Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

July 13, 2007

ANNANDALE - B.J.’s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses (320-274-3730) The northerns are biting really well out in 10-15 feet of water on sucker minnows, bobber fishing. There’s been a little slow up on the walleyes, guys have been using more crawlers now out in about 15-20 feet of water off the weedlines Lindy rigging more then anything else. The sunnies are in that 5-10 foot range off the weedlines anytime of the day, crappies are more up in the weedlines now, 5-10 feet of water towards sunset… bass hitting really good, pretty much anything in front of their face, spinner baits, plastic worms.

ANOKA – Action’s Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10 (763-422-4890) Call Jack!

BATTLE LAKE – Ben’s Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) The bass and northerns are biting pretty much everywhere. The northerns have been good on Clitheral, Ottertail and W. Battle and the bass have been good on Eagle and Dead Lakes. For walleyes, try Clitheral in the early morning or late evenings in 20 to 25 feet of water on leeches. Ottertail has been good in the early morning in 8 to 14 feet of water and in the evenings out in 25 to 30 feet of water on crawlers and redtails. W. Battle has been good in 18 to 25 feet of water in the evenings on leeches and crawlers. Rush and Big Pine have also been some good walleye lakes lately, out in 18 to 24 feet of water on leeches or crawlers. The muskies on W. Battle are getting a little more active and guys are seeing some while casting on the first breaks in 16 to 20 feet of water with big sucker minnows. The sunnies are biting on Deer, Dead, Anna, Norway and some nice ones on Battle in about 13 to 17 feet of water on leeches or crawlers.

BEMIDJI – Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection (218-444-2248) The walleyes are hitting their midsummer doldrums… pulling a crawler on a rig is your best bet, moving along and covering some territory. We’ve been hearing a few better crank reports after dark. The muskie action is heating up for the area muskie lakes, there have been some good reports coming in, including a 53” off Bemidji. Bluegills are biting; try Midge or Grant Lakes, or maybe Pinebush as a sleeper lake.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd (218-835-4636) We still are having a pretty good walleye bite for the summer. Definitely in their summer patterns now and guys are having the best success with Lindy rigs and crawlers or leeches in about 8 to 12 feet of water. You’ve got to put a little time in now, but anglers are still getting limits. The panfish are biting well, Pimusch and Rabideau are a few and the crappies are biting on Gilstad.

BRAINERD – www.sandwbait.com & www.walleyedan.com - S&W Bait and Tackle - Home of Walleye Dan's Guide Service, 7 1/2 miles North of Brainerd on the East side of Hwy 371 (218-829-7010) On Gull and Whitefish, we are using leeches and red tails on a Lindy Rig. Crawlers, minnows and leeches are working on Mille Lacs. It seems like it's getting tougher to catch "keepers" over on Mille Lacs, but there are a lot of big mommas to be had which makes things pretty darn fun. Call us if you would like to book a guided trip.

CHISAGO CITY – Frankie’s Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and Co Rd 77 (651-257-6334)There is a great panfish bite going on, last weekend into this past week. The crappies are in about 14 to 16 feet of water, suspended. The bass fishing is phenomenal on Chisago and S. Lindstrom. A reminder though that bass over 12 inches must be released on Chisago. The catfish are biting on the St. Croix in the evenings, starting at about 5 pm and going all night. The walleye bite has slowed a bit, look for them in the deeper water on those gravel to mud transition lines. But overall the fishing has been better then average.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Hope everyone had a great 4th! We had a busy weekend here, and the reports were coming in steady. Walleye fishermen on Rabbit, Pelican and the Mississippi River enjoyed decent fishing, especially in the early morning hours before the boat traffic started. A few fish have been caught on Whitefish as well, mostly on cranks in deep water. Crappie fishermen had a pretty decent weekend as well, catching fish on lakes such as Perry, Blackhoof, Mary and Clearwater, with the bigger fish being caught in 14-20 feet of water in the evening hours. Bluegills were very active on Perry, Nokay and Blackhoof in around 7-10 feet throughout the day. Bass have been going strong around the docks and weed-lines alike, with the best fishing between 9 am and 4 pm on plastics, pig-n-jig combos and cranks. Trout fishing continues to be good overall, with anglers catching limits of fish in the early morning hours from Pennington, Huntington and Manuel. During the day, fishermen have been catching fish consistently jigging Puddle Jumpers tipped with a wax worm or jigging spoons tipped with PowerBait.

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) The walleyes are still biting on Whitefish and Cross out in about 24 to 28 feet of water. Low light times are the best, early mornings and late evenings. Anglers are starting to troll over deeper water with rapalas and deep water cranks. The bass are active in the shallow, weedy areas. And the panfish are suspended in 12-18 feet of water off the points.

