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August 17, 2022

You know summer is starting to wind down when high school sports teams started practice this week, family summer vacations are all wrapped up, and next week the Minnesota State Fair begins, where did the summer go! As a community we are blessed with a abundance of natural resources in the Bemidji area and as a guide I’m fortunate to take folks out on the water fishing from all over the country. One of my favorite families is the Boteler family from Millersville Maryland ( near Baltimore) last week was my 4th year with them and they drive up every year to fish for 2-3 days. They love the Bemidji area and love to fish along with seeing various wildlife which this year included deer, bear, turkeys, loons, and eagles plus they caught plenty of fish. Onto the fishing,

Bass fishing remains excellent on area lakes and we’ve been catching good numbers and some big fish also. We do all catch and release on the bass and if you want a lot of pole bending you can’t beat it! The walleye bite has been a bit tougher especially on Local lakes like Bemidji and Plantagenet but with patience you’ll boat a few using live bait rigs with crawlers or leeches. The closest lake with a decent walleye bite has been Cass Lake. Look to the flats in 8-10’ and the 12-16’ weeds. Leeches, crawlers, minnows, and jiggin raps should get you some fish. Red Lake is also producing walleyes in 6-8’ pulling spinners with crawlers or minnows as is Winnie in 12-16’. Bigger bluegills are hitting on deep humps and you’ll still find crappies off the deep cabbage and this past week we’ve been catching some suspended over deeper water. Have a great day on the water and please practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

August 10, 2022

It’s hard to believe we are into the second week of August already! What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time all of our area was in a terrible drought and lake levels were so low that many folks who have cabins or live on area lakes couldn’t get their boats off the lifts because the water was so low. This summer we’ve been blessed with nice rains and water levels have been actually up a bit on most lakes for this time of the year. Water temps reached their peak about the 3rd week in July where most lakes had water temperatures around 77 degrees. Now many of the lakes I’ve been guiding on this past week water temps are now in the lower 70’s, that bodes good for fishing! Bass fishing continues to be excellent on area lakes. If you like getting out around sunrise throwing topwater baits up into the shallow grass and lilly pads you’ll get plenty of explosions and seeing those fish explode on a topwater bait will get your heart racing! Once we get into the mid morning hours look for those bass out on the deep weed edges using tube jigs, a jig worm, or a Texas rigged plastic worm and you should have plenty of action. We are catching crappies out on the deeper cabbage and for bigger bluegills don’t be afraid to fish those deeper humps. Many associate bluegills with shallow water and there are plenty of them there but the bigger ones will be out deeper. The walleye bite hasn’t changed a lot since last week and having patience is the key. Covering lots of water and you’ll pick some up pulling spinners and crawlers or leeches and live bait rigs are also turning some fish. The jig bite is slowly coming back around and that will only get better as we heading into the fall. Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

August 3, 2022

You know what I so love about fishing? It doesn’t matter if your young or old, male or female there are no barriers! This past week I had Kell Lovell and his son in law Nick out for a 4 hour guide trip. Kell turned 93 the day I took him out! We had so much fun and we all caught lots of nice crappies! Kell was a dentist and served in the US Army for 27 years and then had a private practice once he retired from the Army. The fish were cooperating but the stories I heard from Kell were even better than the fishing! Then just a couple of days later I took a young boy, Kaylor Ekstrom and his great grandmother Pat out for a morning of bass fishing. Kaylor is 8 years old from Faimont MN right down on the Minnesota/Iowa border. They live on a hog farm so the north country was all brand new to him. The fish weren’t exactly jumping in the boat but we caught some nice bass and Kaylor had a giant on that threw the hook! My dad started me fishing with him when I was 2 years old, I’m 66 now and love it as much as I ever have!

