Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

August 10, 2007

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) The sunnies are biting on the weedline off Cupies (QP’s) bay in about 10 feet of water on worms and leeches. Good luck has been had bobber fishing for northerns with sucker minnows. A lot of bass were caught last weekend in the tourney, most in the weeds and along the weedlines. The lake water levels are way down, we need some rain. Be careful in the shallows to make sure you don’t wreck your props.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) The fishing report is great for the Miss. River. Smallies are hitting tubes and spinners. Walleyes are biting on redtails on plain black hooks under bobbers in the slack water. Panfishing has been good with sunfish on small crawlers and crappies on cubbies and minnows.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) Some luck has been had for the walleyes in the evenings trolling shads along the weedlines on Ottertail in about 10 feet of water, also a few in about 10 to 17 feet of water on jigs and a minnow. Also try West Battle with leeches in about 17 to 25 feet of water. The bass are biting on W. Battle, Fiske and Clitheral Lakes using both top water baits and spinners. The sunfish are biting on W. Battle and Clitheral in about 15 to 20 feet of water using leeches. The occasional crappie will be caught in there too. The muskie action is going good now, and the northerns are biting on sucker minnows in the weeds.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Some good walleye action is happening out on Lake Bemidji in the deeper water, about 35 feet trolling lindys and big minnows. The muskies are biting pretty good on Bemidji and Plantagenet. I’ve heard some good bluegill reports from some of the smaller area lakes. And the bass are hitting on top water baits on North Twin and Grace.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) The walleye bite has been fair lately. On Blackduck and Round Lakes they are having luck with lindy rigs and crawlers. And switching to cranks in the evenings in about 7 to 10 feet of water. And more guys are starting to switch back to a jig and a minnow. For panfish, hit Pimusch Lake. And the northerns have been biting on Rabideau.

BRAINERD/NISSWA AREA - S & W Bait and Tackle - Home of Walleye Dans Guide Service 7 1/2 miles North of Brainerd on the East side of Hwy 371 (218) 829-7010 www.sandwbait.com & www.walleyedan.com

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) The panfish are biting on Chisago and north and south Center. The bass fishing has been unreal during the recent cloud cover on Chisago. Reminder, Chisago is a catch and release only. Lots of 3 to 4 pound fish are being caught and some over 5 pounds. A few walleyes have been caught off Nelson Island and Needle Point on S. Center.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Walleyes can be caught consistently on portions of the Mississippi River, as well as Serpent after dark. People fishing panfish have been having great success on Little Rabbit and the Mississippi between Riverton and Brainerd. Bass fishing has been very good, with plastics catching the most fish. Pike action is still good, with plenty of fish being taken on sucker minnows and jerkbaits alike. Muskies have been caught this past week from Cedar and Mille Lacs, with a few less fish being seen compared to last week. Trout fishing is very slow. Stop in for the up-to-the-minute fishing report 7 days a week!

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) The northerns and bass are biting great. The bass are hitting plastics and spinners on the weedlines and the northerns are outside the weedlines some walleyes have been caught trolling big cranks and raps in the channels. The panfish are suspended and are biting on minnows and worms.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Island Lake has been having the best bite out of the area lakes lately. The walleyes are biting in about 12 feet of water on the weed edges on crawlers/leeches on spinners. And some action on stick baits in a little deeper water, the 15 to 22 foot range. Fish Lake has had some good reports from the rock piles. Out on Lake Superior, out in front of the Lester River guys have been catch mostly lake trout out in 80 to 120 feet of water. Some success for crappies has been reported on Boulder Lake outside the weedlines. And some big smallies have been getting caught on the St. Louis River.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) On Lake Superior the fishing the fishing has been excellent. The lake trout are biting from the Duluth entry to Grand Marias. The coho and Chinook have been mainly out from the Knife River to Grand Marias. You’ll find the lake trout in anywhere from 40 to 140 feet of water and the salmon are in big pockets. The walleyes are biting on the south shore about 3 miles out in about 80 feet of water, down around 40 feet deep the walleyes in the St. Louis River are right along the bottom, guys are fishing them using a 3 ounce jig bouncing the bottom.

ELY-Babes 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) Maybe the hot weather has discouraged most fishermen from sitting out in the sweltering sun, but the local lake reports have been slim. A lot of anglers are still whacking the smallmouth, but walleye fishing has slowed to a crawl. As this next front passes and brings some cooler temps, things should improve.

FOREST LAKE - Mikes Bait on 8, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8, Rich (651-464-5150) For some nice keeper walleyes try Clear Lake and for some bigger ones try Forest Lake, but the action has not been as good there. For sunnies, Chisago has been putting out some good numbers, but on Green the size is a little better. But a reminder, Green Lake has a slot minimum of 9 inches or bigger for crappies. The northerns are biting on Sunrise and the bass are going on Chisago and Green Lakes. The local muskie lakes continue to be okay.

