Lake Vermilion — Minnows Take the Lead on the Rocks

Vermilion has more islands than I have matching socks, and both numbers keep surprising me. So when a guide who fishes her every week posts a fresh note, we read it twice.

This one is Patriot Guide Service’s report titled 10/02/26, posted Oct. 4. It’s our first Vermilion card. It’s also, the guide says, probably his last written report of the season, with maybe one more video. He had his best guide season yet and just a couple more trips to go. That’s a nice way to close a book. We’ll keep the bookmark.

The big shift: minnow over worm

On the Sept. 23 report, crawlers, leeches, and minnows were all pulling their weight on the east end. By the Oct. 2 note, minnows have started out-fishing crawlers on both Lindy rigs and jigs. Not a total takeover, since the worm still has its moments and its spots. But the vote is leaning. Fall does this. One week the walleyes eat like they’re at a summer fish fry, the next they want the fancy minnow like it’s the only thing on the specials board.

East end: the sides and base of the rocks

• Best luck lately: the sides and base of rocks in 12 to 20 feet, down where the rock meets the floor. That’s a tighter band than the 12–25 on the Sept. 23 report.
• Move often. The goal is finding the one group that’s actually willing to bite, not waiting out a group that isn’t.
• Other patterns are working too, which he says is normal for this late-September-into-October stretch.
• He puts water in the low 60s. That’s the number in his note dated Oct. 2. Water moves fast this time of year, so treat it as a snapshot, not today’s reading.

West end: two lanes

Lane one, deep rocks. Top bite: jig and minnow on the deep rocks, 25 to 30 feet down. A few fish per spot, then move on. That’s normal there. Most of these are around 13 inches, with some bigger ones and slot fish in the mix. Know the slot before you put anything in the livewell.

Lane two, sand in front of the weeds. The nicer fish are on sand just off the weedlines in 12 to 20 feet. They can be picky. Jig and minnow, jig and crawler, and Lindy rigs with either have all gotten them to go. I’ve been called picky at a buffet too, so no judgment from me.

Outlook (the guide’s, labeled)

• Before long, he expects fish to bunch up in the deep holes and get easy to catch. That’s his expectation, not a date on the calendar.
• He calls it a good fall bite and expects it to keep getting better into October. Again, a forecast from someone who’s earned an opinion, not a guarantee from us.

One guide’s week, east and west, is a good starting map. It isn’t a GPS pin list, and the source names no specific spots, so we won’t either. Bring the minnows, keep a few crawlers for the holdouts, and be ready to pull anchor.

Thanks to the guides who write these all season so the rest of us can fish a little less blind. Confirm current MN DNR regs before harvest.

Sources

• 10/02/26 Lake Vermilion Fishing Report, Patriot Guide Service (posted Oct. 4, 2026)
• Context: 09/23/26 Lake Vermilion Fishing Report, Patriot Guide Service