Walleye and Sturgeon Action Heating Up on Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods is putting on a show this week, with June’s summer bite hitting its stride. The early morning sun today crested the eastern pines at 5:20 AM and you’ll have fishable light straight through sunset at 9:20 PM. The weather’s classic June: mostly sunny skies, mid-70s highs, and a light southwest breeze—ideal conditions for walleyes to stay active all day.

Water temps are climbing into the upper 60s, bringing the real summertime action front and center. “The bite continues to be red-hot on Lake of the Woods, with walleyes and saugers providing plenty of action,” reports Lake of the Woods Tourism on June 4. Anglers are catching a good mix: everything from eater-sized to protected slot walleyes (remember, release those fish between 19.5” and 28”), plus an occasional trophy north of 28 inches. Limits are generous—you can keep six combined walleyes and saugers, with up to four of those as walleyes.

What’s working? Top bait right now is a crawler harness pulled behind a 2-ounce bottom bouncer. The best spinner blade colors are gold, chartreuse, and pink. Jigging is excellent, too, especially with jigs dipped in chartreuse and orange, paired with a fathead minnow or leech. For those who like to keep things simple, trolling crankbaits over the mud in 24–35 feet has been putting a lot of fish in the boat.

Recent catches are solid. South Shore spots like Pine Island, Zippel Bay, and Long Point are producing numbers, with boats reporting easy limits of walleyes and plenty of saugers mixed in. Out deeper, mid-lake mud flats continue to hold huge schools. Anglers drifting crawler harnesses are repeatedly hauling in fish of all sizes.

If you’re after trophy action, the Rainy River is still worth your attention—giant sturgeon are roaming the deeper holes (think Four Mile Bay and upstream stretches). Just last week, a potential state record sturgeon was caught and released. For these dinosaurs, use a gob of nightcrawlers on a stout circle hook with heavy sinkers.

Hot spots this week:
- The “mud” basin stretching east of Garden Island—target 28–32 feet for consistent bites.
- Four Mile Bay and the mouth of the Rainy River—both are holding big fish as they transition out of spring patterns.

For those packing tackle, don’t forget the new favorite: the “dirty bomb” jig that blinks in red or pink—locals swear it’s out-fishing the rest, especially for finicky walleyes.

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