The bite is turning on!

I have been on Leech a bunch the last couple weeks and am happy to report that the walleyes (both eaters and 20+ inch) have been showing themselves with more consistency of late.  Typically, this time of year, we will catch them on deeper humps in Walker Bay but that bite has been very inconsistent.  Shoreline breaks and underwater points have been the most consistent over the last 2 weeks.  Lindy rigging creek chubs or redtails has produced as have jigs with minnows.  A sleeper tactic can be a lindy rig with a crawler as well.  Key depths have varied depending on what the wind is doing.  If you have wind crashing into a shoreline, they can be as shallow as 11-14; if there is no wind, they can slide out  to 18-25 feet of water.  The underwater points that I have been using, the fish have been deeper, 25-35 feet of water.  The best thing about this bite is it will only get BETTER!!  I know it is tough to get away in the fall, especially mid-week but if you can, get up to Leech.  We can get great mid-week deals in the fall for rooms at the Chase and the BIG walleyes are going to go on the chew with vengance!

Good Luck!

Jim Ernster

                           North Dakota great Jim Archibald with a 23 inch Leech Lake Walleye.

Minnesota Musky Guide and Report

What a busy summer here at L.O.A.!  All of us fishing guides have been very busy fishing Leech Lake, Gull Lake and Mille Lacs.  I have had the opportunity to film a couple of musky shows with both In-Fisherman T.V. and Jason Mitchell Outdoors.

Ace Photographer Jeff Simpson taking photo

 Fishing muskies as many of you know and some don't isn't an easy task and then add a camera to the mix makes a challenging task.  My first trip was to LOTW with Jeff Simpson, the Swede (In-Fisherman Cameraman) in hopes to capture a segment for In-Fisherman T.V.  We arrived with high hopes, fresh arms and sharp hooks.  We planned to be there for 5 days depending on the bite.  It turned out we only needed one to capture the show which included a 50 incher to close.  Make sure to tune into www.in-fisherman.com this coming Fall/Winter to see the show.  It's going to be a good one.

Jeff Simpson and I with the big musky to close the show

Between guiding on Leech Lake and Mille Lacs for Walleyes my second filming duties was with good friend Jason Mitchell.  Our goal was to show the story of how Minnesota Musky fishing is the best it has ever been.  Jason along with Joe Andersen, my brother and producer, meet me at Chase on the Lake on Leech Lake.  Ready to rock we headed out the first morning and only 20 minutes into the trip Jason sets the hook on a big fish.  After a spectacular jump, that Joe captured on film, we got the monster musky into the net.  Hooks out, a fish hold, quick measurement and a release.  We had a start to the show and not in a better way.  Jason landing a 53 inch musky which was his largest to date!  Again we ended up with an amazing day fishing with several other muskies boated and lost.  Joe captured some super amazing jump scenes so make sure to tune into www.jasonmitchelloutdoors.com

Jason Mitchell with the show open 53 inch musky

Another big one for the show

It costs these shows so much to come and film and for them to trust me to put them on fish is a great honor!

Do you want to experience Minnesota Musky Fishing?  Lets share my boat and go hawg hunting...

Jeff "Jiggy" Andersen

Book a Guided Fishing Trip with Leisure Outdoor Adventures Fishing Team at www.LeisureOutdoorAdventures.com  We are providing guided fishing trips on many lakes including the Brainerd Lakes Area, Gull Lake, Whitefish Chain, North Long, Pelican along with the Leech Lake Area.

Be our friend on FaceBook at Leisure Outdoor FaceBook Page

Call 855-LOA-HOOK to book your guided fishing trip.

Leech Lake Fishing Report

As of today, fishing remains Rock Solid on Leech Lake. I have been on the lake for the past three days pulling Jolly Roger spinners. With light and variable winds the most consistent action has been coming from mid lake Rock structures such as Submarine, Annex, Big Rock, and The rocks around Pelican Island. Focus on the windward edges in 14-18 ft with wind. Shallow rock clumps in 12-14 ft are better on calm days. Copper and Gold color blades with half a crawler behind 2-3 oz bouncers trolled at .8-1.3 mph have been the most consistent patterns. Cabbage flats are holding walleye in 7-12 ft. Steamboat, Sucker, and Portage bay points and weed flats have been holding fish all year. Trolling cranks in the low light periods and or slip bobbering a leech can be rewarding this time of year. Bigger Walleye and above average Pike have been biting in Walker Bay. Bumps topping out in 22-30 ft of water are holding fish. Best presentations seam to be light Pike suckers or leeches. 

Tight Lines, 

Toby K

Leisure Outdoor Adventures/Minnesota Wild Shootout 2012

It all started with a simple phone call in April from Jim Vanek of the Minnesota Wild responding to an e-mail I had sent inviting the Wild to go fishing with Team LOA.  It culminated with Jason Zucker’s big pike leading the way for Team Kvalevog winning the Leisure Outdoor Adventures/Minnesota Wild Shootout for 2012.  The event was held at one of Minnesota’s most historic resorts, Cragun’s on the shores of Gull Lake. The stage was set for a great night for fishing and Minnesota Hockey.

