lot, but they have been bitting. Right now we have about 6 to 8 inches of good ice near the ramp. Ice conditions farther out may be a little thinner, but there have been people out fishing as far as Birch island.
The fall walleye bite is progressing very well now. Current water temperatures have been in the mid-50s all week. Walleyes can be found in many of their traditional fall locations as well as in many of their early spring locations. We have been catching walleyes and a few jumbo perch at depths ranging from 10 feet to 36 feet deep. Lots of slot fish and very nice sized keepers being caught.
All of our fish this week have been caught using a bait rig with a pike sucker as bait.
Not to many fish bunching up yet in the deeper holes. That should occur in a couple of weeks if the water temperature keeps dropping.
Good Fishing! Cliff
Aug., 7 2011
The walleye bite this week has not changed a whole lot from last weeks bite.SLOW! Almost all of our fish have been caught either on top of the rocky reefs of somewhere between the tops and 28 feet deep down the sides of the reefs.
Bait rigs,jigs, slip bobbers, and spinners are all catching a few fish in these areas.
The best bait has been mainly crawlers but at times leeches are working well again.
Find the walleyes on your electronics first,then the key to getting these fish to bite is to camp right on top of them and give them plenty of time to make up their minds to bite!
The walleye fishing this week has still been very spotty. Some days they bite very well and others they bite very poorly even when fishing the same spots at the same times!
Today I tried a new area North of Pine Island and we limited out in less then three hours using my go-to bait rig presentation baited with 1/2 crawler.
We were fishing in 16 feet to 19 feet of water next to a rocky shoreline.
If the usual pattern holds I will probably be lucky to even get a couple of fish there tomorrow!
Spinner and 1/2 crawler have also accounted for a couple of good catches this week. These fish were caught on a 18 foot to 20 foot sand flat.
Just goes to show that you have to keep changing tactics to get the walleyes to bite!
This heat wave has really put a hurting on the walleye bite on the East end this week! I have really had to struggle to put fish in the boat during the day bite.
Most of the fish that would bite have been caught in relatively shallow water. 12' to 23' is the depths that the feeding fish prefer. Anything that is deeper then that will not bite anything that I put in front of them!
Bait rigs with crawlers or a leech or a slip bobber with leeches or a crawler fished in or very close to rocky reefs has produced all of the few fish that we have boated.
Spinners with 1/2 crawler worked well in the heavy wind today for me.16' to 18' depth next to a rock pile.
The walleye bite still continues to be very slow for me as of this date.
The best that I have been able to hope for is to be able to pick off one or two walleyes at each spot that I try. Many spots appear to have no fish at all and the few spots that do show fish appear to have fish that are not hungry at all!
A bait rig with a crawler or leech on a 5 ft. leader is working the best. To get bites I have had to sit right on top of any school of fish that I find and maybe eventually manage to get a bite or two, then it is best to move on to the next spot and another school of fish!
The bright side is that the Mayflies are done and the good summer bite will happen at any time!
Most of the walleyes on Vermilion’s East end are now set up on their summer haunts.
Most of these fish can be caught using any of your favorite methods of presentation, you will just have to move to where they are living!
Jigs, bait rigs, spinners, slip-bobbers, and crank baits will all put walleyes in you live well now.
Most of these fish are now relating to mid-lake reefs and humps and also to a few main land and island points that drop sharply into water at least 30 feet deep.
The walleyes will be staging mainly at the transition points where rock turns into a sand bottom if you are fishing rocky reefs or humps. If the reefs are mostly sand they can be anywhere from right on top to anywhere on the slope into deeper water.Depth can be very critical, so take note when you catch a walleye as to what depth it was caught at, and stay at that depth until they moveon you!
Bait rigs and jigs still require a SLOW presentation on most days, .5 mph to .8 mph.
Spinners and cranks usually work best if you speed up a little more to entice reflex strikes 1.5 mph to 3 mph..
Minnows, leeches, and crawlers will all catch walleyes during this period of the summer, but some days the fish will definitely show a preference for one or the other!
The walleye bite has been steadily improving on the East end this week despite much nasty weather and winds! The pre-Mayfly hatch bite is in full swing! There are active walleyes on almost every spot that I have fished this week! There has been a big migration of walleyes to the reefs and rocky points the last few days. The walleyes are hitting crawlers and minnows well when used on bait rigs. A 3' to 6' leader with a size #4 hook of any color has been my go to, as usual.
