Fishing Reports
33792 Fishing Reports
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)
Structure
Flooded Brush
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
82°
Zoom Z Craw Jr. Green Pumpkin / 3 1/2"
Out of Stock
Zoom Z Craw Jr. California 420 / 3 1/2"
Out of Stock
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Shakey Heads
Structure
Points
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
90°
Last Tuesday, Bob and I headed to Truman Lake for the Tuesday Night Hog Fight, but before the tournament started we spent the afternoon trying to dial in a pattern. We found fish relating to main lake and secondary points that had a mix of brush, rock, or other cover. The Magnum shaky head paired with a new Motion Fishing straight worm we’ve been designing was absolutely getting the job done, and we mixed in a football jig for a few extra bites as well. We caught a lot of fish during practice, including a solid 5-pounder, and felt like we had a really good game plan heading into takeoff. When the tournament started at 5:30, it became obvious things had changed. We went nearly an hour without a bite, and the fish we had found earlier just weren’t setting up the same way. Instead of forcing the pattern, we made an adjustment and started fishing a little shallower on those same points. It didn’t take long before we started getting bites again on that Magnum shaky head and straight worm. The fish hadn’t left the area—they had simply repositioned. We ended up bringing three fish to the scales for 8.41 pounds, which was good enough to cash the last check in the derby. If you’re heading to Truman Lake, they’ve shut the current off and the fish are definitely in a transition period. The deep bite has slowed down, but the true shallow late-summer pattern hasn’t fully developed either. Right now, the fish seem to be somewhere in between, so don’t get locked into one depth. Pay attention to what the lake is telling you, make adjustments when you need to, and once you find a pattern, stick with it. I think it won’t be long before the late-summer topwater and squarebill bite really starts heating up, but for now, the Magnum shaky head with a straight worm and a football jig were our best producers. If you need to stock up on summer fishing tackle before your next trip, you can save 10% at Omnia by using code LUKE10 at checkout. Good luck out there!
HotbaitZoom 7" Magnum Trick Worm Plum / 7"
Out of Stock
Zoom 7" Magnum Trick Worm Green Pumpkin / 7"
Out of Stock
Zoom 7" Magnum Trick Worm Motoroil / 7"
Out of Stock
Species
WalleyeSeason
Summer
Technique
Vertical Jigging 0-9'
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Water Temperature
75°
Fish weren't biting on the midwater reefs or sand so I decided to go shallow. Found walleye in weed beds, particularly right on the edges of cabbage beds. They seemed to like the crawlers threaded onto a 1/4 oz tungsten jig and would pick it up off bottom after pulling free from the vegetation. Had to sift through bait robbing little perch though which was a pain and cost a lot of crawlers and jigs because I found myself waiting too long to set the hook because I didn't know if it was one of those little robbers or a legitimate fish. If it was legitimate and I waited too long, the walleye or pike swallowed it and I broke the line off or gut hooked the fish.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Soft Jerkbaits
Structure
Flooded Brush
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
84°
Threw a fluke in an off creek of the main lake on a weightless ewg owner 4/0 twistlock. Some areas that have benefitted from the rains are what I focused on. Skipping over structure such as brush and letting it drop and stop worked. Good luck!
