Arvid's Fishing Report

We were in Bemidji for a couple of days taking care of business and a bonus was getting to fish with Terry. We fished Lake Bemidji late Sunday evening pulling crank baits for about an hour without a hit. Monday evening we fished about three hours using leeches and crawlers in 15-25 feet of water. The guide kept putting us on fish and we caught thirteen walleyes, but only two keepers in the 16-17 inch range. The rest were 9-12 inches and were released. This trip the guide caught fish (8) and if you were to talk to him he would tell you that his keeper was bigger than mine.

Pulling crank baits at sunset

There have been many times that I’m out fished by whoever I have in the boat with me. Now it appears that my friend, Terry, has been bit by the same bug. In recent weeks, I know that his daughter and son-in-law have done it to him on separate occasions and this past Sunday it was payback and I got him. We fished Lake Bemidji late afternoon and evening and Terry was a great guide. He kept putting us on fish and I managed to catch four nice walleyes. Terry was shut out; except for one little walleye he had to put back. Terry and a friend fish a weekly league on various lakes around Bemidji; they are currently in second place and I’m beginning to wonder who’s catching the fish.

Nice 17″ & 18″ walleyes from Lake Bemidji

We have had some great weather for two days in a row; not a lot of wind and temperatures in the low seventies. Thursday, Steve, Scott and I went to the Lake and fished just outside the Gap near the green buoy in 10-14 feet of water. We back trolled with crawlers and shiners. There were lots of fish; most of them small, but we did manage to keep five eaters. Friday afternoon, Steve, Scott, Matt and I went back to the Lake where we found most of the boats were fishing deeper water. A light breeze made for a good drift and we, I should say the grandkid’s, caught a number of fish in 18-20 feet. We ended up keeping eight over about a two hour period; all caught by the grandkid’s. It was a good day and it’s nice that there are still some fish around the Gap this time of the year.

Scott with his 15″ walleye

Matt with his 17″ walleye

Scott and Matt with their walleyes

Haven’t been working hard, but sure have been busy. A lot of time has been spent this past year getting the senior fishing and boating program up and running and we are now on the water taking seniors fishing or on boating excursions. Last week the pontoon was used in the 10th annual Take A Kid Fishing day where seniors and kids fished together creating a nice inter-generational experience.

We have some family home now. Ten days ago I met grandson, Matt, and his dad in Wisconsin so that he could spend some time in Baudette with us. We fished Red Lake with Mike for a couple of hours on the way home and caught a few walleyes and drum. The walleyes were either too big or too small; nothing in the slot that we could keep. We fished in about five feet of water using small jigs tipped with minnows. Our other grandson, Scott, and his parents came early last week and the one day that it didn’t blow to bad we went to the lake. We fished inside the Gap, outside the Gap and down along Pine Island in various depths. The fished seemed scattered as we found a few fish at most depths. We ended up keeping three walleyes and released several small ones, all caught on shiners.

Lake of the Woods Chapter Let’s Go Fishing with Seniors Pontoon

Matt with a Red Lake Sheephead (Fresh Water Drum)

Steve and Scott with a 17″ Lake of the Woods Walleye

My uncle and his wife were here for a visit over the weekend and we spent some of the visiting time in the boat.  Saturday evening, with thunderstorms threatening, we fished the river with no success.  Four very small walleyes and saugers was all we could come up with.  Sunday, we put the boat in at the Wheeler’s Point access.  It was sunny and nice, but too windy to get on the lake so we fished the river and Four Mile Bay.  The action was steady and we ended up keeping six walleyes, two sauger and a perch.  We caught and released a number of small walleye and sauger, plus a walleye uncle Noie caught that was in the slot.

A nice walleye in the 19-1/2″ to 28″ slot to be released

Noie & Janice with a nice 15″ walleye

Camping was the order of business Memorial Day weekend. We were with six other couples at the Long Lake Park & Campground south of Bagley.  The weather showed us a little of everything. Saturday was wet and miserably cold.  Sunday was sunny and breezy; a nice day and the day we spent fishing.  I was in a boat with the chief guide, Clyde, his two grandsons and Gerry’s daughter, Christie.  We fished for a couple of hours and had lots of action before the grandkids wanted to go in.  We caught a limit of rainbow trout; most were 10″ to 12″ with about six in the 15″ to 16″ range.  We had two other boats out, but they didn’ have the guide we had.

