The fishing is still very good in the Alexandria area and, as of a few days ago, it was some of the best fishing I have ever experienced. Although it appears the heat has started to affect the walleye pattern. The fish were still holding in 12-16 feet of water amongst the cabbage weeds and aggressive, but now with the surface water temps reaching the mid 80’s the fish have moved deeper. We are officially in the dog days of summer and this is a very normal thing for them to do.
Prior to July 1st the walleye were extremely aggressive. They would bite and bite often. Last week I had a client fighting a fish and it broke him off. Then only a few minutes later another client in the boat set the hook and it was a nice walleye. As I was removing the hook I noticed it had two of the exact same Lindy jigs in his mouth. The one jig that reeled him in and the other that had broken off, talk about aggressive!
It sure is a blast when you can fish walleye and catch them as frequent and often as small sunfish. For the past couple weeks we’ve had good action on bobbers, Lindy rigs, Lindy Spinners and Lindy Shadlings. The bite has literally been so good that young kids have forgotten they brought snacks along! As you know that is no easy task, so as a guide that made me feel pretty good.
Then, on Monday I noticed the surface temps in the mid 80’s. The walleye were still biting, they just slid into deeper water and were a bit less aggressive. We could see walleye on the Lowrance most of the evening, but they were much more timid. We would have to go over them very slow and sit right over them with a lively leech on Lindy rig before they would bite. So even though the walleye bite has slowed we’ve still been getting some very nice 16”-19” fish for a tasty fish fry.
This time of year I’d recommend walleye fishing in the morning and evening hours, then enjoy the water with the kids during the day. If you find your group wanting to fish during the midday I’d recommend targeting bass, northern, sunfish or crappie. These species are all affected by the heat much less and you’ll have a much more successful afternoon on the water. Have fun!