Species
WalleyeSeason
Summer
Technique
Trolling 20'+
Structure
Open Water/Basin
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
74°
Some anglers write off August as the "dog days" of summer when it comes to walleye fishing. A common theme on many bodies of water are weeds, warm water, deep fish and millions of minnows and young of the year fish that make it tough on walleye anglers. Lake of the Woods is a huge exception and walleye fishing continues to be excellent. The summer patterns that have treated anglers so well are still firmly in place, and there are plenty of fish willing to cooperate. If a late-summer trip is on your mind, this is a great time to make it happen. Let's run through the three areas. Big Traverse Bay (South Shore) The deep mud is still the story on the south end. Big schools of walleyes and saugers are holding out over those flats, and the presentations that have carried the summer are as reliable as ever. Drifting or slow-trolling spinners and crawlers behind a bottom bouncer remains the bread-and-butter approach for putting good numbers in the boat. Trolling crankbaits over the same deep water is producing nicely too, and it's a great way to cover ground and pick off active fish. In the stained water Lake of the Woods is known for, gold paired with a bright accent — pink, orange, chartreuse, or glow white — continues to be a winning combination. Between the two techniques, there's no shortage of ways to stay on fish through the day. No disrespect to the jiggers, many are setting up over and on the edges of reefs as well as over deep mud and doing well. As long as you are on fish, vertical jigging with a minnow, leech or piece of crawler has been effective. Rainy River For anglers craving variety, the Rainy River is a place to consider. It's a genuine mixed bag this time of year, including resident walleyes that live in these forage-rich waters year-round, smallmouth bass holding on rock and current breaks, pike patrolling the bays, and the river's legendary sturgeon in the thick of their summer harvest season. Bring a range of tackle and stay ready, because you never quite know what will pull back next. NW Angle Up among the islands, the multispecies action is hard to beat. Walleyes lead the way, but the Angle is loaded with options such as big pike, muskies, smallmouth bass, jumbo perch, and crappies, all part of the daily mix. Fish continue to slide between the rock structure and the adjacent mud, so a little exploring goes a long way, and the next spot may well serve up a different species than the last. It's a paradise for anyone who likes to catch fish and keep the day interesting. Before You Go However you like to fish, your own boat, a guide, or a charter, the walleye bite is holding strong right through the heart of summer. Lodging and fishing opportunities around the lake are available for that August getaway. To find out more about fishing Lake of the Woods, check out our website at lakeofthewoodsmn.com/fishing/. Stay connected on social media for daily updates all week long!
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Neko Rigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Forage
Bluegill
Water Temperature
79°
Went out for a club derby. Overcast skies for most of the day with very little wind. Fished submergered grass lines anywhere from 5 FOW-14 FOW. Caught several 3lb fish on a neko rigged Flux-Gill and a 6th Sense Bounce Worm 6.7" in Green Pumkin Juice color.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Finesse Hair Jigs
Structure
Rock Pile
Forage
Perch
Water Temperature
73°
Casting a marabou jig up on shallow on shallow flats and rock piles. Jeff’s Jigs 3/32 oz premium marabou jig was key. I had a GLF drop minnow on the back what gave it good action
Species
WalleyeSeason
Summer
Technique
Vertical Jigging 10-19'
Structure
Humps
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
71°
Crushed the walleyes on humps with my buddy. Jerk shadz & smeltinator combo was 🔥
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Finesse Jigs
Structure
Open Water/Basin
Forage
Bluegill
Water Temperature
80°
Missed about 7 should have gone with a smaller jig
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Ned Rigs
Structure
Docks
Forage
Insects
Water Temperature
81°
Skipping and pitching around and under docks was paying off in large to the zman trd crawz
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Neko Rigs
Structure
Open Water/Basin
Water Temperature
80°
Neko rig and swim bait most productive
HotbaitZ-Man SMH WormZ Green Pumpkin / 6 1/2"
Out of Stock
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Tubes
Structure
Open Water/Basin
Forage
Perch
Had a blast out on the big pond today! Didnt catch many quality ones, but put the beatdown on a good number of them! Best bait was a 1/2oz 3.5” tube. Green pumpkin, and light melon were the two colors. Spybait also got some work in, along with a 3.3 swimmer. Wasn’t targeting really anything, just 5-10fow on sand flats. Long casts, and rotating between lures. I did sight fish a couple which was sweet too! Fun day!
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Forage
Bluegill
Cast like 15 feet from shore
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Hover/Mid-Strolling
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Forage
Minnows
Water Temperature
79°
Found some good bass in deeper grass around 10 FOW keeping the bait just over the grass
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)
Structure
Lily Pads
Forage
Bluegill
Water Temperature
85°
Went out today and flipped a bunch of Lilly pad edges. Tried a variety of baits including other craws but nothing was working until I switched to the cleanup craw. Lightly weighted for a slow fall was the ticket. Caught a good amount with the biggest being right around four pounds.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Swim Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Water Temperature
81°
The fish were on the edges of the thick vegetation.
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Bladed Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Pounded largemouth and smallmouth on Farm Island. Chatterbaits burned over the grass and swim jigs ripped through it yielded the best results. Largest smallie went 4.35lbs on the Z-Man Big Blade in fire craw.
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Summer
Technique
Swim Jigs
Structure
Submerged Vegetation
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
77°
Fished submerged vegetation with 4-8 ft of water near vegetation. Duck weed was a big part in finding the larger fish. Make sure to hit the open spots in the duckweed. Lots of 3+ lbers