26 feet to 42 feet depths are where many of my fish are being caught this week.
The walleye bite on the East end has been getting better as the season progresses.
The walleye bite has been a lot more aggressive once you locate them and they are starting to bunch up a little more.
The fish that I have been targeting have all been in deeper water close to the transitions points between rock/sand, sand/mud and also at time strictly in the mud flats.
The depths can vary every day but if you start at 26 feet and keep working out as deep as 42 feet you will encounter them somewhere within that range.
Plain hook bait rigs with a 3ft to 6ft 8# test fluorocarbon leader and a #4 bait hook baited with either a rainbow or a fathead chub is still my most productive presentation.
The first week of walleye fishing has been a real challenge so far this spring for me and my clients! Opening weekend was very windy and cold and the bite reflected it! Most of the fish that we caught were very sluggish and were not very willing to actually eat our offerings even when they did bite.
All of our fish have been caught on a bait rig with a 4' to 6' 8# test fluorocarbon leader, #4 red or chartreuse bait hook, and a 3/4 oz. sliding foot style sinker. Fathead chubs or rainbow minnows have been my bait of choice so far. A few walleyes have also been caught using leeches as bait on these rigs.
Most of our fish have been caught in deeper water ranging from 26' to 43' deep. The majority of these fish were relating to the sand/mud transition where they are feeding on Mayfly nymphs.
It has been critical to move as slow as possible and to feed out line for a count of 5 or more before trying to set the hook! .5 mph to .7 mph has been the preferred trolling speed. The bite has been slowly improving as the water temperatures increase. Present temperatures have been ranging from 52 degrees to 57 degrees depending upon what part of the lake you are on. There has been a fairly good shallow water dock bite at night according to the reports that I have heard!
The walleye bite has been very hot the past couple of weeks with limits and a
few slot fish being caught almost every outing. The walleyes seem to be at
almost all of my favorite summer spots and even at a few new discovered
spots! Most of my fish are coming out of water that is 17' to 26' deep. with
a few exceptions being caught in 8' to 12' depths and a few at 28' to 32'
depths. Everything depends upon the spot being fished and the walleyes mood that
day. Most of the fish are heavily relating to the edges of reefs and shoreline
drop offs.
I have been using a bait rig with a #4 hook, a pink or chartreuse
bead, a 3/4 oz. sinker, and a 3' to 6' fluorocarbon leader exclusively.
Good
Fishing! Cliff www.cliffsguideservice-lakevermilion.com 218-753-2005
Lake Vermilion, 7/7/10
The walleye bite on Vermilion is slowly starting
to turn around and go into a more stable summer bite. Most of the May fly
hatch is now over with only a few small hatches showing up in the mornings on
the main lake. The young-of-the-year perch appear to have had a banner year
hatch though! The water column is full of them now! That is not always a bad
thing I believe because the walleyes have to become more aggressive in order to
catch them which translates into a better bite for us fishermen!
I have been
doing quite well this week with my clients with most days producing limits or
very close to that. The number one presentation is still the plain hook bait
rig with a 5 foot leader. Bait this with one half of a night crawler hooked
either right in the end or hooked "wacky worm" style in the middle. The way the
worm is hooked seems to make a difference on many days!
Leeches are also
getting their fair share of the fish if used in the right locations. Most of
my walleyes are being caught on the mid-lake reefs and on the steep dropoffs
along rocky shorelines. 19 feet to 28 feet are the best depths this
week.
The walleye bite is still very sporadic on
Vermilion this week. This is probably because "sporadic" really describes our
weather pattern! One day the fish will bite well in one area and the next day
I cannot find a single fish there! The depth range that we are catching
walleyes in is also all over the depth spectrum! I have caught walleyes as
shallow as 3 feet and as deep as 50 feet,but not usually two days in a
row! My go to presentation is still a Lindy Rig with a plain hook,5 foot
leader, and as much weight needed to stay on the bottom. Minnows will work well
on one day and the next day all they will hit is a half crawler. Leeches are
also starting to catch walleyes for a few anglers.
Most of the fish are still
relating to mud/rock or sand/rock transition areas, no matter what the depth
is. We are not getting many fish out of the mud flats this week.
The May
flies are still in a holding mode on the main lake this week. I expect the main
large hatch to occur as soon as we get a hot calm night.
The weather the first few days of the walleye season has been wonderful! Wish I could say the same about the walleye bite!
