Mille Lacs Summer Fishing Report
07/09/2019
Mille Lacs Summer Fishing Report
Summertime on Mille Lacs Lake is in full swing and so are the summertime fishing techniques.
From smallmouth bass to muskie and walleye. IceFishingMilleLacs.com shares with you the latest updates and reports from Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.
Fishing has been pretty good as of late and only those who put the time are going to find the walleyes, perch, musky and pike. The one factor which rings true is that anglers on Mille Lacs need to find fish with either their locators or through trial and error. Finding active fish is critical, and once you see these fish, you will be catching fish.
First thing you should do is bring your self up to speed on the current Mille Lacs fishing regulations.
Walleyes and Perch
When it comes to both perch and walleye, bobbers and leeches are working the best. Slip on a slip bobber and a jig or colored hook of choice above active fish, and you will catch them. Perch have been found right on and just outside of traditional weed lines. Where the reeds meet open water is where you will discover jumbo perch on Mille Lacs. Concentrate on reeds lines, and you will find perch of the right size. Walleyes, on the other hand, have been found in the 15’ to 25’ range, just outside of the offshore structure. No particular area of Mille Lacs has been designated as “hot” right now. The mud flats, gravel, rocks, and the mid-lake regions are all a hit or miss, but the just offshore parts all around the lake are where anglers are finding fish. If you are targeting mid-lake areas, trolling for walleyes has been a hit or miss, but the theme has been slow and long. Slow down your speeds and keep those snells long. Bright colored spinners have been right along with golden colored hooks.
Musky, aka Muskies
Brighter colored Double Show Girls have been a solid go to along with the Poe’s Giant Jackpot in either perch color or gold. Many of the big fish around the lake is starting to get worked over pretty well, but some have yet to any pressure. The shallow, offshore structure has been the area to focus on. Rocks are hot, but southwest and weedy southern regions have been found to hold some nice, feeding trophy fish. The ordinary is normal. Work, work, work, and then work again. Some younger, youthful and nicely sized fish are starting show some significant signs that Mille Lacs is still a great trophy Muskie fishery.
Northern Pike
Some very lovely sized northern pike have been reported as being caught as of late. The tried and true staple of trolling is best when targeting northern pike on Mille Lacs right now. If you are targeting north pike on Mille Lacs in the coming weeks, you will want to focus on trolling with either a daredevil in the red or orange color or anything in the mid-sized spinner bait category. Trolling allows you to cover vast areas to find and target fish of size. In theory, fishing over large bobbers and using suckers can be a productive strategy, but only if you know the area you are fishing holds northern pike. Consecrate this strategy on the southern bays, and it could hold some positive outcomes.
Smallmouth Bass
Rocks, rocks, rocks and more rocks, plus small boulders, is the theme as of late for catching smallmouth bass on Mille Lacs. Locating live baitfish in and around rocks and you will find smallmouth bass on Mille Lacs. Targeting depths of 10’ to 20’ with rocks below and live baitfish found will help you find the trophy smallmouth bass. The larger fish can be found in deeper waters. Even though many reports of smallmouth bass being caught on Mille Lacs have been off of live bait rigs, such as Lindy rigs with leeches, in most cases these are accidental catches off of presentations which were targeting walleyes. If an angler wants to target Mille Lacs smallmouth bass exclusively and through traditional methods and presentations, medium to large spinner baits have been the ticket. Using green and chartreuse colors with adding white trailers and tails will help increase the odds of smallmouth being found on the other end of your fishing rod. Although rocks are the best areas on Mille Lacs to target for smallmouth bass, the east side, south, and the southeastern regions, along with western bays being the prime locations, the smallmouth bass are being caught everywhere on the lake right now. If you find one, you will find many more.
Overall the fish are biting up on Mille Lacs Lake. The best thing to do is get up here and get out and fish. If you have a few days to spend on The Pond, try something until it works and stick with this even if you do not have a boat come up and try one of the many launches Mille Lacs Lake has to offer. Launch captains are getting their customers on fish. Stick with one of the many reputable launch services, and you will get your eaters and many other walleyes besides.
Good luck fishing,
IFML Staff Writer