The extended forecast for next week is highs close to 70 and lows in the 40s, so a cooling trend could be coming in the near future.
There are a couple of things going on in many of the local walleye lakes. One is a huge age class of walleyes from 11 to 13 inches long that are the result of the same strong age class of walleyes.
This group of walleyes are already starting to get harvested and they will become a large portion of anglers’ bags for several years to come until they grow out of the harvest slots.
Another common thing in many lakes is a huge age class of perch between three and four inches that seem to be everywhere in many of the same lakes with the large age class of 11 to 13 inch walleyes.
The enormous schools of perch are on most structures in the larger lakes and are already providing walleyes, northern pike and even larger perch with a plentiful food source that is keeping their bellies full and helping many of them avoid anglers’ presentations.
Fishing has been tough for walleyes on many lakes recently. Anglers are trying to find presentations that get the attention of fish that are surrounded by food.
Anglers need to find baits that get a reaction from the fish like trolling crankbaits, casting jigging minnow lures or using jigs and plastics.
It is hard to get a nightcrawler or a leech through the huge schools of perch to catch walleyes. Many anglers try to oversize their baits, using something that is too big for the little perch to attack, which doesn’t always work.
Anglers have been using premium minnows like redtails or creek chubs for walleyes in many lakes, trying to give walleyes something they have a tough time resisting.
The problem is the chubs are very expensive and in limited supply, so not all bait stores carry them and they make for an expensive day of fishing.
Anybody with a cabin and a dock on a lake may have noticed how much the water levels in the lakes have risen in the last couple of weeks.
Cabins on lakes connected to Lake Bemidji have seen the docks go from more than a foot of clearance to floating on the water. Many other lakes are in similar situations.
It is usually desirable to go into the winter with lakes full of water. This might be the motivation to keep water levels high instead of releasing more water through the series of dams on lakes connected to the Mississippi River.
The rising water levels change the weed beds and cause fish to use them differently. There are some weeds that are dying and turning brown, which is normal for this time of the year.
Many weeds get heavy with seeds late in the summer, with the heads of the plants breaking off and spreading wherever the waves take them.
Some plants reproduce with seeds, while other plants reproduce through fragmentation, which means the small pieces of plants can take root wherever they settle on the bottom.
Many lakes have floating weeds on the surface, which gives anglers another obstacle to overcome, especially when trolling. It is hard to troll a line through the floating weeds without picking them up on your line constantly.
The seasons are changing, the only question is the timing. The amount of food in the lakes is not going to change much by fall, so the fish are still going to be well fed in the lakes.
Most of the changes will be when the fish are active, how long they are going to feed and how much the fish are going to eat in a feeding. The fall is the biggest period of growth for most species of fish.
Paul A. Nelson runs the Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service. Guided trips for 2020 can be booked by calling or texting (218) 760-7751 or by email at panelsonbemidji@gmail.com.
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August 26, 2020 at 08:00PM
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PAUL NELSON FISHING: 'The seasons are changing' - Bemidji Pioneer
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