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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Cool days, hot fishing

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 10/8/14

LAKE VERMILION—The word is out— fall fishing is hot on Lake Vermilion.

In years past, Labor Day pretty much marked the end of the fishing season in the North Country and the handful of …

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Cool days, hot fishing

Posted

LAKE VERMILION—The word is out— fall fishing is hot on Lake Vermilion.

In years past, Labor Day pretty much marked the end of the fishing season in the North Country and the handful of diehards had even popular lakes like Vermilion more or less to themselves.

Not anymore. A couple weeks ago, early on a sunny Monday, as the maples were ablaze along the shore and the aspen were just starting their turn to gold, the lake was abuzz with anglers working shorelines for hungry walleye or lobbing giant crank baits across reefs in hopes of provoking a muskie.

But I was with fishing guide Rob Bryers, who leaves the muskie alone and prefers to avoid the beaten path when he’s in search of his favored walleye. So we zipped past the busier honey holes near his Birch Point summer residence and found a lonely spot along the lake’s north shore where the walleye had been feeding heavily in recent days. A bald eagle floated above us as we grabbed poles and hooked a couple minnows. We were the only boat in sight and the big bird landed in a nearby white pine where he proceeded to watch over us for the better part of an hour. I suspect the local eagles have figured out that fishermen are a reliable bet for an easy meal.

We dropped minnows into 20 feet of water and quickly discovered the walleye were waiting. One after another, we (actually, mostly Rob, as he pointed out more or less continuously), pulled in walleye, including a half dozen nice eaters that went into the live well. We tossed at least as many more back to grow a little more and we lost another dozen, including some nice ones, that bit but never made it to the boat. And all that action came in just over two hours of fishing.

Duane Williams, Tower area large lake specialist for the Department of Natural Resources, said the reigning theory on why fall fishing tends to be so hot is that the fish are trying to pack on fat reserves for the winter. But Williams said there likely are other factors that are also at play. “Another thing that probably plays a role is that the forage abundance is lower,” he said. “The young perch of the year have been mostly consumed by now, he added, which makes an angler’s offering that much more attractive. And Williams said anglers have definitely noticed. “It’s amazing how much more fall fishing there is. We’ve seen the increase through creel surveys. Even in October now, there are quite a few boats.”

While the fall fishing is great, it was a strong summer on Vermilion as well, said Rob. “We’ve hardly had any slow days,” he said. Even on the west end, where an overabundance of big fish was making it tough to catch a few outside the protected slot last year, anglers were catching more keepers, according to guide Doug Knoer.

The good fishing made for a busy year for a lot of the guides who work Lake Vermilion, although Rob was wrapping up his guiding for the season later that week. While growing interest in fall fishing could keep area guides busier later into the season, the unpredictability of the weather this time of year can make advanced planning more difficult. Besides, Rob said, he was looking forward to a bit of a break from a long season out on the water, to spend more time hunting in the spectacular autumn woods. “I’m getting tired of cleaning fish,” he said (you can cue the violins here).

Bryers, who is active in the Lake Vermilion Guides League, was also more than satisfied with the two big fishing events this remarkably active guides group put on this summer, the annual Take a Kid Fishing day in July, and the Take a Veteran Fishing event in late August. Both events received rave reviews from participants and provided excellent media promotion of the Lake Vermilion fishery. Not that it needs all that much promotion when the fishing is so good. The best news is that there’s still time to wet a line. Some of the best fishing of the year is happening right now. So bundle up, and give the fish one last going over before winter sets in. And put a few filets in the freezer. I know I did…