Onto the fishing report, the bass bite is phenomenal right now! Slinging plastic frogs up into the lilly pads and the shallow weeds will turn fish in the morning, the deeper weed edges fishing plastic worms, tube jigs, or a jig worm during the day and you’ll gets lots of rod bending! The walleye bite is still a little tougher but if you have some patience you’ll catch some on live bait rigs with leeches or crawlers or a spinner rig with leeches or crawlers. Look to Bemidji, Blackduck, and the Cass Lake chain. Crappie and bluegills continue to be biting on the deep weed edges using small jigs and plastics or a slip bobber with crappie minnows or small leeches. Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

July 20, 2022

The summer heat arrived here in the Bemidji area the past few days and the walleye bite has been a bit tougher. We are catching some walleyes either in deeper water or they have been tucked up right in and around the cabbage. Live bait rigs with leeches or crawlers working the sharp breaks and deeper humps or pitching jigs tipped with a piece of crawler or plastics into the cabbage has turned some fish. If you’re fishing the cabbage Northland Tackle has come out with the Weedless Fireball Jig. It’s sweet as you can work that jig right through the cabbage without getting hung up. Crappie and bluegill fishing continues to be excellent off the deep cabbage using small jigs and plastics. On a side note, there are a number of lakes in the Bemidji area where you can keep only 5 bluegills/sunfish. Most of those lakes have signs posted at the access’s but make sure you know the rules for the lake you’re fishing in. Bass fishing is excellent all across the area using plastics on the deep weed edges. Bigger pike are being caught out on the deeper weed lines using jigs and minnows or plastics.

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

July 6, 2022

As we head into the first full week of July, fishing is heating up on certain species. Live bait rigs and leeches or crawlers seem to be the ticket now if your pursuing walleyes. You’ll still catch some on a jig but you’ll catch more live bait rigging. We’ve been finding fish on the deep weed edges and the sharper breaks but don’t be afraid to go deeper. This past week we had a couple of days where we were catching walleyes in 35’. A good way to locate walleyes is with trolling spinners with crawlers or leeches. You can cover a bit more water quicker and then once you locate them concentrate on those areas with jigs or live bait rigs. The pike action remains good and look for those bigger pike on the deeper weed edges and sharp deep breaks. You’ll catch plenty of them in shallower water but the bigger pike are in deeper water. Bass fishing is heating up and working plastics on the deep weed edges should produce plenty of fish. Early morning throwing spinnerbaits or topwaters up shallow will also turn some fish. Crappies have now moved out to most of their summer haunts off the deep cabbage along with bluegills. Small jigs and plastics slow rolled through the cabbage has been working well. Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

June 29, 2022

As we head into the month of July on Friday the months of July and August we will have our warmest water temperatures. Walleye fishing seems to always get a bit tougher but you can still catch them but patience is the key! I love jig fishing and I always try and get my guide clients on a jig bite. If there is three of us in the boat I’ll have one on a jig and minnow, one on a jig and leech, and one on a jig and crawler. Working the edges of the deep weeds and the edges of the humps and bars should produce some fish. If jigs aren’t doing it then a livebait rig might do the trick and if that doesn’t work pulling some spinner rigs usually will get something going!

As the water warms the bass fishing really kicks into high gear! Early and late in the day topwater baits will get there attention up shallow. As the day progresses focus on those deep water weed edges with plastics and you should catch plenty of fish. Crappies are setting up now on their summer spots, I love using small jigs and plastics and workIng those baits very slowly right through the deep cabbage you’ll catch some fish. They don’t always hit real hard so when your retrieving that bait set the hook on anything that feels different. If your not sure, set the hook hook sets are free and there just might be a fish on the end! The third annual Bemidji Area United Way walleye and bass tournament is Saturday July 23 from 6am to noon on Sunday July 24. You can fish any lakes in Beltrami, Clearwater, or Hubbard county. Sam and I fished the bass division last year. Sam won the Legacy Award and won a lifetime Minnesota Fishing license! For registration or more information go to https://www.unitedwaybemidji.org/fishing-tournament

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

June 22, 2022

The walleye bite continues to be pretty good on Bemidji area lakes. Jigs and minnows are still turning fish as well as live bait rigs and leeches or crawlers in 10-14’. The wind continues to be a bugger though! Seems about every other day it’s blowing 30+ mph and that makes boat control and detecting bites very difficult. One of the things that will help is going to braided line instead of monofilament. I like using 15 pound braid in a white or yellow color. Braid has no stretch so detecting bites is easier. I tie on about 4-5’ of fluorocarbon which is invisible to the fish using a double uni knot and then my jig to that.

I can’t remember ever having so much clingy moss get on your jigs and live bait rigs out on Lake Bemidji! Seems like you constantly have to be checking your baits and peel that stuff off. Going to lighter jigs or sinkers helps a bit.

