1 tablespoon snipped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dill weed
3/4 cup fat-free milk
2 medium lemons, thinly sliced
Photo by Taste of Home
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds walleye, cod, halibut or orange roughy fillets
Directions
In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add water and dill; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes. Add milk; stir in lemons and pepper. Top with fillets. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Transfer fish to a serving platter and keep warm. Strain cooking liquid, reserving lemons, onion and dill; serve with fish.
On the south end… A good week of walleye fishing with some big fish caught along with good eaters. All of that despite some fronts that came through and lots of wind. Being in a charter boat a few days this week was an advantage for sure.
Wherever you fish, there are days the wind will blow. Here are some good options for anglers when the wind blows on LOW.
-Fish on a big charter boat
Big Walleye on Charter
-Fish the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River
-Bays such as Four Mile, Bostic and Zippel Bay
-Slide behind one of the thousands of islands that being up at the NW Angle
-Trailer your boat to a leeward boat ramp and fish that shoreline
A jig and frozen emerald shiner was the go to presentation for walleyes. Most boats are anchored up and vertically jigging. Some are starting to use spinners and minnows or crawlers with success. This pattern will pick up steam as the walleyes are starting to transition with warming waters.
Walleyes have been caught this week in various depths. As a rule, 21 – 32 feet of water was still the range. Again, various areas across the lake are holding fish. Various rock reefs have been good. Fish are transitioning to mud as the season progresses.
On the Rainy River… The river is flowing strong right now as water is being released from the dam which controls its flow. With the heavier current, fish are being found in areas with a current break. Even a slight break that still has current is a fish attractor when the water is moving.
Jigging with a minnow, pulling spinners and trolling crankbaits along shoreline breaks against the current in 6 – 12′ of water is producing a mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, pike, smallmouth bass and an occasional crappie.
Casting to shoreline structure and even docks is also an effective method.
For those who like fishing for dinosaurs, the sturgeon season opens July 1st.
Up at the NW Angle… A great week of fishing amongst the island area of Lake of the Woods. Guides fishing the Canada side of LOW reported big numbers of walleyes along with a mixed bag.
Minnesota waters also produced good fish. Many of the walleyes are being found in deeper than normal water for this time of year, in that 22 – 28 feet. As hatches begin and shiners begin to spawn, there will be some shallow water opportunities as well.
The goto presentation continues to be a jig and minnow. Pulling spinners with shiners or crawlers and trolling crankbaits also putting walleyes in the fry pan.
As is common in these parts, a mixed bag of walleyes, saugers, pike, jumbo perch, crappies, pike and smallmouth bass being caught.
Muskie anglers, the season opens on both sides of the lake Saturday, June 15th. A glorious day for those who target the almighty predators!
Lodging, fishing packages, small boat guide trips, charter trips and summer trips are available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.
Any muskie hunter knows that Lake of the Woods is one of the best fisheries of muskie. Anglers come for miles around to fish our trophy waters. So make your plans as the 2024 muskie opener on Lake of the Woods for both the Minnesota and Ontario sides of the lake begins this weekend, Saturday, June 15th.
Lake of the Woods is a world class muskie fishery with over 65,000 miles of shoreline and 14,552 islands.
The majority of muskie anglers are catch and release. Many resorts, especially at the NW Angle, specialize in muskie guides. These muskie nuts keep a good handle on fish movement, lure preference, colors and areas muskies are prevalent. It is also a great way to save time really learning the nuances of becoming a better muskie angler. Check out a list of NW Angle Resorts who can set you up with some of the best guides in the business.
For those that just love the sport, here are some tips on safely practicing catch and release:
CAREFUL HANDLING MAKES CATCH-AND-RELEASE WORK
A big muskie is an old muskie. Females require 14 to 17 years to reach 30 pounds. Northern pike grow even more slowly. Once taken out of the water and hung on a wall or carved into fillets, a trophy is not soon replaced by another fish of its size. So, the key to creating trophy northern pike and muskie fishing is catch-and-release angling. Unfortunately, some fish are mortally injured by improper handling and cannot be successfully released.
All northern pike and muskie are difficult to handle because of their slippery hides, lack of good handles and sharp teeth. Big fish are particularly troublesome because of their great size and power.
The first step to successfully releasing fish is to use artificials rather than live bait. The second step is to keep the fish in the water if at all possible.
Caught on artificials and handled carefully, nearly all fish can be returned with no permanent injury. Here are some effective methods, courtesy of Muskie Canada, for handling large northern pike and muskie:
Hand release. Grip the fish over the back, right behind the gills (never by the eye sockets!) and hold it without squeezing it. With the other hand, use a pliers to remove the hooks, while leaving all but the head of the ;fish in the water. Sometimes hooks can be removed with the pliers only; the fish need never be touched.
