Fishing Report September 23rd ,
2009
The walleye fishing this past week has been really different for this time of year. When it is overcast and we have some wind, we can fish shallow in the weeds and do nicely with the standard jig and minnow. When it is calm and bright sunshine, as it has been most days, you have to revert to summerlike patterns. Bena Bar has been very good this past week. Rigs with crawlers and leeches are working there. I have stayed shallow off of Little Stony Point and have done well. I have also caught fish on the shoreline drop in 12-13' of water between the Birdhouses and the River Mouth. I have fished there because we have gotten a nice mixed bag of fish. Some great perch and decent northerns mixed in with the walleyes.
Perch fishing continues to be nothing short of phenominal! We are seeing soome of the nicest perch to come out of the lake in years. Jigs and fatheads in 9-13' of water are producing limits of very nice perch. If you like perch, now is definitely the time to be here.
Northern fishing has gotten better. They are putting on the feedbag for winter and some nice fish have been caught. Jigs and minnows, spoons, crankbaits, sucker minnows, jerkbaits, bucktails, and whatever you want to throw at them seems to be working.
Not much on the Musky front lately. I suspect there will be a fish or two caught in the next couple of weeks as the water starts to cool back down. We are still over 70 degree water temperature, which is unheard of for this time of year.
This has been far and away the nicest September weather on record. It is supposed to stay this way for another week or beyond. If you are contemplating a last fishing trip, this would definitely be the time and place to come to. The trees haven't even started to turn yet. Give us a call. You won't be sorry.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing Report September 5th ,
2009
Just as I expected, the professionals taught us about the walleyes on our lake. The fish left the deeper structures and are staging on the flat areas around the lake preparing for the fall patterns in the weeds. The incredible fishing was done in these areas focusing on the suspended baitfish and bugs. The winner fished in 12-15' of water and was only 5-8' down using spinners and crawlers. Other fishermen did well trolling spinners and crawlers just off of the bottom. None of the large weights were taken off of the bars or humps. Some fished right in the better weedbeds off of Stony Point. I had a good week just fishing how I normally fish using jigs and minnows in the shallows. The fish appear to be plentiful and eager to bite. When it was calm, the shallow bite wasn't as good as the crawler-spinner bite.
The pros all commented on the awesome perch fishing they experienced. Gary Parsons especially commented stating that he caught some of the biggest perch he has ever seen! Many over 12" and some 13" fish while fishing for walleyes.
Northern fishing is very spotty as it has been all year. Some fish are coming in, but the buzz has been all about the walleyes.
You can see the results and watch some videos on the way the pros caught these fish at www.aimfishing.com.
The Parsons are out filming an episode for their show "Next Bite", which can be seen on Versus Television Network, as I write this. Watch for that this winter.
If you want to get in on the great fishing, our fall special kicks in this week. We have openings for the rest of the fall. Check the availablility and give us a call. You won't regret it.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing Report August 31st ,
2009
It has been very hectic around here with all of the professionals here. They have been out fishing for over a week now with mixed results. They are targeting big fish and with the northerly winds the past few days has made that a challenge. I think they are finding quite a few fish in the shallow water (weeds), but southerly winds would move the fish back to the main bars and make it easier to target them.
This past week, Jerry Bridwell and his sons, Andy Bridwell and Chris Grassle (both pictured), and grandson Anderson Bridwell, caught a limit of nice walleyes as well as many slot fish released.We caught most of the fish on Sugar Bar on Tuesday on a dead still day. The following day, the wind switched to the north and we caught fish in the weeds off of Sugar Point. This seems to be the way it is going. We are definitely settling in on a fall pattern. Windy go to the weeds, calm go deep. Jigs and minnows shallow and rigs and leeches deep.
The nicer northerns are starting to bite this past week. Gene and Karen Kipp and Dick and Nancy Kuntz from Yale, Ia.caught some very nice northerns this past week. Casting seemed to be the best presentation.
Perch continue to bite in the weeds. We have caught many very nice perch every time we go fish the weeds with jigs and minnows.
Musky Dave is at it again. He boated three muskies in one day off of Tamarac Point. He also reported seeing two 48" fish the same day! Keith Kavajecz, while pre-fishing for the AIM walleye tournament spotted several muskies in musky bay on the Southeast corner of the lake. He had some large 5" tails and caught a 38" fish. He said the largest one was probably in the mid 40" range.
It looks like the fall bite will happen this year. Time to take advantage of our fall special. Check our availability and give us a call.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing Report August 17th ,
2009
The walleye fishing has been decent this past week. All areas are producing fish. Weedlines with jigs and minnows, deep water breaklines using leeches and worms. Some fish are being caught trolling crankbaits, as well. Pictured is David Vonch, from Red Wing, Mn who caught and released this 25 and a half incher.
