The exciting season on Vermilion just keeps continuing to produce! Nothing beats seeing anglers, novice or seasoned, catching big fish and fueling the passion.

Walleye

Fishing has certainly not been immune to day-to-day bug hatches. Keep an eye out for this and recognizing feeding patterns will become much easier. At this time of year fish are always on the move with the given winds. Remembering your previous day’s windspeed and direction when beginning your search is crucial to locating walleye. That being said, some days we find our fish in shallow water of 9-16ft, while others see fish in your 22-30ft range. Definitive sand to rock transitional areas have been holding more fish than the mud on most days. Lindy rigging as well as slip bobbering crawlers and leeches have been mainstays, as well as many quality fish this last week falling victim to the jigging Rapala. Snap jigging is a great tactic to add to your arsenal when fishing any time of year on Vermilion. It can get fish that are in a null mood charged up, triggering an “instinctual” bite. Trolling crank baits with lead has also been productive on your tougher days.

Musky

Deep water basins with an abundance of concentrated baitfish are still available and holding muskies. Most fish are being found on structure or deep weedbeds. Burning bucktails and casting topwater will be most productive at this time. Being consistent with changes in size, speed, and color is another key to success.

Smallmouth

Your quality smallies are, for the most part, being found on your deeper structure of 10-16ft. I like to look for larger boulder fields adjacent to patches of sand bottom with my side-imaging and key in on these areas. 3.5” tubes and creature baits have been catching a lot of fish. Slip bobbing larger leeches in these area is also another fun way to catch smallies.
Jarek Wujkowski
Rodsbent Guide Service
info@rodsbent.com
(715)-892-7048