Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

September 28, 2007

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) Sunnies are biting in 10 feet of water along the weedlines. Northerns are hitting sucker minnows on area lakes in 10 to 15 feet of water. Walleyes are biting in 18 to 22 feet of water on fatheads.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) The walleye bite is picking up. Nice crappies and smallmouth are hitting on the Mississippi River. Remember it is catch and release for smallies. Texas-rigged worms and tubes are working best.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) Walleyes are biting on Ottertail Lake on suckers and minnows in shallow water. Try using fathead and jigs in deeper water. Fish are hitting shiners on Stalker Lake in 15-20 feet of water.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) There is a good walleye bite going on Lake Bemidji. The fish are hitting redtails and nightcrawlers in about 12 feet of water.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) Anglers are catching walleyes in 10-12 feet of water on Blackduck Lake. If you are looking for crappies, try Gilstad, and sunnies are best now 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 Gull Lake is producing some walleyes. Pelican Lake and Whitefish Lake are also good bets. Give us a call for the current info.

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) Walleyes are hitting in the channel between big and little Green Lakes, and also by Nelson’s Island. The crappies are biting on Kroon Lake. Stop in for more!

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Walleye fishing has been very good. Rabbit, Clearwater, Nokay, Serpent and Pelican have all been very good. Redtails are by far the best bait fished either along the weeds or in deep water, 22-40 feet. Bass have been slurping up frog baits and topwaters fished along the shallow shorelines on most area lakes, but a few have been caught in deeper water as well with plastics. Spinnerbaits tipped with a sucker have produced the best pike bite in the shallow, weedy bays. Live, green weeds are the best areas to find big fish, and don’t be afraid to fish in as shallow as 3-4’. Crappies have been hitting pretty well on Serpent, Little Rabbit and Greer. Also, these lakes have been kicking out some real nice bluegills as well. Rainbows have been caught regularly in the past few days on most pits, but a few really nice brook trout have been coming from Snowshoe, Mallen and Huntington as well. A few pike have been caught recently in the pits; look for the fish to be suspended over the deep water surrounding the timber. The Mississippi has been very good for smallmouth, as have Serpent and Clearwater with either leeches under a bobber or topwaters during the low-light periods of the day. No musky reports coming from Cedar at this time. Grouse numbers are up, and a few are being shot even with the heavy foliage. Duck numbers look to be stable with the weird weather really not moving any birds out of the area, so opening weekend should be good. Archery deer hunters have been shooting some does and small bucks, with only one really big buck brought in so far.

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) Walleye action on the Whitefish Chain, Crosslake and Pelican has been good. Anglers are finding fish in 25 to 32 feet of water located near steep drops. Try Lindy rigs with redtail minnows as your first choice followed by leeches. Northern and bass action continues to be centered along the weedline. Northern are hitting Tandem spinner baits worked in the weeds. Bass are being found around shallow humps and are hitting on spinner baits and worm rigs. Crappie and panfish are being found in suspended in 12 to 16 feet of water and hitting on minnows or worms fished on small jigs.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Crappies are starting to bite later in the evenings. Walleyes are biting on Boulder and Island lakes. Call us for more info.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) Lake Superior action is excellent right now. Anglers are catching lake trout and coho. The best bite is on glow in the dark spoons.

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) For walleyes, try working the 15-25 foot depths. Drifting with minnow tipped spinners working best.

FOREST LAKE - Mikes Bait on 8, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8, Rich (651-464-5150) Clear Lake, North and South Center all have a decent walleye bite going. Panfish are suspended on area lakes and the northern and bass anglers are also doing well.

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) It was a very good weekend for crappie fishing. Anglers are catching fish by Upsala and Mound Lakes. Bass are biting on all area lakes. For sunnies, try Swan Lake, and for crappies, Big Birch is your best bet.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) Fishing is great on Leech Lake. All species are hitting, muskies, walleye and perch. Give us a call for more specifics.

