Mille Lacs in Fall

I will be fishing Mille Lacs in the northwest quadrant near Garrison for walleye, northerns, and smallmouth and smaller lakes for largemouth bass and crappies the week of September 28th. I am interested in seasonal patterns and best technics on Mille Lacs for this period. Any help is thoroughly appreciated. Since this is a forum both for questions and reports, I will post a fishing report as soon as possible after returning from this trip.

I live in Indiana and am only able to fish Mille Lacs for a few days in Spring and Fall. This is a wonderful forum, but it will not work unless people are willing to openly share worthwhile information from their own trips.

Good fishing.

You picked a good area. Try trolling (straight running!) cranks or shad raps in 7 to 15 feet of water at night. Shallower later. Run these depths along the shoreline or over offshore reefs. Use an electric motor if the wind is not blowing too hard. You'll want to tick the bottom with the cranks to know when you in the zone. Let line out until you tick the bottom then reel it back in some. You will hang up from time to time but its worth it. Hang on! There's nothing like a walleye slamming a crank! Also, watch the hooks at night. Try not to use a net and keep the boat floor clear and stow any un-necessary gear. And have a good light to see those hooks! And 2 maybe 3 people max in the boat. Anymore and it won't be much fun. Watch those hooks!
I'll be in Canada that week hunting geese but I'll be on the water the next week. Let us know how you do.
Watch those hooks!

[Schnauzer]

I agree... going to Mille Lacs in September, October, or November and NOT trolling night time cranks should be a crime. It is like going to D.C and skipping the monuments to see the housing projects.

Pick suspending stick baits like husky jerks, (size 12 or 14), Rogues, or Yozuris and find the correct trolling speed that triggers the fish - 1.3-2.2 mph usually (use a GPS). You will catch big fish over the rocks. Alter your color selection until you dial in the color the fish are biting on. Firetiger is always a good color to start with. The craw/red colors are good too. It can literally change from night to night.

The suspending baits work well... especially if you occasionally work in a pause (put your motor in neutral, or even reverse for a second to bring your boat to a stop). The walleyes will often whack the lure when it pauses, or begins to take off after you have been sitting there for a minute.

Shad raps may also work. Look in those shallow depths over rocks or find a weed line. You should be able to find both near Garrison. Even the Garrison reef can be trolled over the top. Even on a bad night you may catch a fish or two between 25" and 30".

Just make sure you dress warm enough. Getting the chills on a breezy 30 degree night can take a lot of the fun out of it. If you dress right, you'll be fine.

[fire baller]

Myr Mar reef is a good spot to night troll, too. Make sure you take some time during the day light hours to get a feel for the structure you want to fish. If you have GPS punch in icons to outline reefs or rock piles you'd like to target. During the evening (or early morning) I like to pull shad raps while it's light out. #5 or 7's in fire tiger or black/silver is where I'd start. Once dark, I switch to rattlin' rouges and husky jerks. The red craw, chrome/blue and clown colors have been good producers for me. Also, the new LED head lamps work great for night time operations.

My sincere thanks to the guys who replied to my question ( but don't stop now if you were going to respond). I have never been confident trolling and now I feel like I have a chance to be successful. I will publish a detailed report on this web site after my trip. Thanks again.