DULUTH - Fisherman’s Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53 (218-729-5369) The big thing right now is the walleye bite on Island Lake, using minnows and a slip bobber on the humps. Fish Lake has also been good working 8 to 10 feet of water on the weed edges with crawlers, plain hooks, beads. There have been good bass reports from Caribou Lake working the outside weedline in about 8 feet of water, leeches and plastic worms. Laura, Murphy and Nichols Lakes have been good too. Big smallies are biting on the St. Louis River, up to 20, 21 inch fish are being caught up in the stumps. The walleyes are still biting by barker’s area; a lot have gone out to south shore. Lake Superior has been good, spoons and a slower troll, mostly 80 to 115 foot range right now.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior (218-724-8833) Lots of guys out fishing muskies right now in the St. Louis River using top water baits, bucktails, and bright colors are working better in the stained water, something with a little flash. The walleye fishing has been good along the south shore with a lot of good sized fish being caught. The salmon are moving up the north shoreline and fishermen are having success with stick baits fishing the temperature breaks. The summer pattern for lake trout is kicking in, spoons are working great, and orange has been the best color so far this year, 40 to 80 feet down right now.

ELY - Babe's Bait and Tackle, 451 W. Sheridan St., Ely, MN, first business on the left as you are entering town of Ely from the west on Hwy 169 (218-365-6930) Call us for a report! Best advice is to stop in at Babes when you first arrive in Ely and we'll give you a current update. We've become quite a gathering place for the more successful anglers and tips and tricks are readily offered.

FOREST LAKE - Mike's Bait on 8, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8, Rich, (651-464-5150) For panfish, the sunnies are still up fairly shallow and the crappies are out in 15 to 16 feet of water on the weed edge. The muskies are starting to bite well. The northerns are also hitting, try Sunrise Lake for a good bite. The bass are biting all over; Green Lake has been a good spot. For walleyes, the bite has been deep on N. Center and on Clear Lake out in 20 to 25 feet of water.

GREY EAGLE - Nancy’s Bait & Tackle, Rex, on CR 2, four miles east of the Rock Tavern on Big Birch Lake, four miles west of Upsala (320-285-2405)Long Lake by the Hub Super Club has been giving up some nice sunfish ½ pound and up. Also, the sunnies and crappies are biting on Big Swan and Moose Lakes. The panfish bite has been good in general. Little Birch has still been good for walleyes, biting on minnows and leeches. They are not that big (12 to 16 inches) but it’s been a good bite in 9 to 10 feet of water. On Big Birch the walleyes have moved deeper, they are in about 20 to 30 feet of water. There are also a lot of bass and northerns being caught on Big Birch too. The bass bite continues to be well on most other area lakes. We have gold and silver shiners and a good supply of all other baits and a variety of leech sizes.

HACKENSACK - Swanson’s Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack (218-675-6176) Crappies are still the hot ticket. A lot of fish 10-12 inches were caught the past few days. They are deep, 22-30 feet of water suspending anywhere from 4-10 feet off the bottom. Birch Lake has been the best spot with Webb Lake close behind. Pleasant Lake gave up a few crappies but they have been small. The sunfish are going crazy out there though. I heard of a bunch of nice sized sunfish getting caught this afternoon. They were in 12 feet of water fishing with small leeches on a plain hook under a bobber. Muskies have become a little more active in the past few days. Fish on Baby Lake are hanging out in the reeds eager to follow your lure. Most are not striking but willing to show themselves. My best recommendation for catching a muskie would be to throw small lures and spinnerbaits, as though you were bass fishing. Most of the fish that have been boated have gone for bass and walleye tackle. Walleyes are slowing a little as the water is warming up; Ten Mile and Birch Lake have produced a few on nightcrawlers and leeches. Use a spinner rig in 24-28 feet of water. They can also be found in 12-18 feet with a jig and leech, look for the cabbage weeds. This is also a good time of year to stay our late in the boat with a lighted slip bobber. Fish a small jig and leech under the bobber over a rock pile or bed of cabbage weeds. Ten Mile, Woman and Pleasant Lakes are all good spots to try this.

