Northland Lodge on spring fishing for Minnesota walleye

Minnesota Walleye Fishing Opener On Lake Winnie

Anglers can expect great walleye fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish

The 2008 Walleye Fishing Opener is May 10th!

Few things in life are met with the same enthusiasm as walleye opener in Minnesota. Even Santa can't compete with the unbridled joy generated by an angler's first day on the lake in mid-May.

Spring fishing on Lake Winnie is particularly sensitive to Mother Nature. During a late spring the water in Big Winnie will be slow to warm so look for the water along the north shore in the sandy areas to warm up first and fish those areas. Rocky points are also a good area to start fishing in the early season. Shiners can be hard to come by when the lake is still cold but rig with a 1/4 slip sinker and a 3' to 4' leader and tip the hook with a shiner if you can find any. A 1/8 jig tipped with a fathead minnow is also a great choice. Minnow or leech are usually the best live baits to use this time of year and make sure you take the time to put new line on your reels!

Northland Lodge for great Minnesota walleye fishing

Northland Lodge for great Minnesota walleye fishing

Still, no matter what the weather, spring fishing on Big Winnie is a walleye fisherman's dream. Often there are so many "hotspots" an angler can't decide where to try first! Walleye that began their migration into Cut Foot Sioux (a prime spawning area for Lake Winnie walleyes) in the fall are ready for action by opener so May through early summer walleye action is fast and furious especially around William's Narrows. Other solid early season producers are Mallard, Ravens and Sugar Points in 7'to 9' of water. Tip a 1/8 jig with a shiner or flathead minnow and get ready for some great action! Look for the walleye bite to pick up on the bars in the late afternoon and evening in 17' to 19' feet of water. In the walleye population the smaller males are usually the most active early in May with the larger females becoming more responsive after spawning.

The Northern pike are abundant in Lake Winnie and their 5 - 10 lb size range is nothing to sneeze at. Although early spring fishing is respectable the northern are most active mid-summer through the late fall. Of course, talk of fishing Lake Winnibigoshish cannot occur without mentioning that the state record 54-pound muskie was caught in these waters. The muskie fishing remains strong and through good catch-and-release practice will remain so in the future.

Call Northland Lodge at 1-800-272-2338 or contact us for more information or to check availability for your next Minnesota resort vacation.