Jason Freed from Leisure Outdoor Adventures gives us his latest Lake Vermilion fishing report on June 11th, 2024
Lake Vermilion Fishing Report: 6-11-2024
The fishing on Lake Vermillion is heating up as we get to the beginning of summer. Most species are starting to transition into their summer patterns. A majority of fish are post spawn and looking to feed. Water conditions have been great this past week.
Walleyes:
Location:
Walleyes are on the move up on Lake Vermilion. As the water temperatures continue to warm up the walleyes will continue to move out deeper onto off-shore structure. Focus on rock piles and reefs in four to twelve feet of water. A few fish can also be caught along the the emerging weed lines.
Tactics:
Slip bobbers: When targeting these shallow water walleyes slip bobbers have been the name of the game. During calm days a plain hook has been prefer and when the wind blows switch to a 1/16-ounce or 1/8-ounce jig. Both leeches and nightcrawlers are working well.
Jigging: A number of walleyes can still be caught on jigs tipped with a half of a nightcrawler or a leech. 1/16-ounce jigs have been best. Gold, orange, and UV pink have been the best jig colors.
Casting: Anglers have also had success casting 3-inch or 4-inch swimbaits on top of those rock piles and along the emerging weed line.
Fish Movement:
The walleyes location seem to vary between sitting up on top of the rock piles or are on the edge of them. Typically the fish are holding on the edges of the reefs during calm days, and on the windy days they have been on top of the reefs.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing on Lake Vermilion has been very good right now and offers a nice alternative to walleye. A majority of smallmouth bass are still relatively close to shore in eight feet of water or less. Most shorelines are fishing well and spot location isn’t super important. It’s as simple as picking a good looking shoreline with a slow drop-off and scattered rocks.
Lures:
Jerkbaits: Moving baits are a great option to cover water and find fish. Bright colored jerkbaits are triggering lots of bites, especially during the primetime hours.
Hair Jigs: A black marabou hair jig is producing a number of bass in really shallow water. Slowly retrieving it has been the best way to trigger bites.
Ned rig: If the fish are in a more lethargic mood a Ned Rig is tough to beat on Lake Vermilion. Green pumpkin, rusty orange, purple flake, and black have been the best colors for Ned plastics.
Lake Vermilion Panfish:
The panfish have been biting well on Lake Vermilion. Anglers are having lots of success targeting both bluegills and crappies. The key has been finding emerging weed beds in shallow bays. Typically the best panfish bays are found in the Western portion of Lake Vermilion. While the crappies have been the main target for most anglers, some big bluegills are also being caught in the mix. Pick your favorite crappie bait whether that be mini tubes, hair jigs, or crappie minnows and start finding those weeds!
