June 5th Fishing Report

June 5, 2026

It’s starting to feel like summer and the walleye presentations that are working the best, seem to be more summer focused. Spinner rigs tipped with fatheads and crawlers along with slip bobber techniques having been boating a lot of walleyes. The smaller water size walleyes on Winnie are holding in 9-14 ft of water for the most part. Areas with the best weed growth seem to be holding the most amount of fish. Photo and report courtesy of Lake Winnie fishing guide, Captain Jeff Johnson of Northern Drift Outfitters.

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May 29th Fishing Report

High sun calm days sometimes require you to change your tactics, but also offer new opportunities. Jumbo perch have been shallow for the year so far. 3-5 ft. Three Sisters area and the west shore of Winnie have been producing some great perch action. If the walleye bite seems a little slow don’t be afraid to pursue new opportunities. Walleye fishing has remained strong. Good reports are coming in from across the lake. Many reports also of keeper size fish filling limits. Jigging is still the primary technique. 8-12ft. Look a little deeper on calm, sunny days. Photo and report courtesy of Lake Winnie fishing guide, Captain Jeff Johnson of Northern Drift Outfitters.

May 22nd Fishing Report

It’s jigging season on Winnie. Walleyes are being caught across the lake primarily under 14 ft still. There has been more reports of eater size fish showing up as well. Pitching, jig trolling and drifting are all working this year. Read the conditions and fish what is most effective for you. Photo and report courtesy Captain Jeff Johnson of Northern Drift Outfitters. Your Lake Winnie fishing guide.

May 15th Fishing Report

We are trending in the right direction. The weather is warming and fishing opportunities are expanding. The walleye bite on Winnie has continued to remain strong. Lots of fish being reported in the slot but the bite has been great. 6-10 ft seems to be the magical depths. Fatheads and 1/8 ounce jigs are all that is needed. Utilizing fatheads will also produce a few more quality perch bites as well. The perch are inside of the walleyes. From what I’m seeing they are inhabiting that 3-5ft of water and can be a little spooky. Pitching up shallow has worked well. Report and photo courtesy Captain Jeff Johnson of Northern Drift Outfitters. Your Lake Winnie fishing guide.

May 11th Fishing Report

What a memorable weekend. Battling the cold and wind on the big lake made it feel like a traditional old-school fishing opener. Water temperatures were in the mid to upper 40s, and for the most part, fish were holding shallow. Depths of 6–9 feet produced plenty of bites, including both quality fish and eater-sized keepers. Traditional shallow rocky areas along the north shore, as well as up into Third River, produced great action. Tamarack Bay extending back into Plughat also offered consistent fishing opportunities throughout the weekend. The bite will only continue to improve as spring progresses. Expect this upcoming weekend to provide some excellent fishing opportunities across the lake. Report courtesy of Captain Jeff Johnson with Northern Drift Outfitters — your Lake Winnie fishing guide.

March 2nd Fishing Report

Perch are firing on mid lake and along weed line structure look for sharp breaks alongside shallow flats. Photo courtesy of lyle Unger with Grand Rapids guide service and guided ice fishing Minnesota.

February 13th Fishing Report

It’s definitely perch season in the north. Look for shallow flats in the 6-8 ft region off of main lake points across the big lake. Often these perch will be shallower than most anticipate. As they day wears on it is very noticeable that most of these fish are pulling out into 12-18ft holes and funnel areas off of these larger flats. Utilizing your imaging to track these fish down is very effective. You’ll find that they are using a much smaller area than you would think. Utilizing 2 rods is important as well. Active jigging spoons to call fish along with set lines really help increase the catch. Good luck this weekend and enjoy the warm up. Photo and report courtesy of Captain Jeff Johnson with Northern Drift Outfitters and Guided Ice Fishing MN.