East Side Fishing Report Leech Lake 5-23-22

In typical Leech Lake fashion the Walleye bite definitely picks up in the wind.  10 to 14 feet of water in the wind with rocks seems to be best around Pelican Island, Bear Island and Battle Point.  The fish will school up in the wind and scatter once the wind dies down.  A jig tipped with a shiner produced 90% of my fish.  I had my best luck on Kenkatch Long Shank Shiner Jig.   The wide gap long shank jig with a red hook is excellent for double hooking large minnows such as spot tail and golden shiners. This jig will make sure those short biting fish make it into the boat.  My best colors were the 3D eye jig in Blue and White, Watermelon and you can never go wrong with Parrot.  Larger minnows produced bigger fish, biggest for the week was a 28″. Looking for eaters, small minnows and leeches worked best.  

George Wells Leech Lake Guide Team

West side fishing report Leech Lake 5-23-22

The recent cold front lowered the water temps back down to the lower 50’s but with warmer temperatures coming each day the temps should reach mid to high 50’s by mid week. Targeting areas with warmer surface temperatures and ideal bottom composition such as weed to sand transitions, rock to sand transitions, rock rubble to larger boulders, and wind blown sand flats where increased amounts of spottail shiners will begin to show up with surface temperatures getting closer to 60 degrees. Mounds Point to Oak Point Resort, Grand Vu Flats, Star Point, Little Hardwoods, Big Hardwoods, Snake Pits, West Goose Flats, Little stony, wind blown break lines and shallow flats in Traders Bay. 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with fatheads, rainbows, golden shiners, small pike minnows, and spottail shiners are a great way to start. We are seeing increased activity on Lindy rigs tipped with leeches and nightcrawlers. Slip bobbers are a great option if you can get positioned over a larger school of fish. 

Austin Michaud Leech Lake Guide Team

Lake Winnie fishing report 5-23-22

The bite on Lake Winnie remains excellent following opening weekend water temps are slowly rising and the fishing seems to only be getting better. Reports of many keeper size fish coming from the Tamarack point area in 8 to 12 feet of water casting drifting or slowly trolling with a 1/8 ounce green jig tipped with a fat head rainbow or shiner all seem to be producing. Many bigger fish are being taken Around Stony Point in 11 to 13 feet of water. With a few fish showing up on the Bena bar as well. Panfish reports are picking up as well in little cutfoot. Look for the panfish to be right on the first edge of the weeds in 5 to 7 feet of water and move shallower later in the day as the water warms.

Kevin Joslyn Leech Lake Guide Team