We did very well on the opener, but it has been mostly an uphill drag ever since! We did do better the past couple of days since the storms came thru though!
Almost all of my walleyes are being caught on a plain hook Lindy type bait rig baited with either a fathead chub or a rainbow minnow.
I have been using a 5 foot, 8# test florocarbon leader with a #2 red Gamagatsu hook on it. Use as much weight as you feel comfortable with, just remember to move very slowly and keep that sinker bumping the bottom at all times! Most of my walleyes are being caught in the mud at depth ranging from 30 feet to 48 feet. Good Fishing!
The main mayfly hatch on much of the lake is winding down and the
walleye bite is starting to pick up again in a few spots. I believe
that Vermilion may have reached a record mayfly hatch this year!
Mckinley Park beach had to remove around 35 sq. yards of them from
their beach on the 4th. of July weekend!
A few of the normal summer reefs and shoreline spots have been very good to only fair depending upon where you fished this week.
A Lindy type bait rig with a plain hook,5 ft. leader and 1/2 crawler has been the top producer for me the past couple of weeks.
17 ft. to 32 ft. depths have held most of the active walleyes.
Bass and sunfish are still very active on the shorlines and shallow bays.
Good Fishing!
Cliff
With the
water temps still struggling to hit a consistent 60 degrees the fishing has been
a little slow for a typical early June. The majority of walleyes I am
catching are still over mostly soft bottom on windswept shorelines and
points. There is a limited amount of fish activity on some of the main
lake bars and humps weather they be sand or rocks. We are starting to see
a few more 14 to 17 inch walleyes each day and still plenty of fish in the
slot. The jumbo perch have also been well represented in the catch with
some real post spawn monsters being caught most days.
On a
high note I have found more baitfish in the shallows in the past week and many
hungry walleyes right behind them. Some walleyes are also starting to show
up near the edges of the weeds. I am optimistic that another hot bite is
soon to come with some warmer weather in the
forecast.
Lindy rigs with a 5 or 6 foot leader
have been best for me tipped with a minnow. I have also had more success
each day with crankbaits in 18 to 24 feet. Jigs are still producing fish
for me but rarely out producing the Lindy
rigs.
Some big fish have
been reported in the last several days and I think many more will be caught in
the next couple weeks as the water temps finally start to increase.
Remember to practice Catch Photo Release (CPR) so someone else has a chance to
catch a fish of a lifetime!
Good
Fishing,
Casey Sunsdahl Casey's Guide Service Lake
Vermilion
The walleye fishing on Vermilion has been very
good this week again dispite the fact that we seem to have had a different
weather front every-other-day! The walleyes have scattered out over the
entire lake very quickly this year. I have been catching them in depths
ranging from 16 feet to 42 feet on all types of structure and bottom types. The
key spots are the transition zones between hard and soft bottom types. I have
been getting almost all of my fish using a plain hook bait rig with a 2ft. to
6ft. leader baited with almost any type of minnow. The key to getting bites is
to move very slowly and to keep your offering right on the bottom. The
crappie bite in the shallow bays on the West End is also really picking up this
week.
"Early season locations
and tactics for Lake Vermilion walleyes"
By Cliff Wagenbach, Cliff's
Guide Service, Lake Vermilion
The 2009-2010 walleye fishing
season is rapidly approaching!
Here are a few pointers that
I hope will make your walleye season more enjoyable and more productive.
There are two types of live
bait presentations that I use the most early in the season. They are: live bait
rigging and lead head jigs. Usually referred to as "rigging & jigging."
The first thing I will go
over is the fishing gear that I have found best suits my type of fishing.
Rods and reels: For bait
rigging I prefer using a medium light action, 6-½ foot to 7 foot, graphite bait
casting rod that has a fast tip. This type of rod is very sensitive yet has
plenty of backbone to handle larger fish.A spinning type rod/reel with the same configuration also works well if
that is what you are most
comfortable with.
I like to use a medium action
6 foot to 6-½ foot bait casting rod with a fast tip for jigging because you
need a little stiffer rod to get a good hook set with jigs.
Spool both types of reels with 8lb. to 10lb.
test Power Pro line or Fire Line Crystal line. I prefer the braided lines
because they will give you a much better feel then mono lines will.
Now that you have your rod
& reel ready you can rig your terminal tackle!
For jigging you can tie your
jig directly to the braided line or if you prefer, you can tie a small swivel
to the braid, add a 2 foot section of 8lb. test mono leader, and then tie on
your jig.