Perch fishing is still the best bet for a guaranteed meal of fish. Weedlines and rock piles are loaded with these fish. Jigs and fathead minnows are producing good numbers of perch.
The northern fishing is still stagnant.
Muskies continue to be active with some sightings and some fish boated. Musky Dave and his family caught and released three more fish, with the largest measuring 48 inches. Dave said, "the fish hit right at the boat and jumped over the trolling motor! If it would have been two feet left, it would have jumped in the boat." Now that would have been a real "fish story".
We are welcoming the AIM tournament fishermen this Saturday. We have many of the top walleye anglers in the world coming to Winnie for the event. There will be some new and untried tactics thrown at our walleyes in the next two weeks as they try and figure out the best approach to land the largest number of big fish.
There are still a couple openings for our Labor Day special. You will be able to rub elbows with these pros and maybe get some helpful hints to make you a better fisherman. Check out our availability and give us a call.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing Report August 8th ,
2009
The walleyes bit very well this past week. Sugar Bar, The Humps, Snag Hole, and Moses Bar were the deep water spots. Rigs with leeches were the preferred baits. Some good shallow action was had, as well. Sugar Point and Raven's Point with jigs and minnows provided some good walley action.
The perch fishing was really good. The weedlines continue to pump out nice size perch. River Bar and Sugar Lake are two of the surefire spots.
Northern fishing was slow again this past week. Our usual northern fishermen shifted gears and fished walleyes and perch.
Musky Dave boated another muskie, measuring around 42". Lana Hatch outdid her husband Casey (the die-hard muskie fisherman), with a 43" beauty. Casey did catch a couple fish and saw several others.
The wind has been blowing most of the days which makes for tough bass fishing. Third River still is producing nice bass for those who want some action.
All-in-all, a pretty good week for fishing. The weather even warmed up enough for the kids to do some swimming and tubing.
The calls are coming in steady for Labor Day. We still have some openings left. Also, we have a couple of cabins left for the two weeks for one special at the end of this month. The fish are cooperating, and it sounds like the weather is going to turn summer-like. No better time to come to Winnibigoshish than the next four weeks.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing
Report
August
1st ,
2009
The walleye fishing has been very good this past week. With the westerly winds every day and the cool temperatures, Sugar Bar was the place to be all week. Some fish were caught shallow on the weedlines and the rock bars with jigs and minnows, as well. The trolling pattern that most of our guests are accustomed to using for walleyes did not produce as it has in other years.
The northern fishing is still not where it should be for this time of year. Some fish are being caught, but nothing like we are used to.
Perch are being very cooperative. Jigs and minnows in the weeds is working very well. I had the Legvold family out on the pontoon yesterday, and we brought in 40 really nice perch fishing only a couple of hours.
"Musky" Dave Groeneveld caught two awesome muskies this week. On Sunday he caught his first 50" fish of the season, and yesterday, he boated a 49.5" beauty with a 22" girth. It easily weight 35 pounds.
We still have some space available for this month. Also, our fall special kicks in early this year. It starts right after Labor Day instead of the week after. We have plenty of space available for September. Who knows, maybe we will have July in September. We certainly had September in July!
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing
Report
July 25th ,
2009
The walleyes continue to maintain their summer patterns. Rigs on the deeper structures with leeches, and jig/minnow along with shad raps in the shallower areas. No one is bringing in limits, but if you stay at it, you can catch a nice meal everytime you go out.
The perch fishing is still very good. Fathead minnows along the weeds are doing the best.
Northern fishing is still slow for the nicer northerns. Many small fish are being caught in the weeds using the usual baits. Trolling, casting, and still fishing are all producing these fish.
I had the pleasure of taking out some new guests this week. I fished with the Clark Taylor family from Lohrville, Ia. It was the six guys and I on the pontoon. We fished the humps all morning and managed to have every person catch a walleye. One member of the crew caught his largest walleye ever, a 24" beauty.
All of the fish were affected by the nearly 8 degree drop in temperature we experienced July 14-18. The high temperature for those days was only 50! Global warming, hah!
We have some great specials coming up at the end of August. If you haven't made your trip to Winnie, or want to come back, take advantage of these specials.
Joe Thompson
Director of Fishing
Four Seasons Resort
Fishing
Report
July 11th ,
2009
The
walleye
fishing
was
good
for
this
time
of
year.