Pike action remains excellent on all lakes using jigs and minnows or trolling spoons or crank baits along the deeper weed edges.

Large and smallmouth bass fishing is excellent using plastics along the weed lines and top water and spinner baits are turning fish up shallow.

Crappies are starting to move out to deeper cabbage areas and you’ll still find bluegills up along the shallow reeds.

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

June 15, 2022

A week ago was the annual Bemidji Area Take A Kid Fishing Day. This event has been going on for over 30 years and is a real treat for the kids and all the volunteers! This year I had 14 year old Julia Frenzel from the Blackduck area and 13 year old Sienna Nevins from the Bemidji area in my boat and we had a ball! They had never met before but by noon they were having so much fun it looked to me like they were best friends! Within 5 minutes after we started fishing Julia landed a 23.5” walleye that we released, it was her biggest walleye ever! It didn’t take long and Sienna caught her first walleye of the day. We kept 3 walleyes that day and released a few others and the girls must have caught at least 30 northern pike. They both out fished me by a long shot, and I couldn’t have been happier! At the end of the day all the kids, guides, and the kids parents met at Lake Bemidji State Park for a big fish fry and pictures. A huge thank you to all the volunteers, the committee, and especially Christina and Demo Regas for such a wonderful event, I’m already looking forward to next year!

Congratulations to Jace and Charlie Peterson (cousins) of Bemidji for winning the recent KC walleye tournament on Lake Bemidji! These two young men are some of the best young anglers I’ve ever met and two of the nicest! Super job guys!

Walleye fishing remains good on area lakes. Jig and minnows are turning fish as are live bait rigs and crawler or leeches. Panfish remain active in shallow water in the emerging reeds using small jigs and plastics or small minnows or wax worms. Large and smallmouth bass fishing is starting to heat up and those fish are also being found shallow and along the edge of the emerging weed lines. Pike action is crazy good and you’ll catch them just about anyway you want to.

Have a great day on the water and please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

June 8, 2022

As we are into the first full week of June the walleye fishing remains excellent on Bemidji area lakes. Jigs and minnows are producing good numbers of fish as are live bait rigs and minnows. Look to the first break in 12-14’ and you should find some fish. Bemidji, Plantagenet, Cass, Pike Bay, and Blackduck lakes are all producing. The northern pike bite is crazy good! If you want to have fun and catch lots of fish a jig and minnow along the emerging weed line will give you lots of action. Some crappies are still up shallow in some of the shallow bays and many are sitting off the emerging pencil reeds in a bit deeper water. Small jigs and crappie minnows or plastics are turning fish. Smallmouth and largemouth bass continue to be caught up shallow on plastics and spinnerbaits. I haven’t heard how the opening of the muskie season went but I do see some folks out fishing for them. This Saturday June 11is the annual KC walleye tournament on Lake Bemidji. Might want to stay off of Bemidji that day as there will be 100 boats out there on tournament day. There will be lots of fun for the whole family down on the lake front near Paul and Babe and I believe tournament anglers start coming back in around 3-3:30pm. Even with catch, measure, photo, release it’s still very exciting when the results start to be posted.

Have a great day on the water and please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

June 1, 2022

As we head into the month of June air temperatures, water temperatures, and the fishing is heating up! The month of June is in my opinion one of the best months of the year for all around fishing. Walleyes have been done spawning, are recovered, and are hungry! The minnow forage food source isn’t much yet so when you drop a minnow, leech, or crawler in front of their nose 9 times out of 10 you’re gonna get bit. I love jig fishing and this is prime time for that. I like using a 1/8oz jig tipped with some type of minnow. Look to the edge of the emerging grass that’s starting to come up and you’ll find walleyes especially if the wind is blowing into that area. Live bait rigs are also a great option with either a minnow, leech, or crawler. If you’re fishing in real windy conditions or deeper water than 18-20’ you may want to use a quarter ounce jig.

Northern Pike are hitting just about anything along the emerging weed lines. Crappies and bluegills are up shallow. Look for some emerging reed beds and there’s a good chance you’ll find some crappies and bluegills. Large and smallmouth bass season is now open for more than just catch and release and they are up shallow on the beds. If you catch a big one on the beds it’s always a good thing to put them back. We have some amazing bass fishing in the Bemidji area and most folks myself included do catch and release.

