Minnesota Fishing Reports - 2017 2024
punch reply :
The ice is melting, the temperatures are rising and the season is almost here! I think I'm going to grab my boat this week because we're going to be well into the 50's this weekend and next week. I'm going to get out and chase some crappies very soon!
Here's a question for the MN folks to start the thread off:
What new techniques & baits are you going to try to learn this year?
Personally, I'm going to give spybaits a whirl this year. The last few years I've learned that I really enjoy finesse fishing and I've added a few spybaits into my arsenal that I'm excited to try.
gimruis reply :
I was wondering who was going to start the 2017 MN thread. I think a lot of ice will fully melt this week in and around the metro if it already hasn't because its supposed to be in the 50's near 60 all week.
I'd like to try fishing deeper this season. I so often get lured towards shallow water cover like weeds, docks, lily pads, etc where I've caught fish before but I know I should try fishing deeper, offshore structure too.
FryDog62 reply :
I plan to fish more docks, but using a baitcaster this year to horse more big fish out. Still plan to skip lighter wacky worms but heavier skip jigs too.
Also bought a better Frog rod to spend more time on mats and pads. Have had 5 wrist surgeries now but hope the new rod and some recovery time will allow me to get into some heavier stuff.
Also bought a new boat that has Panoptix and I want to get better at finding some deeper structure where the fish hang out and doing some drop-shotting.
... so many lakes, so little time !!! I need to retire but can't quite yet --
punch reply :
On 3/28/2017 at 8:07 AM, gimruis said:I was wondering who was going to start the 2017 MN thread. I think a lot of ice will fully melt this week in and around the metro if it already hasn't because its supposed to be in the 50's near 60 all week.
I'd like to try fishing deeper this season. I so often get lured towards shallow water cover like weeds, docks, lily pads, etc where I've caught fish before but I know I should try fishing deeper, offshore structure too.
I've been fishing deeper the last few years, especially in the late summer/fall. Basically drop shots, deep cranks and swimbaits on heavier heads. I know how tempting it is to go bash the banks every time you go out, but everyone does that.. sometimes you gotta go where people aint.
Bassn4fun reply :
I'm new to this site but I'm going to be getting the boat wet this weekend chasing crappies, it'll be nice to finally be able to cast in the boat again. I'm going to experiment with a drop shot this year and skipping docks with wacky worms and jigs.
NathanDLTH reply :
Been trying the finesse more and more, picked up a spinning rod with some spoons along with a blade bait. Spybait sounds like fun, watched a few videos on them recently.
Just excited to get fishiny again! Was out yesterday at Grey Cloud and skunked. Twice now on the river. That's challenging Fishing the river.
Tlauz reply :
Going to try swimbaits ,Texas rigged worm and football jig. I haven't really used any of them much. Also I need to be more versatile on days when I am not catching them. My first action will probably be at Devils Lake, ND. If I guy hits it right, you can catch walleye, pike and white bass up shallow with a good chance at some really big fish. I love chucking spinnerbaits and catching big pike. Great way to get all the equipment ready for MN opener.
BassThumb reply :
I'm going to try Bubba Shotting this season.
punch reply :
On 4/2/2017 at 4:05 AM, Tlauz said:Going to try swimbaits ,Texas rigged worm and football jig. I haven't really used any of them much. Also I need to be more versatile on days when I am not catching them. My first action will probably be at Devils Lake, ND. If I guy hits it right, you can catch walleye, pike and white bass up shallow with a good chance at some really big fish. I love chucking spinnerbaits and catching big pike. Great way to get all the equipment ready for MN opener.
I've always wanted to fish Devils.. on the ole lake bucket list. Sounds fun!
Surprised you're on this forum and haven't used a texas rigged worm! That's like bass fishing 101 haha.
punch reply :
Anyone been down to Pool 2 yet?
FluffChucker reply :
On 4/5/2017 at 11:43 PM, punch said:Anyone been down to Pool 2 yet?
Or Pepin? Planning on getting down there in the next two weeks if I can. The boat's ready to go now though.
sully420 reply :
I'll be starting the season over in lake city south Dakota hopefully the weekend of April 23 will just the right time to get a good pre spawn bite
My goal get better with a jerk bait
rascalP reply :
Skipping docks with a baitcaster is my weakest link. I've been trying to force myself to practice out in open water to get the basic mechanics down, then start target practicing on things that don't make a big CLANG.
I need to get better and gain more confidence at drop-shotting. Don't like doing it, but need to be good at it when it is needed. My deep game is getting better and had good success last year throwing 5" swimbaits on 1/2oz jigs, slow swimming near the bottom. I will spend more time slow rolling a spinnerbait in similar situations. Right now, it's trout fishing. April IS trout fishing, and it's been pretty good.
BTW, Frydog that is a nice rig. Did you get the bench seats? Dual or single console? That MK ultrex is a real game-changer and someday I will have one. Please keep us posted on how you like the boat and trolling motor.
punch reply :
On 4/9/2017 at 11:57 AM, rascalP said:Skipping docks with a baitcaster is my weakest link. I've been trying to force myself to practice out in open water to get the basic mechanics down, then start target practicing on things that don't make a big CLANG.
I need to get better and gain more confidence at drop-shotting. Don't like doing it, but need to be good at it when it is needed. My deep game is getting better and had good success last year throwing 5" swimbaits on 1/2oz jigs, slow swimming near the bottom. I will spend more time slow rolling a spinnerbait in similar situations. Right now, it's trout fishing. April IS trout fishing, and it's been pretty good.
BTW, Frydog that is a nice rig. Did you get the bench seats? Dual or single console? That MK ultrex is a real game-changer and someday I will have one. Please keep us posted on how you like the boat and trolling motor.
I used to just tinker around with drop shotting. Just use it in the dog days of summer when the bite can get a little slow. Now I basically use it ALL year. I have a dedicated rig for it now and basically keep it available all season. It just flat out produces. Shallow, deep, clear, muddy.. seems to never NOT get bit. I've even done well catching crappies with it (with gulp minnows).
What don't you like about it exactly? Just curious.
rascalP reply :
I guess it's the slow pace of working it. It's not a search method. Which brings up another area I need to work on. I tend to move on too quick after catching a fish, thinking they're somewhat scattered. Even when I have a spot the size of a house dialed in, I figure i can cover a little more of that area with jig or t-rig, or repetitive casts with a crank or swimbait. I figure I need to have a spot narrowed down to the size of a car before I pull out the drop shot. Maybe I need to re-think my thinking. I tend to lean to the power side of fishing - flippin and pitchin, casting and cranking is what feels good, so I need to break out of that comfort zone and slow down. What's your 1,2 and 3 choice of plastic on a drop-shot?
punch reply :
On 4/10/2017 at 8:38 AM, rascalP said:I guess it's the slow pace of working it. It's not a search method. Which brings up another area I need to work on. I tend to move on too quick after catching a fish, thinking they're somewhat scattered. Even when I have a spot the size of a house dialed in, I figure i can cover a little more of that area with jig or t-rig, or repetitive casts with a crank or swimbait. I figure I need to have a spot narrowed down to the size of a car before I pull out the drop shot. Maybe I need to re-think my thinking. I tend to lean to the power side of fishing - flippin and pitchin, casting and cranking is what feels good, so I need to break out of that comfort zone and slow down. What's your 1,2 and 3 choice of plastic on a drop-shot?
I use the drop shot in a few different scenarios, the nice thing is it's very versatile. I use it fishing "deep" like 15 feet or more, to target structure or deep vegetation/rocks. I use it around docks.. it's a great dock presentation believe it or not. Just put it on the edge of a dock and wiggle wiggle wiggle.. bass will pull out and grab it. It's also a great followup bait when you do get bit on a search bait. I find that when i'm not getting bit on cranks/swim jigs/chatter/spinners I start tossing the dropshot around and usually get bit in places where fish SHOULD usually be. I'm no expert by any means, but i'm very confident in it these days.
As far as baits.. man there's a TON. There's a bazillion "finesse" worms. Roboworms and zoom finesse worms seem to be the most popular. You basically want a smaller worm that will suspend and move a LOT with very little twitching. Plasma tails are great also. I've found a lot of big bites with 4" senkos on a dropshot.
The funny thing is you can fish any 'minnow' profile plastic baits too.. like I do really well with Gulp minnows or little 3" swimbaits. A LOT of people don't seem to do this, almost everyone just tosses worms. Berkley makes some cool finesse twitch minnows that I like. Live leeches can be pretty deadly in the summer too.
I've actually caught a bunch of crappies dropshoting little plastic minnows. Walleye will bite too.
Jeff H reply :
I don't have anything new planned but I'll probably be trying to crank more often when/where I can. I'll be on some new water where that will factor in more so I've added 2 more cranking combo's to the lineup.
OperationEagle reply :
Rather than trying new baits, I will be working on establishing a pattern. Also improving my jig fishing skills.
geneoh reply :
I bought a new boat this winter (tracker pro team 175) and I purchased some graphs to go along with it, two Lowrance HDS7's. I'd like to end the year fully understanding these graphs and be able to find fish. I'd like be more adapt with soft plastics in general. Specifically dropshots but not just that rig. I plan on having outings where all I bring are plastics, force myself to fish them and get comfortable with it.
My season started April 1st. I went down to Okoboji Lake in Iowa. It was a great day as well, caught 25 total. LMB, Smallies and Northerns. Caught mostly everything on a jerkbait but got a lot of the LMB on a squarebill. I was surprised they were hitting a squarebill, water temps were around 43. Biggest LMB was just under 4# and the biggest smallie was a little over 3.5#.
On 4/5/2017 at 11:43 PM, punch said:Anyone been down to Pool 2 yet?
I went today and I was not prepared for the adventure. I've never been and all the info I found online wasn't very helpful. Didn't help I didn't expect to be doing a bunch of driving (stupid of me) and my tank was pretty low. By the time I got somewhere that I though would be good i as so low on gas I felt the need to head back. I was out on the water for almost 4 hours and I made maybe 75 casts. I spent most of the time driving around trying to find fishable backwaters.
I'd like to go back, if anyone has experience on pool 2 and wants to join let's make it happen. It was a bit overwhelming for me today.
punch reply :
On 4/12/2017 at 3:19 PM, geneoh said:I bought a new boat this winter (tracker pro team 175) and I purchased some graphs to go along with it, two Lowrance HDS7's. I'd like to end the year fully understanding these graphs and be able to find fish. I'd like be more adapt with soft plastics in general. Specifically dropshots but not just that rig. I plan on having outings where all I bring are plastics, force myself to fish them and get comfortable with it.
My season started April 1st. I went down to Okoboji Lake in Iowa. It was a great day as well, caught 25 total. LMB, Smallies and Northerns. Caught mostly everything on a jerkbait but got a lot of the LMB on a squarebill. I was surprised they were hitting a squarebill, water temps were around 43. Biggest LMB was just under 4# and the biggest smallie was a little over 3.5#.
I went today and I was not prepared for the adventure. I've never been and all the info I found online wasn't very helpful. Didn't help I didn't expect to be doing a bunch of driving (stupid of me) and my tank was pretty low. By the time I got somewhere that I though would be good i as so low on gas I felt the need to head back. I was out on the water for almost 4 hours and I made maybe 75 casts. I spent most of the time driving around trying to find fishable backwaters.
I'd like to go back, if anyone has experience on pool 2 and wants to join let's make it happen. It was a bit overwhelming for me today.
Congrats on the new boat! I use a HDS7 so if you got any questions let me know. Cool finder.. I really like using the community maps on the Insight Genesis platform. There's some great maps for lakes around the metro.
What transducer are you running? I upgraded my boat to a Total Scan this year and so far I dig it (just been out twice).
On 4/12/2017 at 9:24 AM, Jeff H said:I don't have anything new planned but I'll probably be trying to crank more often when/where I can. I'll be on some new water where that will factor in more so I've added 2 more cranking combo's to the lineup.
What are the new combos? My Dobyn's cranking setup got stolen last year and I've replaced it this year with a duckett 7'4 white ice cranking rod and a 6.3 duckett 360R reel. Haven't used it yet but i'm excited to. Going to run 12lb floro.
geneoh reply :
On 4/12/2017 at 10:40 PM, punch said:
Congrats on the new boat! I use a HDS7 so if you got any questions let me know. Cool finder.. I really like using the community maps on the Insight Genesis platform. There's some great maps for lakes around the metro.
What transducer are you running? I upgraded my boat to a Total Scan this year and so far I dig it (just been out twice).
Nice! I have the totalscan as well. However, I'm having some issues. I get a rooster tail at plane and I must be getting interference because the picture quality isn't as good as it should be. I'm thinking I'll have to move the transducer. I works and has helped me catch fish my first time out with it but it can be better. Where is yours installed? What kind of boat do you have?
gimruis reply :
Congrats on the new rig and good luck to ya. I am also using an HDS7, although I do not have totalscan. I sure do like the high def maps on the GPS though.
Make sure you post a picture of your new ride on the "show off your ride" thread!
punch reply :
I should show off my "old but paid off" ride... haha. My boat isn't anything fancy but I love it. Instead of getting a fancy bass boat we bought a new camper/travel trailer this year.
gimruis reply :
Haha. If only there was a "show off your new camper" thread for that one. You can still post a photo or two of your boat even if its old. I see people do that all on the time on that thread. People are always posting jon boats, kayaks, canoes, etc. Clean up your old boat for a photo one day and post it!
FryDog62 reply :
On 4/8/2017 at 8:51 AM, sully420 said:I'll be starting the season over in lake city south Dakota hopefully the weekend of April 23 will just the right time to get a good pre spawn bite
My goal get better with a jerk bait
On 4/9/2017 at 11:57 AM, rascalP said:Skipping docks with a baitcaster is my weakest link. I've been trying to force myself to practice out in open water to get the basic mechanics down, then start target practicing on things that don't make a big CLANG.
I need to get better and gain more confidence at drop-shotting. Don't like doing it, but need to be good at it when it is needed. My deep game is getting better and had good success last year throwing 5" swimbaits on 1/2oz jigs, slow swimming near the bottom. I will spend more time slow rolling a spinnerbait in similar situations. Right now, it's trout fishing. April IS trout fishing, and it's been pretty good.
BTW, Frydog that is a nice rig. Did you get the bench seats? Dual or single console? That MK ultrex is a real game-changer and someday I will have one. Please keep us posted on how you like the boat and trolling motor.
As luck would have it Sully, I'll be fishing that area tomorrow so if you send a PM I'll see what I can tell you in terms of water temps, catches, etc. And rascal it will be my maiden voyage in the Pro-V Bass. I have the bench seats. And a whole bunch of new electronics to get used to. But I'm looking forward to the challenge and thankful the SoDak season is open. After recovering from my 5th wrist surgery all winter and counting the days to try out the new rig, I feel very fortunate to be back on the water --
punch reply :
Anyone hit up Thorn Brothers spring sale this weekend? I hit it up this morning to see what was left. They always mark down stuff to 50% off the final day. I'm glad I did.. altho my bank account isn't. They had a Steez XT spinning rod and a bunch of Zillion rods left. I couldn't help myself. I love me some daiwa.
gimruis reply :
I pulled my boat out of storage late last week after a morning of turkey hunting. After re-charging up all the batteries over night, I went out crappie fishing and to make sure everything was operating as it should on Saturday afternoon. What a lovely spring April day! Lots of people doing the same thing I was. I found some shallow, muddy water on the north end of the lake and caught a couple of decent crappies on a small white grub, so we anchored there for 3 hours and bobber fished with a minnow. My Father and I went home with 12 crappies between 11-12 inches and one 13 inch outlier. We also caught about a dozen small bass. He piled into a 17 inch LMB and thought he had the next state record crappie on. Unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating for the next week but I'll be back out there before opener pan fishing again. Water temp 55 degrees
NathanDLTH reply :
punch I'm glad that my travels only took me as far as Joes this weekend. The new Tatula Elite AGS rod and Tatula SV will round out my combos nicely. Hopefully get out this week or next for sure. Tried Pool 2 earlier in the season and got nothing, however I am hearing in the afternoon from 2-6 swimbaits work great.
sully420 reply :
On 4/21/2017 at 9:34 AM, FryDog62 said:
As luck would have it Sully, I'll be fishing that area tomorrow so if you send a PM I'll see what I can tell you in terms of water temps, catches, etc. And rascal it will be my maiden voyage in the Pro-V Bass. I have the bench seats. And a whole bunch of new electronics to get used to. But I'm looking forward to the challenge and thankful the SoDak season is open. After recovering from my 5th wrist surgery all winter and counting the days to try out the new rig, I feel very fortunate to be back on the water --
How did you do in SD? I fished roy and cottonwood one 6lb largemouth on roy and a 4.5lb on cottonwood and a bunch of pike is what i got
FryDog62 reply :
On 4/26/2017 at 1:16 AM, sully420 said:How did you do in SD? I fished roy and cottonwood one 6lb largemouth on roy and a 4.5lb on cottonwood and a bunch of pike is what i got
See my other post on "South Dakota Surprise." Went for one species, caught mostly others, but a good time ~
Tlauz reply :
Got out for the first time. Wanted to make sure the boat ran OK and everything worked. Went to a small little lake in ND thinking there wouldn't be any boats there. Apparently, I wasn't the only one itching to get out as there were 6 other boats out on the water.. Three fish in three hours. I got tired of fighting the wind and was clueless about where to find more fish. Water temp was 46 -47. The only fish I caught were all on first drop off in about 6-10 feet.
gimruis reply :
I might try the Lake Minnetonka (MN Bound) crappie contest on Saturday. It looks like a nice day (mid 60's, sunny) for it. Anyone fish it recently? They had over 2,000 entries last year, which was also held on a nice weather day.
gimruis reply :
I was on Tonka yesterday for the crappie contest. We caught a ton of crappies & bluegills but they were mostly dinks. Biggest one our boat got was 11 inches. The highlight of my day was about 10 minutes in when I piled into a 20.5 inch pre-spawn LMB on a bobber and minnow. I'll probably fish all summer and not catch one that big during the legal season now.
punch reply :
Looks like a good time.. and the weather was great! I didn't get out this weekend but we did take the RV out camping.
OperationEagle reply :
Bass opener comin' up... looking within the cities...how about others? Our Minnesota landscape is such a gift to us fishermen. So many choices. We are blessed!
Wherever you go, stay safe!
This year I'm going to try to wear my pfd when my bass boat is in motion.
NathanDLTH reply :
Got out on Sunday and caught my first fish, walleye. White swimbait. Grey Cloud Island. I'll be in Duluth for opener, yet plan to get out more this summer than last. Tackle stores are a problem lol!
punch reply :
Saturday I wont be able to get out. 
I committed to taking the kids to a family event then my wife and I have a date night booked in the evening. Sunday I plan on fishing ALL DAY though. Somewhere in the North Metro... I haven't decided yet.
geneoh reply :
Doesn't look like I can get out this weekend. I'll get out Monday for sure. Can't decide if I should hit up a regular lake or try a new one...
Bassn4fun reply :
I'll be out with my wife and kids fishing for bass and northerns, then I might take Monday off so I can bass fish. What do you guys think will there be any on beds yet?
CentralMnBass reply :
Was out in central Minnesota north of Detroit lakes last weekend. 30 fish total in 4 hours. 29 of them were 2-3.75 pound fish. We bagged 1 at 5.5lbs. Females were far from being ready to lay, and none of them had feed bags on either. Was very odd. Any thoughts? This lake I was on has a max depth of 16'. I figured the bass would have been laying on beds already with its shallow warm bottom. 
Bassn4fun reply :
I'm guessing that you were Crappie fishing since bass doesn't open until this weekend. It seems that once the water hits 62 that's when I start to see them on beds around here. I was out fishing for sunfish before the cold front moved through and the water was 52-54 in the bays but after the front it dropped to 47-48 but I haven't been out since it warmed back up so not sure what the water temp is now. It's going to feel really nice to cast a lure bigger then 1/16oz again.
Jeff H reply :
I don't fish on the opener or holiday weekends. Too much chaos for me. IF I go this weekend I might go to Wisconsin.
sully420 reply :
Going to lake of the isles should be a blast
punch reply :
I might just hit George or something for the Sunday evening bite.
I finished doing line on my rods the other day and did a quick video about my baitcast rods I'll be using this year... just for fun.
geneoh reply :
I went out tonight to make sure everything on the boat was working correctly. Water temp was already 64 degrees! I went out to Lake Johanna in Arden Hills.
NathanDLTH reply :
Goodness, I've had good results at Johanna.
geneoh reply :
On 5/11/2017 at 9:29 PM, NathanDLTH said:Goodness, I've had good results at Johanna.
I consider it my "local" lake because it takes me 10 minutes to get there. It's a good little lake if you just have a few hours. Vegetation is already growing in thick on the flats.
punch reply :
On 5/11/2017 at 11:17 PM, geneoh said:
I consider it my "local" lake because it takes me 10 minutes to get there. It's a good little lake if you just have a few hours. Vegetation is already growing in thick on the flats.
I've never fished it.. Want some company on that new rig of yours?
geneoh reply :
On 5/12/2017 at 3:59 AM, punch said:
I've never fished it.. Want some company on that new rig of yours?
Always. I'll DM ya.
gimruis reply :
The forecast tomorrow says 75 and sunny with a light north wind. Every lake will be packed. I'm not sure if I'm going to brave the chaos.
BassThumb reply :
Mille Lacs is going to be a zoo, but I'm going to try and stay away from the crowds. There's plenty of room to play out there. Last year at this time, there were smallies as big as footballs roaming the shallows in 2 FOW.
rascalP reply :
Lotta places to fish - even on opener. Where you headed? North, south, east or west? I work weekends and get tues. wed. off. I love it in every way, but the weather has not been good to us mid-weekers. Still not sure how next week will play out. We had plans to do a 2 dayer up at ML, but now it might turn into a day trip depending on weather. I have a few new jerk-baits that NEED to be tried. At the very worst, Chisago area lakes are going good right now - seeing bass all over when fishing pannies. No matter what, bass will be caught.
Bassthumb, give a report. I'll be curious to know how many wally guys will fish C&R. Also, spend what you can up there. Good for us bass guys to put our money where our mouths are.
FryDog62 reply :
Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die? I heard that last year and couldn't believe it...
punch reply :
On 5/13/2017 at 2:22 PM, FryDog62 said:Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die? I heard that last year and couldn't believe it...
I highly doubt that but ya never know.. some people are idiots.
I'm going out Sunday evening somewhere in the North Metro, probably George. Happy opener everyone!
geneoh reply :
How'd everyone do?
I ended up being able to get out today in the morning for a few hours with my dad. We fished Sarah Lake, caught probably 10 bass, the two biggest being just shy of 3lbs each. Nothing crazy, but it was nice to set the hook a few times. It was only my second time on Sarah and my cranking battery died so we were limited in where we could fish.
