Arvid's Fishing Report

Sunday, Terry came up from Bemidji and we spent a few hours working on a deer stand. It’s kind of late with deer season only a week away, but better now than not at all. About four o’clock we put the boat in the river and joined the crowd. There were a lot of fishermen out braving the cool temperatures getting in on some of the last days of fall fishing. It appeared that most were having pretty good success. Most were anchored up, but a few were drift fishing. Those anchored up were out towards the middle of the river, maybe in about 19-21 feet of water. Terry and I fished for less than two hours and caught twelve nice walleyes. We kept our eight and released four that included one 20″. I told Terry that it was a good thing he didn’t catch a big one because I forgot the camera. We both hope that Wally doesn’t get to upset because we were out prefishing some of those deer season walleyes.

If a person didn’t know better you’d think this was November and not October the way the weather has been. Where is that Indian summer?

This is probably the busiest fall weekend for fishermen in the area; the river is a busy place. Fishing reports are mixed with some doing well and others just so-so. Late Thursday afternoon I fished for a couple hours and caught three small walleyes and a sauger. Also released a couple of little saugers and a 25-1/2″ walleye, a nice fish. Friday I fished in the snow showers for an hour and caught two nice walleyes and a sauger.

A 25-1/2″ Walleye, still in the river to be caught another day. 

A friend that I grew up with in my younger years, Chuck Koch, was back in Minnesota to visit family and came to Baudette for a couple of days. We managed to fish both days without getting rained on or blown off the river. We fished up river by Hattie’s, anchored up in about 17 feet of water. On Sunday WE caught (Chuck caught most of them) seven nice walleyes in the 14″ to 16-1/2″ range, we just couldn’t get that eighth one. There we a lot of people out fishing, but I don’t think there was much catching being done. On Monday, we kept six walleyes, released a 22″ walleye and a 48″ sturgeon. Fishing wasn’t great, but after the week of weather we just had, maybe it was ok.

Chuck with October Walleye

Arvid with 22″ walleye

Chuck with six nice walleyes

Arvid with 48″ sturgeon

Years ago, fish biologists used the scales from Northern Pike to estimate the age of the fish. Now the Cleithrum, a large bone located under the gill flap is used to determine the age of the fish because each year the fish’s body adds a new layer to the bone. The picture below shows the new layers of bone much like the rings of a tree. The cleithrum in the picture is from a Northern Pike that is probably seven years old and about 33″ in length.

You might be interested in reading about a 27 year-old walleye from Lake of the Woods that was collected in the 2005 fall survey. It was 28-1/2″ in length. Go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/baudette

My days helping out with the DNR Fall Survey are over. It was a really enjoyable experience. Now it’s time to enjoy some fall river fishing and bird hunting. Reports are that the fishing in the river has picked up. Nothing great yet, but it’s getting better. This year the ruffed grouse hunting is suppose to be on the up turn. It has been poor for several years.

Cleithrum from Northern Pike

A Lake of the Woods Quill-back

Getting ready to head out and pick up and set nets

I have spent a few days these past few weeks working with the DNR while they conduct their Fall Surveys on Lake of the Woods. It’s an opportunity that not many get to experience. Maybe it an experience that some wouldn’t want to, either. Right now they are gill netting at various locations on the Minnesota portion of the Lake. Nets are set one day and pulled the next. Fish that are caught are brought to an on shore location, right now the Zipple Bay State Park. There are numerous species of fish in the nets, both big and little. There are walleyes, sauger, perch, pike, suckers, tullibee, red horse, sturgeon and fish that I didn’t even know were in the lake, like the quill-back; a fish much like a carp. All the fish are measured and weighed and the sex and maturity are determined. The Otoliths (a small bone) are removed from the head to determine the age. All this information is entered on a computer to be analyzed later. At the end of the day the fish are donated to organizations like Senior Citizens, etc. This is done for seventeen consecutive days and then the survey is over.

Monday the Lake of the Woods School 10th grade Biology Class had a field trip to the Park to observe the process.

A number of people have been fishing the river recently with mixed success. Reports are that many small walleyes are being caught, like under 10″. Another report had an early season shiner run last week. That could bring a few fish in from the lake. The water level is low and inflow to the river is almost nil. Fishing should improve as we get later into the fall season.

Biology Class Onlookers

Topper Preparing to Extract Otoliths

Extracting Otoliths

Tom Recording Data

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