The live bait rig ismade by first sliding a1/4oz.to 3/8 oz. egg sinker onto the braided line, tie on a small swivel, tie
in a 3 ft. to 6 ft. section of 6lb. to 10lb. test mono, I prefer Cajun Red
Line, then tie on a Gamagatsu bait hook. I like to use a red or green hook and
at times will also add a red, green, pink or glow bead or two on the leader
above the hook for extra attraction.
Hook size will vary according
to the type of bait you are using. As a general rule I use size 6 to size 2 for
minnows, size 6 for leeches, and size 4 for crawlers.
Early season walleyes are
hungry and can be found in water as shallow as 2 feet to water as deep as 42
feet. They are there for only one reason, that is where their prey is at, which
is mainly minnows,(shallows) or mayfly larvae, (deep water/mud).
Early in the year I like to find areas that
are mostly sand or gravel and change into a mud bottom. Fish the transition
areas early in the morning and late evenings and the mud at mid-day.
Rock to gravel transitions
and weed lines are also very good spots to target at times.
There are three basic ways to
present your jigs or bait rigs to the fish; trolling, drifting, and casting.
The key thing to remember is to keep your presentations moving as slowly as
possible and to keep it right on the bottom!
The walleye bite can be
mostly a very tentative bite on many days so you have to pay attention to your
line! With the live bait rigs I like to drop the rod back towards the fish as
soon as I feel anything that even feels "different". Wait until the line
tightens up again and if you feel any extra weight, set the hook with a
moderate hook set.
With jigs the bite may be
light or at times quite aggressive. When I get a bite on a jig I like to hold
the rod steady for a couple of seconds and then slowly lift the rod until I
feel the weight increase and then set the hook. "FISH ON"!
If an area is not producing
fish you have to be willing to move! Do not sit on a spot just because it
produced yesterday!
Please, release all walleyes
in the protected slot, (17in. to 26 in.), and keep only what you need for a
meal.
Take note also that a new law
revision this year allows you to have only one walleye over 26
inches in your possession on Lake Vermilion!
Hi everybody, The ice conditions below the snow are
excellent with about 22 to 24 inches of good solid ice. Unfortunately the
surface above the ice can be treacherous at times. many areas have several
inches of water and slush under the more than two feet of snow. Ice travel
should be limited to the plowed roads at all times. I would not venture out on
the snow surface, no matter how big your 4 wheel drive vehicle is. The lake
surface has been littered with stranded vehicles and it's getting tougher to get
anyone out there to pull you out. So please proceed with caution whenever you
drive out onto the lake. The Walleye action has been slow for most anglers
that I have spoken to this week. I have been struggling in my shack as well. I'm
still seeing fish on my Vexilar, however they are extremely lethargic. It's been
really tough to get any consistent action for any length of time. Small glow
jigs and spoons, tipped with a minnow head and a dead stick rig, tipped with a
minnow have been the most productive for me all week. I have been fishing in the
28 to 35ft range primarily, with a few short adventures into shallower water
mixed in. The Perch are biting a little better than the Walleyes and
typically they will run together on Vermilion. That has become a less than
expected occurrence the last couple of weeks. I'm generally finding the Perch in
separate groups now and we have rarely hooked a Walleye while we have been
catching Perch. The good news is that the Perch have been running very large
this winter. I has actually been very rare to catch any Perch that were under
the 9 inch mark. Small spoons with wax worms or spikes, or jigs tipped with a
crappie minnow have been very effective. The Pike action continues to be
very steady for me, as it has been much of the ice season so far. Shoreline
breaks in 6 to 14ft and main lake points with boulders, in that same depth
range, have been the prime locations. Shallow weed flats in 3 to 6ft in some of
the back bays have also been good for numbers. Tip-ups rigged with either a
medium sucker, or a frozen smelt have been very effective for me all winter.
Have a great week everybody, please make sure that you take you trash home
with you when you leave the lake. I can't understand why people can't clean up
after themselves. Unfortunately, it happens way more than you would think.
Remember also to proceed with caution when you're traveling on the ice surface.