By the time we left at 11am the parking lot was full with about 15 trailers. Super small boat launch so that was pretty crazy!
dsidle61 reply :
Nice to see the thread started already! I didnt get out today, just wanted to avoid the first timers at the crowded ramps. Ill be out tomorrow evening, havent decided a location yet but going to go west metro somewhere. I'm definitely focusing on finesse fishing this year, chucking spinnerbaits the past two years has me itching to switch it up. Also picked up a lowrance hook 7 this offseason so hoping to focus on deeper structure now that im not fishing blind. Ill report back and share what I found!
Tlauz reply :
Got the camper opened up and ready for summer. After working yesterday, got out for about 3 1/2 hours today. Only saw 2 other boats which was nice. Water temps were 57-60 degrees. Tried throwing spinnerbait shallow, crankbait in 4-10 ft, swimbait , and got no takers. Went really shallow 1 to 3 feet and caught 5 on swim jig with craw trailer. Three biggest were all around 17 inches. Wind was blowing 15 mph with gusts higher. I only fished the least windy side of lake. I was still flying through area pretty fast. Today is one of the days I wish I had a Talon!
FryDog62 reply :
Found some river smallies today ... was hard to tell if they are staging or actually spawning. 62 water degree temps. Most were between 16-19 inches on wacky worms... one 20 incher.
punch reply :
Nice Job Frydog! Shot you a PM btw.
I went out on Big Marine yesterday with my kids on my parents pontoon and we hammered some really nice sized panfish. Kept a bunch for future camping fish fry's. I really like that lake.. the boat ramp is fantastic and it's not super busy. Then I went out myself on Crooked in the evening for a couple hours but that was a mistake. The lake was pounded with pressure/boat traffic all weekend and the fish were NOT having it. They wouldn't touch anything moving and the only 3 fish I caught were fishing a weighted wacky worm in like 3 feet of water really really slowly. It was nice to get out though and toss a baitcaster around.
On 5/14/2017 at 11:35 AM, geneoh said:How'd everyone do?
I ended up being able to get out today in the morning for a few hours with my dad. We fished Sarah Lake, caught probably 10 bass, the two biggest being just shy of 3lbs each. Nothing crazy, but it was nice to set the hook a few times. It was only my second time on Sarah and my cranking battery died so we were limited in where we could fish.
By the time we left at 11am the parking lot was full with about 15 trailers. Super small boat launch so that was pretty crazy!
Yeah the ramp at Sarah is VERY sketchy. Pretty cool lake though.
nguggs reply :
Got out on Tonka Sunday morning. Wasn't much busier than a normal Sunday for me. The launches are built for crowds. Stayed in Grays Bay as it was pretty calm, and water was warm. Water temps into the 60's in the shallow flats.
Only caught two in 3 hours. Was pretty slow. Both on a natural colored squarebill. But, it was really nice to get out fishing again. The DNR at the launch said that a few others were finding Tonka slow so far, as well.
BassThumb reply :
On 5/13/2017 at 2:22 PM, FryDog62 said:Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die? I heard that last year and couldn't believe it...
I think that's mostly a myth. I've never seen a floater.
FryDog62 reply :
On 5/16/2017 at 1:36 AM, BassThumb said:I think that's mostly a myth. I've never seen a floater.
I sure hope so... I was out with a guide 2 years ago and he said he'd heard of it too but never seen it. He said more often it was guys taking their legal limit of smallmouth and depositing in the trash on the way home...
Could be urban myth, and now with what Bassmaster brings in revenue maybe sentiments are changing --
BassThumb reply :
On 5/13/2017 at 1:12 PM, rascalP said:Bassthumb, give a report. I'll be curious to know how many wally guys will fish C&R. Also, spend what you can up there. Good for us bass guys to put our money where our mouths are.
The fishing was pretty slow, numbers-wise, but the size was nice. Caught 11 fish total. Top 5 weighed about 21 lbs., all on a deep diving LC Staycee jerkbait. Crawdad imitations didn't get bit once.
Fish on the south end of the lake were starting to arrive on the beds. Some were very active. On the east side, they were deeper and inactive, staging suspended off the breaks I believe. Couldn't get them to bite.
Here is my dad with our biggest, a stubby 5-pounder.
On 5/16/2017 at 1:44 AM, FryDog62 said:
I sure hope so... I was out with a guide 2 years ago and he said he'd heard of it too but never seen it. He said more often it was guys taking their legal limit of smallmouth and depositing in the trash on the way home...
Could be urban myth, and now with what Bassmaster brings in revenue maybe sentiments are changing --
Doing that to 10-15 bass on a lake that 20 x 30 miles wide is really ignorant, even more so than the guy who tosses a carp in the bushes of a local park for everyone to smell for the next two months.
dsidle61 reply :
Managed to get out last night for just about 2 hours. Went to fish lake in maple grove, usually my mid summer lake for frogs but I went bc its close to home. Only managed one on a weighted wack rigged senko. Decent size though, maybe 2-3 lbs. Will probably be off to Maxwell Bay next time im available.
OperationEagle reply :
Was out on Saturday on a south metro lake and it was epic. Fish were shallow. Threw senkos all day.
Between the the two of us, we caught 25. Of these 5 were greater than 19 inches. 2 were 20 inches.
Most fish were had from 6 am to noon. Probably my best opener yet. It was great to be out on the water for another season.
We are blessed, my friends, to live in a state with such a great fishery. Hope to never take it for granted.
baileyjs reply :
Hi all, haven't been around much recently but hoping to get out more this year. I took my 8 year old son out for a few hours Saturday evening and we did alright. I was surprised how on the lake we typically fish the docks the weedline was already out 10ft from the end of the docks and full of snot grass! It's a smaller lake that holds large numbers of smaller bass so he's pretty much sure to catch a bunch but not sure how often I'll be going back this year.
geneoh reply :
Went out to Medicine Lake yesterday and was going to brave the storm. Only lasted about an hour and then was hit with blue birds and heavier winds. Made it a little difficult to fish but still caught some. Caught all my bass but one on a weightless senko. I was just flipping reeds in 2-3 ft of water. Nothing huge. Missed a lot of fish. Water temps are already high 60's.
rascalP reply :
Bassthumb,
Nice fish. Looks like you had great weather. My plan was to get up there tues.-wed, but weather changed that. Instead we checked out a lake that's on our schedule this year that we haven't fished. We scouted a little for later and fished shallow for today. The bigger fish came from 4-8 fow, inside weedline mainly. Best baits were swimbait and my favorite early season jerkbait - a pink x-rap. It really does work well. And then a pike decided to keep it for himself. Pretty sure Rapala will sell me another one. Good opener overall.
Bassn4fun reply :
Made it out Saturday with my wife and kids, ended up with 5 bass and a couple of slimmers. We had 1 bass at 18.5", 17", 15", 15" and a 13" all came on a white spinnerbait fished through lily pad fields (they were about 5-6" off the bottom). I couldn't get any on a worm, tube, grub (I didn't try a wacky rig sinko though) or a swim jig. There were a lot of bass up shallow swimming around I didn't see any beds on this lake but it has to be really close the water temp was around 62-65. I took Monday off to go fishing and ended the day with 14 bass and 3 northerns, all of the bass were between 13" and 17.5" and caught again on a white spinnerbait with a paddle tail trailer. I was fishing the same kind of structure, the thing that has me confused is that I had a couple really nice bass and a big northern shake off my spinnerbait, I didn't change rods or how I was setting the hook and the ones that I did catch were swallowing the spinnerbait ( I was using a trailer hook also). The rod I was using is a 7' MH Fast baitcaster with a 7.1:1 gear ratio reel with 12' Fluoro.
gimruis reply :
On 5/17/2017 at 11:54 AM, rascalP said:And then a pike decided to keep it for himself. Pretty sure Rapala will sell me another one.
Haha good one
OperationEagle reply :
Anyone head out this past weekend? Interested to hear how it was.
shimmy reply :
Heading out there this weekend! So very excited. Haven't wet a line since my October trip there. From what I hear the water temps are 58ish in Ottertail County. While it seems the fish have not fully committed to the shallows, there will be some. I hope people are throwing jigs up there! I am reading about all these crankbaits and various baits mumbo jumbo...put those down! It's big bass time. Tie on that jig, sacrifice numbers, and catch that giant this spring. Hope to see some more pictures from everyone.
OperationEagle reply :
Oh dang...shimmy is in the house. Epic pics always seem to follow.
BassThumb reply :
Mille Lacs locals may want to focus on the red-hot walleye bite for the time being and let the bass take a backseat. Best trip of my life today for any species in the wind, mist, and rolling clouds.
I was fishing for bass with small swimbaits, specifically 1/4oz VMC Mooneye Jigs and Keitech Easy Shiners in Pearl Ayu color, and ended up with no less than 50 walleyes over 16" along with 8 bass in the 1.5-2lb range. At least 6 walleyes over 24". They all came from the edges of rocky seams in 6-9' of water. I cast the swimmers out, let them fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled them back, bumping along the bottom.
Good luck guys. I know this is Bass Resource, but good fishing is good fishing.
punch reply :
On 5/23/2017 at 1:59 PM, BassThumb said:Mille Lacs locals may want to focus on the red-hot walleye bite for the time being and let the bass take a backseat. Best trip of my life today for any species in the wind, mist, and rolling clouds.
I was fishing for bass with small swimbaits, specifically 1/4oz VMC Mooneye Jigs and Keitech Easy Shiners in Pearl Ayu color, and ended up with no less than 50 walleyes over 16" along with 8 bass in the 1.5-2lb range. At least 6 walleyes over 24". They all came from the edges of rocky seams in 6-9' of water. I cast the swimmers out, let them fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled them back, bumping along the bottom.
Good luck guys. I know this is Bass Resource, but good fishing is good fishing.
I got a campsite booked Friday-Sunday on Mille Lacs down at Father Hennepin. Taking the wife and kids and the boat (and the RV). Plan on chasing walleye and smallies all weekend down in the southeast corner. Can't wait.
gimruis reply :
Bass Thumb is right. My folks really got into the walleyes up there last weekend. They caught over 40 of them for 3 days straight, mostly lindy rigging with live bait. The biggest they got was 28.5 inches. They said it was 5 foot waves rolling all three days in addition to the rain all day on Saturday.
Tlauz reply :
Got out Monday, Tuesday, Wed,and a little today north of Bemidji. Monday was the best day. Caught 16 bass in 3 1/2 hours. Biggest 3 were 20, 18, 17 1/2. No pike. Tuesday fished with a couple buddies for about 4 hours and caught a mixed bag of pike and bass 18 total. Both Monday and Tuesday were cold, drizzly days. Air temp was upper 40's and water temp low 50's. Wednesday and today the air temp was low 60's, water temp 53-54, WINDY, with blue skies and I threw everything I could think of with little to no success. Water temps were 7 degrees lower than last time I fished opening weekend.
DevinFishing29 reply :
On 5/26/2017 at 6:39 AM, Tlauz said:Got out Monday, Tuesday, Wed,and a little today north of Bemidji. Monday was the best day. Caught 16 bass in 3 1/2 hours. Biggest 3 were 20, 18, 17 1/2. No pike. Tuesday fished with a couple buddies for about 4 hours and caught a mixed bag of pike and bass 18 total. Both Monday and Tuesday were cold, drizzly days. Air temp was upper 40's and water temp low 50's. Wednesday and today the air temp was low 60's, water temp 53-54, WINDY, with blue skies and I threw everything I could think of with little to no success. Water temps were 7 degrees lower than last time I fished opening weekend.
What did you catch those on?
Jeff H reply :
Was out today on Chisago for 6 hrs. We (my son and I) caught some fish but worked pretty hard for them, maybe 15 between us and biggest was 17"(x3), most were 13"-14". Surface temps were 58-59 deg. I figured it'd be a tough bite but I was still expecting warmer water. Docks and shoreline with jigs and plastic cigars is what worked. I could find nothing on flats at mid depths with spinnerbaits or jerkbaits. Lake is WAY up.
Tlauz reply :
On 5/26/2017 at 8:30 AM, DevinFishing29 said:What did you catch those on?
Storm GT 360 swimbait. Really shallow. Less than 3 feet in emergent reeds. They really got it good. All of the bites had it swallowed. Also caught some on wacky worm a little deeper, and a few on a swim jig. Sorm GT was by far the best bait. Monday and Tuesday they were there, Wednesday and Thursday gone. Tried 4-5 feet in emergent weeds and caught a lot of pike.
geneoh reply :
Got out tonight for a few hours. Caught some on a spinnerbait and a few misc baits. Once the sun set I threw a popper in and around patchy grass and caught 6 bass and a northern just shy of 10lbs in about an hour. First topwater bite of the year so I was pretty stoked. Biggest bass was maybe 2.25 so nothing huge but oh so fun. WT was around 62.
OperationEagle reply :
Got out tonight. 15 between two of us. A few 19's. But more 16, 17, 18s.
Mostly caught on senkos. Light colored ones got all the fish. Zero on my black and blue. Just the opposite from opener.
Still up shallow hugging the reed edges. Water temp 59.
rascalP reply :
On 5/23/2017 at 1:59 PM, BassThumb said:
I was fishing for bass with small swimbaits, specifically 1/4oz VMC Mooneye Jigs and Keitech Easy Shiners in Pearl Ayu color, and ended up with no less than 50 walleyes over 16" along with 8 bass in the 1.5-2lb range. At least 6 walleyes over 24". They all came from the edges of rocky seams in 6-9' of water. I cast the swimmers out, let them fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled them back, bumping along the bottom.
Good luck guys. I know this is Bass Resource, but good fishing is good fishing.
Wow, that's a hot walleye bite! And yes, "good fishing IS good fishing".
We were up there on wed. - east side, and got maybe 15 smallies, but no walleyes. And I was throwing a swimbait, but higher up in the water column. Most of the smallies came on a small pink x-rap with the biggest being 19", so no giants. Not a bad day, but not a great day. In hindsight, I woulda done some different things like spend a little more time fishing deeper like 8-12ft and maybe slower on better fish spots. Water temp was 52.
A lot of guys were out. Talked to one boat that was doing good on walleyes with tubes, so it seems get the bait on the bottom and you'll catch walleyes.
Next week, we head up to Basswood lake up by Ely. Boundary Waters with 25hp motors. Fantastic smallmouth AND largemouth fishing.
punch reply :
I went out this morning on Big Lake for a few hours and we did really well shallow (like less than 8') with a dropshot and minnow-style plastics. I was using a finesse worm and didn't get bit, but we changed to a power team hammer shad and started catching a lot of bass. I got no action on topwater or square bills. I did get a few nice bites and one good fish on a crappie colored swim jig in about 9-10' on the outside of a growing weed line. Was a fun morning!
NathanDLTH reply :
Out for a few hours the last couple days and all I'm getting is pike or walleye. Have yet to catch my first bass of the season.
BKhaos reply :
On 5/26/2017 at 10:38 PM, rascalP said:
Next week, we head up to Basswood lake up by Ely. Boundary Waters with 25hp motors. Fantastic smallmouth AND largemouth fishing.
Wow, did the Basswood trip when I was a little kid, maybe 20 years ago. Caught some of the meanest fighting smallies of my life that week. It was a dream! I'd love to take my family and my old man up there some day. Good times!
Tlauz reply :
Fished Saturday Morning 8-1 and Sunday morning for 2.5 hours. Saturday was tough. Caught 10 bass and a few pike. Tried weeds in 4-6 feet and caught almost nothing. Finally found some bass in less than a foot of water on trees along sandy shoreline. All smaller fish. Ran out of trees and fish. On Sunday, I went back to what worked opening weekend. Swam a jig with craw trailer in less than 3 feet and bass were still there (not sure why I didn't try this Saturday?). Caught 9. No giants, all between 14-17 inches. Water temps were still middle 50's in mornings. I did much better when I slowed down.
Bassn4fun reply :
Made it out yesterday for a couple hours, ended up catching 6 bass and 3 northerns. I started off trying a green pumpkin vibrating jig, a swim jig with both a craw trailer and a paddle tail swimbait but nothing, so I switched over to a white/chartreuse spinnerbait with nickel blades and a paddle tail trailer and started catching them, all of the fish were caught on the spinnerbait in sparse lily pads in 2-3 feet of water. I did catch one bass that showed signs of being on a bed or making a bed, but the others didn't have a mark on them. The water temp was right around 60-63 degs.
punch reply :
Spent the weekend in Isle Bay on Mille Lacs camping & fishing. The weather was not great (wind/rain) and my boat isn't very big so I was kinda relegated to fishing little nooks where the wind wasn't so terrible. I really wanted to find smallies but they proved to be illusive for me with the conditions and lack of mobility. I did manage to catch a nice 4lber fishing from the bank though!
The walleye bite is just insane on that lake. I boated a ton of eaters and some big tanks on drop shots, ned rigs and swimbaits. They were eating everything and in all sorts of depths.
Mille Lacs is such a fun lake. You never know what's going to happen every time you cast! Can't wait to go back.
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NathanDLTH reply :
Nice Punch!! Looks like a good outing.
gimruis reply :
I went out on Memorial Day for a few hours in the morning with a friend, small north metro lake. We caught 16 bass, 5 pike, and a walleye. All but 3 fish were small male bass 10-15 inches long, with the other three being about 17 inches. I could not get a fish to hit a moving lure. I had to slow way down and almost hop a small plastic stick bait on the bottom like I was jigging for walleyes. We saw several large bass guarding beds but they would not bite, plus I don't have a lot of experience targeting bedded bass. Water temp was still only 62 degrees.
geneoh reply :
On 4/12/2017 at 3:19 PM, geneoh said:I bought a new boat this winter (tracker pro team 175) and I purchased some graphs to go along with it, two Lowrance HDS7's. I'd like to end the year fully understanding these graphs and be able to find fish. I'd like be more adapt with soft plastics in general. Specifically dropshots but not just that rig. I plan on having outings where all I bring are plastics, force myself to fish them and get comfortable with it.
Back to what Punch asked at the beginning of this thread, I've spend a lot of this year already on dropshot/weightless setups. I've been able to catch fish every time I go out which wasn't the case last year. They may be dinks but at least I'm not getting skunked.
What are your favorite baits for dropshots to get bigger bites?
Also, anyone working on the techniques you want to get better at?
punch reply :
My current favorite dropshot baits are: PowerTeam's Hammer Shad & Tickler, roboworm, 4" senko, berkley powerbait minnow, berkley gulp minnow (great on crappies)
Indianas Finest reply :
I am headed up to Hackensack area fishing this weekend (3rd-8th). I am from Indiana and this will be my first time in Minnesota fishing. The other 4 guys I am going up with want to walleye fish but I would like to bass fish. Gonna be staying on Birch lake but don't mind trying different places. Any suggestions where I can fish for both bass and walleye???
OperationEagle reply :
Welcome to Minnesota! Please do not tell others how nice it is up here. Just tell them lakes are still frozen over.
You wont be too far from leech lake. It is a good multi species lake. Problem might be where your buds might want to be to catch walleye there likely will be limited bass.
Call a a local resort up there in the area for some ideas then narrow down. So many bodies of water to choose from.
I am a hoosier transplant with no intention of returning...fishing is too good up here. ?
Tlauz reply :
Went out 1:30 -6:30 on Wednesday and 8:30 -1:30 Thursday. Wednesday caught 23 all bass. Thursday 10 all bass. First time this year I got into some smallmouth. The lake I fish has an OK number of small mouth, but I struggle to catch them throughout the year. They were all shallow in less than 3 feet of water near beds, but not necessarily on them. Wednesday was fairly windy and I thought with no wind today I would smash em. Nope. Saw lots of fish cruising, but couldn't get them to go. The cruisers seemed to be smaller. Caught almost all fish on Wednesday on Storm 360 1/8 oz. swimbait. Thursday caught a few on jig, weighted worm and Storm swimbait. Water temps were 58-63 depending on day and time. If I would have caught 1/2 the fish I saw the day would have been epic.
geneoh reply :
That 360 is working wonders for you, Tlauz!
FryDog62 reply :
Took my last antibiotic this morning after fighting an upper respiratory and Staph infection for the last 3 weeks. Lost 10 pounds and hadn't been outside in what seems like forever. Great to be back on the water. Not a lot of fish today, but a couple very good ones including this 21 -1/4 bronzeback.
Good to see Punch out on the water too !!
OperationEagle reply :
Frydog glad you are back up and at em. Not too much time lost from fishing.
Thats a nice smallie...what did it hit?
FryDog62 reply :
Good question... this one was kind of fun. I did one of those long casts to shore, well a little too long -- I threw a wacky worm and it wrapped around a small tree branch about 3 feet above the water. Shoot, hate it when I do that... but it happens fairly often with an amateur like me. I thought about snapping it back and re-casting but thought well, I just dangle the worm into the water and see if anything happens...whoosh! Big boil but no fish, so I let it down just into the water again and this time she did not miss...
That was great, but now what? I'm sitting there with a big fish on one end, braided line and an 8 pound leader. I either try to hoist the fish up over the branch or yank and try to snap it. I did the latter and lucked out, probably a 50-50 chance. Was great to get it to the boat and in the net to a big sigh of relief!
gimruis reply :
I went to Mille Lacs yesterday for about 5 hours with my Father. Caught 5 smallmouth and 1 walleye (on accident). Not great numbers for being out there 5 hours but all 5 bass were 17+ inches including the biggest I caught at 19.5 inches which was a fat pre-spawn female. The fish aren't in really shallow yet although that may happen pretty soon because it looks pretty warm for a week. Major bug hatch going up there right now too. I couldn't get any fish to hit a jerk bait even though I tried and tried. Wacky rigs and small tubes were better options. Water temp 59.5 degrees
FryDog62 reply :
On 6/4/2017 at 5:37 AM, gimruis said:I went to Mille Lacs yesterday for about 5 hours with my Father. Caught 5 smallmouth and 1 walleye (on accident). Not great numbers for being out there 5 hours but all 5 bass were 17+ inches including the biggest I caught at 19.5 inches which was a fat pre-spawn female. The fish aren't in really shallow yet although that may happen pretty soon because it looks pretty warm for a week. Major bug hatch going up there right now too. I couldn't get any fish to hit a jerk bait even though I tried and tried. Wacky rigs and small tubes were better options. Water temp 59.5 degrees
Wow, still a little surprised they are still pre-spawn on Mille Lacs. I guess at 59 degrees they very well could be. I think those cold heavy rains awhile back delayed things a bit...
OperationEagle reply :
West metro yesterday. 20 between the two of us. Largest at 19 and around 5 between 16-18. 80% came before 930am.
All hit senkos and swimbaits.
A question I have is 11-1pm it was dead. Do bass just lose interest and not hit anything? And or where do they go?
Couldnt find anything during that time. It took clouds and a cooldown for the bite to pick up.
Just would like some ideas of things to try after the morning bite.
punch reply :
On 6/5/2017 at 2:10 AM, OperationEagle said:West metro yesterday. 20 between the two of us. Largest at 19 and around 5 between 16-18. 80% came before 930am.
All hit senkos and swimbaits.
A question I have is 11-1pm it was dead. Do bass just lose interest and not hit anything? And or where do they go?
