Arvid’s Fishing Report

Diane and I were camping for a few days this past weekend at the Lake Bemidji State Park and were able to spend some time with friends Terry and Bev. It also gave Terry and I a chance to do a little fishing. Does that surprise anyone? The past couple of weeks the walleye bite on Lake Bemidji has been very good, mostly just before dark trolling Rapala’s in shallow water. Saturday evening Terry and I fished for a couple of hours using jigs tipped with shiners and then trolling Rapala’s at dark. We caught several perch and three small walleyes; two of them not large enough to keep. Sunday morning we tried again for an hour. Terry caught a nice 20-1/2" walleye that he released. Sunday evening was better. We caught eight nice walleyes from 14" to 18". Four of them were caught on jigs with minnows; the other four trolling Rapala’s at dark. In addition, we caught a lot of perch and kept ten that were in the 8"-9" range. You can see from the pictures that the weather was perfect.

Sunday afternoon, Terry, Bev and another couple came to the Park with Bemidji’s Let’s Go Fishing Seniors Boat. They took the Larson’s, Buegler’s and Jaranson’s for a tour of Lake Bemidji to show us how the boat rode and handled, etc. Bemidji’s program has been operating two or three days a week this summer. Baudette’s Senior Boating Program now has enough money to buy a boat and plans to be operational next June 1st. 

 
Terry with a 20-1/2" Lake Bemidji Walleye

 
Lake Bemidji at Sunset

 
Bemidji’s Let’s Go Fishing Senior’s Boat

Baudette received a good rain last Saturday evening; two and two tenths inches. The ground soaked it all up and there was no extra for the rivers or the lake. Even after the rain the Rapid River at Clementson had no extra water coming through the rapids. Water levels remain really low.

Fishing remains good on Lake of the Woods. Down riggers are still likely to be the most effective method in the 30+ feet of water, but some fish are being caught drifting in 20-30 feet of water using leeches and minnows. Red Lake is very slow with an occasional walleye being caught along with some drum and perch. My friend, Terry, fished Lake Bemidji Tuesday evening for league fishing and did well. He and his partner got first place for the day with a weight of 11 lbs. 10 oz. for four walleyes. They caught twelve walleyes for the night trolling rapala’s in shallow water.
The Rapid River at Clementson

The Bridge over the Rapid River at Clementson

Last weekend Diane & I met our children Julie and Jonathan and their families at the Lake Bemidji State Park for a few days of camping. We had good weather except for Sunday when it got really warm. On Saturday afternoon, my friend Terry, who lives on Lake Bemidji, came over to the Park in his boat. We visited and had a beverage while we were setting up camp. I told him we were having a fish fry for supper and invited him. He thought it would be appropriate if he went out and caught one so off he went while we finished our chores. He was back an hour or so later and had caught two nice walleyes and a perch. He spent some time looking for perch, but couldn’t find them. He caught the walleyes trolling Rapala’s in 9-12 feet of water. After a late supper, Terry, Jonathan, Grandson Matt and I went out for an hour. Terry caught a nice walleye, maybe 17" and that was it. It was a nice evening on Lake Bemidji.

Reports are that fishing on Lake of the Woods continues to be very good fishing with down-riggers in 32 feet of water. Reports from the River are spotty, but should improve as we get closer to Fall. Sturgeon season is now open to the end of September and that continues to increase in popularity both to harvest a fish and just to catch and release. To harvest a sturgeon requires a $5 tag and you can keep one per year that is between 45-50". 

 
Terry with a Lake Bemidji Walleye

 
Sunset on Lake Bemidji