GREY EAGLE - Nancy's Bait & Tackle, Rex, 4 miles east of the Rock Tavern on Big Birch Lake, 4 miles west of Upsala (320-285-2405) The Mississippi River has been hot for smallies and catfish in the deeper pools and they are really concentrated because the river is so low. The walleye bite on Big Birch has slowed down and Little Birch is the better choice. The oxygen levels below 19 feet on Big Birch have been pretty bad so most of the fish are coming up shallower and the warm water temps have made the walleyes sluggish. The bass bite has been phenomenal. Call for the latest reports as the hot lake can change from day to day.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) The best fishing the past few days has been on lakes that you cannot keep the fish. If you are a catch and release angler looking for a lot of action and nice fish this report is for you. Bass action was very good on Stony Lake over the weekend. I talked to multiple groups that did very well with numbers as well as size. Stony Lake's bass regulation requires that all bass over 12" be returned to the water immediately. The regulation does allow one bass over 20" for that fish of a lifetime. With the clear water on Stony and the sunny skies, natural colors were the key to success. Brown, Black, and Green Spinnerbaits or Watermelon colored plastic worms work well. If it is a little bit overcast; an orange or chartreuse may work also. The other spot to sport fish is Ten Mile Lake for northern pike. There has been a regulation in effect for 10 years now on the northern pike. All fish over 20" must be released, no trophy exceptions either. In the past few years the pike numbers have increased as has their size. Trolling in 25-30 feet of water during the day has been productive. There are also a number of nice northern being caught trolling in the deep water an hour before sunset. Black and silver lures have been working well. I also like a Firetiger Shad Rap for the pike out there; it has worked well for me in the past. For those looking for a fish dinner, the crappie action has remained hot. Birch Lake and Pleasant Lake are still holding crappies in 14-16 feet of water, above the weeds. One group reported a mess of nice perch caught on Leech Lake along with a few nice sunfish.

KABETOGAMA-NAMAKAN - Gateway Store, Phil Hart, US Hwy 53 & Co Rd 122, 30 miles south of Int'l Falls-Canadian border, kabfishingreport.com (218-875-2121) Heading into late summer, the fish are beginning to respond differently. In shallow water, walleyes are scattered while feeding; in deeper water, 30+ feet, walleyes are schooled up. Anglers finding that shallow-water walleyes, at 6-12’, are biting on crawlers and leeches; whereas the deeper-water schools are responding to jig and minnow and/or leech. Pike enjoy the weed beds and weed edges searching for bait as they add heavily to their girth. Smallmouth are roaming the shallows and finding food on or near the rock piles. Windblown shallow bays and shorelines are a great place to use slip-sinker rigs and crawlers. An option plan would be to cast small jigs tipped with leeches or minnows and retrieve slowly. Pike enjoy live bait; or toss your favorite lures at them near or over the weed tops. Deep running lures will trigger action if presented in the deep water outside the weed lines. Shallow smallmouth bass are taking top-water lures, otherwise look for them at sharp drop-offs along rock walls and rock ledges. Trolling cranks along reefs may find smallies as well as walleyes. Winds last week and cool evenings have dropped the water temps into the low 70’s. Conditions are quite dry; use lots of caution when extinguishing campfires. Water levels, very acceptable, are within the rule curve.

LAKE OF THE WOODS - Area Tourism Bureau, Denelle Hovde , near Junction of Hwy 11 and Hwy 172 in Baudette, www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com (1-800-382-FISH) The hot weather has produced some excellent fishing here at Lake of the Woods. Anglers have been lucky both down rigging and bait fishing. Most of the down rigging action has been in 32-35 feet of water. Bait fishing has been hot around the reefs in 12-14 feet of water, anchored and jigging with your favorite walleye diver or frenzy lure is sure to produce a great limit of walleye. River fishing on the Rainy has been good as well. The fish seem to be moving to deeper water, 20-22 feet should produce nice walleye and sauger. Anchored and jigging with a spinner and crawler has been working well. The Clementson Rapids continues to be the hot spot; the frontier landing area has also been a favorite. The Northwest Angle and Islands has been giving up plenty of eaters, those perfect size fish for a shore lunch. Jigging with crawlers around Oak Island has been a great spot to catch your limit. Don't forget that the Northwest Angle and Islands is one of the hottest muskie spots around, and some massive muskies have been taken this season.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077) Leech Lake walleye fishing still best at Sugar Point pulling shad raps in firetiger, perch, crayfish colors. Sub Island area best using live bait rigs and Sand is still holding them at night. Reports of muskies hitting yellow bucktails.