KABETOGAMA-NAMAKAN – Gateway Store, US Hwy 53 & CO Rd 122, 30 miles south of Int’l Falls-Canadian border, Phil Hart (218-875-2121) Mayflies are gone, what’s next? Hot weather has taken command of conversation - leading to where are the fish? Anglers are again reporting pretty good bites from walleyes. The eyes have now moved onto the reefs and reef edges, favoring rack, rubble and gravel bottoms. Crawlers or leeches are the top vote getters for bait choices. Either bait will work well if you have the proper presentation at the right time. Early mornings and late afternoons favor the walleye action; whereas mid-day favors the smallmouth bite. Northern pike are in and out of the deep water near the weed beds or weedy bays. Mid-Kabetogama and Namakan now offer the better depths and bottoms for walleyes. Using slip sinker rigs at 25-30’ should provide some harvest-size fish. Namakan, with great break-lines, offer anglers excellent opportunities for the use of artificial lures. Smallmouth are steadily after crayfish lures and spinner baits. Rocky shores and rock piles are to their liking. Northern pike lurching deeper waters near weed lines provide some success using stick baits and jerk baits; but anglers report the big girls are mostly deeper. Blueberries are abundant and a great activity to supplement your fishing. Water temps are great for water activities; a great time of year for a national park visit.

LAKE OF THE WOODS – Area Tourism Bureau, Denelle, near junction of Hwy 11 and Hwy 172 in Baudette (1-800-382-FISH) We’ve had great weather here at Lake of the Woods, and some great fishing to go along with the sunny days. The water temperature is currently at 74 degrees and the fish are on the move to deeper water, depths of 28-32 feet have produced some nice results. We’re starting to see more anglers down rigging with success. The mud flats and reefs have been giving up nice walleye, along with some sauger. Anchored and jigging, or drifting with spinners using a minnow or crawler has been working well for most anglers. Sturgeon season is open, and the Rainy River has been giving up some beautiful fish. One lucky angler spent an hour and a half reeling in a 60 inch monster. The sturgeon have been very active, what a great site to see one of these pre-historic monsters breach the water. The river is also starting to give up some nice walleye, 14-17 feet of water using a sucker minnow has been successful. Muskie season is in full swing at the Northwest Angle and Islands! The walleye bite has also been great around Little Oak, Big Oak, and Four Blocks. Huge numbers of fish are being caught, and with the weather being so beautiful it’s a great time to enjoy Lake of the Woods and all it has to offer.

LEECH LAKE – Anderson’s Resorts, Tim (1-800-516-0077) Big perch being caught off of Bear island Limits of 14 to 15 inches. Walleyes still going strong Camballes, Fletchers and Monkey reefs, east side of Steamboat Bay in the river channel and Sand Point. Many reports of muskies being caught in Walker Narrows and Agency Bay, couple over 50 inches. Panfish have really turned on in all the bays. Bass is also going strong in Boy Bay and Steamboat Bay. Pressure is way down with lots of people jet skiing and tubing so now's a great time to fish Leech Lake.

METRO AREA EAST – Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Josh, Oakdale (651-777-2421) The bass and northern action continues to be good on Forest, Big Marine and Big Carnelian. The sunnies are biting really well on Peltier and Little Lake by S. Lindstrom, but you have to sort through them. Some reports of a few nice crappies coming off of Bald Eagle. The muskies are really starting to turn on. Try Bald Eagle, White Bear and Forest Lakes.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk's Guide Service, Chris Kuduk (320-630-1761) The day bite has tapered off a bit, but the night bite is still going strong out on the mud in the evening’s bobber fishing. Keep in mind the recently changed slot limit is now 14-16 inches and one over 28”. The smallmouth bass are biting in the channels and along the shoreline on the rocks.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Malmo Market, Lynwood Elliott, State Hwy 47 and 18 East, NE corner of Mille Lacs (320-684-2295) Mille Lacs mud flat fishing has started. Most anglers have transitioned to the flats and are doing well. This is a fun and easy way to fish that you can only do on Mille Lacs. New affordable technology makes finding the flats easy (mapping chips). No snags or weeds, every bump is a fish. Locators work great, the large flats make for easy uncontested drifting or trolling. There are 2 popular fishing styles for the mud. Trolling deep diving crankbaits tied to fireline or splicing in sections of leadcore line allows you the ability to fish smaller crankbaits. Trolling the outer edge of the mud working on and off the flat works well. The other method is drifting the top and edges with long lined Lindy rigs. (6'-12') larger weights or bottom bouncers are required because of the depth. If you've never fished the mud flats you need to plan a trip. Flat fishing lasts thru the summer and is a fun way for the whole family to fish. Most of the flats hold fish. Stop in and we'll put you on the most active flats.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Johnson's Portside, Kelly or Steve, 1 mile north of Isle on Hwy 47 SE side of the lake (320-676-3811) If you’re looking to come upand want the big picture fish, head to the gravel and mud, or if you want dinner head shallower for the rocks, deep gravel and mud. Try Lindy rigging at a slow pace using a large crawler or leech, you can even start pulling some deep diving crankbaits. The shallow rocks (8'-12') in the evening will fair best using a slip-float and a leech. Remember the night ban is off so stay out as long as you wish. Smallmouth reports trickle in here and there, mostly from the "caught by accident-man what a fight" anglers. It is the time of year to after the bronze-backs, the state record is swimming and ready to enter the books. Muskie action has not been on our radar yet, we are starting to see a few "throwers" but they always seem to keep the secrets and never report in.