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) As the weather changed continuously so did the fishing. Rain and wind limited the angling pressure, however, those who ventured out faired well. As usual, some shallow water walleye action is providing anglers with walleye and occasional bass. Flipping lures, slip bobbering or slip sinker rigs with live bait all provide results. Die hard walleye anglers are using minnows exclusively, first choice – jig and minnow, or secondly the slip sinker rig. Best depths average around 35 feet. Kabetogama anglers may favor the Martin Islands, Blind Ash and the deeper pockets around Larkin and Green Islands. Namakan folks have a wide variety of areas on the East End, Tar Point, Namakan Island, Twin Alligators and Gold Island. Northern pike have woke up, deep weeds and weed tops providing action. Concentrate on the windswept bays. Sucker minnow, Husky Jerks and X-Raps doing well. Smallmouth bass flourishing in Namakan where the season remains open. Rock pile edges and gravel bottoms kickin’ out the bass. Caution to anglers traveling between Kabetogama and Namakan, check regulations, as Kabetogama is closed for smallies and northern pike limits vary between the border lakes and Kab. Grouse hunting favors the grouse die to rain and winds. As the weather clears grouse hunting will come on strong.

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) Mother Nature is blessing Lake of the Woods with some warm fall weather and bringing the fall colors to a peak in the area. The golds of the aspen against the greens of the pines and cedars are extraordinary. The tamaracks will soon be turning to their brilliant gold color within a short period of time also. Lake of the Woods is unlimited in its sporting adventures during this time of the year. Bow hunting in the forests has begun, geese are flying and many many bluebills are in the skies at the Northwest Angle. Also at the Northwest Angle, water temperatures have registered at 58 degrees and the fall trolling begins for muskies. The waters are starting to clear and the walleye bite is on. The Rainy River is having a great showing of sturgeon. The season is still on until the last day of September. One resort reported that anglers were fishing sturgeon in the waters there and caught and released 28 sturgeon. The biggest sturgeon brought in that day measured 68 inches. Shiners are also appearing in the river and the walleyes will soon be following them up river. Action on Lake of the Woods changed many times this past week as did the weather. Anglers continue to fish out on the big lake while anchoring and jigging or using a slip bobber. Morning and evening bites have been proven the best in 18-19 feet of water around the Gap. Fishermen are bringing in a lot of slot fish and also practicing catch and release. Water temperature in the river is 58.8 degrees and shiners continue to be seen. As water temperatures drop there will be further movement up river for the shiners with the walleye following. Here comes the October river fishing! Be sure to keep posted for season of aggressive walleye fishing.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077) Walleyes are biting on Leech Lake off of Pine Point. Panfish and perch are also biting throughout the lake.

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421) Fishing is excellent on most metro area lakes. Give Josh a call to book a trip or for more info!

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service (320-630-1761) Call Chris to book a fishing trip and for a fishing report.

MILLE LACS LAKE - Malmo Market, Lynwood Elliott, State Hwy 47 and 18 East, NE corner of Mille Lacs (320-684-2295) Call us for the latest report!

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) The perch are jumping in the boat! Is this stretching the truth? Maybe a little, but it's pretty darn close, I say. Anglers were launching boats, everywhere! The bay areas were full of perch fishing. The bite is HOT, using small leeches, crappie minnows, fats, angleworms, whatever. Limits being caught with nice sizes, many over 10 inches. It's fun, and great if you want to bring kids up. They will have a blast. Walleyes are moving in the shallow waters, day time bite try about 19-22 feet of water, as dusk comes try pulling some cranks in 9 feet or so, you can also rely on the trusty slip bobber. This coming week we are looking at a full moon which is the best in the fall. So 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) Walleyes are starting to pick up on Lake Minnetonka in 17-25 feet of water. Walleyes are hitting at the weedline, some are out deeper. Try a jig and a minnow. For bass, also try the weedlines with live bait. For muskies, get on the outside weedline, target the points.

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) Call us for a report!

