WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
June 1, 2006

As summer heats us with a bang this week, the fishing hits another level on many of the local lakes including Winnie and Red Lake. The water temperatures are now getting ever-so-close to 70 degrees on many lakes and many of the shiners are finishing up with their annual spawn and soon we will be facing the Walleyes on the mid-lake structure.

This week, we found the boat setting on both Red Lake and Winnie. Red Lake is the most amazing fishing I have seen in my lifetime. If you're looking for pure action, Red Lake is the place to go. Walleyes are stacked in the 5-8 feet of water and nearly any type of presentation will keep those rods bending. We fished with 1/16 oz. MAXGAP jigs tipped with both chubs, shiners and Lindy thumper plastics and found that all presentations catch equally.

If you're heading to Red in the near future, we headed out to the West of Rogers resort, up to the Flags of Mort's and fished the 5-8 feet of water. It is about a one mile drift and the action was incredible the entire drift. The slot limit on Red lake is 17-26 inches and one can keep your two fish in the 16" range very easily. This is a trip worth making whether your new to fishing or a veteran. I would highly recommend the trip for any one interested in getting those kids hooked on fishing. The crappies have finished up with the annual spawn and now are starting to disperse throughout the lake. We have found great numbers of crappies on many of the deeper rockpiles located on both the North and South end of the lake.

As for Winnie, it continues to show why a slot limit is so important as the numbers of fish that we are catching on Winnie continue to be very good. We have been concentrating our efforts on the West and North shore. Most of the better action and numbers are coming from the 6-8 feet of water. Here the 1/16 oz. parrot-colored MAXGAP jig tipped with the silver shiners have produced better then our other presentations.

Many of the 12-14 feet rockpiles are loading up with those magnum perch and as we see the water temps rise over the next week, look for the first deep structure to start filling with life. I would expect that the night crawler and leech bite is right around the corner.

I will have a Pokegama Lake report after this week. Pokegama should be getting very close to hitting top speed as the water temps on Pokegama are now pushing that 60 degree mark. This time of the year, the best walleye action happens early and late in the day.

See ya on the water,

Sean Colter
www.seancolter.com
member of the NMLOG's