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421) The bass are biting on Forest Lake, Big Carnelian and Big Marine. The northerns are still biting but have slowed a bit. The sunnies are biting but you need to weed out the small ones. Best luck has been on Peltier and White Bear Lake. The walleyes and sauger have been biting okay on the St. Croix if you can get your bait down to the bottom in time and avoid catching the silvers. Not much happening on the muskie bite.

MILLE LACS Lake – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service (320-630-1761) The walleyes have slowed a bit but we are still getting them at night bobber fishing out on the rocks. The muskies are biting better in the bays.

MILLE LACS LAKE - Malmo Market, Lynwood Elliott, State Hwy 47 and 18 East, NE corner of Mille Lacs (320-684-2295) Some muskies are biting in the north end bays and the smallies are biting everywhere. Some walleyes are being caught out on the mud with cranks and a few walleyes are moving up shallow as they are chasing crawfish.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Johnson's Portside, Kelly or Steve, 1 mile north of Isle on Hwy 47 SE side of the lake, www.johnsonsportside.com (320-676-3811) Cooler temps, a relief for everyone including the walleyes. It seemed that the last weekend the fishing was picking up a bit. Walleye being caught in deep waters 30' plus pulling deep diving crankbaits. Yes, even slot fish! Muskie hunters hung out along the North Sand, trolling the break, or hanging around Isle Bay casting. Hope everyone gets a chance to get up and fish, the summer season is coming to an end quickly. So grab your family and head to Mille Lacs. And get up here and fish!

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) The northerns are biting on the weedlines with big suckers. The muskies are on the edge of the weeds too and are biting pretty aggressively. The new hot bait we have is a big tinsel double blade and the bulldog has been good too. A few 50 plus inchers have been caught and we generally hear about at least one bigger then 50 inches getting caught each day. The bass are still biting on small jigs and plastics in the weeds.

LAKE MINNETONKA – Minnetonka Outdoors, Gary or Gregg, south frontage road to Hwy 7 between Vine Hill Rd & Old Market Blvd in Shorewood, www.minnetonkaoutdoors.com (952-470-8800)

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, www.sportlandbait.com (218-963-2401) It has been another great week here in the northwoods. We sure had some memorable trips. The big bass fishing continues to be just awesome. We had a couple of youngsters boat their all time bests. It started out with an epic battle between a young man and a 20 inch largemouth. As his brother cheered him on he kept the rod high while the 20 incher made run after run. Pretty soon the fish tired and conceded victory. After a photo she was released to swim again. Ten minutes later the other sibling dug into his bag of tricks. He decided to piggyback 2 minnows on the same jig. As soon as the bait hit the water, Wham! The battle was on. After a few minutes the fish was in the boat. He had outdone his brother with a 21 incher. I think it was a sibling rivalry at its best. Both kids were very happy and were able to go home with a tremendous story. This summer has been filled with days like these for our guide boats. The bass fishing has been going strong lately but we are starting to see the walleye action getting a little better. We are still fishing weedlines with redtail chubs. It has been a variety when fishing close to the weeds, walleyes, bass, and pike. Both Lindy rigs or jigs have worked well. Schools will be opening up before we know it so be sure to get the kids out on the water one more time before the end of summer. It is well worth it.

LAKE OSAKIS – Buck Point Resort on the N.W. corner of the lake, (Brad) 115 miles west of Twin Cities on I-94W, take hwy 3 North out of Osakis to hwy 10 west, www.lakeosakisresorts.com (320-859-2530) The sunnies are biting out on half mile bar and a few walleyes have been biting here and there. It really hasn’t been a steady bite, but if you work at it, you can pick up a few fish. The northerns are biting along the weedlines.

PARK RAPIDS - Delaney's Sport Center, Kevin, East 1st Street, www.delaneyssports.com (218-732-4281) The best walleye action has been on Fishhook in low light conditions with crawlers. The northerns are in about 16 feet of water on Big Man Trap Lake and are biting on jig and a big sucker minnow. The crappie action has been slow. For sunnies, the Crow Wing chain has been consistent out in about 14 feet of water. A few muskies have been caught on Mantrap; top water baits have been working the best.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) In general fishing has been good. We’ve heard of a few 45 inch + muskies on Pelican and Beers Lakes. Lida has been the choice for walleyes, they are out in 30 to 32 feet of water and it has been a leech bite. The smallies on Lida are biting well and are up in the shallow rocks. The panfish are biting on Crystal. Some nice gills are being caught in 15 to 18 feet of water. The bigger ones are deeper if you can get your bait down fast enough past the little ones.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) Walleye anglers continue to do best on submerged reefs in varying depths, anywhere from 20 to 40 feet. Crawlers and leeches seem to be working best and later in the day seems to be the time. There have been good reports from the area of Blueberry Island, Franzen Island, American Narrows and the east end of Sand Bay. Rainy River fishing has been best near the Littlefork River, the nearest access is Kuttes landing at Pelland. Smallmouth bass are going after flash lures and seem to be gathering near rock piles and weedy areas such as those found around the mouth of Cranberry Bay. You might find the smallies in surprisingly shallow areas, so don’t be afraid to try. Smallmouth fishing on the river has been best closest to the dam at International Falls, both above and below the dam. The nearest accesses ar the Pat Roche landing just east of International Falls and the Ron Hall Access on Shorewood Drive in International Falls. There hasn’t been much talk about Crappie action, but Black Bay is your best bet to try for some slabs, last reports were that smaller minnows on light jigs work the best.