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) What can we say… the lake was full of boaters last week over the 4th. But the few that did get out had some good fishing. The fish are out in the sparse weeds on the bottom, the northerns, bass and sunnies are biting great in 10 to 15 feet of water among them. Look for the little openings in the weeds and target those areas.

LAKE MINNETONKA – Minnetonka Outdoors, Gary or Gregg, south frontage road to Hwy 7 between Vine Hill Rd & Old Market Blvd in Shorewood (952-470-8800) Trolling deep and fast should be the ticket for muskie action. Crappies and panfish are on the deeper weed edges. The walleye bite has slowed down again, they seems to be laying low and deep, time of day seems to be the factor. Leeches seem to be the bait of choice or fat heads.

NISSWA - Dave’s Sportland Bait & Tackle, Jason, 2 miles south of Nisswa at the Intersection of Hwy 371 and Cty Rd 77, next to Schaefer’s Foods (218-963-2401) We are seeing some tremendous summertime fishing right the bass fishing is outstanding on most of our lakes. We've been fishing mushroom head jigs and Gulp plastic worms. Pitching up along the deep weedlines and fishing back fairly slow has been very productive. Casting Rapala DTs is also been producing some nice largemouths. Any lake you want to try should be good for bass. The pike fishing has been absolutely awesome over the last 10 days or so. Slow trolling a spinner rig tipped with a sucker minnow has been nailing lots of pike including some real trophies. The Whitefish Chain has been very good for big pike. The walleyes have been a little slower. But there is still some activity on Whitefish along the weedlines in 15-20 feet of water. They are a little inconsistent and seems like the bait of the day keeps changing from redtails to nightcrawlers to leeches. I guess just take a little of each and see what happens. The crappie and sunfish action has been great. Small jigs and plastics, leeches or worms have all been producing some nice fish.

LAKE OSAKIS - Holiday Resort, Adam, 115 miles west of Twin Cities on I-94W, take 71N to Co Rd 10W to Falcon Dr in Osakis (320-859-4360) Walleye action continues to be good on Osakis. Two mile bar producing lots of quality fish at sunset and thereafter. Bobber fishing with leeches and shiners were the preferred methods for nicer fish. Bass have really taken off with many fish in the two pound range coming out of the outlet area. Spinner baits, or bobber fishing with jumbo leeches are both being effective. Northerns are everywhere on Osakis this year, with lots of fish around the pound and a half to three pound range. The bigger the live bait the better, big suckers, creek cheebs, and big golden shiners all producing nice northerns along the deeper weed edges 10-16 feet.

PARK RAPIDS – Delaney’s Sport Center, Kevin, East 1st St (218-732-4281) The walleyes are biting on leeches and crawlers on a harness on Long Lake in 18 to 21 feet of water. We had a 32 ½ inch walleye brought into the shop last weekend. The northerns are biting on Potato Lake in about 16 to 20 feet of water on sucker minnows. The bluegills are biting all over; Fishhook has been a good lake in about 10 to 14 feet of water on waxies. The crappies are biting on the crowing chain in about 20 feet of water, suspended, on pink and white tube jigs tipped with crappie minnows. The bass are biting all around, spinners in the pencil reeds is a good place to target them. We had a 8 pound 4 ounce large mouth come in caught on Mantrap.

PELICAN RAPIDS – Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (800-962-8553) The panfish are biting well all over, lots of nice crappies and sunnies are being caught. Call or stop in for specific lakes. Try Lida for walleyes in 10 to 13 feet of water. The muskies are really starting to bite better now. Reports of a 52-inch muskie caught and released on Pelican. There has been some good bluegill and bass fishing on the river.

