Late Summer Walleye Bonanza at Lake of the Woods

Artificial Lure on the mic with your August 27th Lake of the Woods report, coming to you from right where Minnesota’s north meets the Canadian border. It’s late summer out there—classic dog days—but for those of us chasing fins, the bite shows no sign of slowing.

Mother Nature dealt us a bit of a mixed hand this week. Following a round of storms last weekend, the lake’s water settled down to muggy, sunnier weather. Daytime temps today hover mid to upper 70s, and humidity is back up, so dress for sticky air out there. Sunrise hit at 6:23 AM with sunset closing things off tonight at 8:10 PM. No tidal swings to report on the lake, but spotty showers or an isolated late-day storm could breeze through, so bring the light rain gear just in case, according to the CBS Minnesota weather desk.

On the fish front, the Lake of the Woods Tourism Board and Northern Light Region Online both report that Big Traverse Bay is absolutely loaded up in classic late-August shape. Big schools—meaning easy limits of eater-size walleye and sauger—are holding together on the expansive mud basin out in 31 to 34 feet. If you’re after that big slot fish (19.5–28 inches), you could release a few today. Action’s been hottest drifting crawler harnesses or slow-trolling spinner rigs at about 1.0 to 1.25 mph. Purple, gold, pink, and perch-pattern blades are all favorites right now.

If you’re all about crankbaits, now’s the time for leadcore trolling. Perch, blue, black, and silver crankbaits seem to draw the most attention, especially over flats or near sunken islands. Anglers are also doing well on classic jigs with live shiners or fatheads, and don’t skip leeches or nightcrawlers on lindy rigs around sharp breaks and main lake points. Jigging is still producing for those who love the feel of the bite.

Saugers are mixed in right with the walleyes, plenty of eater-size in the same depths, and bonus jumbo perch are starting to show now as they creep up closer to the edges. There are even a few monster pike caught recently by muskie hunters tossing big bucktails over shallow weed beds or near rocky points. On the Instagram scene, users report muskie action around sunken rock humps, with big bladed spinners or flashy bucktails from local makers like Musky Frenzy Lures. Don’t overlook some traditional pike spoons chrome or firetiger—especially in those cabbage patches.

For smallmouth, stick to the mid-lake reefs or tumble along rocky shorelines with tube jigs or football heads. Still, even bass are grabbing crawfish-pattern cranks or swimbaits fished right along the drop.

Locals are calling out two hot spots: out past the reefs near Arnesen’s Rocky Point about 9 miles out, plus the mud basin northwest of Long Point where deeper schools are finicky but plentiful once you find ‘em. Early and late bite windows have been the strongest, but with the high clouds and light wind today, steady action’s been going all day.

Remember, with the recent rains and storms, make sure you're checking conditions on your electronics and keeping an eye on that radar just in case. For bait—bring plenty of crawlers, assorted 3- to 5-inch crankbaits, and enough live bait to keep things mixed up.

That’s your Lake of the Woods rundown for August 27th. Thanks for tuning in—make sure you subscribe to keep getting the latest from the water. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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