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) The catfish bite has been good up by the dam. The walleyes and sauger are biting in the deep holes on Pepin, 18 to 25 feet, using longer stick baits and bright colors. The smallies are on the rocks in Pepin, 10 to 18 feet deep. The panfish action is better in the backwaters.

SAINT CLOUD ¬ Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Sunfish have been biting on Sugar, Pearl and Cedar Lakes. Fish have been biting the best early in the mornings. The lakes water temps are very high. Try fishing a little deeper then you normally would. A few crappies are being caught on the Mississippi River and Lake Julia. These fish have been suspended. Largemouth bass fishermen have been having luck on Clearwater and Sugar Lakes. And northerns have been biting on Clearwater and Big Birch. The Mississippi River has still been producing smallies, catfish and some walleyes. The best baits have been nightcrawlers and leeches. We still have bulk leeches in stock. Also visit our other store on Big Sandy Lake. Big Sandy Sports and Pizza reports that nice crappies are being caught around Raspberry Island and next to the flowage at Aitkin Lake. Northerns and bass have been biting in Brown’s Bay and fishermen are catching some walleyes in and around Bellhorn Bay. Sunfish are still biting on Aitkin Lake and Minnewawa. Big Sandy Sports and Pizza also has hand-made gourmet pizza for sale.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) The cats are going nuts. Last week we had a 60, 40 and a 32 pounder weighed in. A lot of the guys are using frozen cutbait. There is a big contest in Belle Plain this weekend. The sunnies are biting in Shields Lake in 10 to 12 feet of water.

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, www.axelstacklebox.com (507-362-4444) This past week was outstanding for Tetonka again. Tons of crappies and sunnies were taken from the lake using mostly live bait. Walleyes were being greeted in the bay by the hatchery and up along Best Point. Northerns were also there in the bay and spoon plugging was working best during the hot days we have been having. Yesterday (Sunday) a 40" muskie was removed on Tetonka it was a real beauty to see. Sunfish Lake has seen a little action with a lot of fish on the graph but slow biting. German/Jefferson is still doing good with panfish and a few eyes. Some real nice bass are also being had near the water tower here in town, heck don’t even need a boat for these critters. My daughter Becky will show you where and what to use so stop in and get a current report.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm (952-442-2096) The bass are biting well with the recent overcast conditions. Cemetery and Anderson’s reefs and out towards North Reef have been good for walleyes in the early morning and late afternoon hours, out in about 13 to 16 feet of water. The bass are in the same general area, only a little closer to the weeds, about 10 to 12 feet of water. The sunfish bite has been good; the size has been okay on Pillsbury reef in about 8 to 12 feet of water and off Harm’s Point. The muskie action on the outer weedline on the south side from the marina to the beach has been good from about 13 to 14 feet of water.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) I have to let you know on a secret! I snuck away for 10 days to the great State of Alaska and had one of the greatest trips one can imagine. If you are a serious angler, I would highly recommend this trip. It was awesome! Big Winnie are has been good, and with the warmer weather that everyone has been experiencing of late, the walleyes and other species have made migrations to shallower areas of the lake in search of food and oxygen. Not all the walleyes in the lake are doing the same thing, but for the most part, there has been a movement of fish up shallow, as there was last year. Fishermen have been doing real well with Fireball jigs and golden shiners, working depths of 7-10 feet, in and around weedbeds, rockpiles, and sand breaks. Leeches and rigs have also been working well, but the jig and minnow combo has been better. Number 5 Shad Raps, Minnow Raps and #9 Husky Jerks have also been doing their damage trolled at approximately 1.75-2.5 MPH in the same areas. There still is a decent deep bite happening out on the main bars, with Moses, Sugar, and Long Bar turning out walleyes in the 17-20 foot range. The panfish bite has been pretty good in Big Cutfoot, an the largemouth bass fishing has been terrific in Big and Little Cutfoot as well. Most of my reports are coming from the members of the MNFISHINGPros Guide Group that have been on the water everyday. I'll be back on the water the next several weeks in a row and will have up to the minute reports for you. Don't for get the Williams Narrows Couples Tournament on Big Cutfoot and Winnie on August 25th. Call 218-246-8703 for more details. Ask for Joe or Kelly.