Grandson’s Kaleb & Emmit and a double they caught

Christie with a nice 16″ rainbow

Clyde the guide

It has long been a tradition as soon as the ice is out of the trout lakes in northwestern Ontario that there is a large exodus of the male population from Baudette for long weekends. They cross the border and head for their favorite rock on their favorite lake. They don’t even have to be avid fishermen to participate; they just to go along to be part of the program. The comradeship, food, beverages, card games and maybe a “run” that will result in a nice lake trout for supper are all part of that time honored tradition.

I hadn’t fished trout for a few years, but gladly accepted an invitation to go fish Whitefish Bay on Lake of the Woods for a long weekend with some of the “Bosch Boys”. We met early Saturday morning, had breakfast, stopped for beverages and left for the resort in Sioux Narrows. Upon arrival we unpacked, got licenses, loaded up the boats and headed for the islands. It was cold and windy, but we caught four nice lake trout and that was important as two were for supper. Sunday morning there were a few snow flurries, but by afternoon the weather stayed windy, but quite nice. The fishing was good that day as the group caught eleven nice trout and kept the daily limit of six. Monday the weather got better and so did the fishing. The group caught fifteen trout; kept four and released the rest. Jim’s dad, Bill, caught and released six that day. Our license permitted a daily limit of one and a possession of two of which one had to be under 25-1/2″ and one over 25-1/2″. Of the thirty trout that were caught only six were under; most were in the 10-12 lb. range. We also caught about a dozen northern pike and only one could be kept; that was under the bottom of the slot of 27-1/2″. Everything else was in the slot and needed to be released. Tom caught one that we estimated to be near the top end of the slot; maybe 39-40″ and about 18 lbs. Jim also caught two nice smallmouth while casting a spoon for a few minutes each day. We came home a day early with our limit and out of bait. Everybody caught fish; it was a great weekend.

Jim, Tom, Bill & Steve with a catch of nice lake trout

George & Tom with another days catch

Five nice lake trout

A very nice pike

A nice lake trout

Opening day in the Lake of the Woods area was beautiful; mostly sunny with temperatures in the upper seventies.  More often than not, we’d have snow flurries in place of the weather we had.

After spending a good part of the day working on deer hunting projects, Wally and I gave the river a try in the early evening. With the nice weather there were a lot of boats out, but we didn’t see many fish being caught.  We tried three different spots before settling in on one by the airport. We caught a few fish and it was a mixed bag; we had three sturgeon, two bullheads and about a dozen walleye and sauger, of which we kept six walleye and two sauger. We were well satisfied.

Wally with a 17-1/2″ Opening Day Walleye

The angling season for walleye and sauger is now over. It was a good season, better than a year ago. The last day, however, wasn’t so good on the river by the airport. Wally, his sister Christie, and I fished from about 5:00 until I got tired and left about 7:00. Wally caught a beautiful 27″ walleye and I caught a small sauger that was released. After I left Christie caught a 36″ sturgeon and Wally caught an eater; that was it.

Wally with a season ending 27″ walleye

We may set a record for a late date that it ice goes out under the bridge in Baudette. The record is April 20th and that was in 1950. There is about 18″ of ice by the airport and it probably won’t go in the next day or so. The river opened up at Frontier, seventeen miles east of Baudette, earlier in the week and there was reported 85 outfits using the landing on Friday. Reports were that boat fishing was very good.

Some folks, like myself, prefer to stay on the ice as long as possible. Several have been walking out from the airport ramp and most get their two fish and maybe a big one to release. Friday evening I took my neighbor boy, Gabe, and went down by the airport; his dad, Emory, joined us a short time later. We caught five walleyes, four nice eaters and Emory got what he says is his biggest walleye, a beautiful 28″ one.

Emory with his 28″ walleye