Couldnt find anything during that time. It took clouds and a cooldown for the bite to pick up.
Just would like some ideas of things to try after the morning bite.
Was that about the time the sun was out with bluebird skys? When that afternoon 'warmup' happens when the sun is high fish seem to tuck back into cover. That's the time I start fishing docks, thicker weeds and start working pads with frogs or flipping baits. Fish tend to seek cover and hold tighter to it. Also boat traffic has to do with the bite turning off in some cases. I'm no expert BUT if you're fishing the same techniques that get bit in the morning, then the fish 'turn off' it's usually time to start breaking down specific cover that looks 'bassy'. I tend to start grabbing the texas rig and drop shot and fish slower vs covering water.
Man the water got warm FAST in the metro area. I went out yesterday morning and the water already cracked 70!
geneoh reply :
Anyone ever fished on Fish Lake in Maple Grove? I'm going to be in the area so I thought I'd try it out tomorrow afternoon. Any advice? I like trying new lakes but I might just go to Medicine Lake because I've fished it a few times.
Bassn4fun reply :
I had an interesting day on the water with my son on Saturday. Our plan was to fish for bass, and we caught a few but when the large sunfish and crappies started following our worms back to the boat we switched gears and started bobber fishing with 1/16oz flu flu jigs with 1" gulp minnows. We were using the trolling motor to slowly slip along the shore and when we'd catch some we'd drop anchor and fish for a little bit then head down the shoreline again. This is where is gets interesting, we were catching nice sunfish and several nice crappies, we'd every once in a while catch a bass also, so we're sitting in this one spot next to a tree in the water when a guy fishing bass came around the point and started fishing 50 yards from us, not a big deal but he kept coming towards us until he was about 20 feet away, and looked over and was surprised how close he was to us, so he turned his trolling motor up and latterly circled around us not getting more then 30 feet away, until he could cast his topwater at the tree. Normally this wouldn't bother me but I thought it was very rude, but after he fished the tree with not a bite, I did have to laugh because I tossed my Flu Flu jig in there and pulled in a 17" bass while he was still right there. I just looked at him and smiled..... Sometimes Karma sucks
sully420 reply :
On 6/5/2017 at 10:29 AM, geneoh said:Anyone ever fished on Fish Lake in Maple Grove? I'm going to be in the area so I thought I'd try it out tomorrow afternoon. Any advice? I like trying new lakes but I might just go to Medicine Lake because I've fished it a few times.
I fish that lake often i like it better than medicine. Bite was slow last week. I have good luck fishing frogs,jigs,senkos. There are a couple rock piles that produce and docks are also productive.
gimruis reply :
20 feet away? That's too close for comfort bassn4fun. I hope you held that bass up very clearly so he could see it.
gimruis reply :
On 6/5/2017 at 10:29 AM, geneoh said:Anyone ever fished on Fish Lake in Maple Grove? I'm going to be in the area so I thought I'd try it out tomorrow afternoon. Any advice? I like trying new lakes but I might just go to Medicine Lake because I've fished it a few times.
Another item that may be useful is that since its also run by 3 Rivers Park District like Medicine Lake is, there is limited parking - far less than at Medicine too. Once the lot is full, they stop allowing trailers in there at the gate. I've been there on a nice sunny day and it can fill up pretty quick with recreational users. Medicine actually has a lot of spots so it doesn't usually fill up there but Fish does quite regularly.
NathanDLTH reply :
Still have yet to find the bass, only pike or walleye. Bank fishing life is tough. I'm off this week so hopeful to find a bass or two.
geneoh reply :
Thanks to Sullys comment, I went to try out Fish Lake. Fished from 11:30-4:30 (only time I could get out) and had a pretty fun day. Caught probably 20 bass, a few around 3 lbs. The bittersweet part of the day was I 100% had a new PB on but she broke off right after I got a good look at her. Easily over 5, I think she could of been 6lbs. It was totally my fault too, I'd been meaning to change out the 8lb line I've been using on one of my setups and I was using this setup I an area I shouldn't of be throwing 8lb line. She dove to the bottom and broke off and I proceeded to freak out. Still fun, I hadn't hooked up with any big bass this year so it was nice to know I wasn't jinxed or something.
Everything they hit was plastics, trig craws, senkos, keitech fat impact swimbait, dropshot. WT: 72-74, WC: Stained, 3ish ft visibility.
Bassn4fun reply :
Gimruis - yeah 20' was crazy close, I almost thought of casting my lure over his boat. But I didn't want to set a bad example to my son, so I just held up that bass nice and high so he could see it and just smiled and shrugged by shoulders.
NathanDLTH reply :
Cedar lake @ 5:19pm my bass sunk has ended. Wacky rig senko on little Cedar Lake. 10lb flourocarbon and a nice little bass in weeds gave me quite the scare, eventually landed the bass. Might switch up to something heavier than 10lb for finess tough cause the weeds are bad.
shimmy reply :
On 6/5/2017 at 2:10 AM, OperationEagle said:West metro yesterday. 20 between the two of us. Largest at 19 and around 5 between 16-18. 80% came before 930am.
All hit senkos and swimbaits.
A question I have is 11-1pm it was dead. Do bass just lose interest and not hit anything? And or where do they go?
Couldnt find anything during that time. It took clouds and a cooldown for the bite to pick up.
Just would like some ideas of things to try after the morning bite.
I think the mindset to have during this time is that the bite doesn't stop, it just changes. While out in MN last week, i had my biggest bass during those times. The bite had slowed down (the pattern changed), and it was bright blue bird with no clouds. But then my buddy and i had back to back 5+ pounders. Safer to just assume it is a bite change and not the time of day. That mindset will help you stay motivated and fish with more confidence and stick a bigger fish than being hesitant and fearing the time of day.
OperationEagle reply :
On 6/7/2017 at 8:19 AM, shimmy said:
I think the mindset to have during this time is that the bite doesn't stop, it just changes. While out in MN last week, i had my biggest bass during those times. The bite had slowed down (the pattern changed), and it was bright blue bird with no clouds. But then my buddy and i had back to back 5+ pounders. Safer to just assume it is a bite change and not the time of day. That mindset will help you stay motivated and fish with more confidence and stick a bigger fish than being hesitant and fearing the time of day.
Shimmy that's good perspective. In your situation what did the pattern change to?
shimmy reply :
On 6/7/2017 at 12:06 PM, OperationEagle said:
Shimmy that's good perspective. In your situation what did the pattern change to?
It happened on multiple occasions last week. On one, the fish pulled off the bank after 9 o'clock, but then around noon, I moved more carefully, took longer casts, and used the sun to help me find the dark cover spots in the shallows. I caught less numbers, but most of my 5+ lb bass came around 11-1. If I was better, I am sure i could have still caught numbers during those hours, but I stuck to the approach I was confident with to catch bigger fish (using jigs, swim jigs, and S-Wavers). I have read from many here on the forums who are much better than i ever will be who swear by the 11- 1 bite. I truly believe the biggest deterrent for big bass at that time frame is the fisherman's frustration and/or mindset (too hot, not enough bites, hungry, less focused, fatigued, etc.).
On one occasion, the jig bite slowed down real fast and the worm bite picked up and was out fishing the jig 4 to 1. The worm was catching more 3 and 4 pounders as well; however, tempting as it is was to switch; especially with it getting close to noon and getting more sunny and hot, with that much vegetation, i never feel like it is a smart move to go away from the jig in MN. While i got outfished in numbers and 4 pounders, I ended up catching the top three fish that morning/afternoon and i was in the back of the boat with the last cast.
OperationEagle reply :
On 6/7/2017 at 1:02 PM, shimmy said:It happened on multiple occasions last week. On one, the fish pulled off the bank after 9 o'clock, but then around noon, I moved more carefully, took longer casts, and used the sun to help me find the dark cover spots in the shallows. I caught less numbers, but most of my 5+ lb bass came around 11-1. If I was better, I am sure i could have still caught numbers during those hours, but I stuck to the approach I was confident with to catch bigger fish (using jigs, swim jigs, and S-Wavers). I have read from many here on the forums who are much better than i ever will be who swear by the 11- 1 bite. I truly believe the biggest deterrent for big bass at that time frame is the fisherman's frustration and/or mindset (too hot, not enough bites, hungry, less focused, fatigued, etc.).
On one occasion, the jig bite slowed down real fast and the worm bite picked up and was out fishing the jig 4 to 1. The worm was catching more 3 and 4 pounders as well; however, tempting as it is was to switch; especially with it getting close to noon and getting more sunny and hot, with that much vegetation, i never feel like it is a smart move to go away from the jig in MN. While i got outfished in numbers and 4 pounders, I ended up catching the top three fish that morning/afternoon and i was in the back of the boat with the last cast.
That is awesome Shimmy...thanks for sharing!
geneoh reply :
Shimmy always makes me want to throw a jig.
Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite jig? Trailer?
shimmy reply :
Hmm, fast moving, slow moving, and hybrids. Fill in the blanks for any brand that fits your fancy. Hybrids (I consider a paca craw a hybrid), is nice cause you can fish it slow without the craws flapping too much and then as you switch the speed up every other cast or are reeling the bait in, the fish will tell you if they are looking for that speed or not. I usually have a quarter ounce on one pole and a 3/8 or 1/2 on the other and then have about 8 jigs sitting on the deck that are slightly different (a light jig with a fast trailer which is great for shallow water or rising weeds with just a few inches of water between that and the top; heavy jig with fast trailer; light jig with slow trailer; heavy jig with slow trailer; and then the different colors with the same variations). Then there is the buck tail stuff but I have not fished it enough to feel like I am confident enough with it or need it.
geneoh reply :
Fished Tonka for the first time this morning. Caught between 20-25 total, a couple around 3.5lbs. Pretty fun day for fishing new water. Caught them on a popper, keitech, senko, Ned rig. Tried a jig and chatterbait for a little bit but didn't get anything. WT: 71. Tonka is clear!
Jeff H reply :
On 6/9/2017 at 5:43 AM, geneoh said:Tonka is clear!
Not all of it?
punch reply :
Topwater bite is ON.. got a 4+lber on a x-rap prop yesterday. Biggest fish of the season thus far. I got a cool video that I'll put up. I was just doing some pond fishing over lunch break.
geneoh reply :
I'm going to have to agree with Punch. Only had a few hours this morning and from about 5:30-7am they were hitting the frog. Caught 13 total on a frog. Is there anything better?
gimruis reply :
On 6/9/2017 at 5:43 AM, geneoh said:Tonka is clear!
It didn't used to be like that. 15 years ago it was murkier, now its gin clear even most main parts of the lake. It has resulted in a lot more weed growth and moved fish deeper.
FryDog62 reply :
Well that electrical storm and 30 degree drop in air temperature this morning should have an effect on things for awhile!!
rascalP reply :
Been fishing a lot lately. We spent 5 days on Basswood by Ely, fishing both LM and SM and a little bit for walleye in the evening. We caught quite a few fish up to 20" in both species. Great trip.
Since then, we had a tourny on Forest Lake and fished Bald Eagle and Big Marine a few times. The tourny could have and should have been better. Both me and my partner lost big fish that if landed would have put us in the money. Hopefully we learned lessons that will convert those key bites. On the other lakes we spent time scouting water and looking for good spots. In one lake I was focusing on milfoil beds. They are not the dominant weed and are scattered around the lake and vary in size and depth. I think that makes them key spots. The other lake we looked for fish where they were that day and also where they might migrate to a month from now. Techniques have been mostly t-rigs with a little jig/worm and jig/craws working best. I always throw a swimbait along weed edges - inside mostly this time of year, but it hasn't been producing that well. A KVD squarebill worked best tourny night, but the fish weren't taking it good and didn't really get good hooks into them (= lost fish). Lots of things to work on.
punch reply :
A little fun from last week.
FryDog62 reply :
On 6/12/2017 at 11:52 PM, punch said:
A little fun from last week.
Nice fish... Can't think of a better way to spend a lunch hour!
geneoh reply :
Went out this afternoon and caught a few including a nice 4+ lb chunk. Yesterday's storm definitely slowed the bite down but they were still munching. Shoutout to Sully who I met at the dock!
gimruis reply :
I went to Mille Lacs with the wife on Sunday evening and again yesterday during the day. Had a couple free nights at the casino to use before July. Fished the east side of the lake both times. Caught 9 on Sunday and 7 yesterday. Every smallmouth was between 17-20 inches. Had a couple jump off that may have been bigger. A couple fish were noticeably skinny from post spawn and others had still yet to spawn. We caught them on a mix of stuff including jerk baits, tubes, and wacky rigs. The wife caught a new PB smallmouth, an 18.5 incher. Water temp 67 degrees.
Tlauz reply :
Got out a little on the 8th - 11th. Water temps were 68-72. I was fishing by myself so I tried a little bit of everything. Swim jig, swim bait, wacky worm, crank bait, spinnerbait. Steady bite, but not great. Caught 50 + bass, a few pike and some rock bass. Biggest was 19.5 Smallmouth on drop shot. Sunday I lost 6 small mouth in a row. 3 on jumps, 2 at the boat and one giant broke my line. I set the hook, and my line broke. Thought it was a pike, then a huge smallmouth jumped out of the water. After that I headed back and tarped the boat. Anxious to try again next week.
punch reply :
On 6/14/2017 at 6:41 AM, Tlauz said:Got out a little on the 8th - 11th. Water temps were 68-72. I was fishing by myself so I tried a little bit of everything. Swim jig, swim bait, wacky worm, crank bait, spinnerbait. Steady bite, but not great. Caught 50 + bass, a few pike and some rock bass. Biggest was 19.5 Smallmouth on drop shot. Sunday I lost 6 small mouth in a row. 3 on jumps, 2 at the boat and one giant broke my line. I set the hook, and my line broke. Thought it was a pike, then a huge smallmouth jumped out of the water. After that I headed back and tarped the boat. Anxious to try again next week.
Nice!
I went out last night on Crooked for a little bit. The fish had their feed bags on that's for sure. I got about 10-12 good bites and boated like 9 fish in a couple hours. Mostly on a drop shot in the weeds in like 8'. One thing I noticed is that the fish seemed to be all stacked up together. If I got one bite, i'd get a few more bites within about a 20 foot radius. Got one on a swim jig and one on a keitech + jig, but most of the action was on old faithful... the dropshot with a Power Team Lures JP Hammer shad.
Honestly the hammer shad is quickly becoming a top 3 dropshot bait for me. Fish can't seem to resist it. Ya'll gotta try it. T
gimruis reply :
Sometimes when I try to post a photo of my fish it puts the photo sideways and I can't figure out how to turn it right side up. Help me out here anyone
shimmy reply :
Hey, figured I would upload some pics from the week out in paradise. As previously stated, most fish were on the jig, swim jig, and S-Waver. The S-Waver was a fun bite. On some of our lakes, a lot of the weeds had not come up that high and i could let the S-Waver just hover in one spot for 4-5 seconds and then they would slam it. Was a fun bite. It was interesting to see how the bite changed throughout the week. The swimjig was hot the first half of the week, but after a nasty cold front came in, that bite died and the jig and S-Waver did well. Will say that one of my favorite days on the water involved catching close to a 100 while throwing nothing but the 2.5 square bill. That bite was hot. No giants that day, but was a fun switch up from the other baits. Had one bad mishap, during a picture time, my tackle box fell on my 723 powell endurance rod and broke it. At least that's what i think happened cause on my next cast, the rod snapped at the half way point. So, i am doing the trade in. Love those powell rods. Unlike other trips, we didn't catch any 25+ pound bags. Top 3 limits throughout the week were a 24 lb 13 oz, 24 lb 9 oz, and a 24 lb 2 oz bag. By all means, nothing to complain about and every day was awesome. Here are several fish in the 4-6+ pound range.
On 6/15/2017 at 8:37 AM, gimruis said:Sometimes when I try to post a photo of my fish it puts the photo sideways and I can't figure out how to turn it right side up. Help me out here anyone
I upload photos to photobucket. I then copy the image from the "IMG code" option. It can be stubborn sometimes, but i will click the image and eventually it will let me copy the image. Then just go on your post here and copy and paste. Maybe there are other ways but this is what works for me.
OperationEagle reply :
Re: shimmy pics
Ridiculous
OperationEagle reply :
Was out Saturday morn on a west metro lake. Caught around 20. 1 at 19, 3-5 at 18' several 16-17. Bass were aggressive. They were no longer up shallow.
7-11 feet of water. Near drop offs and weeds.
Senkos did the trick for me. Tried buzzbaits to no avail.
Water temp 73.
punch reply :
We spent the weekend up at In We Go Resort on Eight Crow Wing lake. I love the Crow Wing chain.. it's such a cool system. The water is clear, and boat/fishing pressure is light. The fishing on Eight Crow was pretty awesome once I figured out a pattern. The bass were NOT up shallow, and the few that I did find wern't too interested in biting. I started keying in on flat, hard bottom sections NEAR shallow water & weeds in like 10-20 feet of water. I started fishing the Ned rig down deep, very slowly and started getting hammered. I was catching lots of species too! Crappies, big bluegill, perch, rock bass and lots of largemouth. I got exactly ONE bite all weekend on a crankbait... very weird.
I got a few fish on a swimbait, but the Ned rig was the juice. Caught at least 25+ fish on the NED.
Bassn4fun reply :
I spend last week up around the Hackensack area camping and fishing with my family. Since I had the kids with we only fished 2-3 hours each day. But we caught around 20-30 bass each day and one day we boated close to 50. There really wasn't a pattern, half of the fish were caught on a green pumpkin swim jig with a paddle tail trailer in 2-6' of water, and most of the others on a 3" tube and a 1/8oz jig head around docks all the way out to 20' of water on the weed edges. We didn't get into any really big fish but had one at 18" and 7-8 over 17".
FryDog62 reply :
Have switched over from smallies to largemouth this week ... got out at sun up this morning in the west metro. Caught this 20 incher - well it was really early - so of course used a Caffeine Shad. Woke both a nice fish and me up too... right before the rains kicked in.
punch reply :
Nice fish Frydog!
Anyone ever fish Lake Ida? By Monticello. Going to try and hit up Saturday night. I've never been on it before.
OperationEagle reply :
Metro lake on Saturday morn. Wind made it tougher but bass still slammed them.
6-9 fow. Weighted senko. 15 fish total. A 20, multiple between 17 and 16.
Again, bass were not up shallow or in the pads. No topwater bites either.
dsidle61 reply :
On 6/23/2017 at 11:56 PM, punch said:Nice fish Frydog!
Anyone ever fish Lake Ida? By Monticello. Going to try and hit up Saturday night. I've never been on it before.
How'd you do on Ida? Ive fished it twice a year or two ago. Really only had good success right at sundown on topwater but the fish I caught were good size. I havent been back since I got rid of my slide in boat bc that boat ramp is treacherous!
punch reply :
On 6/26/2017 at 3:53 AM, dsidle61 said:How'd you do on Ida? Ive fished it twice a year or two ago. Really only had good success right at sundown on topwater but the fish I caught were good size. I havent been back since I got rid of my slide in boat bc that boat ramp is treacherous!
I actually punctured a tire on my expedition on my way to Ida and had to turn back around. I ran over some twisted metal bar. I'm going to attempt to fish it this week though after work.
NathanDLTH reply :
You guys and your big fish drive me nuts lol! Boats and more boats. Man those are some good looking fish y'all are posting. Hope everyone has a good 4th of July and stays safe.
NathanDLTH reply :
Caught five small bass today, all on a wacky rig senko. Lake Harriet. Missed some bigger bites, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Still a good start to the 4th.
gimruis reply :
I was at Mille Lacs yesterday. The bigger smallmouth (and the big walleyes) have moved to deeper structure and offshore. The spots that I caught them earlier this month only had smaller fish. Water temp 69 degrees.
rascalP reply :
I've been spending some time on WBL, Coon and S.Center, with mixed results. Last really good day was on WBL a couple weeks ago, and a week before a tourny. Last wednesday night on WBL, we just couldn't get any big bites and finished middle of the pack. Fished S.Center Tuesday and only got 2 legals, though one was just shy of 20" caught in 18 fow. And I know that lake. Tried 2-20 fow and all different ways. Coon today with similar results. I don't know if its me or the fish.
On another note concerning jig trailers. How often and how do you decide to switch jig trailers? Do you stick with one tried and true or do you switch it up if you're not getting bites. Iv'e been experimenting with different ones, lately a paca chunk. It sure has a lot of action, maybe too much? My same thought process is figuring out t-rigged creatures. Pitboss (more action) or sweet beaver (less action). Thoughts anybody? Oh yeah, the ned rig (big TRD) got the big fish yesterday and today.
geneoh reply :
Fished Gull Lake on Sunday. I was out there with about 150 other boats. The chop was absolutely insane. I found a spot where they were loaded up on a deep weed edge. Caught probably 20 in that spot alone, most at 2lbs or over. Switched to docks late morning and caught a good one, weighed 4.6lbs, biggest of the year so far and a few more here and there.
It was really fun, would love to go back when it's not a holiday weekend!
Jeff H reply :
On 7/6/2017 at 11:00 AM, rascalP said:I've been spending some time on WBL, Coon and S.Center, with mixed results. Last really good day was on WBL a couple weeks ago, and a week before a tourny. Last wednesday night on WBL, we just couldn't get any big bites and finished middle of the pack. Fished S.Center Tuesday and only got 2 legals, though one was just shy of 20" caught in 18 fow. And I know that lake. Tried 2-20 fow and all different ways. Coon today with similar results. I don't know if its me or the fish.
On another note concerning jig trailers. How often and how do you decide to switch jig trailers? Do you stick with one tried and true or do you switch it up if you're not getting bites. Iv'e been experimenting with different ones, lately a paca chunk. It sure has a lot of action, maybe too much? My same thought process is figuring out t-rigged creatures. Pitboss (more action) or sweet beaver (less action). Thoughts anybody? Oh yeah, the ned rig (big TRD) got the big fish yesterday and today.
It's not you. It's this crazy inconsistent weather.
Ranger518vx reply :
On 7/5/2017 at 7:01 AM, gimruis said:I was at Mille Lacs yesterday. The bigger smallmouth (and the big walleyes) have moved to deeper structure and offshore. The spots that I caught them earlier this month only had smaller fish. Water temp 69 degrees.
I was fishing all weekend up there and minus one evening where I was able to catch 8 fish in 5 feet of water, all other fish I caught came off big boulders in 10-12 ft of water. With the wind and waves it was a challenge to stay on top of the boulders. Biggest fish was 3 lbs so I can only assume the really big fish are in 15 to 18 ft.
Ranger518vx reply :
Planning on fishing Chisago or South Center this weekend. Anyone been fishing out there lately?
gimruis reply :
On 7/7/2017 at 3:11 AM, Ranger518vx said:With the wind and waves it was a challenge to stay on top of the boulders. Biggest fish was 3 lbs so I can only assume the really big fish are in 15 to 18 ft.