It's getting tougher and tougher to get those trucks and snow machines, out of
the slush. Ace <*)))><
The ice conditions have been a little wetter in recent days. Some areas of the
lake have a slush problem, however there is still plenty of good ice to be
found. As of today I measured about 16 to 18 inches of good clear ice in the
McKinley park area of Big bay. There is about 16 inches of packed snow on the
surface and there are some areas of slush scattered around Big bay. It is
still possible to get around off the plowed roads with a 4 wheel drive vehicle
however, there are some large drifts to contend with and the slushy areas can be
difficult to get through if you don't have a large truck. There are two main
roads out from the ramp and several smaller roads plowed in different directions
however these can be a little more difficult to travel on with some windblown
snow and high banks. The Walleye action was a little slower this week from
most reports. The heavy traffic over the holidays could have had a little to do
with that. Most of the action has been coming in deeper water. I have been
catching most of my fish in 28 to 35ft on a sandy bottom. There are a few
Walleyes coming in the shallows, however it hasn't been a very consistent bite.
Small glow jigs and spoons tipped with a minnow or minnow head have been the top
producers for most of the anglers I have talked to. I have also been catching a
number of fish on a dead stick tipped with a fathead or pike sucker. The
Pike action has been very steady along the shoreline breaks in 6 to 12ft and
also on the shallow weed flats in 3 to 6ft. Most of the larger Pike are coming
on the rocky shoreline areas where there are boulders and long points close to
deeper water. Jigs and tip-ups tipped with medium suckers or frozen smelt, have
been very effective for me all this winter season. Don't forget to set you lines
at different depths when targeting Pike. Some of the largest fish like to cruse
just below the ice surface searching for dead fish. Have a great week
everybody and please take your mess off the ice when you leave Ace
<*)))><
Lake Vermilion, 12/12/08 The walleye bite on Vermilion has been very good the
past week. There is now around 14 inches of solid ice on the lake with around
6 inches of loose snow. There are a lot of pressure ridges popping up out
there, so be careful! There have been lots of cars and trucks out on the ice
the past couple of days. I even drove my F-150 out to the fish house
today! I have been getting all of my fish in 26' to 30' of water close to
mid-lake reefs. Pike suckers and shiners have been my best bait when used on
tip-ups or rattle reels. Fathead minnows have been working well on my jigging
spoons. The bite has been mostly an early morning and late evening
bite. Lots of slot fish showing up also this week. Good
Fishing!
Cliff
Lake Vermilion, 11/20/08
It appears that the hard water fishing season
is almost upon us! If we get the cold weather that is predicted for the next
week and the wind stays down we should be able to walk out onto semi-safe ice in
a few sheltered bays by this weekend! Note that the term "SAFE ICE" is a very
relative term! No ice should automatically be assumed to be safe, especially
early ice! A few safety precautions that should ALWAYS be taken when
venturing out onto unknown first ice are: Always wear a lifevest! Never go
out alone! Carry ice picks on you. Check the ice every few steps in front
of you with a spud bar. And, have your partner that is following you at
a safe distance carry at least a 50' rope with something tied to one end
that will allow the rope to be thrown out to you if you break thru the ice. A
one gallon jug with a little sand in it for weight works well on the
rope. That being said, I look for this winter to be a very good season again
for walleyes on Vermilion. Many early ice walleyes can be caught in shallow
water the first couple weeks of the season. By shallow water I mean water
that is 5' to 12' deep. I like to fish one rod with a jigging spoon, jigging
Rap, or a Chubby Darter baited with a small minnow or a minnow head as an added
attraction. My second line is almost always a tip-up baited with a lively
rainbow minnow, shiner, or small sucker minnow that is set to swim at about one
foot off of the bottom. Shallow water early ice walleyes can be very
spooky!! Set the tip-up about 50' away from where you are jigging so that you
can cover a larger area and the extra distance away will also assure that that
line is in a quite area away from where you are fishing. It is also a good idea
to try to fish each line at different depth if you are close to a drop
off. As a rule, early morning and late evening will be the prime walleye bite
on most days. Be safe and have fun this winter! Cliff
The recent cooler weather has finally pushed
the water temps on Vermilion down into the lower 50's and the walleyes are
moving into some of their fall pattern locations. The water temps were at 53
deg. to 54 deg. yesterday morning in Big Bay which indicates that turn over has
happened or is about to happen. We caught walleyes and a few jumbo perch
yesterday in depths of 8' to 42' which is a good sign that turn over has
happened recently also. The fish should soon be moving into the deeper holes
and be much more concentrated in the next few days. Jigs and minnows have
been working very well this week for me. Glow white, gold, fire tiger, black,
and parrot colors in 1/4 oz. and 3/4 oz. have been working well on active
fish. Plain hook bait rigs with a 4' to 6' leader have worked best on
reluctant biters. Medium to larger minnows has been the prefered bait.
