Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

November 9, 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) Those who took advantage of the nice weather this past week had mixed results. The river are high and fast, but the fishing has been fair to good. They are catching lots of crappies below the Coon Rapids Dam. Walleyes are hitting chartreuse jigs and minnows on the Mississippi. Our bait shop will be closed on Sundays and Mondays in November. Call ahead for fishing reports.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) The walleyes are hitting on Ottertail still in 8 to 10 feet of water while trolling raps in the evenings. During the day, some luck can be had in the deeper water on a jig and a minnow. Try out in 40 to 50 feet of water. Some muskies are being caught on Battle along with a few walleyes on golden shiners. There is a good sunfish bite on East Lost.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Fishing is pretty quiet, about the only guys out are the ones chasing muskies. Deer hunting seems successful, we’ve seen bucks up to 240 pounds. The numbers are he in the area.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) Deer hunting has been good; the bucks are in rut, a lot are moving. We registered 450 on the opener weekend. There have been a few duck hunters out… haven’t heard any fishing reports, all are out hunting.

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) Visit our web site for updates.

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) On South Center they are catching walleyes, they aren’t deep, catching them with fatheads and shiners and in the channel. Crappies are being caught right off the docks on Chisago and South Center. On Green they were catching walleyes between Little and Big, and off the park beach on South Lindstrom they are catching walleyes and crappies. 138 deer were registered last weekend, 2 big bucks, 10 pointers.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) We are all out hunting… call the shop for the latest reports.

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) Fishing on the Whitefish Chain continues to be very productive. Walleyes have moved up to the 10'-25' range. Try for bigger walleyes trolling crankbaits at night. Crappie action is good, and are biting in their winter hiding spots. Catching bigger northerns on big sucker minnows off of deep weed lines. If you're looking for bass, try live bait rigging in 12-20 feet of water.Crosslake Holiday reports 136 deer registered on Saturday, and 195 deer on Sunday. Hope you have a great day on the water!

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Guys are catching some steelhead and loopers off the shore by the rivers. Fish Lake has still been good for crappies by the Fish Lake bridge. Deer hunting seemed a little slow from the get go Sunday we saw more deer registered then Saturday, the biggest was 230 pounds.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) The walleye bite has been marginal in the river, you gotta go deep. Guys are catching some coho on South Superior, and the river mouths have been good for shore fishing for loopers. And a lot of lake trout are being caught, but the season doesn’t open until Dec 1st. The temps have been good, in the 50s. Orange raps and rip sticks have been good. On the inland lakes, a lot of crappies and northerns are biting.

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) As with the moderate temperatures, the fishing pressure on area lakes has tapered off. While Shagawa, White Iron, and Burntside are still turning some nice stringers, the majority of sportsman are turning their interest towards deer hunting. This season has ramped up nicely as there's a good population of whitetails to be had, due to the past moderate winters. Deer check in stations are recording average to above average numbers of deer being brought in. Why not do a combination trip of fishing and hunting? Stop in at Babes for more local info. Call ahead for our new fall and winter hours. (218) 365-6930 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) Everyone has been hunting. The St. Croix has been good for fishing walleyes, sauger, and crappies. Clear Lake has been good for walleyes lately. The muskie hunting has been good on Bald Eagle and Forest Lake. Panfish have been biting on South and North Center. And Little Lake has been hit and miss.

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) Deer numbers are down in the area if you go by what we registered this year so far, as compared to last year. Guys are still getting walleyes on McCormick and they are still biting on Big and Little Birch and Swan Lake too. Fishtrap and Shamineau have been good lakes to try also. Redtails and shiners have been the bait of choice and we have them in stock. Pheasant numbers are still good in the area.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) A total of 457 deer have been registered with us through the weekend. We’ve seen a couple of twelves and an 8 and 10 pointer. Fishing is slow. A little snow earlier in the week, but nothing is sticking. Most everyone is having good luck at getting a deer.

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) Judging by the lack of fishing folks and lack of boat traffic, one would think the season's over. Water temperatures in the mid 40's and those anglers venturing out, mostly locals, are still raving about the great fall fishing, with a little more season left. Jig and minnow dominate the anglers' choice for walleye and pike suckers for northerns. Crappie action may kick in with the cooler water temps. Walleye action still favors the 35' plus range with an occasional shallow water bite. Light colored jigs, glow, white and pink are gathering the most attention. Fatheads are the anglers' choice for bait. If temperatures remain average, we don't expect ice till about the 3rd or 4th week of November. Deer harvest to date has been about average. Lots of hunters passing on antlerless waiting for the buck. Big bucks this past weekend have been 8 pointers. Doe harvest should increase as the season continues.

