I have been to the BW many times but never the first week of Sept. Would anyone care to share their experience fishing this time of year as weather starts to cool after summer?

We are looking for Walleyes and Smallies. We will bring jigs and crawlers, probably throw some top water at night.

Thanks for your input...

I'm interested in this also. Going up Labor Day week, Sep 5-10. Might do walleye, but may also try a lake with lake trout.

I concentrate mostly on moving water and throw green pumpkin tubes. 1/8 oz jig heads. Soft plastic jerk baits like ZMAN ShadZ work well in any type of pearl variation. Topwater - bullfrog torpedoes and super pop-r in a shad color works well. Fish points and the surrounding flats. Fish mid lake humps and reefs. At night the topwater bite can be good. Never in a hurry to fish early or stay out late. Best fishing in the afternoon if you are having cold nights.

If you pick up a copy of the Boundary Waters Journal, I have an article in the current issue about fishing tubes in current that might provide you with some helpful hints. The name of the article is called Dog Days Smallmouth.

BTW.....welcome to the message board!

I am also heading to the Boundary Waters for my first canoe trip in later september. My friend who has been many times offered me the chance. Im a keen Fisho and we will try to target some lake trout as we are hitting Snowbank, Knife, Kekekabic, Fraser and Thomas. To me these look like good lake trout lakes? I however haven't caught a lake trout yet as Im from Australia. Would anyone have a couple of tips for us?

quote Mix: "I am also heading to the Boundary Waters for my first canoe trip in later september. My friend who has been many times offered me the chance. Im a keen Fisho and we will try to target some lake trout as we are hitting Snowbank, Knife, Kekekabic, Fraser and Thomas. To me these look like good lake trout lakes? I however haven't caught a lake trout yet as Im from Australia. Would anyone have a couple of tips for us?"

Find deep reefs and jig white 1 oz plastic curly tail jigs or white 1 oz hair jigs. Trolling silver hammered doctor spoons might work as well.

Mix kekabic, knife and Thomas are all good trout lakes. I would bring a fish finder. I wouldn't go without bringing a few 1/2 Sebile vibratos.

We typically do two trips north a year - one late May/early June, and a second in September. My thoughts on September fishing - do whatever you have to to resist the urge to fish like it's early June when you were so easily filling the boat with fish! For me that means absolutely slowing things down, and moving a bit deeper and near transition depth areas.

I was up there last year at that time and will be heading back again this year the same week. If you can find leeches take them, they worked awesome! Other then that crankbaits did best.

I really appreciate the advice. I need to understand the fish will not be in the same spots as early June. We will try deeper spots and slow down the retrieve.

I know it's still a way off but the temps look to be mid 60's during the day and low 40's high 30's at night. I should not worry about the early morning crack of dawn bite (we get up to fish before 6 in June), I should concentrate on late morning middle of the day?

Thoughts?

Temps were the same last year at this time and I did well early morning with leeches under a bobber. I will say that the top water bite for me last year was pretty non existent. Doesn't mean I won't keep trying!!!

quote Hopp: "I really appreciate the advice. I need to understand the fish will not be in the same spots as early June. We will try deeper spots and slow down the retrieve.


I know it's still a way off but the temps look to be mid 60's during the day and low 40's high 30's at night. I should not worry about the early morning crack of dawn bite (we get up to fish before 6 in June), I should concentrate on late morning middle of the day?


Thoughts?"

I have been going late August\early September every year since 1988. I have come to learn that I don't need to be in a hurry to get out there fishing early in the morning. This is really true when it is cold out. Fishing seems to heat up as the day heated up from my experiences. I don't use live bait, so maybe the bite is easier with live bait early in the morning. So I take my time in the morning around camp, eat a good breakfast and then go. I also don't stay out late during sunset. I head back and get some dinner in me and start a fire. Fishing over the years has been lack luster for me during sunset. Smallmouth will move at night into the shallows if you are into night fishing from camp with topwater. Keeps your ears open for fish feeding while you are in camp at night. Make sure you get a nice stack of wood, with the early sunsets you will have a lot of poker time.

Thanks again. I'll post about about my experience when I am back in a couple of weeks.