Fatheads,creek chubs, rainbows, and pike suckers have all been catching fish on
both presentations. Slow and vertical has been working best. Good
Fishing! Cliff
The walleye bite on Vermilion has been very
sporatic this week for me. Some days have been very good and others have been
very slow. The walleyes seem to be on the move toward their fall pattern
spots, but have not arrived there yet! On most days many of my better spots will
only produce a few better fish then I have to move to another to pick up a fish
or two there. Lindy rigs baited with crawlers have been the best producer
this week. Minnows are also starting to get a few fish on rigs and jigs. Most
of my fish are being caught in 12' to 23 ' of water. Trolling crank baits is
starting to produce fish for a few of the trolling die hards and may be the way
to go in the next week or so with the way the walleyes are scattered now. The
water level on the lake has been dropping steadily the past couple weeks and you
will need to use care when in shallow water. Water temps have been averaging
in the upper 60's most of the week. The fall bite is approaching fast and we
should have a very good and steady bite going in a week or two.
The walleye bite on Vermilion's East end has been very steady the past week. I have been getting a lot of walleyes on many of the main basin reefs and rock humps. Lindy Rigs with crawlers or leeches as bait has been the most productive method on most days. I have also had a couple of good days using minnows on the Lindy Rigs. 16 feet to 26 feet deep has been my best depths for walleyes. A few jumbo perch are also starting to show up on the reefs this week. We have been weeding thru a lot of small fish each day, but have been keeping limits of 14 inch to 16-1/2 inch fish on most trips out. A few nice slot fish are also being caught each day. A 28-1/2 inch walleye was our best fish this week.
The mayfly haych in Big Bay on Vermilion is finally in full swing as of Saturday. The hatch has not had any noticable affetct on the walleye bite in the areas that I have been fishing except that the bite has maybe even improved because the walleyes are gorgeing themselves on the mayflys and have been hitting a Lindy Rig baited with 1/2 of a crawler very well! We have been averaging at least 50 walleyes a day this week. All of my fish are comming off of the mid-lake reefs and humps in 18 feet to 32 feet of water. There is also a good lindy bite in the 20' plus deep mud flats. Good Fishing!
The walleye bite this week has been very steady. We are getting walleyes in many different types of locations and at depths that range from 6 feet to 30 feet deep. Lindys baited with minnows or crawlers are working best for me. Gold spinners and minnows are also getting a lot of fish. There are a few mayflies starting to hatch, but the main hatch is probably still a couple of weeks off. The smallmouth bass are really starting to show up in their spawning beds now. The few sunfish that I have caught appear to not have spawned this year. Water to cold??? Water temps have been holding in the upper 50's to low 60's all week.
The walleye bite has been very good on most days this week dispite the many fronts that have been moving thru this area. We have been catching quite a few slot fish this week that have ranged from 17 inches to 25 inches. Almost all of our fish are still being caught using a bait rig baited with minnows. The larger minnows seem to get the most bites on most days. Fathead chubs,rainbows and creek chubs have been my best choices. Leeches are accounting for a few walleyes and crawlers are also starting to get a few fish to bite. Spinners,jigs and crank baits are also working on many days. The walleyes are very scattered and I have caught them as shallow as 6 feet and as deep as 42 feet on some occasions. 14 feet to 22 feet has been the best depths on most days. Good Fishing! Cliff
The walleye bite continues to improve as the water warms up this week. The water temps have been as high as 62.5 degrees in some areas the past couple of days! The walleyes are already starting to move off shoreline locations out onto the main basin reefs and islands. Minnows are still the main go-to bait, but leeches have been starting to work well in some locations also. My main presentation this week has been a standard lindy type bait rig with a 3' to 6' leader and a #2 Gamagatsu bait hook. Dragging a jig and minnow combination has also been working well for some. Most of my fish are being caught in 16' to 32 feet of water close to rocky shorelines and rock piles. Moving very slowly and paying attention to feel the light biters and then feeding them a little line will put a lot more fish in your boat!