They could be even deeper than that. Once July shows up, they're like roaming schools of nomads and its such a big friggin' lake that finding them can be difficult unless you got a really big, fast boat. Then there's always the wind problem which is magnified on a large bowl exposed to the wind.
rascalP reply :
Ranger, I fished S. Center on the 4th - started early. It was brutal. Fished pads to deep rocks. One thing that I would try different is spending some time fishing real slow in shallow weeds - 4-6 fow with a black 6" trick worm or other finesse worm. I fished some of those spots, but with heavier stuff and faster (swimjig, heavy t-rig pitboss). I think they're there, just need a little coaxing. The water is getting pretty colored, not much clarity. Chisago on the other hand is a little clearer, and a bunch of flooded shoreline brush, if you like pitchin that stuff. Should be better for action and numbers. Pondweed is in the process of dying off. Let us know how you do.
punch reply :
Went out last night and did well with a dropshot + Power Team lures Hammer Shad (been my go-to this year) right IN the weeds in about 8-12'. Also got a nice fish on a chug bug at sunset. Dropshot and popper have been my confidence baits this year.
Also, I've been catching some smallies down on the Mississippi river bank in the Coon Rapids dam park lately on swimbaits. Kind of a fun thing to do and I don't have to take my boat anywhere. I'm putting together a little river bank fishing video that I'll edit soon. I used to do a lot of river bank fishing when I was a broke teenager.. so it's kind of fun to revist it.
You never know what you're gonna get river fishing. The other night I got a smallmouth, walleye, crappie and a pike (in that order) in one spot.
Ranger518vx reply :
On 7/7/2017 at 10:16 AM, rascalP said:Ranger, I fished S. Center on the 4th - started early. It was brutal. Fished pads to deep rocks. One thing that I would try different is spending some time fishing real slow in shallow weeds - 4-6 fow with a black 6" trick worm or other finesse worm. I fished some of those spots, but with heavier stuff and faster (swimjig, heavy t-rig pitboss). I think they're there, just need a little coaxing. The water is getting pretty colored, not much clarity. Chisago on the other hand is a little clearer, and a bunch of flooded shoreline brush, if you like pitchin that stuff. Should be better for action and numbers. Pondweed is in the process of dying off. Let us know how you do.
Thanks Rascal. I will let you know how it goes. I hit Chisago about 3 weeks ago and caught about 20 on a red eye shad burning it above the weeds. Biggest bass i had all day was about 2.5 lbs, did manage a 5 lb walleye and 4 lb pike.
I've been fishing smallies so much this year which has been a blast but I am really dying to catch some good largemouths in the 4+ range.
FryDog62 reply :
My daughter "The Wacky Woman" is in town til the end of this month - so we got out in the West metro this morning. Holy Hanna! She caught a PB 5.91 lb largemouth - just an ounce shy of 6 pounds. Dad was just honored to net it for her 
NathanDLTH reply :
On 7/9/2017 at 5:59 AM, FryDog62 said:My daughter "The Wacky Woman" is in town til the end of this month - so we got out in the West metro this morning. Holy Hanna! She caught a PB 5.91 lb largemouth - just an ounce shy of 6 pounds. Dad was just honored to net it for her
Heck of way to start the day and time home! Good job!
Jeff H reply :
On 7/9/2017 at 5:59 AM, FryDog62 said:My daughter "The Wacky Woman" is in town til the end of this month - so we got out in the West metro this morning. Holy Hanna! She caught a PB 5.91 lb largemouth - just an ounce shy of 6 pounds. Dad was just honored to net it for her
That's a nice one!!
I went to Chisago today. Fished 7 1/2 hrs, most of it in the rain. Caught 10 and lost/missed that many more. Worst day I've had this year for numbers but it was still a good time. All that beautiful flooded brush ain't worth a d**n though....yet. All my fish come from 8-11 fow on Producto worms...except one jig fish up shallow. Lots of light biters, really had to pay attention!
Ranger518vx reply :
On 7/7/2017 at 10:16 AM, rascalP said:Ranger, I fished S. Center on the 4th - started early. It was brutal. Fished pads to deep rocks. One thing that I would try different is spending some time fishing real slow in shallow weeds - 4-6 fow with a black 6" trick worm or other finesse worm. I fished some of those spots, but with heavier stuff and faster (swimjig, heavy t-rig pitboss). I think they're there, just need a little coaxing. The water is getting pretty colored, not much clarity. Chisago on the other hand is a little clearer, and a bunch of flooded shoreline brush, if you like pitchin that stuff. Should be better for action and numbers. Pondweed is in the process of dying off. Let us know how you do.
Well fished Chisago on Saturday and it was slow for me. Fished for 5 hours and only had 6 bass and a pike. Caught 2 on a frog and missed several others. 3 on a rage craw and 1 on a drop shot. Most of my bites minus the frog came in about 8 ft of water.
NathanDLTH reply :
Fished Silver Lake in St. Another, caught 5 all on the smaller end for size. One on the wacky, four on the Pop-R.
Tlauz reply :
I have been out several times since I last posted. Early July was fair. My son and I caught 19 inch smallmouths one weekend, but overall the bite was so-so. Nothing seemed steady. This past weekend the bite picked up. A lot of little fish mixed in with 12-15 inchers. Fish were on weed edges and it seemed like summer patterns are here. Caught several nice fish on weightless wacky worm including a couple 18's , a 19 and a 20. On my lake, it seems when I start catching rock bass mixed in with large and smallmouth the bite gets good. Even caught a few on KVD 1.5 for the first time this year. Hopefully things will only get better. 
jmcarriere reply :
Ok everyone i will be on east and west rush on July 29th roght now my only set up is a 7' mh fast spinning rod woth a 2500 series reel any suggestions on some baits and techniques to use there
geneoh reply :
Went out for 3 hours this morning, wasn't sure what to expect with the all the lighting that was happening in my area last night. Tried topwater, flipping, slow rolling a keitech but the only thing I could get bites on was finesse. weightless senkos and a dropshot. two biggest fish came off a dropshot fishing docks. The interesting thing about it is I just had to fish really slow. I would flip to a dock at least 10 times. It was a different style of fishing docks for me but it was really effective.
Right before I had to go I landed a 4.5lber. It was quite the experience. Saw my line running so "set the hook" dropshot style and the fish didn’t budge haha. it stayed on the bottom and just swam out deep then back to the dock and got tangled. I just kept pressure on the line and she untangled herself. I thought for sure it was a bowfin or something. 8lb line around docks probably isn’t the best idea but I'd rather get the hookup and try to get the fish in than never getting the bite.
BassThumb reply :
After an excellent May and June, I've really been struggling in July as the waters rapidly warm up. For example, in the last two weeks, one of my favorite small lakes went from 68-82 degrees and shut everything down. Even Mille Lacs is a tough bite now with all of the pressure it's getting. Rarely are people finding those roaming schools of bass, from what I'm hearing at the dock. Now it's just a fish here and a fish there, lucky if it's a fish an hour, with lots of walleyes hitting the bass lures like a nuisance fish.
NathanDLTH reply :
On 7/12/2017 at 6:06 AM, jmcarriere said:Ok everyone i will be on east and west rush on July 29th roght now my only set up is a 7' mh fast spinning rod woth a 2500 series reel any suggestions on some baits and techniques to use there
What line are you using? You can do a lot with a MH 7' rod and 2500. I'd like weightless senkos, spinner baits and chatter baits, maybe shallow cranks dt4s and squarebills, jigs (blk n blue, green pumpkin), flukes. I would not throw a frog on that, but pitch to cover and around docks.
jmcarriere reply :
On 7/13/2017 at 11:34 PM, NathanDLTH said:What line are you using? You can do a lot with a MH 7' rod and 2500. I'd like weightless senkos, spinner baits and chatter baits, maybe shallow cranks dt4s and squarebills, jigs (blk n blue, green pumpkin), flukes. I would not throw a frog on that, but pitch to cover and around docks.
Im using 10lb pline
NathanDLTH reply :
On 7/13/2017 at 11:35 PM, jmcarriere said:Im using 10lb pline
I would go heavier if you can-either 12-15 lb or 30lb braid with a leader. Not sure what the lakes out there hold for vegetation or cover, but 10lb is more for finesse.
jmcarriere reply :
On 7/13/2017 at 11:39 PM, NathanDLTH said:
I would go heavier if you can-either 12-15 lb or 30lb braid with a leader. Not sure what the lakes out there hold for vegetation or cover, but 10lb is more for finesse.
The guy i am going witj already said he will be fishing the weed line as he doesnt fish the docks
dsidle61 reply :
Took a trip up to bemidji last weekend. Absolutely hammered bass, had 20 fish from 6am-10am then another 10 in the evening. My go to's were topwater spooks, ribbit frogs and bouncing a wacky senko off the bottom anywhere from 10-17ft of water. Going to try to head up to Mille Lacs tomorrow evening despite what ive been reading about the slow going! Supposed to be a nice calm day (if there is such a thing there) so hopefully I can find some rock piles and sit on them. Was up there 2 weekends ago and only managed one in 4 hours.
gimruis reply :
On 7/13/2017 at 6:30 AM, BassThumb said:After an excellent May and June, I've really been struggling in July as the waters rapidly warm up. For example, in the last two weeks, one of my favorite small lakes went from 68-82 degrees and shut everything down. Even Mille Lacs is a tough bite now with all of the pressure it's getting. Rarely are people finding those roaming schools of bass, from what I'm hearing at the dock. Now it's just a fish here and a fish there, lucky if it's a fish an hour, with lots of walleyes hitting the bass lures like a nuisance fish.
I experienced this on Mille Lacs too. Did well catching bigger fish earlier in June and then I went around the 4th of July and it was all smaller fish. For being ranked #1 in the country, I think most people just automatically assume that its easy to catch bass out there.
River fishing for smallmouth is really good right now. I caught 26 smallmouth and 3 pike in about 4 hours today. Slowly drifting along with the current in a canoe, throwing mostly shallow running crank baits to the shore line produced some great fishing.
OperationEagle reply :
Bass were slow and lethargic last night. Tried topwater and got a few slams on the ribbit frog but no hookups. First time to try these and need to learn how to hook em!
did manage to catch a 20 in 5lb hog using a senko late in the evening. She was a fun fight.
My only hypothesis for a slow night is the high pressure conditions...anyone else out in the metro last night?
Tlauz reply :
On 7/14/2017 at 8:28 AM, dsidle61 said:Took a trip up to bemidji last weekend. Absolutely hammered bass, had 20 fish from 6am-10am then another 10 in the evening.
Shhhhh. There are no bass in the Bemidji area 
.
BassThumb reply :
On 7/15/2017 at 9:13 AM, gimruis said:
I experienced this on Mille Lacs too. Did well catching bigger fish earlier in June and then I went around the 4th of July and it was all smaller fish. For being ranked #1 in the country, I think most people just automatically assume that its easy to catch bass out there.
River fishing for smallmouth is really good right now. I caught 26 smallmouth and 3 pike in about 4 hours today. Slowly drifting along with the current in a canoe, throwing mostly shallow running crank baits to the shore line produced some great fishing.
I should have joined you on the river. I went back up to Mille Lacs today. Again, couldn't keep the d**n walleyes off. Caught only two bass in five hours, a 6.25 and 3.25 pound fish, both on 3/4oz football jigs fished agonizingly slow while trying to battle waves. The day before, I caught 14 largemouth bass on a frog on a different local lake, averaging 2.5 pounds, and didn't have to drive an hour and battle 3-foot rollers. Mille Lacs is a very frustrating lake, but where else am I going catch 6.25 pound smallies?
NathanDLTH reply :
Looking for recommendations for a 7ft MH rod ideally for jigs, flipping, frogs, flukes, and senkos. Price range is $1-200
Ranger518vx reply :
On 7/16/2017 at 1:02 PM, BassThumb said:I should have joined you on the river. I went back up to Mille Lacs today. Again, couldn't keep the d**n walleyes off. Caught only two bass in five hours, a 6.25 and 3.25 pound fish, both on 3/4oz football jigs fished agonizingly slow while trying to battle waves. The day before, I caught 14 largemouth bass on a frog on a different local lake, averaging 2.5 pounds, and didn't have to drive an hour and battle 3-foot rollers. Mille Lacs is a very frustrating lake, but where else am I going catch 6.25 pound smallies?
Got a pic of the 6.25? That's a beast.
gimruis reply :
Ya dude that's a ridiculous smallmouth. Pounding waves on that lake suck but if the reward is a 6+ pound smallmouth its worth it.
geneoh reply :
On 7/18/2017 at 1:34 AM, NathanDLTH said:Looking for recommendations for a 7ft MH rod ideally for jigs, flipping, frogs, flukes, and senkos. Price range is $1-200
I'd probably break that up into two different rods. One for flipping and frogs, the other for jigs, soft plastics.
If you want to still stay in the $200 range I've been surprisingly impressed with the Cabelas ZX rod line (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Tournament-ZX-Bass-Casting-Rods/1619298.uts)
You could get both rods for $200. What I like about them is they are very light and have a great grip so they are comfortable. Cabelas has a lifetime warranty so if something happens to a rod you can bring it in and replace it with a new one. I already did this (stepped on an eye and the center piece fell off).
Otherwise, the Black *** 2's are nice, and I love my Loomis E6X. I have the E6X worm and jig rod as well as the dropshot rod and use them the most out of all of my rods.
NathanDLTH reply :
Well I'm a bank angler, so I was at 3 but my arsenal is up to 6 now. I have a heavy rod for heavy cover frogging. This rod is more multi-purpose because I'm not gonna frog with it in heavy cover, more open water poppin and other applications. Thanks, I'll take a look.
punch reply :
Got a nice 3lb 9oz fish tonight on a strike king poppin perch (their new poppin frog). I was able to cobble together about 6 fish off dropshot and topwater, which has been my one-two punch the last few weeks. Since it warmed up I'm basically tossing one or the other and getting a some nice fish. I fished a wacky stickbait and power fished a jerkbait bait and got no bites.
redbirdsfan44 reply :
I've got a trip planned to Mille Lacs coming up in August. Any tips?
FryDog62 reply :
On 7/20/2017 at 12:51 PM, redbirdsfan44 said:I've got a trip planned to Mille Lacs coming up in August. Any tips?
If you've not fished there before there's a great guide - Jim DaRosa.
Otherwise, use your side imaging to find the boulder piles out in approx 20 fow. Go above the piles and drift in the wind back over the boulder field with a drop shot rig. Again a good guide like Jim is a great way to do this as he knows where the best boulder fields are. Big lake, be prepared to search around if your a first-timer.
Ranger518vx reply :
On 7/21/2017 at 1:23 AM, FryDog62 said:If you've not fished there before there's a great guide - Jim DaRosa.
Otherwise, use your side imaging to find the boulder piles out in approx 20 fow. Go above the piles and drift in the wind back over the boulder field with a drop shot rig. Again a good guide like Jim is a great way to do this as he knows where the best boulder fields are. Big lake, be prepared to search around if your a first-timer.
I second Jim DaRosa. Great guy and an awesome guide. Unless you get lucky and stumble onto a few good boulders you can chew up A LOT of time graphing before you find good fish.
geneoh reply :
I'm with punch, dropshot or bust. I went out to the local lake yesterday for a few hours in the afternoon and caught good numbers. 90% of all the bites we on a dropshot (roboworm straight tail 6"). No lunkers but average fish around 2lbs.
I was fishing offshore weedlines, everything kinda just tapered off, I couldn't find any abrupt edges. It was all in about 10 FOW. Tried a few different tactics but nothing else was successful.
Dropshot is becoming a confidence tactic. It's funny how quickly things can change, just in the beginning of this thread, I stated I wanted to gain some confidence in the dropshot. Now it's always on my deck because I know it'll catch fish!
gimruis reply :
On 7/20/2017 at 12:51 PM, redbirdsfan44 said:I've got a trip planned to Mille Lacs coming up in August. Any tips?
I assume you aren't hiring a guide and you have your own boat...
In that case, the advice given above is pretty good. The fish are in deeper water and on offshore structure, especially big boulders. You will have to spend a significant amount of time searching for these areas.
BassThumb reply :
On 7/18/2017 at 4:45 AM, Ranger518vx said:Got a pic of the 6.25? That's a beast.
No pics. No regrets though. It was too windy and wavy. I would have been blown off the spot had I taken the foot off the trolling motor and lost boat control. Those fish are in such tight schools, when you catch one, you gotta get the lure back in the very same place ASAP.
FishingMN reply :
On 7/21/2017 at 5:40 AM, geneoh said:I'm with punch, dropshot or bust. I went out to the local lake yesterday for a few hours in the afternoon and caught good numbers. 90% of all the bites we on a dropshot (roboworm straight tail 6"). No lunkers but average fish around 2lbs.
I was fishing offshore weedlines, everything kinda just tapered off, I couldn't find any abrupt edges. It was all in about 10 FOW. Tried a few different tactics but nothing else was successful.
Dropshot is becoming a confidence tactic. It's funny how quickly things can change, just in the beginning of this thread, I stated I wanted to gain some confidence in the dropshot. Now it's always on my deck because I know it'll catch fish!
how far off the bottom do you set your dropshot when fishing the gradually fading weeds?
geneoh reply :
On 7/21/2017 at 10:40 AM, FishingMN said:how far off the bottom do you set your dropshot when fishing the gradually fading weeds?
I had to retie a few times so roughly 8-10 inches.
FishingMN reply :
On 7/21/2017 at 11:19 AM, geneoh said:
I had to retie a few times so roughly 8-10 inches.
It is funny you mention no clear end of the weeds, no clear weedline. I noticed this year on lakes I fish a lot of just gradual thinning of weeds.. still with tall stems but just less density. Like a weed stem every 3 feet going into the deep water, then finally they start to get short.
punch reply :
I've actually been getting a lot of my dropshot bites fishing IN the weeds, not the edges. The bigger fish like to hang out right in the junk when it's warm this time of year. punching the weeds with a texas rig/jig or dropping a dropshot into it and keeping it still while shaking it seems to get some pretty good bites. It can be an adventure getting the fish out though with the lighter dropshot setup.
Point is, don't feel like you have to be a ninja around the edges of weedlines with the dropshot.. dive right in there and see what happens.
punch reply :
On 7/20/2017 at 12:51 PM, redbirdsfan44 said:I've got a trip planned to Mille Lacs coming up in August. Any tips?
I really hope you have side imaging.. it's KEY in finding spots to fish on Mille Lacs IMHO. You gotta drive around and find packs of rocks/boulders, mark them, then fish them to see if anyone is home. Smallies relate to the cover, so they may not be right on top of the rocks but they will likely be 'around' the rocks. The key is finding isolated patches of boulders or bigger rocks.. anything that kind of stands out as being unique.
Dropshot is key BUT be sure to have a 3" or 4" swimbait tied onto a 1/4oz jig head. It's a fantastic search bait on Mille Lacs. Just find those rock piles and launch the swimbait out and let it hit the bottom. Then slowly bring it back letting the swimbait bang off the rocks. This is a deadly tatic in the fall.
Don't rule out that fish might be suspended higher in the water column right now. Mid-summer smallies can be suspended in schools. If you're marking fish up off the bottom it could be a sign that fishing bottom contact stuff isn't going to get much action. In that case tie on a bright colored jerkbait (xrap for instance) and work it fast. Ripping a loud jerkbait that dives like 4-6' in 15' FOW over suspended fish can be pretty productive.
Honestly I'd probably have jerkbait, dropshot, tube, swimbait, and a jig/craw or craw on a shakeyhead all tied up. Probably cover all your bases when trying to find the brown fish.
geneoh reply :
On 7/21/2017 at 11:33 PM, punch said:I've actually been getting a lot of my dropshot bites fishing IN the weeds, not the edges. The bigger fish like to hang out right in the junk when it's warm this time of year. punching the weeds with a texas rig/jig or dropping a dropshot into it and keeping it still while shaking it seems to get some pretty good bites. It can be an adventure getting the fish out though with the lighter dropshot setup.
Point is, don't feel like you have to be a ninja around the edges of weedlines with the dropshot.. dive right in there and see what happens.
Ha, funny you said this. This morning I couldn't really find any edges, the lake I was on is basically all weeds everywhere. So I fished in/around thicker clumps in 10-15ft of water and caught two 4lbers. Dropshot of course. What made it even better is that this is a lake I haven't done all that well on in the past. Redemption with the trusty dropshot.
Tlauz reply :
Fished Wed night, Thursday, Friday morning. Hot without much wind. Fishing was steady. Nice mix of smallmouth and largemouth. Most fish have been in 6-12 feet on weed edges. I've caught most fish on wacky jig and 5 inch worm. Thursday morning had a good frog bite on edge of reeds. Friday morning caught fish on swim jig with seismic grub, wind picked up for about an hour and caught some nice fish on a spinnerbait. Two questions for you guys, first how the heck do you keep dropshot from tangling when not using it. I hook the hook in the keeper, but the line from the hook to the weight seems to get tangled a lot ( I probably shouldn't keep so many rods out). Second, as I am going along with my trolling motor, I have been seeing roaming smallmouth in real shallow water. I usually throw a weightless wacky worm or weighted wacky at them, but this year I can't seem to get them to pay attention to anything. Any tips would be appreciated.
OperationEagle reply :
I just might give that drop shot a try this week or weekend. You all have convinced me that it's something I need to add to the arsenal.
shimmy reply :
Fishing July 4th week. Had an early reunion with family at this time. I would have preferred a later trip since the time of year was not fully past the post-spawn to my liking. Much like the posts I read here, the bite was slow. While I still have a few decent pictures, our numbers were few and the bellies of fish were still thinned out on most fish we caught. Only a few lakes we found had fish that were more thick. I was excited to try the whopper plopper out for the first time, but it never landed any giants for me. I probably didn't give it enough time though. Frog fishing was there, but we didn't realize it till the last day or two. Swig jig was not the ticket, which I thought it was. Slow moving jigs with a moving trailer was our best combo. The reaction bite ripping through the weeds still got bit, but I could NEVER get a follow up bite and they missed it 75% of the time. Was a very odd bite the whole week. Here are some of the 5+ with only one clearing the 6 mark. My brother in law caught a (not pictured) 6 lb 13 oz the day after i left...go figure.
gimruis reply :
Hey Shimmy I have a question. Are you harvesting all of these fish or do you guys catch them at the same time and then take a photo? I only ask because I noticed that one photo of you standing in what appears to be a cornfield.
shimmy reply :
On 7/25/2017 at 8:11 AM, gimruis said:Hey Shimmy I have a question. Are you harvesting all of these fish or do you guys catch them at the same time and then take a photo? I only ask because I noticed that one photo of you standing in what appears to be a cornfield.
