Minnesota guide Matt Johnson of Matt Johnson Outdoors gives his latest Lake Minnetonka fishing report on June 19th, 2024.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing report: 6-19-24
Lake Minnetonka fishing has been great! The largemouth bass bite has been awesome and will only continue to get better. Anglers can also expect to run into plenty of panfish, walleye, and northern pike as well.
Conditions:
Water temps have solidified and are in the low seventies. True summer conditions are here to stay and this means we are starting to see summer patterns develop. With the mild winter the weed growth on Lake Minnetonka is thick and heavy. All types of weeds are growing in deep water this year and there’s no way to avoid. In order to get bit anglers will need to adapt and fish in the weeds.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass are biting well on Lake Minnetonka and the surrounding area lakes. We’ve been finding tons of bass in six to ten feet of water. On calming days we are finding most of our fish between twelve and fifteen feet of water. As the deep weed lines continue to develop anglers can expect more and more largemouth bass to push out to the deep weed edge.
Weed edges and weed lines have been the name of the game in those depths. Target the outside edges of the weed line. One big key is to look for any variation in weed lines or clumps with open areas between them. Those types of areas are holding the most fish. I haven’t spent much time around docks yet, however that bite should be heating gup in the next few weeks.
Baits:
We have been pitching a number of different plastics and it’s been working. One thing I’d recommend is using the weight on all soft plastic rigs to atleast a 1/4-ounce. This helps beat the wind while casting and punch through that thick summer weed growth. It also you to feel the bites easier especially when constantly working through the weeds. Remember hooksets are free and if you feel a thump, set it.
Ned rigs, wacky rigs, jig worms, and drop shots are all producing number of bites. The key this week for triggering bites has been working your bait along the bottom. It’s worth noting we’ve had the best success using a chartreuse jig head when fishing Ned rigs. As far as colors are concern you can’t go wrong with green pumpkin and purple flake.
Lake Minnetonka Walleyes:
The bite has slowed down the past few weeks. Walleyes are defiantly getting more finicky. The weed growth has given the fish plenty of places to sit and hide and they have been tough to find. Anglers are having some success early in the mornings during low light. Slip bobbers paired with a leech or crawler have accounted for a majority of the walleye bites, but some anglers are also having success using a ned jig with a long, slim trailer/ crawler imitation.
Lake Minnetonka Panfish:
The crappie and bluegill bite still going strong on Lake Minnetonka and the surrounding Metro area lakes. We’ve been finding those fish cruising on top of the deeper weeds. Some fish can also be found on the shallow weed edges. It’s been tough on the windier days to stay on fish and cast light presentations at them. To help beat this, opt to a bit heavier jig head that can cut the wind. Use a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce head with 2″ swimbait or hair jig.