The second week of the walleye season has had some very unstable weather, to say the least! Those of us that braved the cold, wind, and rain did manage to have some good fishing though. Walleyes have been hitting in almost any depth of water up to 40 feet and have been caught on almost any type of presentation! I have been sticking to Lindy type rigs because they are much easier to use in the windy conditions that we have had all week. At times I have had to use up to 1 ounce of weight just to stay on the bottom! I have been running a 5 foot, 8# test Cajun Red leader with a #4 or #2 Gamagatsu hook baited with a rainbow,fathead, or pike sucker and with enough weight to maintain bottom contact. We have caught walleyes in 8 feet of water to 30 feet of water using this type of rig this week. Jigs/minnows also worked well on the few calm days that we had.
Finally! The 2008 walleye fishing opener has arrived! After checking questionable ice out condition on the Tower end of Vermilion for the last week we finally got enough open water on the South shore of Big Bay to be able to get out onto a large enough section of water to be able to fish. Even though my clients and I were unable to gain access to my prefered "Opening Day" walleye spot because of a huge ice flow on most of Big Bay I was able to get to a couple of my back up spots and we managed to have a very good day on Saturday! The morning started off with snow flakes falling as we headed out from the Hoodoo Point Landing! Another "Typical Opener"! With the water tempretures averaging 39 to 44 degrees in these spots the bite was very light and tenative, but fairly steady. All of our fish came out of 22' to 33' of water and were caught on bait rigs with a 3' to 4' leader, 3/8 oz. egg sinker, a size #4 red or green Gamagatsu hook, with rainbow chub as bait. We had to move very slowly to get any bites and had to feed the bait to the fish for a few seconds before setting the hook. We ended the day with 41 walleyes caught! We kept our limits of 16 fish that were 13" to 16-1/2" in length, and released two fish that were in the protected slot. By 3:00 pm we were all ready to call it a day as the wind had come up and the temperature had begun to drop again. Big Bay should be ice free by Monday or Tuesday. This is only the second year that I have ever seen ice on Big Bay on opener weekend! The fishing can only get better as the water and weather warm! Good Fishing! Cliff www.cliffsguideservice-lakevermilion.com 218-753-2005
Lake Vermilion,4/26/08
Even if the weather today does not even closely resemble what we all want to see on the "Walleye Opener" it is time to make sure that all of our gear is checked out and in perfect working condition for the big day. It is also time to make sure that we have a game plan for that all importent day! Your chances of success will be greatly improved if you just take a few minutes to assess the predicted weather and lake conditions for this opener. The late spring and cold weather this year will almost guarantee that the walleye spawn will be delayed by a week or two. This will mean that the walleyes probably will not be in many of the traditional opener spots that you fish. The colder weather will also probably mean a much more lathargic bite. The best way to compensate for this is to slow down your presentations in most cases. The exception to this rule is if you like to troll crank baits. I have usually had better luck during cold water periods by actually trolling cranks faster then normal! The speed will get many instinct hits if the walleye has to make a snap decision to "eat" as the crank baits zips past it! If you will be using live bait like me the key to getting more fish is to "SLOW DOWN"! I like to start with a jig/minnow presentation. Use as light a jig as you can use and still keep your bait right on the bottom. And I do mean right on the bottom! SLOWLY drag your presentation a foot or two and then let it set for a couple of seconds and then repeat the process. Each time that you lift your rod to drag the jig forward be sure to feel for any extra weight. If you feel anything "extra" there, lift a little more and set that hook if the weight increases even a little! If a jig/minnow is not getting walleyes I then will switch to a Liny type bait rig. I usually will have a 3/8 oz. eggsinker,then a 2' to 3' 8# test mono leader with a size #4 Gamagatsu bait hook attached to that. Either nose hook or tail hook a rainbow chub or fathead chub minnow to this rig. Fish this rig the same way that you fished the jig/minnow rig. Either of these presentation can be used effectively by slow trolling, drifting, or casting from an anchored boat or from shore. I hope that these pointers will help put some walleyes in your boat and also into the frying pan for that always great, :OPENER" fish fry! Have a great opener and be safe out on the water! Good Fishing! Cliff www.cliffsguideservice-lakevermilion.com 218-753-2005
Lake Vermilion, 3/13/08
With the walleye season closed in this area I have been concentrating my efforts on panfish. The crappie and sunfish have been biting very well on most of the area lakes. I have had very good luck using waxworms on pink/glow tear drop jigs, Haili jigs and small Forage Minnows or Sweedish Pimples, color preferences vary day-to-day. Golds, red/glow, silver/green, and rainbow trout have all been good colors. I have gotten fish in 12' to 35' of water. Most of them have been suspended. The stream trout and laker bite has also been very good the past couple of weeks. The tulibee bite is in full swing and will get better as the ice melts. You can get steady action on most days in the deepest holes on Vermilion. All of the crappie jigs mentioned previously will catch tulibees when baited with a waxie or crappie minnow. plastics also work great on days that they are really aggressive. The area snowmobile trails and lake are all in fairly good shape as of this date.