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 on the Rainy River is holding steady. The water is getting cooler and the clarity is also improving. The current is still quite strong, but has been letting up the last few days. The Clementson, Birchdale and Frontier areas continue to produce nice limits of walleye. If you're heading to the lake, Morris Point and the Lighthouse Gap have been a favorite among anglers. Anchored and jigging is still the way to go, lucky colors this week have been pink, gold, and green. The water temperature in the lake is at 47 degrees, but we all know that can change quickly. Firearm deer season is in full swing here at Lake of the Woods. With a large part of Lake of the Woods County public land, there is plenty of opportunity to bag yourself a trophy.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077) The fishing on Pelican Island with shiners (the bigger the better) has been the ticket, if you want one for the wall this is the time. Goose Island and Hardwoods have been really good as well. Perch have moved into the shallow bays now. The muskies are continuing to hit like crazy. The deer numbers are looking good; there are plenty of them around here this season.

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421) Metro muskie fishing has been good. Contact Josh for a great fall trip.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service (320-630-1761) There are lots of deer in the area. They are still getting panfish on Ann Lake. A few perch in the bays, but its hunting season now and that’s were most everyone is.

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) The walleye hunt for the full moon proved that the fish are in different areas than normal, be it the lake being down or the crazy weather. Water temps dipping in the low 40's will be sure to move the fish in. Try using a crankbait in rocky areas on the east side, pulling in about 7-14 feet of water. Best bite dusk to dark. Perch are still hanging in the bays, give them a shot while you're waiting for the walleye bite. Now that the weeds are laying down you can come in to the bays looking for the muskie, they are hungry and gaining weight, looking to see a possible record this year. And I don't know about you, but I'm so hyped for this year's ice fishing, thinking its gonna be hoppin'!

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) There has been some northern activity in the channels using suckers. The muskies are biting on city lakes and on Tonka with large suckers. The walleyes are also biting on Tonka in 24 to 30 feet of water running minnows. The crappies are in about 15 feet of water, down around 8 feet, in the channel areas. They are biting on a darker color jig and a minnow. There have also been a few reports of walleyes biting on Medicine in about 28 feet of water.

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) Everyone has been deer hunting, just call the shop for the latest reports.

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)

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) Light fishing pressure right now… guys are waiting for ice now I think. Deer season is the happening thing. Some guys are still getting out muskie fishing. Deer numbers are pretty good so far, the rut is on right now.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) The weather has been amazingly mild and anglers have gotten out to find walleye in 15 to 20 feet of water in areas near Ranier Rapids, Sand Bay and American Narrows. Crappie are biting in the area where the rat root rivers flows into Black Bay and walleye are being caught at the mouth of the Littlefork River near Pelland Junction. Firearms deer hunters did fairly well on the opening weekend. The weather was fairly warm, sunny and not terribly breezy. A fair number of deer were registered over the weekend. Small game season remains open but those hunters tend to take a break during the firearms deer season, so there’s little to report.

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) Limits of nice 18 to 22 inch sauger by the dam, with bright colored Ike’s hair jigs. Also, guys have been pulling plugs down by the lake, #5 or #7 shads and doing good. Panfish are biting well in the backwaters and Baypoint park. We are also getting a lot of nice deer coming in. Duck hunting seems to be picking up too; we are starting to see some of the northern birds coming in.

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Deer hunters in our area have had no complaints about finding deer. Last Monday we registered two 200-pound bucks and Tuesday we registered a 225-pound buck. Pheasant hunters have been having a good year. Grouse hunters have reported that they have not seen as many birds as they hoped to. We are taking in deer hides again this year, and we are giving away a Savage .243 rifle with scope and a Parker compound bow. The fishing has slowed way down, but some walleye and crappie fishermen are still fishing. We have redtail minnows and river shiners in stock in addition to all our other live baits.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) Fish are biting on the river and Crystal at night fishing off the shore. The crappies are hitting on Lake Washington in 12-15 feet of water. Corn is finally coming out of the fields so the pheasant hunting is picking up.

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) The walleye bite is happening near the narrows as well as by the Hwy 13 bridge on Sakatah Lake. Panfish are present on Tetonka almost everywhere at almost any depth. Clear Lake also has had some results with walleye in the 20-24" size. Crappie minnows, fats, and waxies are the way to go right now it seems for bait choices. Stop in or call for more up to date info on area lakes.

UPPER RED LAKE - White Birch Resort, Monte Sharbono, vacation@whitebirchresort.net (218-835-4552) Not much news as far as fishing goes from the lake. Most are out deer hunting. Contact the resort for the most up to date reports.

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) The roads were packed with the anticipation of the 2007 Firearms Deer Opener. Traffic was exceptionally high as were the gas prices! Most of the reports from the Big Winnie area and around Deer River were good. Not many reports of big bucks, but a lot of smaller spikes and does were taken. With the cooler weather forecast for this week and next, the deer will be on the move. Most anglers have traded their boats in for rifles and the few that have been getting out have been still catching walleyes. Big Cutfoot and the Mississippi River have been the best, and a few of the smaller lakes in the Grand Rapids area have also been producing walleyes and crappies. Most of the area duck hunters were disappointed this season. It seemed the northern flocks never really showed up as anticipated. Good luck in the woods and be careful. Make sure you tell someone everyday where you're hunting.