Heavens no! That would be worse than harvesting my own children...When everyone in the boat catches a picture worthy fish, we run into the problem of nobody to take the picture. So, in these cases, we either try to rig some weird contraption on the boat and risk something falling and breaking my rod (which happened this spring), or we launch the boat, take the picture with everyone, and then let them go at the ramp. Several of these fish i am sure i have caught again through the years. Every once in a while, i will find a 5+ or 6+ that has the same markings. They are like pets. They are still hard to catch despite the boat traffic on some of these lakes, but we have spent many years on these particular waters and continue to get lucky here and there. We will occasionally eat the walleye. I have many of these fish caught and released on film for my viewing during the long winters. Reason I rarely post them is they can be telling of the areas and exact approach we take on some of the more identifiable lakes/spots.
punch reply :
I made another terrible video if anyone wants to check it out. I've been spending some time working on some holes in my fishing game this year, one of which included river bank fishing. I live near the Coon Rapids Dam and have always been a little intimidated by it because in past years i've fished it and not gotten a single bite and had no confidence. I've been taking it more seriously this summer and I've managed to find some good spots.
gimruis reply :
Not bad Punch. I think rivers are very under fished in Minnesota. Everyone tends to go to the lake in the land of 10,000 lakes instead. The best part was when that pike completely inhaled the swim bait haha.
Jeff H reply :
On 7/27/2017 at 12:06 AM, punch said:I made another terrible video if anyone wants to check it out. I've been spending some time working on some holes in my fishing game this year, one of which included river bank fishing. I live near the Coon Rapids Dam and have always been a little intimidated by it because in past years i've fished it and not gotten a single bite and had no confidence. I've been taking it more seriously this summer and I've managed to find some good spots.
I know that area well, spent many days of my youth there before there was a county park. It's also a good carp/sucker area in the spring.
OperationEagle reply :
2 nights in a row....4 letters..... S L O W.
glad to to be out though as both nights were beautiful.
who is catchin em and with what and where?
punch reply :
On 7/28/2017 at 12:25 PM, OperationEagle said:2 nights in a row....4 letters..... S L O W.
glad to to be out though as bothe nights were beautiful.
who is catchin em and with what and where?
Got out the other night and caught them with a white/chartreuse chatterbait and a dropshot with a finesse worm. Got about a dozen? Nothing over 2lbs though.
Fished off shore in about 12' near healthy weedlines. Banged the shallow bank a little bit around docks/reed with topwater at dusk and just ONE bite.
rascalP reply :
I fished 2 different lakes this past week, one being a clearer deep weedline lake and the other a dark lake with a much shallower weedline. Tuesday we fished weedlines at 14 fow on various offshore structure - needed to be hard bottom out to 16-17fow. One rod day - t-rigged culprit junebug worm on a pegged 3/8 oz sinker. Lots of fish caught with 19" being the biggest.
Wednesday we fished league night on the darker water. Much tougher. Our best spot only gave up 2 small keepers. We moved around to a few other spots, staying mostly under 7 fow around shallow weeds fishing reeeal slow with weightless wacky dingers and got a couple more. Then we went to a deeper spot (7-10 fow) with no weeds and caught all the fish we ended up weighing in. They preferred a ned rig instead of a black trick worm on a jig head. Notched our first win with 12 1/2 lbs.
FryDog62 reply :
I would agree with the SLOW comment on fishing lately... at least in the metro with water temps nearing 80. Catching a lot less fish and a lot more work to find them. My son did try to catch his sister in the big largemouth category. His was 21 inches, but hers weighed a few ounces more. A little sibling rivalry is good 
gimruis reply :
Forget the lakes. Go to the rivers! The smallmouth bite in rivers right now is ridiculous. I floated one for about 4.5 hours yesterday and we caught 33 smallmouth and 5 pike, mostly on topwaters and shallow crankbaits. They were really smashing it.
Jeff H reply :
Today is a special day here in MN. Today was 4th day post front. First time this year that I know of. Tomorrow will be 5. If that doesn't excite you then you don't know what you don't know.
For all you getting out tomorrow...enjoy!
rascalP reply :
Gonna be fishing hard these next few weeks. League fishing wraps up and gotta get out on some "for fun" lakes. Work, fish, eat, sleep. Hoping to get up to Grand Rapids area the end of Aug. and going up to ML for the Bassmasters in Sep.
On that note, I hope everybody saw how our "hometown boy" Seth Feider did at Lake Champlain. Cool to see how a guy known (at least to the Bassmaster nation) for being a smallmouth guy, comes up with some toad "greenies". Way cool.
On 7/31/2017 at 8:51 AM, Jeff H said:Today is a special day here in MN. Today was 4th day post front. First time this year that I know of. Tomorrow will be 5. If that doesn't excite you then you don't know what you don't know.
I've tried to figure out the whole cold front, warm front, pre front, post front. I've fished days I thought would be outstanding, and it stunk. Days I thought would be bad, high skies, and cool were great. One thing I've learned FOR SURE. The best time to go fishing, Is whenever you can. SO, for all you getting out tomorrow... ENJOY.
punch reply :
Hrm I'm going to have to hit the river this week.. RUM is callin?
geneoh reply :
On 7/31/2017 at 11:35 PM, punch said:Hrm I'm going to have to hit the river this week.. RUM is callin?
I'm going to be moving pretty close to rum so I plan on going out at least a few times this year.
punch reply :
On 8/1/2017 at 12:02 AM, geneoh said:
I'm going to be moving pretty close to rum so I plan on going out at least a few times this year.
Sweet, I live like 5 minutes from the Anoka fairgrounds ramp.
redbirdsfan44 reply :
Thanks to everyone for the advice for my trip coming up in a little over a week to Mille Lacs. Yes I have my own boat and yes it has side imaging (hds9 gen3) it sounds like I'm fairly prepared for the trip based on the information. Smallmouth fishing isn't new to me, being that I grew up on Table Rock. That being said the vast open water will be new. Thanks again for the information and hopefully I can post some pictures of some footballs afterwards
NathanDLTH reply :
Hey guys need some tips. When I fish a new body of water whether it's rivers, lakes, ponds, or streams I can spend the whole day and not catch a fish. Example last Saturday I fished in Anoka where the rum meets the Mississippi and got maybe one bite all day. Fished small keitechs, tubes, cranks, jerks, top water, bigger keitchs and so forth. Need some advice at how to break down a new body of water. Also I'm primarily a bank angler aside when people take me out on their boats which is 2-3 times a season.
ACSport reply :
On 8/8/2017 at 10:48 AM, NathanDLTH said:Hey guys need some tips. When I fish a new body of water whether it's rivers, lakes, ponds, or streams I can spend the whole day and not catch a fish. Example last Saturday I fished in Anoka where the rum meets the Mississippi and got maybe one bite all day. Fished small keitechs, tubes, cranks, jerks, top water, bigger keitchs and so forth. Need some advice at how to break down a new body of water. Also I'm primarily a bank angler aside when people take me out on their boats which is 2-3 times a season.
It's not just you, I've never had any luck from that spot either in the 3 times I've tried this season. Bank angler same as you, all I ever heard was there's loads of fish and many good spots and you can walk all the way up to the dam on the Rum for some good fishing... nope. Off the janky plastic docks into the Mississippi with everything from cranks to senkos... nothing. Have got one bite on the rum from the first break in the trees as you head north, that's it. Then if you can find it there's the beach-like area opposite the boat launch on the rum, but I found it too shallow and sandy. I have no clue how to get all the way up to the dam from there.
So I just give up and go to my favorite spot, Lake cenaiko in coon rapids dam park. Fish the river on either side of the point just behind picnic shelter #4, then when the smallie bite goes away head down to the west shore of the lake for some largemouth. There's about 3 good gaps in the trees to fish from north of the west dock.
NathanDLTH reply :
On 8/9/2017 at 12:54 AM, ACSport said:
It's not just you, I've never had any luck from that spot either in the 3 times I've tried this season. Bank angler same as you, all I ever heard was there's loads of fish and many good spots and you can walk all the way up to the dam on the Rum for some good fishing... nope. Off the janky plastic docks into the Mississippi with everything from cranks to senkos... nothing. Have got one bite on the rum from the first break in the trees as you head north, that's it. Then if you can find it there's the beach-like area opposite the boat launch on the rum, but I found it too shallow and sandy. I have no clue how to get all the way up to the dam from there.
So I just give up and go to my favorite spot, Lake cenaiko in coon rapids dam park. Fish the river on either side of the point just behind picnic shelter #4, then when the smallie bite goes away head down to the west shore of the lake for some largemouth. There's about 3 good gaps in the trees to fish from north of the west dock.
I fish that area as well, been trying to find new area to fish. Glad it's not just me. Fishing has been tougher this summer, seems finesse is the way to go.
punch reply :
I spent the weekend camping/fishing Lake Carlos up in Alexandria and had an EPIC weekend of clear water bass fishing. I think I caught around 40 fish. It's such a cool and challenging lake becuase it's very clear and very deep. The bass tend to school up so if you can find them, you can get into some fun fishing.
The most effective baits all weekend were a storm chug bug popper, zoom super fluke in baby bass, and the NED rig. The ned has been such a confidence bait for me on clear lakes. I call it the destroyer of worlds. It's such a versatile bait. I was fishing it shallow along the edges of reeds, hopping it down steep banks, fishing it on the bottom in 25-30 feet. I just use the different weight heads depending on the bottom (soft bottom, lighter ned.. it'll rest on top vs getting stuck) and depth. I caught a few fish on a terminator bluegill spinnerbait in thick cover and a couple on jerkbaits.
I always forget to toss the fluke in clear water, but I had one tied on all weekend this trip. Bass can't keep off it when they are around other bass.. they get competitive when you twitch it and let it "die". I really like simply nose hooking the fluke on a 1/0 wacky hook. I was dying the tails blue to imitate the pumpkinseed.
My baby bass colored storm chug bug has gotten a workout this year.
I even picked up a nice smally (not many in this lake) on the NED
On 8/1/2017 at 12:02 AM, geneoh said:
I'm going to be moving pretty close to rum so I plan on going out at least a few times this year.
It's a hot smallmouth spot in the fall. I've fished it several times so if you want to go let me know!
gimruis reply :
Good work. That's really deep for a ned rig! It really does work in crystal clear water. Earlier this spring it was the only thing I could get bit on when the water was gin clear.
I went out twice since last Thursday (the day with all the storms, wind, and cold front) and didn't do very well. I caught some fish but the bite was noticeably tougher than it was before that day of drastic weather.
geneoh reply :
I was fishing a Ned rid today in stained water. Coppertreuse color and a green jig head and was hammering them. I think they love the chartreuse. It was out fishing a dropshot and that's one of my go to's.
Punch, let's make it happen!
sully420 reply :
Caught some biggins yesterday, fishing has been pretty good all summer and awesome lately. I cant wait to get out this weekend and take advantage of this cloud cover and keeo power fishing.id post pics but the file size is so small the dont fit
OperationEagle reply :
On 8/10/2017 at 9:12 PM, sully420 said:Caught some biggins yesterday, fishing has been pretty good all summer and awesome lately. I cant wait to get out this weekend and take advantage of this cloud cover and keeo power fishing.id post pics but the file size is so small the dont fit
I must be doin something wrong...dog days of summer for me.
How deep and what (lure and presentation) are you having success on Sully?
sully420 reply :
On 8/10/2017 at 10:32 PM, OperationEagle said:I must be doin something wrong...dog days of summer for me.
How deep and what (lure and presentation) are you having success on Sully?
Okay I'll try to explain what I do the best that I can but bear with me because I'm a very abstract person. The first thing I do is I select the water I'm fishing based on the conditions of the day. So if I'm fishing a bluebird Sunny hot day I try to pick a body of water that's stained 5 ft visibility or less. I pick a body of water that has a lot of docks or pads or mats with at least four to five feet of water underneath them. When I'm fishing these conditions I'm generally skipping a 3/8 ounce jig under the docks or I'm punching the pads or mats with at least three quarter ounce skirted punch rig. when I have cloudy or rainy conditions i Pick the five foot visibility Plus Lakes. These are usually your clear lakes with weed lines that go from 15 to 20 ft deep. These bodies of water with these weather conditions I look for areas of transition, places where you will find weed lines next to hard bottom or sand bottoms in these situations i fish spinnerbait, swim jig, or a variety of top water baits. I feel like when you have clouds you get bigger fish moving in to shallow weed edges with bottom Contour transition or moving up on weed edges with deep water nearby. One of the things I make sure I do is I avoid schools of smaller Bass if I'm throwing a drop shot around on deep weed edges and I'm getting bit by one to two pounders I move on right away I just don't seem to catch 4 lb plus fish around those schools very often. What I'm talking about here is all about catching those four and a half plus pound fish, the best way to do that somewhat consistently is to put yourself in the best position you can to get around those fish. I haven't had luck finding those fish in water deeper than 15 ft consistently. So I try to put myself in a position to find them in shower water where I can fish targets. I feel like if you're interested in catching numbers of fish tie on a drop shot and a three and a half to 6 inch swimbait and fish those deep weed edges crankbaits are awesome for this as well I've had a lot of luck this summer finding a big tapering flat that has like 15 feet of water with the grass growing to 10 feet and running that dt10 over that grass. When I'm choosing the baits I will use, I think about a couple things the first thing is probably efficiency how efficient can I fish this bait given the cover and conditions and depth I want to fish. As in does it go to the depth that I think the fish are at, how well does it come through the cover im fishing. This next part is where your personal experience comes in or experience that you're gaining through the day as in are the fish reacting to vibration are they reacting to flash or are they reacting to the speed of your bait and you just kind of have to make a decision on what you're going to use throughout the day based on your thought process there. Generally I like to get fish to react I'm either dropping a heavy jig or punch rig or running a spinnerbait by their face I just adjust those based on how I can present that bait the best in that situation. As far as Jigs and punch rigs I don't think the color is a big deal because generally the bass bite that on a reaction right away before they even get a look at it. As far as spinnerbaits or bladed jigs or like a swim jig I think color can be very important especially on a spinnerbait or a bladed jig. In Clear Water conditions I am very meticulous on the kind of Blade I use in the color of skirt that I use I really try to stay away from the cookie cutter white chartreuse stuff in the summertime and really focus on the bluegill match the hatch kind of deal. I can't tell you how many of times i have Fished behind people throwing chartreuse spinnerbaits and follow them with a half ounce green pumpkin with a little orange spinnerbait and caught big'uns right behind them. Basically stained water i use a Colorado blade gold, and in Clearwater I like Willow Leaf blades one gold one silver or the small one painted the bigger one gold or silver. To catch the bigger fish a small change in color on a bait that is so often use like a spinnerbait makes all the difference. I'm sure I've just thoroughly confused you but feel free to ask questions and that will help me to explain my mindset. I hope this does help you because I have had some success consistently doing this.
Edited by sully420Grammer
OperationEagle reply :
On 8/10/2017 at 5:16 AM, geneoh said:I was fishing a Ned rid today in stained water. Coppertreuse color and a green jig head and was hammering them. I think they love the chartreuse. It was out fishing a dropshot and that's one of my go to's.
Punch, let's make it happen!
Geneoh was your jighead weedless? And what weight did you use? I've been reading about this technique and plan to give it a try this weekend.
Sully wow didn't expect that detailed response. You're doing something right...stay on it!
sully420 reply :
Looking at the weather a ned rig will not be the deal this weekend . Id try to catch then on something moving before finesse.
geneoh reply :
On 8/11/2017 at 8:22 AM, OperationEagle said:Geneoh was your jighead weedless? And what weight did you use? I've been reading about this technique and plan to give it a try this weekend.
Sully wow didn't expect that detailed response. You're doing something right...stay on it!
I'm not sure the size but it was light enough I could fish it through weeds and it wouldn't get caught up even though it didn't have a weed guard. I fished it S.L.O.W. let it fall to the bottom. Lift it up, give it a twitch, maybe drag it a little. When I felt weeds just slowly pull it through, possibly have to give it a small pop and let it fall. Repeat. I would typically lift and feel weight so I'd lift higher and there'd be a fish on.
punch reply :
Anyone hitting Mille Lacs this weekend? I'm camping here and plan on fishing the southeast corner. God help me.
FryDog62 reply :
On 8/11/2017 at 1:07 PM, punch said:Anyone hitting Mille Lacs this weekend? I'm camping here and plan on fishing the southeast corner. God help me.
I have a friend whose out there this morning with a guide... will let you know if I hear back from him in time. My guess is they throw plastics around the SE rock piles early but then spend most of the day drop-shotting in 20 fow.
punch reply :
I got out for some fishing Saturday AM with my buddy on Mille Lacs. We first hit 3 Mile Island and saw a ton of fish and activity on the electronics.. but only caught one walleye. Lotta boats were pounding the island and didn't get any bites either. We picked up and moved over to Hawkbill Point and worked around the rock point with simbaits/tubes. We found one little corner that poked out into some deeper water and I caught these guys with a translucent/chartreuse Keitech fat impact on a 1/4oz tungston head.
We only caught walleyes on tubes all morning, which was weird. I only got to fish for about 5-6 hours so I was pretty happy with two quality fish in that time. It was warm with bluebird skys so I was anticipating a grind. We really had to work to find some active fish... the few other boats we talked too were having a similar lack of action. That 4lber made the entire morning worth it though!
4lb 1oz
3lb
NathanDLTH reply :
I'll post pictures when I can, but found a neat little lake in Stillwater where I caught two bass on kietchs. This was Friday night and I've never fished this lake before.
Saturday night fished Josephine and caught two. I'm not sure on size but the first was out of the pads on the west southwest then caught another on a whopper plopper. Weekend was a good time fishing.
sully420 reply :
been a great week of fishing, top water and spinner baits have been the deal
Ranger518vx reply :
The last 2 weekends we have crushed them. Flipping and punching last weekend and caught 51. This past weekend we mainly finessed on a different lake and caught well over 100. Nothing big, lots of 13 and 14 inchers but it was a blast!
gimruis reply :
I had maybe my best day not only of the entire season, but also in the past 5-6 years on Sunday afternoon in the rain. They wanted a fast presentation and because the weather was questionable, I was the only soul out there. I'm telling you, go in the rain. You'll have better fishing and there will be less competition, plus no recreational traffic.
gimruis reply :
Has anyone been catching them on frogs? I can't get on a frog bite to save my life. I try it almost every time for at least 10 minutes and they won't even look at it.
sully420 reply :
On 8/19/2017 at 9:21 AM, gimruis said:Has anyone been catching them on frogs? I can't get on a frog bite to save my life. I try it almost every time for at least 10 minutes and they won't even look at it.
Same here buzz or walking bait have been good very early in the am. Flipping heavy grass has worked well later in the day.
redbirdsfan44 reply :
Had an awesome trip to Mille lacs this week. We caught tons of fish. Only consistent pattern we had was drop shotting on the north end of the lake in 12-16 ft of water. We tried out pokegama for a day and caught a ton of fish there as well. Lots of 4lb smallies in the area. My buddy I was with caught a tagged one the was pretty cool to see. We reported it online. How common are tagged fish (smallmouth) in Mille lacs?
Ranger518vx reply :
On 8/21/2017 at 2:54 AM, redbirdsfan44 said:Had an awesome trip to Mille lacs this week. We caught tons of fish. Only consistent pattern we had was drop shotting on the north end of the lake in 12-16 ft of water. We tried out pokegama for a day and caught a ton of fish there as well. Lots of 4lb smallies in the area. My buddy I was with caught a tagged one the was pretty cool to see. We reported it online. How common are tagged fish (smallmouth) in Mille lacs?
This year they tagged a ton of fish. We caught 8 in a week back in June.
Managed to catch 40 yesterday at a east metro lake. The 5 biggest going for just a bit over 14 lbs. Texas rigged Chigger craw was the best bite.
redbirdsfan44 reply :
It wouldn't let me post pics earlier
ACSport reply :
Booked a camping trip up at Crow Wing state park for next weekend. Any tips for fishing that area from shore? Is it worth it to rent a Kayak to fish there? I'll take anything that bites after the horrible month I've had.
gimruis reply :
Nice photos redbird, and sweet setup too.
Crowcommander reply :
Had a good weekin Minnesota also. Caught about 15 smallys on south side at Isle.Went to a small lake we found about 6 years ago called Camp Lakewest of Mille Lac when wind was blowing. Got to Fish Trout,Deer, Wabana,Blackwater and Mule. Wish we had some conservation lakes like Mule and Blackwater where everything 14to20" has to be released. One may be kept over 20".What a fishery!
punch reply :
Went out and hit Rum River for a few hours last night and caught about 6 smallies. Mostly all on wacky weighted senkos and swimbaits. No huge donkeys but it was fun! River was high, dead calm and low flow. Very enjoyable.
NathanDLTH reply :
Having a hard time with the frog bite... Finding bass who wanna bite not the problem, but hooking them is lol! Me-that's the problem and my hookset. Any suggestions?
Jmhalvo reply :
Same for me...I do better with a longer delay to hookset. Like they always say about surface plugs: you hooking % is better if you close your eyes! Not as fun though
Tried Crooked Sunday am. Two big swirls- one almost got to the boat. Then: 2 hours of NOTHING. Disappointed - I am a motorized kayaker and love a small bass lake. Anyone try Beebe?
geneoh reply :
On 8/29/2017 at 9:36 AM, Jmhalvo said:Same for me...I do better with a longer delay to hookset. Like they always say about surface plugs: you hooking % is better if you close your eyes! Not as fun though
Tried Crooked Sunday am. Two big swirls- one almost got to the boat. Then: 2 hours of NOTHING. Disappointed - I am a motorized kayaker and love a small bass lake. Anyone try Beebe?
You should check out Bush Lake in Bloomington.
Jmhalvo reply :
ok, thanks. What is your experience there?
geneoh reply :
On 8/29/2017 at 11:51 PM, Jmhalvo said:ok, thanks. What is your experience there?
Clear, lots of deep weeds. Low pressure because it's a max 5mph lake. Small as well. Would be great for a kayak.
Jmhalvo reply :
Did very well on Alex Chain today...only one thing worked: jig-worm Senko. Got a 19.5, 18, and some from 15-17. Incredible since the wind switched to NW -I assumed it would be terrible
gimruis reply :
I went fishing Fri, Sat, and Sun. Did OK on Friday, did really good on Saturday and even better on Sunday. I caught 2 more muskies on Saturday morning and three smallmouth over 18.5 inches on Sunday afternoon, including the second biggest smallmouth I've caught this season, a 19 1/4 incher. It was probably the best Labor Day weekend for fishing I've had in a decade.
geneoh reply :
Went out for a few hours this morning and it was tough. I went to a lake I fished a lot last year but not much this year and all of the weeds at my usual spots were gone. It was unexpected and had me guessing way too much. WT was 68!
punch reply :
Me and a buddy are fishing the Greenhorn open derby on Coon this weekend.. first tournament this year. I'm excited!
FishingMN reply :
The last week or two I think I've been trying the wrong thing (many wrong things) to find the bass. I am catching northern 10 to 1 bass. I want bass. Any clues where they are? They don't seem to want moving baits, and the worm/jig bite is tough.. unless I am not targeting them properly? I am not a very strong jig fisher so I sometimes give up on that. But a buddy that is a jig fisher says he's had a hard time with that lately too.. This time of the year has traditionally been tough for me. Any pointers?