RAINY LAKE – Rainy Lake Tourism (1-800-FALLS-MN) Rainy Lake walleye are gathering in 20-30 feet of water near island edges and submerged reefs throughout the lake. There are plenty of potential spots from Sand Bay to Kettle Falls. The advise is to use electronics to graph a half-dozen fish or more before dropping a line. Walleye have been biting on jigs tipped with leeches and crawlers. Smallmouth bass are starting to go after crank baits, but could be lurking in anywhere from 4-to-24 feet of water. Black Bay crappies are biting on jigs tipped with small minnows and some big northern pike continue to be pulled out of both Black Bay and Cranberry Bay. Some increased flow in the river has favored fishermen. Walleye are being caught in the swifter deeper channels especially above and below the dam at International Falls and near the Manitou and Long Sault Rapids. Smallmouth bass are hitting just below the dam at the Falls. Take a hike to spot some wildlife and your bonus could be a handful of fresh berries. There’s quite a variety ripening on a daily basis, plus many wildflowers are blooming adding color and variety. There are trails for all types of recreation in our area, from hiking trails in the Voyageurs National Park to suggested mountain bike routes on forestry roads and more.

RED WING – Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) The northern bite continues to be really good at the mouths of the Rush and Pine rivers using large redeye spoons and sucker minnows. The walleyes are biting in Pepin in about 18 to 25 feet of water on bright shad raps. The smallmouth bass are biting in Pepin too in 18 to 20 feet of water on the rock piles. And the panfish are biting in the backwaters on Ike’s hair jigs tipped with a minnow or a small leech.

SAINT CLOUD – Stop Light Bait, 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) The Mississippi River fishermen are catching smallmouth bass, catfish, walleyes and a few crappies. Daytime and nighttime fishermen are both doing well. The river level is down at the present time. Sunfish continue to provide good fishing too. Many of our area lakes are producing well. Try Clearwater, Kings and Big Birch Lakes. Bass and northerns are biting well too; try Pearl Lake and Clearwater Lakes. Rainbow trout have been biting on Big Watab Lake and the fish have been in deep water. Fishermen have also been catching a few trout in Quarry Park. We are now again carrying bulk leeches in ½ and 1 pound sizes. We have jumbo, large, medium and panfish size leeches.

SAINT PETER – Hermie's Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) The catfish are biting on the river. The sunnies have been biting well on German Lake in 10 to 12 feet of water and the crappies are biting in Baker’s Bay on Lake Washington. The walleye action has slowed a bit, but there are still a few catching them out on the river.

SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA – Axel's Tackle Box, Axel, 2 blocks north of Hwy 60 on Hwy 13, next to Casey’s, on Lake Sakatah in Waterville (507-362-4444) On Tetonka/Sakatah, northerns were crazy ; a lot of nice ones were caught using creek chubs. Bass were plentiful as well as sunnies and some perch action was reported. Clear Lake is giving up a few crappies still using waxies/crappie Minnows.Fish Lake was reporting some larger crappies being taken in the deeper holes.

WACONIA - Mase’s In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm (952-442-2096) Panfish, both sunnies and crappies can be caught on the NW side of the island near a 12 to 13 foot area of vegetation; they are also suspended in 10 to 20 feet of water off the north side of the island. Bass and walleyes have been found off the drops near Cemetery Reef in 13 -22 feet of water and near North Reef on the NE side of the drop off in 16-20 feet of water. The bass have also been found in the shallow pencil reeds along the north side of the lake including the east and west corners.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids (218-327-2312) Things are settling down on Big Winnie, and the bug hatches of the last 2 weeks have started to lesson. One problem seems to be every other day and that's the wind. We just can't seem to get much of a break, and when we do, it's flat calm. The best bite has been leeches and crawlers on slip sinker rigs, and the leader length should be about 6-7 feet. Northland colored hooks seem to help put a couple extra fish in the boat and there have been Walleyes of all sizes coming to the boat. Many of the off-shore structures have walleyes in the slot, walleyes over the slot, and walleyes in the keeper size, all from the same spots. The crankbait bite has started to make a noise and trolling #5,#7, and #8 Shad Raps in Silver Shiner or Crawdad patterns have worked pretty good of late. There are still a lot of big northern pike off-shore and they are being caught accidentally by walleye anglers fishing leeches and crawlers. There has also been a good bite going on shallow in the area of the Dishes and Bowen's Flats trolling spoons at a quick pace in 9-12 feet of water. The big perch have not shown up yet on a lot of rock spots, but that will be coming within a weeks. The Women on Water Fishing Tournament was a great success and 70 women brought many walleyes, northern pike and perch to the scales. For information on next year's contest, call The Gosh Dam Place at 218-246-8202 and ask for Molly. Don't forget the 6th Annual MnFishingPros Couples Tournament on August 25th on Big Winnie and Big Cutfoot Lakes. Call Williams Narrows Resort at 218-246-8703 for further information.