Fish
were
caught
on
the
main
bars,
the
humps,
and
the
weedlines
off
of
the
points.
Rigs
with
leeches
and
worms
are
working
on
the
deeper
structure.
Jigs
and
minnows
in
the
weeds.
Roger
Koskela
from
Apple
Valley
told
me
it
was
some
of
the
best
walleye
fishing
they
ever
had
up
here.
They
have
been
coming
for
over
15
years.
The
perch
continue
to
bite
on
jigs
and
minnows.
I
had
the
Dunson
family
from
San
Jose,
Ca.
out
on
the
pontoon
and
we
really
got
into
a
mess
of
perch.
River
Bar
was
loaded
with
perch.
No
really
good
northern
fishing
as
of
yet.
The
next
few
weeks
will
tell
alot
about
what
is
going
on
with
these
fish.
Our
hardcore
northern
fishermen
roll
into
the
resort.
If
they
don't
get
them,
no
one
will!
I
had
a
great
week
chasing
bass.
My
largest
one
was
20"
and
caught
many
in
the
18-20"
range.
Fishing
the
bulrushes
on
the
main
lake
has
been
very
productive.
Texas
rigged
worms
seem
to
be
the
ticket.
I
got
a
few
on
topwater,
but
nothing
like
the
worms.
Check
out
our
great
specials
coming
up
at
the
end
of
August.
That
is a
great
time
to
catch
all
that
swims
in
Lake
Winnie.
Joe
Thompson
Director
of
Fishing
Four
Seasons
Resort
Fishing
Report
July 6th ,
2009
Sorry
it
has
been a
couple
of
weeks
for
the
fishing
report.
The
walleyes
are
in
their
summer
patterns.
Sugar
Bar
has
been
very
consistent
on a
daily
basis.
The
fish
seem
to
move
up
and
down
the
bar
depending
on
the
time
of
day.
Leeches
on
Lindy
Rigs
are
the
best
bait.
The
Humps
in
the
northern
half
of
the
lake
are
doing
well
using
leeches
and
crawlers.
Some
weed
walleyes
can
be
had
when
the
wind
blows.
The
birdhouses,
Sugar
Point,
and
Stony
Point
have
been
productive
using
jigs
and
minnows.
The
northerns
aren't
doing
much
as
of
yet.
Some
small
fish
are
being
caught,
but
nothing
consistent;
Perch
fishing
has
been
very
good.
The
new
weeds
are
holding
perch.
It
is
typical
where
you
catch
100
fish
and
keep
30-40.
Jigs
and
fathead
minnows
are
the
ticket
here.
I
have
been
spending
most
of
my
free
time
trying
to
figure
out
the
largemouth
bass.
The
smaller
lakes
in
the
area
have
been
very
good.
The
past
couple
of
days
I
have
fished
the
big
lake
using
Texas-rigged
plastic
worns
and
caught
bass
like
shown
here.
Raymond
and
Eric
Hou
from
Beijing,
China
fished
with
me
one
evening
and
these
are
two
of
the
fish
we
caught.
All
are
18"
largemouth.
Good
Luck
fishing,
Joe
Thompson
Director
of
Fishing
Four
Seasons
Resort
Fishing
Report
June 13th ,
2009
The
walleye
fishing
was
extremely
strong
early
last
week.
The
fish
were
shallow
and
eager
to
bite
as
we
had
strong
easterly
winds.
Later
in
the
week
the
winds
calmed
and
the
fish
were
harder
to
come
by.
Some
fish
are
showing
up
on
the
bars
and
deeper
structures.
Most
of
these
are
slot
fish
that
have
to
be
photographed
and
released.
Alot
of
fish
in
the
20-25"
range
caught
makes
the
anglers
happy
and
it
is
very
good
for
the
lake
to
"stock"
a
fish
that
size
back
into
the
system.
The
smaller
eating
size
fish
are
being
caught
on
jigs
and
shiners
on
the
windy
side
of
the
lake.
The
deeper
structures,
jigs
and
shiners
as
well
as
live
bait
rigs
with
leeches
is
the
ticket.
This
deeper
bite
will
only
get
stronger
as
the
water
warms
and
the
minnows
move
out
of
the
shallow
water.
The
perch
fishing
has
picked
up
considerably.
The
Gonka
party
and
I
caught
our
limit
of
nice
perch
fishing
on
Stony
Point
and
finishing
up
on
River
Bar
in
the
new
weeds.
Anthony
Gonka
got
the
lunker
of
the
trip,
he
hooked
cousin
Mark
in
the
back
while
he
was
attempting
to
cast.
He
really
"set
the
hook".