Jmhalvo reply :
Probably deeper that the pike. Also some lakes are just too full of northerns.
FishingMN reply :
On 9/6/2017 at 7:49 AM, Jmhalvo said:Probably deeper that the pike. Also some lakes are just too full of northerns.
I have no problem catching bass during the rest of the season. It is just the late summer/early fall that I need to figure out. The lake has a good bass population. Weeds out to 11 feet. Somewhat stained water.
gimruis reply :
Hey geneoh and punch, both you have talked about drop shotting on this thread this season. I am not having very good results with it. How much distance do you usually put between the weight and the hook? And also, I know its traditionally a deep fishing tactic but how shallow of water do you use it in?
geneoh reply :
On 9/8/2017 at 1:42 AM, gimruis said:Hey geneoh and punch, both you have talked about drop shotting on this thread this season. I am not having very good results with it. How much distance do you usually put between the weight and the hook? And also, I know its traditionally a deep fishing tactic but how shallow of water do you use it in?
I'll play around with the distance but it's typically around 8 inches. I'll throw it on the outside of shallow cover (texas rigged) that can be 4-5ft. Docks are great, I'll use it as a follow up if I'm not getting hit on jigs. I really think you could cast it onto the bank and just drag it into the water and you'll still catch fish. I have a dedicated dropshot setup so I use it as a search bait as well as when the bite is slow. I've grown to have a lot of confidence in the tactic and I only really started using it this year. A goal of mine this year is to work on consistency and to go the year without getting skunked. The dropshot has saved me and kept that goal alive.
punch reply :
Anyone going to Thorne Brothers tonight? Seth Feider and Brent Ehrler are going to be there from 3-7pm and the store usually does like a 20% discount store-wide for their "special events". (just speculation on my part based on past events)
Jmhalvo reply :
Drop Shotters: what is best worm, etc? And is wacky best?
punch reply :
On 9/9/2017 at 12:10 AM, Jmhalvo said:Drop Shotters: what is best worm, etc? And is wacky best?
There's no "best worm", but there's lots of great ones! You can fish traditional stick worms (like a senko) wacky on a dropshot. There are also purpose built finesse dropshot baits.
Personally i'm a big fan of the PowerTeam Lures 5" tickler. If I could only use one drop shot worm for the rest of my life, that would be it. It's got amazing action and it's super durable. I also love drop shotting the PowerTeam hammer shad. Killer in clear water.
Other favorites are the KVD Strike King dream shot, biospawn plasma tail, and the classic roboworm.
If you're into crappie fishing, I do really well tossing a dropshot and a white Gulp minnow. Crappies can't resist.
Jmhalvo reply :
Hook thru the nose or do you go weedless a lot?
punch reply :
On 9/9/2017 at 1:26 AM, Jmhalvo said:Hook thru the nose or do you go weedless a lot?
I always nose hook. My favorite hook personally is a Owner 1/0 wacky/dropshot hook
gimruis reply :
On 9/8/2017 at 9:48 PM, geneoh said:I'll play around with the distance but it's typically around 8 inches. I'll throw it on the outside of shallow cover (texas rigged) that can be 4-5ft. Docks are great, I'll use it as a follow up if I'm not getting hit on jigs. I really think you could cast it onto the bank and just drag it into the water and you'll still catch fish. I have a dedicated dropshot setup so I use it as a search bait as well as when the bite is slow. I've grown to have a lot of confidence in the tactic and I only really started using it this year. A goal of mine this year is to work on consistency and to go the year without getting skunked. The dropshot has saved me and kept that goal alive.
OK thanks I'll tinker with it
geneoh reply :
On 9/9/2017 at 5:02 AM, punch said:I always nose hook. My favorite hook personally is a Owner 1/0 wacky/dropshot hook
and I almost always go weedless because I throw it in/around thick vegetation. You can't go wrong either way.
Jmhalvo reply :
Great day on Mississippi- many smallies 16-18. What a resource
FryDog62 reply :
Not my first 20 incher of the year - but my first with a down vest on. Dam cold EAST wind this morning
Jeff H reply :
On 8/21/2017 at 11:31 AM, redbirdsfan44 said:It wouldn't let me post pics earlier
looks like the access to Borden Lake.
Jmhalvo reply :
I can't get this site to accept a picture. Why so complicated?
Dtrombly reply :
On 9/10/2017 at 7:55 PM, Jmhalvo said:I can't get this site to accept a picture. Why so complicated?
I use the Imgur app. Upload pic to it then copy and paste the photo link here
OperationEagle reply :
On 9/10/2017 at 10:25 AM, FryDog62 said:Not my first 20 incher of the year - but my first with a down vest on. Dam cold EAST wind this morning
Fry dog. Nice fish. What were you using and where were they? That is fow, etc
Jmhalvo reply :
Today the fish mostly said no thx
FryDog62 reply :
On 9/11/2017 at 10:10 AM, OperationEagle said:Fry dog. Nice fish. What were you using and where were they? That is fow, etc
Got a few 16-17 inchers on jerk baits on top of cabbage in 6-10 fow, but too many small pike. Threw a Caffeine Shad around and under some of the deeper docks. This one probably 4-5 fow at the deeper end of the dock, shallower than that only small stuff --
Jmhalvo reply :
What is smallmouth fishing on Mille lacs doing these days?
FryDog62 reply :
On 9/11/2017 at 11:40 PM, Jmhalvo said:What is smallmouth fishing on Mille lacs doing these days?
It's full of B.A.S.S. Pros right now getting ready for some lil' tournament... Saw a post this am from a guide up there to givem some space on the water as they get ready.
Jmhalvo reply :
I'll stay away
punch reply :
I'm headed to Kabetogama next weekend.. super excited. Anyone here have experience on it? We're going up for 3 days of smallmouth fishing.
Jmhalvo reply :
Yes, I did best on the shadow side of rock islands with crayfish crankbaits
FryDog62 reply :
On 9/12/2017 at 11:38 PM, punch said:I'm headed to Kabetogama next weekend.. super excited. Anyone here have experience on it? We're going up for 3 days of smallmouth fishing.
If you mean the coming weekend 9/16, 9/17 best to bring good rain gear. Looks like 90% rain and a 20-30 degree temp drop. Was think of going to Rainy this weekend too but starting to rethink fishing in a classic cold front...
punch reply :
On 9/13/2017 at 1:07 AM, FryDog62 said:If you mean the coming weekend 9/16, 9/17 best to bring good rain gear. Looks like 90% rain and a 20-30 degree temp drop. Was think of going to Rainy this weekend too but starting to rethink fishing in a classic cold front...
Actually we're going up 21st-24th.
FryDog62 reply :
On 9/13/2017 at 1:20 AM, punch said:Actually we're going up 21st-24th.
Your timing might be perfect for the bronzies - good luck! I think I'll wait until later in the month too, this next cold front is going to be a doozy I think --
punch reply :
On 9/13/2017 at 5:50 AM, FryDog62 said:Your timing might be perfect for the bronzies - good luck! I think I'll wait until later in the month too, this next cold front is going to be a doozy I think --
I hope so! I'm going to target reefs/sunken islands near the islands. Plan on tossing jigs & soft plastic jerk minnows, dropshots, tubes, and swimbaits. Probably do some cranking? Worst case I'll go get a bag of fatheads haha.
gimruis reply :
Interesting article about how much tougher Mille Lacs has gotten in just one year with the ramped up fishing pressure.
https://www.bassmaster.com/news/daily-limit-goal-within-reach-feider-time
Jeff H reply :
Anybody headed to Chisago on Sunday. I may give it a go, haven't been out there in a month or more now.
geneoh reply :
I'm considering hitting up a lake next to Mille Lacs tomorrow. Is that a bad idea with BASS up there right now? Should I avoid the whole area even if I won't be on Mille Lacs?
Jeff H reply :
Not a bad idea. Which one?
geneoh reply :
On 9/15/2017 at 9:08 AM, Jeff H said:Not a bad idea. Which one?
I ended up staying local but I was going to go to Smith Lake. I grew up going there and its been at least 10 years since I've been back.
Jmhalvo reply :
Whopper Hopper crushed on the river today
gimruis reply :
I went to the Bassmaster Elite AOY at Mille Lacs weigh in on Friday afternoon. I got a good spot in the parking lot where a lot of the boats pulled in and then removed their fish from the livewells into the fish bags. It was also really cool just to stand a few feet away from some of these ridiculous $100 grand rigs. If anyone gets the chance to attend a Bassmaster event weigh in, I advise that you take advantage of it. Its quite the spectacle.
Jmhalvo reply :
Watched it live stream. Was cool to "be in the boat" with the leaders as they fished
punch reply :
Too windy to take the boat out tonight so I hit a local pond and fished from the bank. The bass were slamming a brown/pumpkin swimjig. Couldn't keep them off it.
OperationEagle reply :
90 on Friday really stinks. We were robbed last year of fall fishing. Last year we got an early cold snap then it warned which seemed to screw w the pattern....resulting in a crappy fall season.
Heres to hoping for a great fall season!
rascalP reply :
Went to ML for the Bassmasters tourny and like last year, it was pretty cool. We fished ML wed. and thurs. Mostly stayed away from the pros, but we did cross paths now and again. Fishing on wednesday was ok with fish caught in a number of different places on the east side. Generally we stayed 6-12fow, though we moved to the reed edges in the evening. Biggest fish was 20 1/2" and a real tanker. A few more were 19" or better. Swimbaits and dropshots deeper, and weightless dinger shallow.
Thursday was much worse, though we did a little more spectating. Generally we stayed deeper on the west side fishing Indian Point to Garrison reef. Got one fish that went 19 plus and lost another nice one and got off the water about 3:30 to watch the weigh in.
Friday we went to a small lake nearby that had a great avg size of largies - biggest went 20" to go along with nice numbers of 17-18 inchers. Came home friday and watched the weigh in on sunday from the recliner
geneoh reply :
Really taking a liking to fishing jigs and slither rigs in and around cover. Turns out I just needed time with it to get some confidence (obvi). I'd totally be content flipping cover/structure all day long. Plus I've been consistently getting better bites.
-----
Not sure if it's okay to post here, let me know if it's not and I'll take it down.
I'm selling my Lowrance setup. two HDS 7's, totalscan, spotlight scan. All you would need to set up your boat front and back. Would just need an ethernet cable (I broke mine) and some map cards. $1600 obo, message me with any questions.
gimruis reply :
On 9/21/2017 at 7:37 AM, OperationEagle said:90 on Friday really stinks. We were robbed last year of fall fishing. Last year we got an early cold snap then it warned which seemed to screw w the pattern....resulting in a crappy fall season.
Heres to hoping for a great fall season!
I'll second this. I'm getting sick of these HOT falls. 90 is way too hot for late September. Thankfully, it does look much better next week after this front moves through during the weekend.
sully420 reply :
Fishing has been great all summer and really good the past couple of weeks. Last night fished the wind at medicine and did pretty well. It was a junk fishing kind of bite fishing a swim jig around reeds, docks and pads. This warm weather has really made patterning fish ez and lots of big bass tight to cover and feeding. Hottest part of the day has been best and jigs have been the deal but a jig is generally the deal for me all season.
Tight lines!!!
Jmhalvo reply :
Favorite color?
On 9/23/2017 at 3:09 AM, sully420 said:Fishing has been great all summer and really good the past couple of weeks. Last night fished the wind at medicine and did pretty well. It was a junk fishing kind of bite fishing a swim jig around reeds, docks and pads. This warm weather has really made patterning fish ez and lots of big bass tight to cover and feeding. Hottest part of the day has been best and jigs have been the deal but a jig is generally the deal for me all season.
Tight lines!!!
Favorite color for metro?
sully420 reply :
On 9/24/2017 at 10:58 AM, Jmhalvo said:Favorite color?
Favorite color for metro?
To be honest im not sure color really matters. I've had success with white and chartreuse swim jigs, black blue and and green pumpkin bluegill type patterns. My favorite day in and day out is a green pumpkin with a little orange or yellow.
Jmhalvo reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 3:08 AM, sully420 said:To be honest im not sure color really matters. I've had success with white and chartreuse swim jigs, black blue and and green pumpkin bluegill type patterns. My favorite day in and day out is a green pumpkin with a little orange or yellow.
Well I tried Medicine today - nada. I did lose a couple swim jigs on pike. Not a good day.
sully420 reply :
Yea medicine is a pike factory just the cost of doing business. They love swim jigs. Try fish lake less pike better bass ratio. I only went to medicine because they were treating fish lake for alum last thursday. Sarah could be a good choice too.
On 9/25/2017 at 8:41 AM, Jmhalvo said:Well I tried Medicine today - nada. I did lose a couple swim jigs on pike. Not a good day.
gimruis reply :
I've had a good number of pike bite offs lately too, you guys aren't the only ones. Last week an evening I had two bite off (one real big one) so I switched to a beefier setup and tied on a big leader. I had the last laugh because I landed the next 3, including the biggest one I've caught in about a decade. Turned out to be 36.5 inches. I even cracked a smile holding this thing.
Jmhalvo reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 9:05 AM, sully420 said:Yea medicine is a pike factory just the cost of doing business. They love swim jigs. Try fish lake less pike better bass ratio. I only went to medicine because they were treating fish lake for alum last thursday. Sarah could be a good choice too.
I see your profile mention Mnpls Chain. I cannot figure it out! What's the secret - it's your favorite
OperationEagle reply :
On 9/23/2017 at 3:09 AM, sully420 said:Fishing has been great all summer and really good the past couple of weeks. Last night fished the wind at medicine and did pretty well. It was a junk fishing kind of bite fishing a swim jig around reeds, docks and pads. This warm weather has really made patterning fish ez and lots of big bass tight to cover and feeding. Hottest part of the day has been best and jigs have been the deal but a jig is generally the deal for me all season.
Tight lines!!!
Sully...I want to get to that point of being able to get bit in all conditions...looks like you are working your way there if not already there. When it gets sunny or if it starts to heat up, my production drops like a rock...no matter if I target cover. Thanks for sharing your technique and whats been working for you.
Cha reply :
I've been hitting Calhoun lately with great luck, dm me if you are interested in some info!
geneoh reply :
I had myself quite the day today. Caught my PB (5.44) and a 21+ bag. All on a slither rig with a sweet beaver. It was slow to start for the first 3-4 hours but they turned on and the bite was crazy.
Jmhalvo reply :
Congrats- I got me some slither now!
geneoh reply :
It's like if a jig and a Texas rig has a baby. Comes through cover pretty easy.
sully420 reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 9:50 PM, OperationEagle said:Sully...I want to get to that point of being able to get bit in all conditions...looks like you are working your way there if not already there. When it gets sunny or if it starts to heat up, my production drops like a rock...no matter if I target cover. Thanks for sharing your technique and whats been working for you.
Just keep at it. Its fall now so i would target the hottest part of the day. Bass will always be in cover the trick is finding the best cover. Some tips, the best pads will have 3+ feet of water under them. If you have miles of pads i guarantee the bass will be in the deepest pads or in the pads with the deepest water next to them.
If you are fishing milfoil or coontail or cabbage look for the cleanest grass, as in grass thats crisp and isnt full of slime and junk stuck in it. Look for the most defined edges with deeper water near but not super steep. You want around a 5 foot depth change not a 20 foot change off the weed edge.
Work the edge with a crank bait or a spinnerbait then work it back over with a jig or slither rig 5 to 10 feet into the grass bed and flip back to the edge.
I dont fish for 20+ bites a day I fish for 5
This should be a good pattern untill the water temp drops below 50 degrees. And it workes better on lakes with less visibility. On clear lakes you need to find the depth the bass want to be in a weed bed and fish that depth of weeds. Lots of guys do well reeling a chatter bait or a swimbait over big weed flats to find where the bass are holding.
Good luck hope you find some lunkers before the ice comes.
gimruis reply :
I agree, 50 degrees is the specific temperature you will want to watch for. Anything below that, and its over.
NathanDLTH reply :
All my bass lately have been shallow, 2-5 ft of water this includes smallies n largies. Everything from tubes to jigs and wacky senkos. Popped a nice largemouth in St. Anthony last night on a jig. The bites on for the fall.
sully420 reply :
On 9/27/2017 at 9:18 AM, gimruis said:I agree, 50 degrees is the specific temperature you will want to watch for. Anything below that, and its over.
I going to try to get them on a jerkbait and hair jig when the temp drops beliw 50°. 2 baits i havent developed any confidence in yet.
Jmhalvo reply :
How are Harriet and Calhoun these days? Tried Cedar to no avail
sully420 reply :
On 9/28/2017 at 9:02 PM, Jmhalvo said:How are Harriet and Calhoun these days? Tried Cedar to no avail
How did you not get bit on cedar? What were you doing technique presentation cover wise? I'm about to fish Harriet after work today I'll let you know.
Jmhalvo reply :
I bank-fished the west side with a fluke and a swim jig. I have used my kayak there before...nothing
Jmhalvo reply :
Yesterday the fish waited til low light. Not fall yet I guess
OperationEagle reply :
Thanks jmhalvo for the report back. How did you do sully?
sully420 reply :
On 9/29/2017 at 8:22 PM, OperationEagle said:Thanks jmhalvo for the report back. How did you do sully?
Ok, started with a lipless and got a bunch of pike. Went to a jig and found some bass on the deep weed edge. If you can brave the rain on sunday Harriet should be good, i use a 3/4 oz spinner and a 1/2 ounce jig and work the inside bends and ends of points. The north beach should have some good fish as well. Look for the 12 to 15' edges and fish slow.
Jmhalvo reply :
Switched from stained to ultra-clear water today- totally a fall pattern. No wind, high sun mid afternoon and the shallow bass bite was on! Chatter over the tops. Larger northerns in 6 feet confirms fall
punch reply :
Fished a super muddy lake tonight and we did really well on a black & blue swimjig with a blue craw trailer. Fish were hammering it VERY shallow.. like right up on the bank in 3-5 feet of water. Got a big ole 4lber on a popper too as the sun started to set. Water temps are still like 64! We got fall weather happening but the lakes are still very warm.
gimruis reply :
I went to Mille Lacs today for about 5 hours. It was rough, with like 4 footers by 9am and the fishing is friggin' TOUGH out there right now. I only caught 2 smallmouth and 1 pike in about 5 hours of fishing. I saw a lot of fish on the sonar in multiple spots but they wouldn't go on anything. I think the pressure has gotten to them. I'll probably wait until next spring to try it again out there. Water temp was 60.5 degrees.
FryDog62 reply :
Water temps came down to the upper 50’s today on a little river by my house. 21 incher on one of the new Maxscent “General” wacky worms..
SecretAsianMan reply :
thats a beast frydog!
Jmhalvo reply :
While I like the Slither Jig, I do not like $8.00 pike bite-offs....so back to 4.5 inch tubes. Hard to tell if it matters anyway.
Jeff H reply :
On 10/1/2017 at 11:30 PM, Jmhalvo said:While I like the Slither Jig, I do not like $8.00 pike bite-offs....so back to 4.5 inch tubes. Hard to tell if it matters anyway.
Won't be too long and we'll be looking at a good jerkbait bite again....with $8-$16 pike bite-offs.
I've lost 3x more tackle in my last 2-3 outings than I did all spring and summer long. Them gators are on a tear this fall!
geneoh reply :
I've lost a few megabass 110's to pike and that's just the worst. Last year I broke off on my first cast on a brand new 110. I about turned the boat around and just went home.
NathanDLTH reply :
I've lost multiple whopper ploppers, braid and backlash. Tough on the bank lol!
Jeff H reply :
On 10/1/2017 at 8:48 AM, FryDog62 said:Water temps came down to the upper 50’s today on a little river by my house. 21 incher on one of the new Maxscent “General” wacky worms..
Mighty big fish from a little river! Nice catch!
rascalP reply :
On 9/27/2017 at 9:18 AM, gimruis said:I agree, 50 degrees is the specific temperature you will want to watch for. Anything below that, and its over.
NOT over. I had one of my best crankbait bites ever at 43. Its over when you back the trailer in and it just rolls out onto the ice.
Jmhalvo reply :
Great bite today on swim jigs- when they’re going like this it’s really good for confidence in large jigs. I’ve been too light for too long! Also upped to larger Chatter
On 10/3/2017 at 9:48 AM, rascalP said:NOT over. I had one of my best crankbait bites ever at 43. Its over when you back the trailer in and it just rolls out onto the ice.
Specifics? The traditional cold water susp jerkbait?
geneoh reply :
Bite is good right now! Fishing pads and weed edges with a jig. Wt:63
Shoutout to Sully, he helped me get confidence in a jig and it's completely changed how I fish.
Get out out when it's raining if you can.
rascalP reply :
A few falls ago we got blown off the river where we spend alot of time in fall. We went to a small lake not expecting much. I started throwing a jig thinking ultra slow and my buddy starts throwing a spinnerbait of all things. I said a "I don't think so" under my breath and he promptly catches one. Well, on goes a fat rap or DT - not sure which and it turned into a "knowin your gonna get bit" bite.
I watched a John Gillespie where they were breaking ice to get on a big shallow eastern Wisconsin lake, and they're whacking them with lipless crankbaits - not lift/drop, but a steady retrieve.
I'm trying hard to get over preconceived ideas on patterns.
Friday, day 2 of the BM AOY on Mille Lacs had 3 anglers doing well on 3 different patterns, (gotta check out "Skeets magical morning") on a cloudy day, no less.
Jmhalvo reply :
Good point. For example I’ve been on ULTRA clear water this week but NOT doing well on traditional natural colors. Instead the dark color of black and blue large jigs was consistently all they wanted.
jmcarriere reply :
On 10/1/2017 at 8:48 AM, FryDog62 said:Water temps came down to the upper 50’s today on a little river by my house. 21 incher on one of the new Maxscent “General” wacky worms..
That a beautiful small mouth is that in the rum
gimruis reply :
The past few weeks there have been days when I literally cannot avoid pike, so instead of trying to avoid them, getting bit off, and losing lures, I embraced it. I even got into a couple of nice tiger muskies while I was at it.
FryDog62 reply :
Quite a tiger pattern in that sun!! Cool fish
Jmhalvo reply :
Sunday gonna be nice day- low winds, warm. I can’t decide: Mnpls Chain or North Arm Bay. Might save the chain for a windy day.
rascalP reply :
On 10/3/2017 at 11:33 AM, Jmhalvo said:Good point. For example I’ve been on ULTRA clear water this week but NOT doing well on traditional natural colors. Instead the dark color of black and blue large jigs was consistently all they wanted.
Exactly! If I was on that water, I would have been using green pumpkin all the way. Another one I'm trying to get past is jerkbaits. In years past, I wouldn't even think about using one if the water temp was over 60. After watching KVD have success year round, now I never rule it out.
I fished Chisago wednesday for a few hours. Kinda tough for Chisago, but got a few small fish on every spot I fished. And one lazy fish on a jerkbait.