The walleye bite on Vermilion has really slowed down this week again mostly due to the cold fronts that have been rolling thru this area. We are still getting a few fish each day but have had to really work for them. Most of our fish are still being caught in 24 feet to 30 feet of water. Small minnows on a plain hook with a small split shot on a dead stick or light jigging rod have gotten most of our fish. Late mornings and mid-day has been the best bite. You can really keep busy cranking in the tulibees if you use your electronics to watch for them suspended in the water column. They are hitting small silver or gold Sweedish Pimples or other small jigging spoons baited with a wax worm very well. Just watch for them to show up on your electronics and then get above them a little and jig until they rise to the bait. Then slowly lift the spoon until they hit. Lots of fun and a good fight too! The panfish are starting to really warm up on many of the lakes in the Ely area also. Stream trout are also still biting well on many of the area lakes.
The walleye bite has slowed down quite a bit this week due to the recent cold fronts. Many of the fish that we are getting have been biting at midday on tip-ups and rattle reels. The best bait on these rigs has been small to medium sized sucker minnows. Small gold spoons baited with a crappie minnow are also getting a few of the more aggressive walleyes. 24 feet to 30 feet of water are still my most productive depths. Travel on the lake has been very good. There is only 2" to 3" of snow in most open areas and no slush at all. There has been around 17" to 18" of ice in the areas that I have been fishing and I have been driving my F-150 out all week.
The lake ice is finally starting to shape up and the slush holes are just about all frozen over now. There is still no travel except by snowmobile and ATV at this time, but it will not be to long before we will be able to finally drive out to some favorite spots! The walleye bite has been very good all week again! I have been getting my fish in 22' to 30' of water yet. Tip-ups and dead sticks baited with small to medium sized pike suckers have been getting a lot of fish. Small gold spoons or 1/8 oz. gold jigs baited with a tail-hooked crappie minnow have also been very effective.
The walleye fishing on Vermilion has been very good this week if you are willing and able to get out onto the main lake and away from the other fishermen. We have been doing very good fishing the reefs that top out at around 17 to 22 feet. The walleyes can be found anywhere from the top of the reefs to as deep as 32 feet off of the edges of the reef. We have been getting many of our fish under tip-ups baited with small to medium suckers. The walleyes that we are catching on jigs have been caught on small 1/8 oz. gold spoons or 1/8 oz gold round head jigs baited with crappie minnows! Ice conditions are slowly improving with many of the nasty slush areas starting to set up or freeze over. There are still a few bad slush areas though! Very tough going on ATV's. Snowmobiles are still your best bet for getting around. NO trucks or car travel on the ice is reccomended!! It just is not safe! Warm here the past two days so hopefully the snow cover will melt and the slush will finally freeze up.
Lake Vermilion, 12/26/07 The Ice on Vermilion is averaging around 9 inches deep. There is an average of 12 inches of snow on top of the ice with many areas on the lake having 6 inches or more of slush under the snow! Very bad traveling for anything except possibly snowmobiles and that can be a challange at times if you are pulling a fishhouse. If you can manage to get out there the walleyes are biting! The bite is mostly a morning and evening bite. Good fishing! Cliff
Lake Vermilion, 12/15/07 Provided by: Cliff's Guide Service
The walleye bite on Vermilion has been very good on most of the mornings that I have been out. I have been fishing in water 19' to 30' deep all week with good results. Tip-ups and dead-sticks with a medium sized rainbow chub on a white glow Demon Jig has been a good second line. I have also been jigging one line with a varity of jigging spoons and Rapala Jigging Raps. Red glow and perch colors have been my best colors on most days. I have been finding the ice depth to be mostly in the 7" to 9" range in the areas that I have fished. Be CAREFUL though because there are still many spots with 2" of ice in some areas. There is also still a lot of slush under the 8" to 12" of snow in many areas. A few permanant houses are starting to show up out from of the McKinley Park Landing area. I hope to have my permanant houses out by next weekend. Good Fishing! Cliff
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