After
some
minor
surgery
by
me,
we
were
back
fishing.
Some
northerns
are
being
caught
while
walleye
fishing,
but
nothing
consistent.
The
Hudson
family
got
into
a
really
nice
bunch
of
crappies
in
Sugar
Lake.
This
is
the
first
time
they
have
caught
them
in
the
many
years
that
they
have
been
coming.
They
are
getting
two
mounted
and
look
forward
to
the
finished
product
next
year.
They came
in
with
a
limit
of
30
of
the
nicest
crappies
you
will
find
anywhere!
The
only
thing
is
this
is
something
that
isn't
easily
duplicated.
They
were
at
the
right
place
at
the
right
time.
Kind
of
like
when
I
get
lucky
enough
to
catch
a
fish!!!
We
still
have
our
June
specials
going,
so
if
you
want
to
catch
some
big
walleyes,
the
next
two
weeks
will
be
the
time.
The
first
couple
weeks
of
"bar"
fishing
is
usually
the
best.
Just
make
sure
you
have
plenty
of
room
on
your
camera.
Joe
Thompson
Director
of
Fishing
Four
Seasons
Resort
Fishing
Report
June 8th ,
2009
The
walleyes
continue
to
bite
very
well
in
the
shallow
water.
We
are
catching
fish
in
as
shallow
as
three
feet
of
water!
The
south
shore
has
been
very
productive
this
week.
Raven's
rocks
and
Stony
Point
have
also
produced
nice
catches,
as
well.
Jigs
and
shiner
minnows
continue
to
be
the
bait
of
choice
for
most
of
the
fishermen.
Dan
Erhart,
a
rookie
in a
group
that
has
fished
with
me
for
years,
caught
and
released
another
45"
muskie
on
Tuesday
afternoon.
It
was
a
thrill
he
won't
soon
forget.
Although,
Mike
McGlennen
could
have
remembered
that
he
had
a
camera
on
the
boat
a
little
sooner!!
The
perch
have
been
biting
profusely
this
week.
They
are
mixed
in
with
the
walleyes
and
have
really
added
to
the
amount
of
fish
being
caught.
Not
much
on
the
northern
front.
A
few
being
caught
along
with
the
walleyes,
but
not
many.
The
water
temperature
is
still
below
60
degrees
with
no
sign
of
summer
in
sight.
So I
think
this
bite
will
continue
for
another
couple
of
weeks.
There
are
openings
at
the
resort
for
June,
so
if
you
are
contemplating
a
trip
to
Winnie,
now
is
the
time
to
come.
Joe
Thompson
Director
of
Fishing
Four
Seasons
Resort
Fishing
Report
May 29th ,
2009
The
walleyes
are
biting
like
I
predicted.
The
shiners
moved
in
the
shallows
and
the
fish
bit
like
crazy!
When
the
wind
blew,
the
fish
were
way
up
shallow
feeding
on
the
shiner
minnows.
Reports
of 3
feet
of
water
were
not
uncommon
on
the
windy
shore.
The
evening
bite
was
fantastic.
Fish
were
caught
on
the
West
side
points
and
from
the
Mouth
of
the
Mississippi
River
to
the
Birdhouses.
Alot
of
smaller
fish
are
being
caught
with
the
14-16"
fish
mixed
in
with
them.
You
probably
have
to
catch
25
or
so
to
get
six
of
the
nicer
ones.
Only
occasional
slot
fish
are
being
caught.
My
crew,
the
Jensens,
had
a
blast
on
Saturday.
They
caught
and
released walleyes
on
Saturday
afternoon
until
their
arms
got
tired.
Especially
Lauren
Jensen,
who
fought
a
45"
musky
for
15
minutes
and
finally
boated
the
monster.
The
perch
are
starting
to
show
up
in
better
numbers
and
size.
Some
northerns
are
being
caught
while
fishing
for
walleyes.
The
water
temperature
is
still
only
in
the
upper
50's,
so
this
shallow
walleye
bite
will
continue
for
another
couple
of
weeks.
We
have
openings
and
are
offering
a
discount
on
our
fabulous
condos
for
the
month
of
June.
Make
your
plans,
check
our
availability,
and
book
your
trip.
It
will
be a
memorable
one!
Joe
Thompson
Director
of
Fishing
Four
Seasons
Resort
Fishing
Report
May 18th ,
2009
The
walleye
fishing
was
tough
this
week,
but the
weather
was
tougher.
The
fishermen
who
braved
the
elements
managed
to catch
some
fish,
but they
earned
it!
High
winds,
cold,
and rain
was the
weather
pattern
of the
week.