Anticipation was high amongst all the participants, especially 3 lucky winners from the Leisure Outdoor Adventures "Fish with the Wild" contest. Local hockey players, Max Wheeler, Josh Hukriede and Zach Hukriede were chosen and they were grinning from ear to ear at the docks. Joining them in the boats were the Wild's Nate Prosser and Jason Zucker, State Representative John Ward, National Guardsman Nick Tuttle, Wild Radio personality Tom Reid, Kari from Wells Fargo and The Minnesota Wild foundation's Tim Groth. Team LOA was represented by Tim Hanske, Jim Ernster, Jeff Andersen and Toby Kvalevog. The rules were simple, multi-species format, weigh your boats 3 biggest fish.

 

Shortly after take off, 3 of decided to fish Wilson Bay on the South end of Gull. Wilson usually holds a good population of Largemouth bass and the weed lines hold good multi-species potential. Not long after all were fishing, we heard some hooting and hollering from Toby Kvalevog's boat, thanks to the Minnesota Wild's Jason Zucker. Zucker had latched into something big!

The fight was on and Zucker was as skilled with a Jason Mitchell rod in his hand as he is with a stick on the ice. This fish had no chance!

From where I was fishing, I could the fishing going fast and furious in Tim Hanske's boat. I couldn't see what but I could see they the fish were snapping!

Tim's boat had Kari from Wells Fargo, State Respresentative John Ward and Wild Radio personality and Minnesota North Star Alumni Tom Reid. Hanske had his boat on an active school of bass and they were catching a bunch!

The Minnesota Wild Foundation's Tim Groth and I were working a weedline near Tim and Toby that had produced fish for me on a prior scouting trip, but tonight it was slow. Seeing the flurry from the other boats, the pressure was on and I knew we needed to make a move. We moved to another weed edge closer to the Government Point access and it paid off with 2 nicer pike and some rock bass.


The one boat i could not see was Jeff Andersen's boat but I knew Jeff would bring in a bag of fish. Turns out the found a nice school of walleyes and also had a great mix of bass and northern.

Jeff had 2 BAHA kids in his boat and under his guidance they were quickly becoming NHL caliber fishermen! They were ready, willing and eager to help Team Andersen put the hurt bag on those fish. Nate Prosser also chipped in a with a Gull Lake large-mouth.

It was a great night for Minnesota Hockey, Brainerd Amateur Hockey, Cragun's and the Brainerd Lakes Area. We at Leisure Outdoor Adventures were humbled to be able to put on such a good event. A big thanks goes to the Cragun's staff for their generosity in helping pull this together. Also to the Minnesota Wild, what a great organization to travel the state and give back to communities. 

Book a Guided Fishing Trip with Leisure Outdoor Adventures Fishing Team at www.LeisureOutdoorAdventures.com  We are providing guided fishing trips on many lakes including the Brainerd Lakes Area, Gull Lake, Whitefish Chain, North Long, Pelican along with the Leech Lake Area.

Be our friend on FaceBook at Leisure Outdoor FaceBook Page

Call 855-LOA-HOOK to book your guided fishing trip.

Brainerd Lakes Fishing Guide Kids Clinic

Leisure Outdoor Adventures Fishing Guides give back to the Brainerd Lakes Area on 4th of July.  We hosted our first annual kids fishing event and what a blast. 

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

The Fishing Guides at Leisure Outdoor Adventures.

Book a Guided Fishing Trip with Leisure Outdoor Adventures Fishing Team at www.LeisureOutdoorAdventures.com  We are providing guided fishing trips on many lakes including the Brainerd Lakes Area, Gull Lake, Whitefish Chain, North Long, Pelican along with the Leech Lake Area.

Be our friend on FaceBook at Leisure Outdoor FaceBook Page

Call 855-LOA-HOOK to book your guided fishing trip. 

Mille Lacs Lake walleye guide: Big smiles and Big walleyes

Mille Lacs walleye guide trip chaos

Last week, Jim Ernster and I headed out to Mille Lacs Lake to guide for walleyes.  We had three little boys and three fathers.  One of my favorite parts of being a fishing guide is the chance to help little kids catch big fish.  The grins, yells of excitement, and best of all, memories are so awesome!  Mille Lacs Lake walleye fishing has been outstanding this year, and today would be just that.  Here is the story of big smiles and big walleyes. 

Jim and I got to Tutt’s Bait and Tackle in Garrison a little early, and were sitting in the parking lot tying on some Jolly Roger spinners.  A truck pulls up to Tutt’s and instantly two little boys come flying out of the truck.  Working as a team, they meticulously checked over everything outside of Tutt’s in 1.3 seconds.  It was clear that these little guys meant business, and wanted to get fishing so we headed over to the landing.   With their nonstop energy, they kept up the exploring of the landing and this time one of the boys found a dead walleye.  He picked it up (it had been dead for awhile) and was yelling, “I got one dad!!”  I was laughing pretty hard, and thinking that the day was going to be crazy!