Shallow hard bottom near weeds was best using a ned rig. Biggest fish, 16"+ maybe, came on swimming a t-rig pitboss through some pads I've been doing that alot the last few years - pitchin in the thick stuff and swimming the edges and lanes with the same rig. Havoc pitboss and crawfatty both have good swimmin action. Water temp was 63+-.
Thursday we were going to fish the river above St. Croix Falls, but it looked too blown up, so we went to S. Center. We spent alot of time pitchin and swimmin in the pads and got a few decent fish. We also hit some spots with scattered shallow milfoil. Ned rig and a wacky rig dinger worked there. I tried a frog quite a bit with not even one blow up. Ended up getting a few on a squarebill crank in shallow weeds. Biggest went about 18", fat with a bit of tailfin still showing in its gullet. Water temp ended up around 61 end of the day
punch reply :
I'm going to bomb around some lakes in the Monticello area Sunday.
punch reply :
Dang bluebird skys and 68 degrees! It's funny how it's fall above the water, but below the water it's still sorta summer. We can't get a good water temp drop around here. The fishing was just 'ok' yesterday.. the sunny day was pleasant but definitely made the bass tuck into cover and not get the feedbags on. The topwater bite at dusk got pretty good though once the sun dipped behind the tree's.
Swim jigs through cover got me some big bites yesterday. Shallow cranking with a KVD 1.5 did well too.
Jmhalvo reply :
Agreed. Had to go deeper, near drop off with big jig. Nothing shallow
punch reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 1:17 AM, Jmhalvo said:Agreed. Had to go deeper, near drop off with big jig. Nothing shallow
Yeah, I was fishing a really muddy lake in the morning and the bass were really tight into shallow cover. Then I switched lakes to a clear lake in the afternoon and had to go deep with a drop shot.
By the end of the day water temps were up to 64! That aint fall.
Ranger518vx reply :
Any reports on Mille Lacs? Plan on headed up on Friday to get on the good fall bite.
geneoh reply :
Couldn't get out this weekend but got out for a few hours this afternoon. It was cold but water temps still 61. I didn't catch many, I had to make an adjustment from a jig to a smaller profile t-rig to get big bites. It worked though, I got the biggest bite of my life! One of my goals this year was to get a 6lber. I finally got it today with a 6.28lb toad. I've been fishing for big bites lately and its been paying off. Jigs, Texas rigs basically all of the time. Once the water temps get lower I'll change things up but this has been working really well for me.
OperationEagle reply :
holy moley Gene that is a monster. Great job mixing it up to yield such a beast. How many inches?
A-Jay reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 12:17 PM, geneoh said:Couldn't get out this weekend but got out for a few hours this afternoon. It was cold but water temps still 61. I didn't catch many, I had to make an adjustment from a jig to a smaller profile t-rig to get big bites. It worked though, I got the biggest bite of my life! One of my goals this year was to get a 6lber. I finally got it today with a 6.28lb toad. I've been fishing for big bites lately and its been paying off. Jigs, Texas rigs basically all of the time. Once the water temps get lower I'll change things up but this has been working really well for me.
Gorgeous Bass ~ !
Congrats on your new Personal Best
A-Jay
Jmhalvo reply :
Congrats!
punch reply :
That's a BIGGIN. Nice job.
geneoh reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 11:37 PM, OperationEagle said:holy moley Gene that is a monster. Great job mixing it up to yield such a beast. How many inches?
Just under 21inches. SO. FAT.
JackKlassen reply :
Anyone been out since the cold weather hit us? Interested in seeing how it affects the fishing. Could get good soon.
Jmhalvo reply :
Well, we know of one 6.28 pound bass caught yesterday
JackKlassen reply :
On 10/11/2017 at 10:29 AM, Jmhalvo said:Well, we know of one 6.28 pound bass caught yesterday
good point ?
Jmhalvo reply :
Is it worth it to hit the Mississippi with the waterflow this high?
Jeff H reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 12:17 PM, geneoh said:Couldn't get out this weekend but got out for a few hours this afternoon. It was cold but water temps still 61. I didn't catch many, I had to make an adjustment from a jig to a smaller profile t-rig to get big bites. It worked though, I got the biggest bite of my life! One of my goals this year was to get a 6lber. I finally got it today with a 6.28lb toad. I've been fishing for big bites lately and its been paying off. Jigs, Texas rigs basically all of the time. Once the water temps get lower I'll change things up but this has been working really well for me.
Yeah! Nice catch!
rascalP reply :
Got out on the Croix yesterday. The water was down, but the current was still really rippin, so we had to fish real tight to shore or get into some slack areas. We got a dozen or so typical size river smallies - no real toads. So-so day for the river. Most came on jerkbaits or spinnerbaits. Tubes and jigs got a few in areas with less current. Water temp was about 52. We talked to a guy later on who said they were drawing it down 6 ft. to do repairs on the dam -- again. So it sounds like the river might be out for another week or more.
I went to Chisago for a few hours today and got some real nice ones. 19 1/2" and 19" were the biggest and a few more 17 1/2 and bigger. All came on either a green pumpkin keitech swimbait in some shallower offshore spots, or a swimjig in the sloppier stuff. They wanted it moving. Water temp was around 58.
Jmhalvo reply :
Great report
thx
OperationEagle reply :
On 10/12/2017 at 9:07 AM, rascalP said:Got out on the Croix yesterday. The water was down, but the current was still really rippin, so we had to fish real tight to shore or get into some slack areas. We got a dozen or so typical size river smallies - no real toads. So-so day for the river. Most came on jerkbaits or spinnerbaits. Tubes and jigs got a few in areas with less current. Water temp was about 52. We talked to a guy later on who said they were drawing it down 6 ft. to do repairs on the dam -- again. So it sounds like the river might be out for another week or more.
I went to Chisago for a few hours today and got some real nice ones. 19 1/2" and 19" were the biggest and a few more 17 1/2 and bigger. All came on either a green pumpkin keitech swimbait in some shallower offshore spots, or a swimjig in the sloppier stuff. They wanted it moving. Water temp was around 58.
That's a great report. Thanks for sharing.
rascalP reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 11:16 AM, Ranger518vx said:Any reports on Mille Lacs? Plan on headed up on Friday to get on the good fall bite.
Ranger, I haven't been up there since september, but based on our trip last year we fished water temps 53-54 on Myr Mar - outer edge, 7-15 fow. Best baits were keitech and skinny dipper swimbaits and pink or orange xraps. A heavy wobble head jig rigged with a pitboss, fished fast on the bottom worked well too.
I'll be up there the week after next and I think if the water temps stay above 48-49, we'll be in good shape. We talked to a guy at Mcquoids last year who said any outer break around the lake where it drops from 12-15 down into the twenties should be good, especially sharp breaks. I got some spots eyed up on the east side I plan on checking out.
Good Luck.
Ranger518vx reply :
On 10/13/2017 at 2:15 AM, rascalP said:Ranger, I haven't been up there since september, but based on our trip last year we fished water temps 53-54 on Myr Mar - outer edge, 7-15 fow. Best baits were keitech and skinny dipper swimbaits and pink or orange xraps. A heavy wobble head jig rigged with a pitboss, fished fast on the bottom worked well too.
I'll be up there the week after next and I think if the water temps stay above 48-49, we'll be in good shape. We talked to a guy at Mcquoids last year who said any outer break around the lake where it drops from 12-15 down into the twenties should be good, especially sharp breaks. I got some spots eyed up on the east side I plan on checking out.
Good Luck.
Thanks Rascal, that's some good info. After looking at the weather we are going to pass on this weekend. If I'm going to grind out a day I might as well be duck hunting haha.
OperationEagle reply :
Was out today in the west metro. Couldn't buy a bite. Fished 8-1 pm.
Tried jig and pig at the weedline, buzzbait, weighted beaver, senko, spinnerbait.....couple of strikes no hookups.
Strikes were all in 4-6 fow for what it's worth.
Jmhalvo reply :
Thanks much. So Sunday could be rough. Cool, sunny
FryDog62 reply :
On 10/14/2017 at 7:23 AM, OperationEagle said:Was out today in the west metro. Couldn't buy a bite. Fished 8-1 pm.
Tried jig and pig at the weedline, buzzbait, weighted beaver, senko, spinnerbait.....couple of strikes no hookups.
Strikes were all in 4-6 fow for what it's worth.
Ive been out of town for a week... do you think the rains from last week are still affecting the bite? Cold front? Other? Going to try to get out but may be another week ... thx
JackKlassen reply :
Anyone been out on the mpls chain lately? I've been out a few evenings and it's been decent
Jmhalvo reply :
Thurs night on Cedar. Only 2
OperationEagle reply :
I think the chain of lakes requires you to now call for inspection going in and coming out. Not sure how time intensive it is in terms of wait.
Ryan Sullivan probably can comment?
gimruis reply :
I've been doing pretty good lately, but I am targeting days with clouds and/or rain in the forecast too which seems to significantly increase success compared to those calm, sunny, bluebird days. I've got about one week left before I winterize my boat and then put it into storage.
Tlauz reply :
I was out October 4th, 7th and today. On the 4th water temp was upper 50's, light wind and partly cloudy. I fish a small shallow lake connected to a bigger deeper lake. I caught 15 fish all on shallow lake. Largest was 20 inches. Everything was shallow. Caught a few on spinnerbait, but most on chartreuse swim jig with green grub trailer. On the 7th water temps were middle 50's and it was windy. I caught 5 fish and struggled!! Today water temp was 51 on big lake, 49 on small. I fished big lake for 2 hours and caught 1 small fish. Moved to the smaller lake and caught 15 in 2 hours. It was some of the best fishing I have had this year. Every fish was 14 inches or better. Largest 2 were 19 inches. Most were caught on white swim jig with white grub trailer. A couple on KVD 1.5. All in less then 4 feet of water. Most fish were really shallow in or next to reeds. Going to get out one more time. Supposed to be sunny and upper 60's Thursday and Friday. I hope that doesn't screw up the bite.
Jmhalvo reply :
On 10/15/2017 at 8:32 AM, Tlauz said:I was out October 4th, 7th and today. On the 4th water temp was upper 50's, light wind and partly cloudy. I fish a small shallow lake connected to a bigger deeper lake. I caught 15 fish all on shallow lake. Largest was 20 inches. Everything was shallow. Caught a few on spinnerbait, but most on chartreuse swim jig with green grub trailer. On the 7th water temps were middle 50's and it was windy. I caught 5 fish and struggled!! Today water temp was 51 on big lake, 49 on small. I fished big lake for 2 hours and caught 1 small fish. Moved to the smaller lake and caught 15 in 2 hours. It was some of the best fishing I have had this year. Every fish was 14 inches or better. Largest 2 were 19 inches. Most were caught on white swim jig with white grub trailer. A couple on KVD 1.5. All in less then 4 feet of water. Most fish were really shallow in or next to reeds. Going to get out one more time. Supposed to be sunny and upper 60's Thursday and Friday. I hope that doesn't screw up the bite.
Had to be some cold fishing that far north but sounds like a total blast
Tlauz reply :
Here are a couple pics from the Oct. 4th and today. It was cold today. I had so many clothes on I felt like the kid from the movie A Christmas Story. If I would have fallen in the boat I may have just flopped on the floor trying to get up.
OperationEagle reply :
Great report Todd and great pics. Some nice hawgs you got there. Very jealous!
OperationEagle reply :
This weekend looks like rain again on SAT. Cant buy a break for the weekend. At least FRI looks good if I can get out of work! Not sure what the water temps will be like however.
punch reply :
Going to hit Rum tonight.. heard it's heating up.
Jmhalvo reply :
It must be very high water flow
gimruis reply :
On 10/17/2017 at 1:07 AM, OperationEagle said:This weekend looks like rain again on SAT. Cant buy a break for the weekend.
This is exactly what I hope and look for on the weekend because it keeps everyone else off the lake and the fishing is significantly better than bright sun
OperationEagle reply :
On 10/17/2017 at 5:49 AM, gimruis said:This is exactly what I hope and look for on the weekend because it keeps everyone else off the lake and the fishing is significantly better than bright sun
I also enjoy fishing in the rain. But when thunderstorms are part of the forecast...I stay off the water.
gimruis reply :
I hear ya, stay safe
punch reply :
Anyone fishing any clubs/tournaments next year? Me and my buddy signed up for the Greenhorn Bass Tourn Wednesday night league. I've fished open derby's here and there, but this will be my first local tournament "season" with one org. I'm excited.
https://sites.google.com/site/2011greenhornbasstour/contact-us
jmcarriere reply :
Any fish east and rush lake lately how is the bite if you have
sully420 reply :
On 10/18/2017 at 10:49 PM, punch said:Anyone fishing any clubs/tournaments next year? Me and my buddy signed up for the Greenhorn Bass Tourn Wednesday night league. I've fished open derby's here and there, but this will be my first local tournament "season" with one org. I'm excited.
https://sites.google.com/site/2011greenhornbasstour/contact-us
Geno and I are planning to fish that tour next season as well hope to see you on the water
rascalP reply :
On 10/18/2017 at 10:49 PM, punch said:Anyone fishing any clubs/tournaments next year? Me and my buddy signed up for the Greenhorn Bass Tourn Wednesday night league. I've fished open derby's here and there, but this will be my first local tournament "season" with one org. I'm excited.
https://sites.google.com/site/2011greenhornbasstour/contact-us
Punch, Me and my buddy have fished the GH wednesday night league for the last 2 years and have really enjoyed it. It's a really good group of guys, very friendly. Well run organization.
punch reply :
On 10/19/2017 at 10:34 PM, rascalP said:
Punch, Me and my buddy have fished the GH wednesday night league for the last 2 years and have really enjoyed it. It's a really good group of guys, very friendly. Well run organization.
Rad, we fished the oepn tournament on Coon a few weeks ago. Were you there?
Me and my buddy Josh will be fishing in a ranger reata.
On 10/19/2017 at 10:05 PM, sully420 said:Geno and I are planning to fish that tour next season as well hope to see you on the water
Which night/division? We're doing the wed night greenhorn.
rascalP reply :
On 10/19/2017 at 10:39 PM, punch said:Rad, we fished the oepn tournament on Coon a few weeks ago. Were you there?
Me and my buddy Josh will be fishing in a ranger reata.
No. I usually work weekends and I had taken the weekends off on either side of the open for the Bassmaster AOY and another trip up north. Did you make it to day 2? It looks like there were some good sacks on Green. I'm in a maroon/tan Alumacraft Competitor and we're team Hueners/Johnson.
Jmhalvo reply :
The bass fishing on lakes seems dead right now. Thinking about the Mississippi onSunday. Any reports?
sully420 reply :
On 10/19/2017 at 10:39 PM, punch said:Rad, we fished the oepn tournament on Coon a few weeks ago. Were you there?
Me and my buddy Josh will be fishing in a ranger reata.
Which night/division? We're doing the wed night greenhorn.
We plan to fish 2018
Tlauz reply :
Fished Thursday and Friday. 5 hours each day. Water temps upper 40's, WINDY ( 15-25mph) and bright sun. Water was crystal clear and most shallow weeds were brown. Tried swim jig, shallow cranks, lipless crank, swim bait, chatter bait, spinnerbait, deep cranks. Caught 6 Thursday and 9 Friday. It was really tough. I never caught 2 fish in same area. It was so windy today I basically could only throw crank bait or spinnerbait. Most fish were on spinnerbait in shallow water. Dropped off boat to get winterized and stored. Already looking forward to next year.
Jmhalvo reply :
River was just ok...caught a few, one 19 in. However, every eddy was FULL of leaves...very tough. Very windy. I still hope to try more late season fishing, but it’s getting to the end.
gimruis reply :
I'm going out tomorrow in the rain and it will be my last trip of the season because the highs are in the 40's a couple days next week and my boat is getting winterized.
I have been doing pretty good with a fast, horizontal presentation lately and I plan to deploy that again tomorrow.
rascalP reply :
On 10/15/2017 at 7:35 AM, gimruis said:I've been doing pretty good lately, but I am targeting days with clouds and/or rain in the forecast too which seems to significantly increase success compared to those calm, sunny, bluebird days. I've got about one week left before I winterize my boat and then put it into storage.
Like gimruis said, the nice weather this past week was not good for bass fishing for me. I fished tuesday and thursday on different lakes. Water temp was 56 on Chisago and 58 on N. Center on Thursday. Tuesday we scratched up maybe a dozen bass throughout the day, but no biggins - 16" tops, however I did get my biggest pike of the year - a 12-15 lb broadback fatty - in the pads on a white swimjig. The pike have been on a tear this week.
Thursday I got a call from a buddy who wanted to know he and his son could join me and another buddy, so we went to N.Center to have the pannie option. A couple guys fished panfish while me and another threw for bass. You literally could not keep the pike from biting. My buddies son wanted to do some pickling, so we kept a half dozen 18"-22" pike.
If anybody wants some pike to eat or pickle, head to N.Center.
It looks like I'm heading up to Mille Lacs on monday and tuesday, but I think we'll skip the east side cause of the wind. The good thing about the real nice weather this past week is it kept the water temps up and that stretches out the late season. The lakes still have a good bite coming and the Croix will hold till Thanksgiving, even though you might have switch to minnows. Hoping to still get the boat wet in December this year.
Jmhalvo reply :
On 10/21/2017 at 12:44 PM, rascalP said:
Like gimruis said, the nice weather this past week was not good for bass fishing for me. I fished tuesday and thursday on different lakes. Water temp was 56 on Chisago and 58 on N. Center on Thursday. Tuesday we scratched up maybe a dozen bass throughout the day, but no biggins - 16" tops, however I did get my biggest pike of the year - a 12-15 lb broadback fatty - in the pads on a white swimjig. The pike have been on a tear this week.
Thursday I got a call from a buddy who wanted to know he and his son could join me and another buddy, so we went to N.Center to have the pannie option. A couple guys fished panfish while me and another threw for bass. You literally could not keep the pike from biting. My buddies son wanted to do some pickling, so we kept a half dozen 18"-22" pike.
If anybody wants some pike to eat or pickle, head to N.Center.
It looks like I'm heading up to Mille Lacs on monday and tuesday, but I think we'll skip the east side cause of the wind. The good thing about the real nice weather this past week is it kept the water temps up and that stretches out the late season. The lakes still have a good bite coming and the Croix will hold till Thanksgiving, even though you might have switch to minnows. Hoping to still get the boat wet in December this year.
What is your advice- when you say The lakes still have a good bite coming, what/when is the strategy? Thx
rascalP reply :
On 10/21/2017 at 10:13 PM, Jmhalvo said:What is your advice- when you say The lakes still have a good bite coming, what/when is the strategy? Thx
It depends on the water. This time of year I'm either on the river or 1 or 2 local lakes, so I can only speak for the patterns on those pieces of water. I do know that these lakes will have a shallow bite with water temps in the high 40's to low 50's. And they WILL hit moving baits. 70 percent of the time I will be throwing a swimbait or swimjig depending on weeds,pads, etc. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits will come into play, as will squarebill's and jerkbaits. If none of these work, then I will go to jig/trailer combo. Cover water. Look for baitfish/panfish activity. This is real important. Birds can be a tip off. Throw scattered shallow weeds in the mix and you're there.
Conditions make a difference - wind better than calm, cloudy or partly sunny better than sunny, rain if that's what I'm dealt. Gradual falling temps is better than a spike up. Bottom line : the best time to go fishing is whenever you can. It's not a for sure magic time, but it can be. What IS for sure is, ice is coming soon, so I jam as much open water fishing in as I can now.
I would be out right now if I didn't have to work in a few hours, but starting sun afternoon, I'll be out the rest of the week. Have fun, everyone.
Jmhalvo reply :
On 10/22/2017 at 12:01 AM, rascalP said:It depends on the water. This time of year I'm either on the river or 1 or 2 local lakes, so I can only speak for the patterns on those pieces of water. I do know that these lakes will have a shallow bite with water temps in the high 40's to low 50's. And they WILL hit moving baits. 70 percent of the time I will be throwing a swimbait or swimjig depending on weeds,pads, etc. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits will come into play, as will squarebill's and jerkbaits. If none of these work, then I will go to jig/trailer combo. Cover water. Look for baitfish/panfish activity. This is real important. Birds can be a tip off. Throw scattered shallow weeds in the mix and you're there.
Conditions make a difference - wind better than calm, cloudy or partly sunny better than sunny, rain if that's what I'm dealt. Gradual falling temps is better than a spike up. Bottom line : the best time to go fishing is whenever you can. It's not a for sure magic time, but it can be. What IS for sure is, ice is coming soon, so I jam as much open water fishing in as I can now.
I would be out right now if I didn't have to work in a few hours, but starting sun afternoon, I'll be out the rest of the week. Have fun, everyone.
Thanks!
gimruis reply :
On 10/21/2017 at 12:44 PM, rascalP said:The pike have been on a tear this week.
They've been on a tear since Labor Day! That pickled pike is pretty good stuff.
shimmy reply :
Went out last week during the good weather. I came in with high expectations and was amazed at how HARD the fishing was...The most my brother-in-law and I caught in one day was 11. A whole day of fishing and that was the most we managed in an outing. I really tried to force the jig and jerkbait but was amazed at how tough it was to produce, aside from my first day. Spinnerbait saved the day for me on several occasions. Will post pics later. The first day out was my best 5 fish day of the week by far, which was a 25+ limit, but after that, i don't think i cleared 23 pounds and on a few outings, we combined didnt clear the 15 pound mark. I caught no absolute giants and gave it my best. Brother in law caught a 6 lb 14 oz bass his last morning on Friday. It was early in the morning and i thought we would have an epic day. We only caught 6 more fish with the second biggest coming in at 4.6 lbs. Even with that giant, we didn't clear 20 pounds for top 5 that day. The fish came in at 22.5 inches. It was a huge bass. It was still a great trip and relaxing, which is what i needed. Water temps hit 49 one day earlier on, but steadied around 53.
geneoh reply :
Thats awesome for your brother-in-law, shimmy, that's a beast!
Jmhalvo reply :
Interesting how it was a tough week all over. River was great today, however. Giving up on lakes for awhile.
punch reply :
Gene took me out on his tracker this morning on some little lake near Buffalo. There was a tremendous amount of downed trees/wood on this lake. Water temps were mid 50's. We tried some stuff that didn't get too many bites, but then Gene started flipping the timber with a craw and started hammering them all day. Bass were up really shallow and right on the wood. Not a bad way to start the week!
OperationEagle reply :
Saw that white stuff flying this morning...is the (non-ice) season done boys? My fall was not productive...at all.
Very soon it will be time to switch species.
Thanks Punch for starting this thread for 2017. Probs my favorite forum to see what was working and what was not in local waters.
A few seasons ago I complained that MN had the weakest showing in these forums, especially when compared to the number of fishermen and bodies of water we have in our state. We've turned that around and its been awesome.
We are so lucky to have what we have in our beautiful state. Fun to share notes as we enjoy and explore it.
