Walleye Spawning Time
The sun finally exerted its will in Northern Minnesota today and warmed us up into the high 50s. After a nice Easter dinner I got the itch to see if there was any spawning action in the area, so Junior and I jumped in the truck with the dogs and made a little 6 mile run down the road to see if the run was getting started.
We live on the Mississippi river very near where it reaches its northern-most point. Six miles down river is a dam that was built in 1907 to provide power to the city of Bemidji. Every year, when water temperatures trigger the annual spawning run, walleyes and suckers gather together below the dam in large numbers. When the run is on cars line the roads as anglers head down to the relatively shallow water to load up on suckers. Unfortunately today was dead quiet, most likely a direct result of the late cold spell and lingering ice.
North end of Lake Andrusia from Power Dam Road
We headed a few more miles east to check out a little creek that runs between Big Lake and Lake Andrusia. Again, quiet, but we did spot a few walleyes hovering in the current on the north side of the road. Another few miles south and back west to check the last bridge before the Mississippi runs into the north end of Wolf Lake and it was more of the same. High, fast water and very few fish. Looks like another week or two before things start to roll.
Things aren’t slow everywhere though. Just 50 miles east of here the Minnesota DNR has the Cutfoot Sioux walleye stripping operation in full swing. The annual ritual takes place near the northeast end of Lake Winnibigoshish. This great video was just posted and illustrates the process very well:
Let’s hope things aren’t too far behind when the season finally opens in a few short weeks.
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