Landing net. Hooks can be removed from some fish even as they remain in the net in the water. If that’s not possible, lift the fish aboard and remove the hooks while the fish is held behind the head and around the tail. To better restrain large fish, stretch a piece of cloth or plastic over the fish and pin it down as if it were in a straight jacket.
Stretcher. A stretcher is made of net or porous cloth about 2 to 3 feet wide stretched between two poles. As you draw the fish into the cradle and lift, the fold of the mesh supports and restrains the fish. This method requires two anglers.
Tailer. Developed by Atlantic salmon anglers, a tailer is a handle with a loop at one end that is slipped over the fish’s tail and tightened. The fish is thus securely held, though the head must be further restrained before the hooks are removed.
If you must lift a big fish from the water, support as much of its body as possible to avoid injuring its internal organs.
Never grip a fish by the eye sockets if you intend to release it. By doing so you abrade its eyes, injure the surrounding tissue and may cause blindness.
Muskie anglers are a very passionate breed, often fishing from dawn to dusk. They also have the deepest respect for muskies and overall do an excellent job of making sure these ultimate predators return to the water unharmed.
Best of luck to all muskie anglers not only this weekend but this year. The muskies have been active this spring, are in good numbers and should be active.
Cyrus’s Flag Island Resort Open for Business up at the NW Angle
One of the Northwest Angle’s premier resorts on beautiful Flag Island, located in the northernmost portion of Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods, has been purchased and is open for business!
Cyrus Resort, owned by Justin and Tanya Ferguson, is a longstanding, family-owned resort on the south end of Lake of the Woods with a stellar reputation for modern accommodations, strong customer service, successful fishing guides and delicious meals. The Ferguson’s are bringing that same level of care and expertise to the north end of the lake with the newly named, Cyrus’s Flag Island Resort.
“Tanya, myself and our family are super excited to bring the same level of excellence of Cyrus Resort on the south end of Lake of the Woods to the new Cyrus’s Flag Island Resort up at the NW Angle. As a family-owned resort, we believe in forming long term relationships with our valued guests and take pride in extending that same culture to our Flag Island location,” explains Justin Ferguson.
“The NW Angle is a premier destination for fishing, exploring, birding and simply the sheer beauty of the 14,552 islands that begin in this area,” explains Joe Henry, Executive Director, Lake of the Woods Tourism.
“From a fishing perspective, this area is tough to beat throughout both the open water and ice fishing seasons. It has earned a world class reputation and is stellar for walleyes, muskies, smallmouth bass, crappies and pike, just to name a few. Having the Fergusons invest in the Angle and make this kind of commitment with Cyrus’s Flag Island Resort makes the entire area stronger. I know the NW Angle resorts and entire community are excited to welcome them to the Angle.”
Cyrus’s Flag Island Resort offers a variety of accommodations, which includes 25 cabins with amenities, hotel rooms and a full-service bar and restaurant. Each cabin offers that NW Angle ambience with a special view.
The resort has an extensive protected harbor with new docks and plenty of space for both private boats and charter boats located right in the middle of a fishing paradise.
On the south end… A very good week of walleye fishing with good numbers of fish being caught by charter boats and smaller private boats.
As is the norm this time of year, a jig and frozen emerald shiner was the go to presentation for walleyes. Most boats are anchored up and vertically jigging. The best jig colors varied but gold/glow white, gold/pink/glow white and gold/orange were great color combinations.
Not every walleye is targeting the same forage in the lake, hence, depths can vary. As a rule, 21 – 32 feet of water was best. Various areas across the south shore are holding fish.
Jumbo perch, pike and a few crappies in the mix with walleyes and saugers.
On the Rainy River… The best bite on the river for walleyes has been morning and evening using a jig and minnow. With heavy flow from local rain, current breaks have been effective.
Trolling crankbaits along shoreline breaks against the current in 6 – 12′ of water will produce a mixed bag.
For those targeting bronzebacks (smallmouth bass), shoreline current breaks, areas with rock and structure around bridges has been good. The river is full of smallies that receive little attention with all of the walleyes around.
Up at the NW Angle… A great week of fishing amongst the island area of Lake of the Woods. Various fronts coming through as well as various bug hatches throughout the summer may affect fishing, but there are always fish biting somewhere in these parts.
Most guests staying up at the Angle head across the border and fish amongst the many islands which is smaller water. Others prefer staying on the MN side and fishing the variety of structure this portion of the lake offers. Good fishing on both sides.
Some anglers are finding walleyes in 5-7′ of water. Other areas hold fish in 22-28 feet of water. Much of this depends upon the forage walleyes in that part of the lake are focusing on.
The goto presentation is a jig and minnow. Pulling spinners with shiners or crawlers and trolling crankbaits also catching walleyes, especially when they are spread out or scattered. Crankbait colors of shiny gold and pink UV firetiger were effective this week.
Walleye anglers are catching some big pike, which is common in these parts.
Lodging, fishing packages, small boat guide trips, charter trips and summer trips are available at www.LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.
