Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

October 19, 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 shop will be closed until the ice season starts. Have a great fall.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) This past weekend was again awesome. The Rum and Mississippi Smallmouth continue to put on the feedbag. It's not over yet, although live bait has been hard to get, particularly redtails and chubs. We have large rainbows and fresh suckers, and they are a capable replacement. Don't give up on artificials. Texas rig your tubes and favorite plastics. This weekend should be one of the best of the year.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596)

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Lake Plantagenet and Lake Bemidji have both been good for walleyes in about 10 feet of water and following the shoreline structure. Fishing with a jig and a shiner or a redtail has been working well. The muskie action has been slow. There is a pretty good amount of ducks around. And a lot of deer were registered last weekend for the early season shoot. The leaves are pretty much off the trees now, the grouse reports look good.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) The walleyes are still going out on Blackduck, mostly in the 10 to 12 foot of water range with a jig and a minnow. The panfish bite on Rabideau and Gilstad has been good. The duck hunting in the area has been poor and the grouse hunting has been average. A lot of deer where shot in the early season, should be a good rifle season coming up.

BRAINERD/NISSWA AREA - S&W Bait and Tackle - Home of Walleye Dans Guide Service, County Road 77 just west of Highway 371 www.sandwbait.com & www.walleyedan.com (218-829-7010) We have moved! We now are operating in Nisswa on Co Rd 77 (kiddy corner to the water slide).

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) Panfish are still doing well on Chisago and Lindstrom. The walleyes have been biting up on bars in weedlines, 8-12 feet of water. North Center on Nelson Island and South Center off Needle Point have been some good spots. The water temp is down to around 50, so the eyes are moving. The crappies have started to hit too.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Walleyes are going strong on area lakes, with Pelican going hot with redtails in deep water. Trout are near the surface and smacking Rapalas early in the day and jigging spoons tipped with waxies or Powerbait during the day. Grouse hunters in the area report OK success. Most hunters are flushing birds, but some are not getting shots. Duck hunters in the area had a tougher week compared to the first couple, but there are some geese keeping hunters happy when the ducks aren’t offering shots. Archers in the area are seeing plenty of deer, but most are waiting for a trophy buck and are passing on the antlerless deer. A good frost will get these bucks starting to look for does. Stop in for the up-to-the-minute fishing and hunting 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 walleye action has been good on Gull, Cross and Whitefish out in about 25 feet of water on lindy rigs, and some are starting to use a jig and a shiner with success. On Gull and Pelican, they’ve been trolling redtails and rapalas. The bass and northerns are all over the outside weedline. The duck hunting has been pretty quiet, the grouse too. The deer registration is going okay.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) The crappies are biting on Fish Lake and the walleyes are still biting on Boulder and Island Lakes. Start at the weed edge and work your way out to 30 feet of water. The salmon and loopers are starting to bite now from the Lester up to Gooseberry Falls area. The grouse hunting is going good up on the trails… the leaves are pretty much down now.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) Some fish are starting to appear in the streams now. A few guys are still catching some nice muskies on the St. Louis River. Boulder Lake has been the spot for walleyes and Fish Lake for crappies and also some walleyes.

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) The walleye fishing really doesn’t get any better than it is right now. Shagawa lake has been phenomenal with catch rates exceeding 50 fish. While most of the eyes caught are under 14”, easy limits of keeper fish were obtained for those who braved the high winds and scattered rain showers. Newton lake has also been a hot spot with anglers catching double digits of walleyes. This lake receives very little pressure as most people just pass through on their way to Basswood. White Iron Lake has been reporting good catches of eyes, but few anglers fish it as the slot limit prevents anglers from keeping those beauties in the 17-26” slot. Drifting minnow rigs has been the top producer, but many larger fish are being taken trolling minnow style plugs in deep water. Babe's Bait and Tackle in Ely has become THE place for up to the minute lake reports and fishing hot spots. Babes is “The best little bait shop in Ely.”

FOREST LAKE - Mikes Bait on 8, Rich, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8 (651-464-5150)

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) We’ve seen a little better walleye action on Big and Little Birch, jig and a minnow fairly deep, fatheads, redtails, shiners. On Swan Lake, they are catching fish. McCormick Lake near Sauk Center is still putting out some walleyes. Swan and Big Sock Lakes are putting out some nice crappies and sunnies. We still have a good supply of redtails and shiners and all other baits. And we are fully stocked up for muzzleloader and black powder season. And pheasant hunting has been great in the area, best it’s been in years.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) Fishing has been good on Woman and Pine Mountain for walleyes. The panfish bite has been good on Birch Lake, some crappies are being pulled in. Leech has also been good for walleyes, jig and minnows, red tails.

