One thing the hot weather of the summer was good for, consistency. The water temps in western minnesota have been a stable 73-77 degrees for nearly 10 weeks and with very few fronts to interrupt this pattern the fishing has been predictably good. I’m still doing a lot of speed trolling with a combination of blades and baits but locations have noticeably changed. After a summer of heavy fishing pressure on the popular lakes of western minnesota I’m finding the community spots are producing less fish even when all conditions seem to be ideal. The smaller patches of weeds or thin weed lines are holding the active fish.

I am also starting to see more fish using the shallow flats that the leech lake strain is famous for using during the First sustained drop in temps off the summer peak highs. However, with the low water we are experiencing this summer I’m not finding them in the traditional spots as they are either weed choked or too shallow for the fish to find comfort in using them. This could be a great opportunity to find a new area that could be holding several fish and Maybe even a giant. Topwater and small Bucktails on windy days often yield multiple muskies from these shallow flats and the window is often short but intense.