What a weekend!

When was the last time we had weather like that for opening weekend??   Perhaps the weather was a little too nice as the daytime bite proved to be a grind on many of the area lakes.  But for those anglers that were able to get out early and stay out late, they were rewarded with some great fishing.

​Here's some of the reports from around the area:

​Bemidji - shoreline breaks from 8-10' and around the base of the cabbage beds were producing fish.  Keeping it light was the key.  1/8oz jigs with either a shiner or fathead produced some fish.  There was a good leech bite reported as well for those rigging.

​Irving - anglers were able to get some fish in the livewell using some of the same tactics as on Bemidji.  But we also heard there was a decent crank bait bite.  The shore fishermen staying out and fishing the river after dark did well over the weekend, and we heard rumors of some large fish caught up to 27" in the river!

​Andrusia - appears to be the winner in our area with great success and lots of fish reported.  Hit the river mouths, adjacent breaks, and outside of the reed beds for walleye action.  6-12' produced fish on jigs with shiners or fatheads.  Keep it light when fishing shallow to keep a lot of the decayed vegetation off your jig.  1/8oz or 1/4oz jigs both worked, as well as slip bobber fishing and anchoring up when you find a school.

Cass Lake -  A deeper bite was reported with the clear water and high sun.  14-17' off the breaks.  Rigging was a better option with the spooky fish using jumbo leeches, shiners or rainbows.

​Red Lake - It sounds like if you had bait, you were able to catch fish!  We heard of some 50 fish days over the weekend.  The shallow channel has been dug out, so there is no problem accessing the lake out of the public accesses.

​Leech Lake - some very nice fish caught this weekend.  10-16' produced.  Jigs with shiners as well as live bait rigging.

​Get out and enjoy this awesome weather & don't forget the sunscreen!
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