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) Fall fishing on Kabetogama and Namakan has been the best I’ve seen in the last 5 years. Walleyes have been consistently hitting minnows at the 35-40’ range for the past week. A shallow walleye bite remains slow. Late mornings seem to be the best time to be on the lake. Jig and minnow, a slightly better presentation then slip sinker rigs. Northern pike action moderate, live bait has the edge over artificials. Grouse hunting remains slow, birds are tough to come by. The overlapping seasons are great for sportsman, fish in the mornings, bird hunt in the afternoons.

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) Fishing at Lake of the Woods has slowed down a bit, but there are still limits of fish to be had. Most anglers have been heading into the bay and up the Rainy River where nice limits of 17-19 inch walleye have been caught. The Clementson and Birchdale areas have been seeing good walleye action in 9-12 feet of water using gold or white glow jigs. Don't be surprised if you hook a sturgeon, they've been extremely active this fall. There have been reports of catching and releasing over 20 sturgeon in one day. The shiners are still running and are all good sized. Due to the recent rain and the damns being open the current in the river is stronger then usual, a 3/8 ounce jig or heaver is needed to help combat it. Fishing at the Northwest Angle and Islands has been holding steady, the reefs around Oak and Flag Islands have been producing some nice fish. The Angle is known for its great muskie action, and anglers won't be disappointed this year. Trolling for big muskie is in full swing; with several 50+ inchers being caught it's the perfect time to head to the Angle.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077) Fishing has been good for the people who are toughing it out. Stony and Pine points are really hot right now for walleyes. Heard of a local fisherman catching a 46-inch muskie on 6 lb test and a glow jig while fishing for walleyes. Bass have also been very active behind Bear Island. Walker Bay and Sand Point have had a lot of mixed bags reported of perch and walleye.

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421) Crappies have been biting on the St. Croix and walleyes are biting down by Prescott.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service (320-630-1761) Perch are going good still along the shoreline. The deer are moving really good now. The pheasants and geese are everywhere right now.

MILLE LACS LAKE - Malmo Market, Lynwood Elliott, State Hwy 47 and 18 East, NE corner of Mille Lacs (320-684-2295)

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)

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) The muskies are biting on the city lakes. They have been getting them on suckers. The walleyes are biting in 18 feet of water out on Tonka, using a jig and a fathead or live bait rigging with shiners. A few crappies are being caught up in the channels now with a jig and a minnow too.

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)

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 walleyes are biting on redtails, and the northerns are on the weed edges.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) Good muskie fishing going on in the area right now. And the walleyes were biting good on Lida. And a lot of good night time shore fishing is still going on. So all in all it’s been good fishing in the area still. The duck numbers are good in the area too.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) Walleye fishing has been pretty good around Sand Bay and American Narrows using jigs and minnows in 25 to 35 feet of water. Crappie have also been biting in Sand Bay. There have been some good reports from Saginaw Bay and some of the south shore islands on the east end of the lake. Rainy River walleye fishing is very good right now, hot spots include the mouth of the Littlefork River and Manitou Rapids. Grouse hunters ar grousing about the windy and wet weather. There are good grouse numbers according to the drumming counts. In windy wet weather, grouse tend to seek shelter in heavier coniferous stands. Fall Colors are disappearing as the winds whip the leaves from the trees, but you can still catch some brilliant yellow and gold hues.

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) The panfish are biting in Baypoint park and the walleyes are moving in up by the dam biting on Ike’s hair jig and a minnow throwing into the rip rap.

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Fishing on the Mississippi river has slowed down a little; however some fishermen are still catching some crappies and walleyes. The active fish have been in 10 to 20 feet of water, fatheads have been the best bait. The sunfish have been biting on Clearwater and the Horseshoe Chain in 8 to 12 feet of water using waxworms. And the northern pike are still biting on Clearwater using suckers. The deer archery hunters are having good luck in our area and goose hunters are also getting some birds. We have our ELS machine back and we can make any hunting or fishing license that you need.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) The walleye bite continues to be ok on Lake Washington. Some nice sunnies are biting on Tetonka in 10 to 12 feet of water. There have also been a few walleyes caught 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, www.axelstacklebox.com (507-362-4444) It's been real good here on Tetonka and it certainly good now, crappies and gills which are really good sized are being caught by the inlet of the Cannon River, which is on the West end of Tetonka. Crappie minnows, and waxies seem to be the ticket on getting 'em in the boat. Walleyes are starting to feed on leeches and fats, they are mainly near the rock piles and such. Pike have been hitting live bait (chubs and suckers), with good results. With all the resorts being closed now reports are much fewer but with same results in the end.The lake is up so lets hope for a early ice.

UPPER RED LAKE - White Birch Resort, Monte Sharbono, vacation@whitebirchresort.net (218-835-4552) The water clarity has been getting better, when the wind is down the walleye bite has been good. The grouse hunting is good as the leaves are all pretty much down now.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm (952-442-2096) The shop is closed until we get good fishable ice. So check back for ice reports in December. Until then, we wish you the best of luck during the hunting season!

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312)