Finally we got to our spot, and before we even got 100 yards trolling, BOOM!  Fish on!  We started the day with a very nice 22 incher.  Very shortly after that, I saw Jim netting a walleye.  We both had the skunk out of the boat in 10 minutes.  In my boat I had four clients: the two little guys (yes the one that grabbed the dead walleye J) and their fathers.  The boys used $15 push button rods that were bending just from the 2 ounce bottom bouncer.  On the other side the dad’s had fancy trolling rods with all the bells and whistles.  I’m not sure of the exact count, but the boys proceeded to catch most of the fish in the first hour.  We had a bunch of 21-23 inch walleyes, and so far the biggest was a 25 incher, caught by one of the boys.  Jim was catching them also, and the smiles were contagious. 

28 Mille Lacs Walleye

One of the dads busted out his iPhone, turned on some music, and the day just kept getting better.  I was trolling the edge of the mud, listening to country music, and watching the boys put on a clinic!  We were fishing in the middle of Mille Lacs but every time they set the hook, I’m pretty sure the whole lake knew it.  If the fish stayed hooked, it would be accompanied topside by a little boy with a huge smile, yelling like a wild man.  I was having a blast just watching these kids! 

           As the sun slowly got lower in the sky, the bite slowed down. The boys were tired and hungry, so they decided to pull the plug a little bit early.  The biggest walleye was a 28 incher (caught by a 10 year old J), we had a bunch of slot fish, and we even caught some keepers-but decided to throw back also.  We pulled into the dock still talking about the epic day of fishing we were lucky to experience.  They packed up the cars and took off, and Jim and I loaded up and headed home.  On the drive home, I couldn’t hide my ear to ear grin thinking about the awesome day of catching big smiles and big walleyes.  


See you on the water!! Capt. Tim Hanske     

Mille Lacs walleye guide fun

Bonus!  32 in pike

Awesome!

A nice Mille Lacs walleye

25 inch Mille Lacs walleye

    

Leech Lake Fishing Guide Testimonial

As a fishing guide group on several lakes in Minnesota including Leech Lake we are so excited when things go right!  Below is an email from a fishing guide client from this spring.  You can read more about their trip by Clicking Here 

"Our fishing group usually goes to Canada every year, however this year we decided to try something different and fish Leech Lake in Minnesota. Wow, did they ever exceed our expectations! We caught our limit every day and released many big fish back into the lake to catch again next year.

None of us knew we would have this kind of experience, thanks to our guides Jeff Andersen and Toby Kvalevog. These guys are Pros! They were by far, the best guides we have ever had and they really knew the lake. They were so accommodating and professional and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking a great fishing experience!

The amenities were awesome! The rooms were beautiful and comfortable and the dining room and food were great. Our group has been fishing for 30 years and this was one of the best fishing experiences we have ever had. We can't wait to come back again next year!"

Michael Kroloff

Des Moines, Ia

"Get Hooked and Make a Memory!"
Jeff "Breezer" Andersen

Book a Guided Fishing Trip with Leisure Outdoor Adventures Fishing Team at www.LeisureOutdoorAdventures.com  We are providing guided fishing trips on many lakes including the Brainerd Lakes Area, Gull Lake, Whitefish Chain, North Long, Pelican along with the Leech Lake Area.

Be our friend on FaceBook at Leisure Outdoor FaceBook Page

Call 855-LOA-HOOK to book your guided fishing trip. 

Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Lake guided fishing report by Leisure Outdoor Adventures

Hey Everyone!! I finally have a day off the water and a chance to report in to all of our fishing friends following along. Fishing on Leech and Mille Lacs lakes have been great. The month of June has been filled with many of my long time fiends and clients. Weather permitting, we have all been blessed with multiple big fish catches to go along with some nice dinner fare as well.
Spinner fishing has been a staple in the LOA arsenal this year. We are very happy to have formed a partnership with Jolly Roger Tackle company. Their rigs have been slamming the fish everywhere we try. The system works well in combination with the Jason Mitchell 10'6" trolling rods. Very simple fishing; Spinner, Crawlers, Trolling Rods, and Scotty rod holders. We have had our best luck moving at 1.2mph with this system.
The Leech lake fishing is best now on the main lake. West Bar, Annex, Submarine, Big Rock, Paris Trench, and North Bar ALL HAVE FISH and can be caught using live bait rigs and spinners in 12-15ft of water

Mille Lacs lake fishing is nothing short of phenomenal out on the flats. Fish the edges in 24-31 ft during the morning hours and off of the flats in the afternoon. Plenty of slot fish (17-28") to be had. Most trips we are burning through 30 plus fish during a typical trip. Keepers can be tough to find, but the action is tough to beat! For up to the minute reports, stop by or call Tutts Bait in Garrison. They have everything you will need and then some for your day on the water.