Late Summer Walleye Bonanza on Lake of the Woods

Artificial Lure here with your up-to-the-minute Lake of the Woods fishing report for Friday, August 29th, 2025.

The **fall transition** has set in across the south end, and the bite’s as hot as you could hope for this time of year. Water temps out on the buoys are hanging around 65 to 67°F, signaling to anglers and fish alike that summer’s on the way out and the classic autumn walleye run is revving up.

We saw limits of **walleyes** coming in all week, with folks moving a touch deeper to 20–34 feet as those big schools settle in over the flats. Drift with gold-spinner rigs tipped with crawlers or minnows, or troll crankbaits in perch, blue, or silver-black patterns—a Border View Lodge guest landed a real whopper on a deep crank just yesterday. For those preferring to sit and jig, don’t be shy about main lake points and sunken islands—the walleyes are holding tight there too, especially if you tip your jig with a fathead or a juicy leech. Early mornings and evening hours have been the top producers, but there are still good midday bites if there’s some overcast.

**Jumbo perch** are active and still mixed in with the walleyes, hitting smaller jigs and minnows, especially near weedlines up in Zippel Bay and around the mouth of the Rainy River.

**Northern pike** action is really picking up now. With the cool-down, those bigger pike are pulling into shallow bays, weedbeds, and river mouths in search of a big meal. The best results this week came on oversized flashy spoons—think five of diamonds or daredevils—plus magnum-size swimbaits, or simply suspending a lively sucker minnow under a bobber along the cabbage.

For those after a mess of fish, don’t overlook the consistent **crappie** and **smallmouth** bite in the northwest islands. Finesse presentations like small jigs with plastics, or even a plain hook and minnow, brought plenty of success.

**Sunrise** today was at 6:27 AM and **sunset** will clock in at 8:06 PM, so you’ve got a solid window, but the best action has been right at dawn and around last light.

We’re freshwater here, so you don’t have to worry about tides—just wind and weather, and today’s got you covered with a steady light west wind and partly cloudy skies. That’s just enough chop to keep the fish in an active feeding mood without making boat control a chore.

Your **hot spots** for the day:
- The “Gap” area just outside Four Mile Bay offers concentrated late season walleyes.
- In the islands, target Knight and Bridges for the mixed walleye-perch bite.
- Don’t overlook the south shore reefs, especially just east of Pine Island, for late-summer big fish.

Gear-wise, I’d load your box with 3/8-ounce tube jigs—Hunger Strike in chartreuse or white have been catching big walleyes, as reported by the folks at droptinetackle. And don’t forget your leadcore setup and some tried-and-true shad raps or tail dancers—nothing covers water or triggers suspended fish quite like a steady troll.

If you’re new or just looking to stay productive, swing through one of the local bait shops before you launch—they’ve still got healthy leeches and fresh crawlers, and local minnows are the ticket.

Thanks for tuning in to the Lake of the Woods fishing report. Tight lines, stay safe on the water, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss a bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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