PAUL NELSON COLUMN: Night fishing can be a good option

The weather this past week was some of the hottest of the summer in the Bemidji area. Next week appears to return to more “normal” temperatures for this time of year.
Surface water temperatures in the lakes dropped near 70 degrees last week, but the hot weather this week was enough to bring the surface water temperatures back up to the mid 70s.
Fishing for walleyes in many of the larger lakes has slowed down, especially during the middle of the day. The best walleye bite in most lakes is still early in the morning and in the last hour or two of the day.
Night fishing can be a good option during the hottest part of the summer, but we are in the dark or new moon phase, so the chances are greatly reduced for a good night bite without the aid of the moon.
Walleye anglers are finding many of the walleyes scattered around the lakes, with the fish using several different kinds of structure.
Some walleyes are on the shallow weed flats, hunting for perch, minnows and crayfish. The clumps of cabbage weeds or the rock piles on the flats are often the key areas.
Another group of walleyes are working the breaklines on both shoreline structure and mid-lake structure. The fish are searching for schools of baitfish in the areas where the wave action is blowing in zooplankton, which is what attracts the schools of baitfish.
Walleyes also are using the tops of humps. The best humps usually have some rock on top, with enough depth to be clean of weeds, but shallow enough to be above the thermocline, so the fish have good oxygen levels and more comfortable water temperatures.
The best humps in the lakes are often part of a complex of structures in close proximity to other humps or points. The structures are often connected by saddles, so the fish can move back and forth between structures.
There may also be a few walleyes suspended over deep water, which often occurs in lakes with good populations of spottail or emerald shiners or smelt.
This gives anglers many options when deciding where and how to fish for walleyes. Each group of walleyes requires different presentations to target them effectively.
Versatile anglers can target more than one group of walleyes using several presentations, while anglers that prefer one presentation over all others can still find some fish that will bite on their favorite presentation.
The algae bloom in the lakes has intensified as the surface water temperatures in the lakes have spiked again.
The loss in visibility in the water has many muskie anglers trying surface lures for muskies, so they can have a presentation that makes some noise that can be worked over the top of the weeds.
Walleye anglers often see big swirls in the water as they are fishing walleyes, which is usually a muskie or large pike chasing some prey.
Anglers may also see muskies porpoise along the surface of the water, often making their backs and tail visible to lucky anglers that happen to be looking in the right direction.
Multi-species anglers can bring tackle for the different fish species in the lake, so they can be ready if they stumble across an opportunity they weren’t expecting.
Crappies and sunfish have been in several locations in most lakes. Some of the panfish are using the deep edge of the standing weeds, while others are suspended over moderate depth flats, usually in less than 30 feet of water.
The taller standing weeds give panfish a place to hide and feed, with an escape route into deeper water. Panfish suspended over deeper water are usually feeding on zooplankton and other types of insects.
Anglers can find the schools of panfish suspended off the bottom with sonar. Fishing vertically over the fish with small jigs or ice fishing lures is an effective presentation.
The biggest challenge is usually staying on the fish as the schools of fish fragment and spook from the fishing pressure.
Nelson runs the Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service. He can be contacted at panelsonbemidji@gmail.com