Have a safe, fun time on the water and please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

May 25, 2022

Fishing in the Bemidji area this past week was mostly a chilly one but the bite was pretty good for just about any species you wanted to fish for. Water temps are in the upper 40’s to the low to mid 50’s depending on the size and depth of the lake. Walleyes are starting to move out to there summer spots but we were still catching fish shallow but many were coming off the first break in about 12′. Jigs and shiners or live bait rigs and shiners are turning fish on Lake Bemidji, Plantagenet, and the Cass Lake chain. Northern Pike action has been excellent in those same areas. The crappies have moved shallow and a small jig tipped with a crappie minnow or plastics under a float is working well. A couple of days last week the cold and wind along with even a bit of snow made it feel like late fall not the last half of May but warmer temperatures leading into the Memorial Day weekend not only will make it more comfortable but the fishing should heat up to! Enjoy the unofficial start of summer this weekend and please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

May 18, 2022

The 2022 Minnesota fishing opener has come and gone, and there were some good reports and some not so good. The wind really was blowing hard both this past Saturday and Sunday! It wasn’t too bad until about 9am on both days and then it started howling and high winds always make fishing tough for a few reasons. 1) boat control can be difficult. 2) this time of the year with the colder water and the fish just finishing up spawning they aren’t real aggressive when they hit a jig, so with the wind it’s much harder to detect those subtle bites, and 3) if you’re pitching jigs, you get that bow in your line from the wind and that makes it even harder to detect a bite. In shallower water, say 12′ or less, I like using a 1/8oz jig, but I went up to a 1/4 or 3/8oz jig and that helped a bit. Most of the walleyes were coming from 6-10′.

The northern pike were pretty active as were the jumbo perch and you mix that in with a few walleyes and some bass, and we had a fun time! The best reports I’ve heard were the lakes with flowing water coming in. The Cass Lake chain of lakes the bite was pretty good for some. Same with Winnie and of course Upper Red is always good on opening weekend but you’re fishing bumper boats on Red and for me I just don’t enjoy that as much. Shiner minnows were non existent for the opener, but they should be available sometime this week. If you’re looking to catch some walleyes from shore, it’s hard to beat the Mississippi River where it comes out of Lake Irving into Lake Bemidji that small stretch of river will hold some walleyes for about a week and then they start dispersing out into the lakes.

Don’t get worried if you had a tough opener catching walleyes, the bite will only get better as we head towards Memorial Day weekend!

Please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service

May 11, 2022

The much-anticipated Minnesota fishing opener gets started this Saturday May 14th, and I’m excited! Even though I’ve already been open water walleye fishing a few times out in South Dakota, the opener always brings me butterflies! The big winds this past Saturday is exactly what the doctor ordered, and it took the ice off of most of the area lakes. Lake Bemidji ice finally was totally gone by late Sunday. As of Monday morning, Cass still had some floating ice in areas, but that should be gone by the end of the day. Upper Red still has some ice, but that should be all gone by mid-week. Good news is the lake levels are way up, so there should be no problems launching boats!

With the late ice out, folks are wondering “where will those walleyes be?” Water temps are going to be cold, so some of the walleyes will be spawning, others may have just finished and recuperating. Me and my clients will start shallow pitching jigs into the gravel/rocky areas. If no fish are found shallow, we will start working deeper until we make contact. With the cold water temperatures, the spot tail shiners may have not started to move real shallow yet, so I’m thinking some of the best fishing might be along that first break in 10-12′.

Jigs and minnows are a hard combination to beat, and that’s what we will be starting with, but I’ll have live bait rig poles all ready to go.

The Minnesota DNR has a lot of work to do this week trying to get all the docks in at the access’s and fixing up access’s that got beat up from the ice. I know they will do their best to get docks in but be prepared to perhaps not have a dock especially at some of the smaller less fished lakes.

As always, on opening weekend there will be lots of activities at the boat ramps. If you’re waiting in line to launch that’s the time to get everything loaded in your boat and ready to go when it’s your turn. If someone’s having trouble backing their boat in instead of getting mad and frustrated please offer a helping hand!

Have a great opening weekend everyone and please remember to practice selective harvesting, by doing, so we will continue to have great fishing for years to come!

Dick Beardsley Fishing Guide Service