Jeff H reply :
Put my boat away last weekend. Got tired of the gators! I had good days and average days this fall, none bad unless you add in the gator bite. If I never caught another d**n gator it wouldn’t bother me a minute of my remaining days on this earth.????
looking forward to next season now.
gimruis reply :
I got into the pike thick this fall too Jeff lol. Some days they were pretty big, but most days they were the usual snakes that just annoy you and wreck tackle. One day I broke off two really big ones so I adapted and switched to a beefier setup with a leader and caught the next 3 - one being the biggest one I've caught in 11 years.
I winterized my boat and put it into storage earlier this week, and I'm glad I did. Last year it was super warm into November, but most years that aint happening. I got some hunting to do now anyways. Good luck to those that are still brave enough to fight mother nature. I don't ice drink anymore so my next showing won't be until April 2018.
On a personal note, I did manage to finally end a 16 year muskie drought. I broke through with 8 this season.
Jeff H reply :
Yup, time to do a little hunting and work on the truck now.
FryDog62 reply :
Had a death in the family and the last few weeks have been a real bummer. Haven’t kept track of fishing or water temps in the Metro area at all. Don’t know if I’ll get out this week or weekend. Feel like I should to get over my brother’s passing - if the weather is tolerable. I don’t hunt or ice fish so this could be my last shot for awhile...
Anyone have current water temps for either metro area lakes or rivers?? Am I too late for bass? Could try muskie too but big sucker minnows are probably getting hard to find...
Thanks guys - -
punch reply :
On 10/31/2017 at 1:27 AM, FryDog62 said:Had a death in the family and the last few weeks have been a real bummer. Haven’t kept track of fishing or water temps in the Metro area at all. Don’t know if I’ll get out this week or weekend. Feel like I should to get over my brother’s passing - if the weather is tolerable. I don’t hunt or ice fish so this could be my last shot for awhile...
Anyone have current water temps for either metro area lakes or rivers?? Am I too late for bass? Could try muskie too but big sucker minnows are probably getting hard to find...
Thanks guys - -
Sorry to hear that Frydog.
I was out on a metro lake yesterday and the water temps were around 45. Bass were biting, especially on finesse stuff. Got some nice bites on a spinnerbait too. Fishing is still on as far as I'm concerned.
geneoh reply :
Water temp was 48 at Johanna today. We still have a few weeks left I'd guess.
With that water in the 40's what do you guys like to throw?
I'm still trying to figure out how I want to fish late fall. I've had some success with a jerkbait, jig. I might try to go more finesse the remaining weeks.
rascalP reply :
On 10/31/2017 at 1:27 AM, FryDog62 said:Had a death in the family and the last few weeks have been a real bummer. Haven’t kept track of fishing or water temps in the Metro area at all. Don’t know if I’ll get out this week or weekend. Feel like I should to get over my brother’s passing - if the weather is tolerable. I don’t hunt or ice fish so this could be my last shot for awhile...
Anyone have current water temps for either metro area lakes or rivers?? Am I too late for bass? Could try muskie too but big sucker minnows are probably getting hard to find...
Thanks guys - -
Sorry to hear, Frydog, that's tough.
I plan to fish tomorrow and thursday. I will put the boat in until ice up even if fishing is reeeally, reeeally slow. If the fish aren't biting, then I'm scouting weedbeds for ice fishing. Plus, I figure weeds that are still healthy now are some real good weeds year round and I'll know where they are when they are surrounded by pondweed.
I'll be sticking with swimbaits worked slow, swimjigs, and chatterbaits. Jerkbaits and squarebills worked real slow and finally maybe a small tube if nothing else is working.
On another note, a buddy and I were up to Mille Lacs last week and it was tough. The wind blew hard for 3 days and we only managed to fish the big pond Mon morn with nothing to show, so we pulled and went to Borden. First time on this lake, and we managed to catch maybe 10 that afternoon, with 16" being the biggest. Swimjig, shallow got most fish.
Sunday afternoon we fished Round and got 1 smallie each - a 20" and a 17". The big one came on a spinnerbait and the other on a jerkbait. A few small largies and a couple pike rounded it out. All fish came from wind blown reeds. All 3 bodies of water were right around 53 degrees. Tuesday we threw in the towel and came home without even fishing.
Fry, take advantage of the few nice days that will come before ice up and spend some quiet time with your brother.
FryDog62 reply :
Thanks rascal, appreciate the update on water temps, Fishing,etc since I lost touch. I’ll be watching the weather and am hopeful to get back out again. Best, -Fry
OperationEagle reply :
On 10/31/2017 at 1:27 AM, FryDog62 said:Had a death in the family and the last few weeks have been a real bummer. Haven’t kept track of fishing or water temps in the Metro area at all. Don’t know if I’ll get out this week or weekend. Feel like I should to get over my brother’s passing - if the weather is tolerable. I don’t hunt or ice fish so this could be my last shot for awhile...
Anyone have current water temps for either metro area lakes or rivers?? Am I too late for bass? Could try muskie too but big sucker minnows are probably getting hard to find...
Thanks guys - -
Hey frydog so sorry to hear about your loss. Must have been unexpected as you look young enough.
Sunday looks warmer but rain is forecasted. Might be one of the last days above 50.
FryDog62 reply :
On 10/31/2017 at 11:09 AM, OperationEagle said:Hey frydog so sorry to hear about your loss. Must have been unexpected as you look young enough.
Sunday looks warmer but rain is forecasted. Might be one of the last days above 50.
Thanks, it was very unexpected. Younger than me, a special needs guy. Out of the blue, he had a massive stroke and just like that is gone. Count your blessings everyone, life is good but can be short.
Sunday does look a little warmer - and if it isn’t raining too hard or windy will try to get out. Thx again everyone...
punch reply :
On 10/31/2017 at 9:12 PM, FryDog62 said:Thanks, it was very unexpected. Younger than me, a special needs guy. Out of the blue, he had a massive stroke and just like that is gone. Count your blessings everyone, life is good but can be short.
Sunday does look a little warmer - and if it isn’t raining too hard or windy will try to get out. Thx again everyone...
Thinking Rum ?
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/2/2017 at 10:22 AM, punch said:Thinking Rum ?
Good question... I think they draw the water levels down on the Rum now after the Halloween parade in Anoka. I actually was on the water 4 years ago when this happened... Lake Commandos was filming a show and we were the last 2 boats off the water that day as the water levels went way down. Was barely able to get back to the dock and on the trailer! That being said, the water temps were about perfect and we were all catching fish (I think they filmed a really good show).
Probably best to call the city of Anoka and check when the draw down is. If it’s this week, I would probably choose a metro lake with a decent ramp. When it’s 40 degrees, it’s good to know you’re going to make it back safely to the ramp...
Watching the weather now, not sure there’s going to be a good day again to go fishing but I’m going to try anyway!
rascalP reply :
On 11/2/2017 at 11:06 AM, FryDog62 said:Lake Commandos was filming a show and we were the last 2 boats off the water that day as the water levels went way down. Was barely able to get back to the dock and on the trailer! That being said, the water temps were about perfect and we were all catching fish (I think they filmed a really good show).
I saw that show. Been meaning to fish there, but being so close to the upper croix, thats where we go to scratch the fall, river, smallmouth itch. We fished it last wednesday and did ok.
I meant to fish Green lake monday, but after I dropped the boat in the water, my motor said "no thanks". I forgot to switch off my gps reciever, and a run down battery has a hard time starting a cold motor. So, I got back out there today from noon to 5. Water temps in the back bays were 38 degrees and nothing going. I moved to the big weed hump separating the bays from the main lake where the water temps were 41-42. Big difference and the fish were there. I caught 8 bass, only one under 15". No slonch donkeys but a couple of 18 inchers made for a good day. 4 baits got the fish and all came from 5-7 fow. A husky-jerk baby bass color got 3, and KVD squarebill crawled through the weeds, swimjig, and a swimbait got the rest. I was surprised I only got a couple pike, both on the squarebill. I gotta tell you, if you haven't fished these KVD 1.5 squarebill's, I have found no other crankbait for fishing weeds better than these. They snake through the weeds without hanging up, and they absolutely catch fish.
The forcast doesn't show any warm up, but I don't think we'll be making ice either, so we'll see what happens next week.
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/3/2017 at 11:18 AM, rascalP said:I saw that show. Been meaning to fish there, but being so close to the upper croix, thats where we go to scratch the fall, river, smallmouth itch. We fished it last wednesday and did ok.
I meant to fish Green lake monday, but after I dropped the boat in the water, my motor said "no thanks". I forgot to switch off my gps reciever, and a run down battery has a hard time starting a cold motor. So, I got back out there today from noon to 5. Water temps in the back bays were 38 degrees and nothing going. I moved to the big weed hump separating the bays from the main lake where the water temps were 41-42. Big difference and the fish were there. I caught 8 bass, only one under 15". No slonch donkeys but a couple of 18 inchers made for a good day. 4 baits got the fish and all came from 5-7 fow. A husky-jerk baby bass color got 3, and KVD squarebill crawled through the weeds, swimjig, and a swimbait got the rest. I was surprised I only got a couple pike, both on the squarebill. I gotta tell you, if you haven't fished these KVD 1.5 squarebill's, I have found no other crankbait for fishing weeds better than these. They snake through the weeds without hanging up, and they absolutely catch fish.
The forcast doesn't show any warm up, but I don't think we'll be making ice either, so we'll see what happens next week.
Great report, still hoping to get out this weekend. Yeah, all of a sudden 42 degree air temps sound good! It’s all relative I guess...
Was expecting a pike fest but that’s encouraging you’re still finding the bass. I’m going to try anyway!!
punch reply :
KVD 1.5 is one of my favorite shallow baits! Great for pond fishing too.
@FryDog62 the water on Rum is WAY high right now. Drove past it this afternoon.
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/4/2017 at 3:05 AM, punch said:KVD 1.5 is one of my favorite shallow baits! Great for pond fishing too.
@FryDog62 the water on Rum is WAY high right now. Drove past it this afternoon.
Hard to choose... but have never fished the Rum this late. They must be “pulling the cork” soon...
Man, the weather just isn’t showing a break. Normal highs now are 50... doesn’t look like we’ll hit that again until April right now - -
FryDog62 reply :
Well I probably should have opted for the Rum. Instead went to a West Metro Lake hoping to find some still green weeds with fish in them. Cooooold, 31 degrees and line freezing in the guides. A couple of 15 inch LMB and a 4 lb pike in 4 hours.
But at least I got out after a 5 week layoff... may go once more if temps get back into the 40’s as predicted next week. Or maybe some muskies? We’ll see - -
geneoh reply :
Went out yesterday. Like frydog said, 30 degree air temp meant every 10 minutes cleaning the guides from ice. WT was 38-39. Thin layers of floating surface ice around. My wife thinks I'm insane.
I was out for 5 hours, caught 7-8 all on a finesse jig except one on a underspin. Largest was 3.5lbs. The bites were liiiiiiight.
One thing i found out, diawa tatula reels with the TWS design are great in the winter, frozen braid can move freely. My one three fishing concepts not so much.
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/7/2017 at 10:45 PM, geneoh said:One thing i found out, diawa tatula reels with the TWS design are great in the winter, frozen braid can move freely. My one three fishing concepts not so much.
Funny thing, I used three rods yesterday but was down to 2 after about 15 minutes ... and they were both TWS.. the other was a hunk of metal and plastic with a sno cone shaving on it..
shimmy reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 12:17 PM, geneoh said:Couldn't get out this weekend but got out for a few hours this afternoon. It was cold but water temps still 61. I didn't catch many, I had to make an adjustment from a jig to a smaller profile t-rig to get big bites. It worked though, I got the biggest bite of my life! One of my goals this year was to get a 6lber. I finally got it today with a 6.28lb toad. I've been fishing for big bites lately and its been paying off. Jigs, Texas rigs basically all of the time. Once the water temps get lower I'll change things up but this has been working really well for me.
Not sure how i missed this, but WOW!!! Great job man. What a monster out there. Texas rig as well i might add. Good for you. Very well deserved. 6 pounder under 21 inches is a pretty fat fish. Congrats on a 6+ fish. Very hard to do in MN.
rascalP reply :
Got out tuesday and wednesday and it was tough. Went to 2 different lakes and only got 1 fish. Water temps were 40 on one lake where I fished and the warmest I could find on the other was 38. Short day the second day - no fish by 2 , and my buddy had to cut out and I still have some outside work at home, so we pulled the plug. That will do it for lakes for me this year, but I still hope to get on the river next wednesday. After that it's bass through the ice.
Tight lines everybody!
punch reply :
Guess I gotta dig out the ice gear..
*side note: Me and my buddy got accepted into the Wednesday night Greenhorn league! @rascalP don't beat up on us too bad!
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/11/2017 at 12:13 AM, punch said:Guess I gotta dig out the ice gear..
*side note: Me and my buddy got accepted into the Wednesday night Greenhorn league! @rascalP don't beat up on us too bad!
Hey, middle of next week might hit 50 degrees - maybe don’t throw the towel in quite yet!
NathanDLTH reply :
Wow!
punch reply :
People are up fishing the river in Monticello and catching a lot of smallies wading. Apparently the bite was great this weekend.
rascalP reply :
On 11/11/2017 at 12:13 AM, punch said:Guess I gotta dig out the ice gear..
*side note: Me and my buddy got accepted into the Wednesday night Greenhorn league! @rascalP don't beat up on us too bad!
I'm sure you'll hold your own just fine, punch. We're generally a middle of the pack team, getting a few fortunate bites on occasion. I'll have to get down to Coon Rapids dam early next year and try and figure something out. New water for me and I don't know if the league has fished it.
I still haven't thrown in the towel, but I've pulled it out of my pocket. Not fishing tomorrow, but we'll see about next wednesday. Lots to catch up on at home.
punch reply :
@geneoh and I wacked some Smallies on the Mississippi yesterday up in Monticello. They were stacked up as we would catch several fish out of the same holes. I was getting a lot of bites on a DT6 and Gene did really well with a football swing jig and a craw. Water was like 47 degrees. We were out on his boat, but i'm guessing that'll be it for boat use this year. Still a lot of opportunity for wading.
rascalP reply :
On 11/16/2017 at 2:03 AM, punch said:@geneoh and I wacked some Smallies on the Mississippi yesterday up in Monticello. They were stacked up as we would catch several fish out of the same holes. I was getting a lot of bites on a DT6 and Gene did really well with a football swing jig and a craw. Water was like 47 degrees. We were out on his boat, but i'm guessing that'll be it for boat use this year. Still a lot of opportunity for wading.
We did the wading thing a few years ago. Was it crowded? Did you fish above or below the bridge?
BTW, if geneoh is your partner in the GH next year, then you guys better take it easy on us.
punch reply :
On 11/16/2017 at 9:55 AM, rascalP said:We did the wading thing a few years ago. Was it crowded? Did you fish above or below the bridge?
BTW, if geneoh is your partner in the GH next year, then you guys better take it easy on us.
It was pretty dead, a couple waders and one other boat. We were above the bridge I believe.
Gene isn't my partner at GH, I'm fishing with my buddy Josh.
Jeff H reply :
You'd be surprised how hard core some of the winter rats are. I've known guys to chisel out the ramp area to get to open water and fished with one guy who'd use his boat to break ice away from favorite spots. I love to fish but i'm not going to spend hours breaking and moving ice. To witness such passion is awesome though.
geneoh reply :
I brought a shovel and my waders to the boat launch the other day to break ice at the ramp but just ended up going to the river instead 
FryDog62 reply :
50 degrees today... I knew I winterized too soon. I guess I could go out on trolling motor only.. no wind today anyway - -
punch reply :
On 11/20/2017 at 10:40 PM, FryDog62 said:50 degrees today... I knew I winterized too soon. I guess I could go out on trolling motor only.. no wind today anyway - -
Right? I'm jelly of people who are out today. Weather looks good.
Side note - if any of you locals are looking, i'm selling a Dobyn's Fury 703C MH rod.
NathanDLTH reply :
How did everyone do for Black Friday sales?? I don’t ice fish but man everyone is selling ice gear locally. I might grow my rod/reel collection some more lol! This is a problem lol!
geneoh reply :
On 11/26/2017 at 12:32 PM, NathanDLTH said:How did everyone do for Black Friday sales?? I don’t ice fish but man everyone is selling ice gear locally. I might grow my rod/reel collection some more lol! This is a problem lol!
I bought my Christmas gift to my self. Dobyns champion extreme HP 784 jig rod from TW. Pretty stoked about it!
punch reply :
On 11/27/2017 at 4:00 AM, geneoh said:I bought my Christmas gift to my self. Dobyns champion extreme HP 784 jig rod from TW. Pretty stoked about it!
TREAT YO SELF!
I did some damage myself..
-Picked up 3 croix legend tournament casting rods from Thorne Brothers at 50% off. Couldn't help myself.
-Swim senko kit off amazon for 14 bucks
-Order from the big fish tackle shop with some heardheads, swimbaits, new strike king comeback jigs, and some DT6's
-$40 president LE spinning reel from cabela's then a $100 13 Envy 7'1 medium to pair it up with (yet another Finesse rod). Might have to toss some SUPER light line on this and use it for walleye fishing & Hair jigs
I gotta sell some shiz now.. anyone looking for some Tatula CT reels HIT ME UP!
OperationEagle reply :
Got you all beat...I bought a Helix 10 SI Mega to replace my Helix 7SI for my console unit.
Found a price I couldn't refuse and bit the bullet.
Bought some Rage Craws, and Menaces to try this coming season.
In case anyone is interested...I have a perfectly clean Helix 7SI available. Has an upgraded transducer.
gimruis reply :
Haha, good one Eagle. St Croix is having a cyber sale this week if anyone is interested. Some of their rods are up to 50% off and they all come with free shipping.
FryDog62 reply :
Picked up Panoptix PS22 transducer to go with my 1042xsv... “a drop-shotting video game at its finest!”
geneoh reply :
Looking back at the year, did you guys reach your goals?
Punch asked what techniques were we going to try and what we going to try to improve this year.
My goals were to learn my graphs and get confidence with soft plastics, mainly dropshotting. I ended up switching graphs in the middle of the year but I have started to pick up on them. So much more confidence in what I'm seeing. I still have a long ways to go with them. I picked up dropshotting fairly well, mostly in shallow water 5-15ft is where I liked fishing the technique. Didn't try really anything deeper or any video game style, maybe next year. I really took a liking to flipping jigs/punch rigs/texas rigged beavers. I caught my largest bass this way. Found it to be my favorite way to fish as well.
Other goals I accomplished - Caught a 6lber, and never got skunked in my boat.
NathanDLTH reply :
For me , finesse so wacky worms and tubes however tubes for smallies isn’t fair really. Never threw my big glide baits this year, was always afraid of a pike biting me off, well as it would have it snapped the line on my s-waver late fall. Jumped in the waders but never found it. Got multiple 4s this year and high 3s but no 5s.
My best bass was my last, swimbait at a little local lake in Roseville super pressured. Couple was taking engagement photos and I walked in on the bank late October afternoon. Started pitching out to the right of me, looked left for a second to see a bass jump straight out of the water. Reeled my swimbait in, fired off in the direction of the fish and almost immediately got hammered. I was hootin’ and hollerin’ and boy did that fish fight. Wish I could get a picture up.
I made a big order from TW to prepare for next summer. Going to dedicate more time to glide baits and walking baits.
punch reply :
I was really hoping to dial in spybaits this year, but I didn't.. only caught dinks on them. Nothing quality.
I did tend to finesse fish a LOT this year. Previous years I leaned more on a combo of cranks/jerkabits/topwater/texas rigs but this year I found myself picking up spinning tackle a quite a bit. That's partly because I got two spinning rods that i'm smitten with.. a 7' medium steez and a 7' medium light tatula elite dropshot rod. I used them a TON this year. I feel i'm super proficient with a dropshot now and I really got good at neds, neko rigs, and wacky worms. I think I caught most of my best fish this year on either a ned or dropshot.
I'm such a fan of the swimjig now I got a whole rod/reel combo JUST for tossing it next year. Going to be my primary searchbait for the foreseable future.
Next season I need to go back to the heavy stuff and start flipping again. I've gotten away from it the last few years and I need to gain my confidence back.
Side note, did anyone else have a really bad frog bite this year on metro lakes? I did and the other anglers i've talked to didn't have any amazing "frog days" either. I'm wondering if fish are getting kinda used to them at this point.
gimruis reply :
On 12/12/2017 at 1:56 AM, punch said:Side note, did anyone else have a really bad frog bite this year on metro lakes? I did and the other anglers i've talked to didn't have any amazing "frog days" either. I'm wondering if fish are getting kinda used to them at this point.
I keep a frog setup handy every time I go out and give it at least a chance every time I see "froggy looking habitat." I can't remember the last time it worked. They literally will not even HIT it. Simply not effective anymore, which is too bad because I really enjoy frog fishing.
FryDog62 reply :
Speaking of frogs... anyone see the video that Glenn posted with Randy Howell on the new Freddy B frog from Livingston? It makes sound... maybe that will be something new/different for the frog bite next year??
NathanDLTH reply :
Every year, it will never end. Always something new.
rascalP reply :
First couple of bass of the ice season. Out on Chisago today and got a 16" and a 17" on a tungsten jig and plastic combo. 11 ft of water - they're hangin with the sunnies. 3lb test and a pannie rod - it's a riot.
punch reply :
Nice! I got out on the ice last Friday and hammered some crappies on the new "brand that can't be named" ice tackle. Hopefully get out some more this week.
I don't LOVE ice fishing, but it's something to do. I've gotten more serious about it in the last few years.
@rascalP we should hit some hard water sometime. You got a shelter?
gimruis reply :
Hey Punch I finally made it to Thorne Bros the other day in Blaine. That place is awesome. I've never seen so many muskie lures in my life. Some of those things are just ridiculous.
rascalP reply :
On 12/26/2017 at 8:58 AM, punch said:Nice!
@rascalP we should hit some hard water sometime. You got a shelter?
Punch, yeah, I got 3 portables. A 2 man otter that doesn't get used much - once or twice every few years when we go on a group trip, my 1 man trap, and a eskimo pop up that we use once in a while for base camp. But I prefer to fish outside. I really like to hole hop and move around, so the most portable is no portable. Even today, with no wind, it was pretty tolerable fishing outside. It would be great to get together, but weekends are tough. I work every fri/sat afternoon/eve and sunday day. My weekend is wednesday, so weekday afternoons and wednesdays are when I get out. If that ever works, let me know. I can put you on some fish in Chisago area.
Today was tough for bass. I was blanked, but my buddies son got a nice one.
Jmhalvo reply :
I learned that big skirted jigs that are Texas rigged and therefore very weedless work much better than I ever knew. Became my go to. I learned that I should have had much heavier jigs in the past years. So many more big bites. I still did Great on my previous standby: 4 in tube for LM and 3 in for SM. I also discovered the Whopper Hopper which has been fantastic. Frogging was such a waste of time! Glad to hear it wasn’t just me.
still struggling with drop shot. No confidence.
Just over 100 days.....
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