State fishing report

Battle Lake area: Ottertail, Silver and Stalker lakes have produced the best walleye action. On Ottertail, anglers are focusing on the west side of the lake using crawlers with spinner baits at 17-20 feet during the daytime and shallower during the evenings. The best bass action has been on North Turtle and Elbow lakes using spinner or Senko baits. South Turtle has producing good northern action on Rapalas or spinner baits.

Gull Lake/Brainerd Area: On Gull Lake, anglers are using leeches or night crawlers to catch walleyes at 17-20 feet on north end of the lake or on Wilson or Steamboat Bay. Other lakes producing good walleye action are Pelican and North Long Lakes. Bass are taking spinner baits near weed lines on Gull, North Long and Pelican. Nice-sized northerns are being caught near deeper weed lines on most area lakes. Nisswa and Lake Margaret are producing good sunfish action at 8-12 feet.

Duluth area: Island, Boulder and Whiteface lakes have been the best spots for walleye action using leeches or crawlers at 12-20 feet. For good smallmouth bass action, anglers are using buzz or spinner baits on Island Lake and the Cloquet rivers.

Lake Minnetonka: For walleye action, most anglers are staying in the main bays such as Wayzata, Crystal or Lafayette using fathead minnows with jigs during the evenings about 21-25 feet. Bass action can be caught on weed edges lakewide using jigs or Senko baits about about 20-25 feet. Good sunfish action is about 6-8 feet on wax worms or small jigs.

Lake Vermilion: Walleye action is still decent on Shamrock or Greenwood bays on the Tower side and Norwegian Bay and Hibbing Point on the Cook side during the evenings at 7-12 feet using leeches or night crawlers. Good crappie action is at 7-10 feet on any weed bed, and bass are taking leeches with slip bobbers at 3-6 feet on any weed bed.

Rainy Lake: Anglers are catching some walleyes on Sand Bay or along the shorelines from Black Bay to Cranberry Bay at 16-20 feet. Good northern action can be found on Cranberry and Blake Bay. Another good walleye spot in the area is near the mouths of the Little and Big Fork Rivers using shiner minnows and spinner rigs.