Minnesota guide Billy Rosner of Wild Country Guide Service gives his latest Lake Vermilion fishing report on August 2nd, 2024.
Lake Vermilion Fishing Report: 8-2-24
It’s the beginning of August and the fishing has been good. Anglers are having lots of success targeting smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike. The muskies can be found on main lake reefs and rock piles.
Lake Vermilion Fishing Report: Northern Pike
The northern pike bite has been fantastic. Anglers are having lots of success with a number big pike being caught. Focus on the weed beds and weed lines. A majority of the Northern pike we’ve been catching have been in the weeds. The best baits have been spinnerbaits, inline spinners, and swimbaits. White, chartreuse and firetiger have been some of the better colors.
Lake Vermilion lies within the Northern zone and the pike regulations allow anglers to keep two northern pike but any northern pike between 30 and 40-inches must be immediately released.
Lake Vermilion Fishing Report: Walleye
The walleye fishing has picked up this past week. Most walleyes have been moved on to offshore, main lake structure. The best walleye fishing has been on rock piles and rock reefs. Focus on depths between ten to twenty-four feet of water. Jigging Raps have been really effective, but a classic slip bobber set-up is also catching a ton of fish.
The transitions between rock, sand, gravel, and mud are also still catching fish on live bait rigs and spinner rigs. Remember to keep your speed in that 0.7-1 mph range and you should be getting bites. There are also a few fishing starting to be caught trolling crankbaits. The lead core bite should pick up soon and will be something to keep an eye on.
Lake Vermilion Fishing Report: Bass
The smallmouth bass bite has been pretty solid on Lake Vermilion. In the morning and evening some fish can be caught on topwater baits like poppers and prop baits. Look for rock piles, rock points, and structured filled shorelines to find fish. Some of the bigger bass are starting to show up on the rock reefs in ten to fifteen feet of water. Docks are also producing smallmouth, along with an occasional largemouth bass. Ned rigs, tubes, drop-shots and swimbaits are working.