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) Fall colors are nearing their peak here in the lakes area. It is absolutely beautiful. The shorelines are covered in reds, gold, and orange. The lakes are full of golden walleyes and the part about it all is that the walleyes are snappin'. We are slamming the fish on a daily basis. In between dodging the storms we have had some great days on Gull, Pelican, and North Long Lake. Fish are biting on a variety of baits. We have spent most of the time Lindy rigging with a redtail chub or jigs and minnows. It has been primarily a minnow bite but with the full moon coming we expect that the trophy walleyes will cruising the shallows at night. Perfect timing for trolling Rapalas. The hunting seasons are starting crank up as well. It is hard for me to stay focused this time of the year. So many things to do so little time.

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) Give us a call for an update.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) Pelican and Lida are your best bets for walleyes using a jig and a minnow. Call Lee for more info.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) Walleye fishing has been good in 30-40 feet of water around Sand Bay, in the area of American Narrows and Grindstone Island and on the east end reefs. In the river, the best walleye fishing has been near the mouth of the Littlefork River and the preferred bait is an emerald shiner. Crappie action has been pretty good in Sand Bay and Black Bay and there are some pretty big northern pike being caught in Black Bay. Smallmouth bass action has been best in Rainy River; try the weedy edges of a bend. Fall colors were spectacular last weekend and should last for a week or more. There are still some green leaves, but the splashy red, yellow and orange patches outnumber green leaves by far. A suggested fall color tour would be along Highway 11 East from Sha Sha Point to Clementson, where the rapid river dumps into the Rainy. Along the way, stop at Manitou Rapids near Indus and Franz Jevne State Park near Birchdale. You get extra points if you spot Basshenge, a quirky roadside sculpture just east of Birchdale. Ruffed grouse numbers are up and those hitting the early season woods are being rewarded with flushing birds. There’s plenty of public land criss-crossed with forestry roads and old tote roads to past logging sites. Look for a logged area that is coming back with aspen that is about wrist-sized. The edges of that aspen growth are the most likely area to find some grouse. Remember, when they say ruffed grouse are an upland bird, they mean “just barely”

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) Walleyes are starting to hit by the dam on bright colored Ike’s hair jigs tipped with a minnow.

SAINT CLOUD ¬ Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Stoplight Bait is under new ownership. Our new DNR ELS lisecing machine arrived Tuesday morning. We will again be able to process your fishing and hunting licenses. Look for new changes in our store. We continue to provide the freshest bait possible. The sunfish bite has slowed a little in the past few days. We recommend you try the Horseshoe Chain, Clearwater and Big Birch. The crappies continue to bite on the Mississippi. Look for any kind of structure and give it a try. Fathead and crappies minnows have been catching the fish. Walleyes and smallmouth bass also biting on the Mississippi. Catch and release only for the smallmouth. Trout have been biting at Quarry Park and Big Watab. With some more stable weather the fishing should improve. Grouse hunters are getting some birds, but there is still a lot of foliage.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) Nice sunfish are biting on Tetonka in 10-12 feet of water. Crappies are biting in 20 feet of water on German Lake. Walleyes are biting on Lake Washington.

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) Call Axel for a current report!

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm (952-442-2096) Sunfish bite is picking up on Waconia Bay in 10-12 feet of water. Walleyes are hitting off Anderson’s and North Reef.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) Fishing has been great on Big Winnie. Try the North Shore from Mallard Point back to the Big Rock Pile in 6-8 feet. Fireball jigs and rainbow chubs or chubs working best. Muskie Bay and Highbanks are also good spots to catch walleyes right now. Sunfish are biting on nightcrawlers and rigs. Pike fishing has picked up quite a bit also in the area around Sugar Lake and Raven's Point on the west side. Try trolling shad raps, husky jerks, spoons. Good walleye bite also going on in Big Cutfoot Lake. Best steps here are 9-14 feet of water. Anglers are picking up some nice bluegills and crappies in Little Cutfoot in 14-16 feet of water. Fall colors are spectacular. Grouse reports are mixed until the leaves start falling.