OUTDOORS REPORT: Area fishing, hunting update

Lake of the Woods

The shiner run has started in the Rainy River, but so far there aren’t a lot of walleyes following. That soon should change, but according to Gary Moeller of Ballard’s Resort, the best fishing the past few days has been near Bridges, Knight and Garden islands, where anchoring and jigging has produced many walleyes in the protected slot and some fish larger than 28 inches. As walleyes begin moving closer to the Rainy River, look for action to improve outside Lighthouse Gap, Four-Mile Bay and the river. Even though cover is still quite thick, grouse hunting has been good. Duck hunters are offering mixed reports, with some mallards and geese being shot.

Devils Lake

Walleye and pike action has been excellent, according to the most recent report from Ed’s Bait Shop. Look for the best fishing near current areas along any of the bridges around the lake, including those crossing Mauvais Coulee, Six-Mile Bay, the state highways 57 and 20 bridges and the Woods-Rutten bridge. Anglers report catching fish with jigs and leeches, minnows or crawlers or by trolling bottom bouncers with spinners, the report said. Shore anglers are doing well in the same areas using live bait rigs or jigs tipped with minnows, leeches or crawlers. Best action seems to be mornings and evenings along windswept shorelines.

Red River

The greenback run of walleyes moving upstream from Lake Winnipeg is still on the slow side for this time of year, but fishing near Selkirk, Man., has started to pick up in the past few days. Anglers are reporting good numbers of saugers and smaller walleyes and the occasional big walleye. Look for reports of big fish to continue improving as water temperatures cool and draw more walleyes upriver. The best is yet to come. Anchoring with a jig in 8 to 10 feet of water is a good bet for fall-run walleyes on the Manitoba side of the river, but some anglers also have reported success trolling crankbaits.

Meanwhile, the Red near Drayton, N.D., continues to produce saugers and the occasional walleye, but catfish action is slowing down, as expected, with the onset of colder weather.

Bemidji

There’s an evening walleye bite with minnows on Lake Bemidji and Lake Plantagenet in 15 to 25 feet of water. Minnows also are working best on Lake Andrusia for walleyes in 20 feet. Large sucker minnows have been best for muskies on Big Lake and Lake Bemidji. Duck hunters are providing mixed reports, with mallards being the most abundant birds in the bag, and grouse hunting continues to improve.

Blackduck

Crankbaits, nightcrawlers and minnows are producing walleyes in 10 to 20 feet of water on Blackduck Lake. Minnows are working best on Gull Lake and Island Lake for walleyes in 10 to 16 feet of water. Panfish and pike reports have been limited. Duck hunting has not been good, but there does seem to be plenty of grouse in the area.

Leech Lake

During the day, a jig and minnow is producing walleyes in 6 to 12 feet of water at Stony Point and Little Stony Point. At night, crankbaits are working best off Pine Point and Sand Point. Perch action remains strong in 6 to 8 feet of water from Oak Point to Star Point. The duck opener was good, with most groups shooting wood ducks, mallards and a few ringnecks in the rice. Despite a lot of cover, grouse hunting also has been good.

Lake Winnibigoshish

The best walleye action is now taking place on the points and shoreline breaks in 9 to 12 feet of water. Work these areas with a jig and minnow when the wind is hitting them. Perch reports have improved, with some fish being found in 6 to 10 feet of water and others in 16 to 20 feet. The duck season started with mixed reports, although there were some birds shot in the rice off the main-lake bays. Look for grouse hunting to improve as more cover comes down.

Detroit Lakes

Walleyes are hitting minnows during the day from the weedlines out to 20 feet of water on lakes Sallie, Melissa, Big Detroit, Little Detroit, Big Pine, Little Pine and Big Cormorant. At night, crankbaits are working best in water as shallow as 4 feet. Sunfish continue to be found in 8 to 12 feet of water on Little Detroit, Deadshot Bay and Floyd Lake. The 4- to 20-foot humps on Big Detroit are producing muskies. The rivers are holding ducks in this area, with mallards, geese and wood ducks the most abundant.

Park Rapids

Minnows are producing walleyes in 14 feet at Potato Lake and Island Lake. Long Lake and Fish Hook Lake also are giving up walleyes in 14 to 22 feet of water. The bigger northern pike have started hitting minnows on Little Sand Lake in 6 to 8 feet. The duck season started slow with some mallards shot; several big bucks were registered this week, and grouse hunting is improving.

Area waterfowl update

- Devils Lake: There hasn’t been much change since last week, according to Cami Dixon, biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Devils Lake Wetland Management District. The area still has good numbers of sandhill cranes and swans and a few flocks of snow geese, Dixon said, but remaining waterfowl is limited to local birds, and they’re spread out with the good water conditions. She advises hunters to make time for scouting. Recent rains again have set back the harvest, Dixon said.

- Lake of the Woods: Very few ducks in the area, but lots of geese, was the word on last weekend’s Minnesota waterfowl opener. Larry Milbridge, conservation officer for the Department of Natural Resources in Warroad, Minn., said many duck hunters called the opener on Lake of the Woods one of the worst in recent memory.

- Thief River Falls: Hunters reported low numbers of birds and marginal success in most areas, despite classic waterfowl weather, according to reports from DNR conservation officer.

- Crookston: Duck hunters encountered poor success opening weekend, according to DNR conservation officer Stuart Bensen. Few hunters were out, and duck numbers are low, Bensen said. Farther east, waterfowl hunters in the Fosston, Minn., area had a pretty good opener, DNR conservation officer Dan Malinowski said.