OUTDOOR REPORT: Area fishing and hunting report

Oct. 25–Lake of the Woods

Walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch are hitting minnows and jigs in 20 to 27 feet of water at the Lighthouse Gap, Morris Point Gap, out from Long Point and in front of Zippel Bay. On the Rainy River, walleye action is better at the Chapel, in front of the Baudette (Minn.) airport, Timbermill Park in Baudette, Hattie’s Hole in Baudette, Clementson Bay and around Frontier Landing farther upstream. At the Northwest Angle, muskies are hitting along shorelines and shallow weedbeds. Walleyes are being caught south of Oak Island and around Falcon Island in 25 to 30 feet of water.

Blackduck area

Crappies are suspended over 20 to 30 feet of water on Turtle River Lake and Rabideau Lake. Grouse hunters are finding birds if they get off the main trails. There have been ringnecks and other diver ducks moving into the area.

Leech Lake

Walleye reports have been limited, with a few daytime fish coming off the shoreline break in Walker Bay, the weedbeds in Steamboat Bay and off Pine Point in 6 to 9 feet of water. Muskie action is slow, and anglers are weeding through small perch to put together a batch of keeping-sized fish in the Narrows and off Sand Point. Duck hunters aren’t seeing much for divers at this point.

Lake Winnibigoshish

The few people fishing are catching walleyes with a jig and minnow on the west side points and High Banks area in 9 to 12 feet of water. Look for perch scattered in 6 feet from the mouth of the river up to Mallard Point. Duck hunters are shooting a few buffleheads and ringnecks.

Detroit Lakes

Walleyes are hitting minnows in 18 to 20 feet of water on Big Detroit Lake, Big Cormorant Lake, Lake Sallie and Lake Melissa. Drifting large sucker minnows on the shoreline breaks of Pelican Lake and Big Detroit has produced muskies. Hunting reports indicate more ducks, including divers, being shot over bigger bodies of water.

Park Rapids area

A jig and fathead minnow is producing walleyes in 15 to 18 feet of water on Fish Hook Lake. Look to Big Mantrap Lake for muskies in less than 10 feet during the evening. A few northern ducks have filtered in, and grouse success depends who you ask.

Area waterfowl update

–Devils Lake area: Snow geese and tundra swans have arrived in large numbers and are scattered across northeast North Dakota, reports Mark Fisher, district wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Devils Lake. Hunting pressure has been very heavy, Fisher said, and many hunters have reported marginal success with mixed bags. Local federal game wardens have checked 111 hunters with only two possessing limits, he said. Numbers of local puddle ducks such as blue-winged teal and gadwall have dropped significantly, Fisher said, but diver duck numbers on Devils Lake are building, and the number of “new” mallards from Canada is expected to increase. Hunting pressure is expected to remain heavy through this weekend but normally begins decreasing with the opening of deer season in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In terms of habitat, Fisher said, corn fields remain unharvested, leaving only wheat, barley and soybean fields available for field hunting. Cold weather has resulted in small patches of skim ice in smaller wetlands, but generally most wetland habitat is ice free. Look for that to change as nighttime low temperatures dip into the mid- to lower 20s.

–Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area near Middle River, Minn.: Hunter use was strong last weekend, with bag checks ranging from 2.18 to 2.33 birds per hunter during the past week. Ring-necked ducks have been the top bird in the bag followed by redheads. Ground counts showed the WMA had an estimated 3,700 Canada geese, up from 3,300 the previous count.

–Roseau River WMA north of Badger, Minn.: Duck hunters have averaged 2 1/2 ducks per hunter during the past week, with puddle ducks dominating the harvest and mallards being the most common. Wood ducks and blue-winged teal have dropped out of the harvest, and there are no appreciable numbers of ringnecks using the WMA. Harvest of soybeans and corn is proceeding, while grain stubble fields are being worked up and becoming scarce.

— Outdoor News and

Herald staff reports