Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

March 7 , 2008

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) We are looking forward to open water now. The shop is closed until April 19th.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) Good sunfish action on Pelican in 9 feet of water and crappies in 11 feet Parker Lake in Plymouth should be checked out for sunnies, and Lake George is a good spot to bring the kids for lots of panfish action.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) The perch have been biting on Ottertail Lake from 17 to 20 feet of water and also 30 to 35 with mainly fatheads, some crappie minnows. The tullibees are biting on Pickerel and Molly Stark. For crappies, try West Battle, Stalker, and Big Pine. The crappies have been suspended quit a bit, in about 20 feet of water; they are up about 10 feet. Sunnies are biting on West Battle, South Turtle, Rush, Star, and Middle Leaf.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Few perch on Bemidji yet, 30-45 feet of water and Pike Bay too… they have been shallow though on Pike Bay, up to 5 feet. Guys are getting sunnies on some of the smaller lakes in the area, stop in for some tips on what little area lakes to hit. And the eelpout are starting to bite.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) Perch on Blackduck, in over 20 feet of water. Sunnies on Rabideau have been biting pretty good, 12-14 feet of water. And on Gilstad the crappies are biting.

BRAINERD/NISSWA AREA - S&W Bait and Tackle - Home of Nisswa Guide League, County Road 77 just west of Highway 371, www.sandwbait.com (218-829-7010)

CHISAGO CITY - Frankie's Live Bait and Marine, Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77, www.frankies.net (651-257-6334) Crappies and sunnies on Chisago Lake from the A-frame to the eagles nest out in 10 feet of water, and also on North Center by big island, and South Center by Pancake Island. The big NAIFC contest on Chisago is this weekend.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Most crappie activity is taking place in the evening hours, although fish can be caught during the daytime hours with a little searching involved. Crappies have been taking minnows on Demons and small jigging spoons on Bay Lake and many of the smaller lakes in the area during low-light periods of the day. Look to deep water for the crappies on most lakes. Chartreuse has been the color for both crappies and sunfish. For bluegills, most of our anglers have done well in shallow weedy areas with small horizontal presentations tipped with eurolarvae. When the fish are aggressive, waxies have caught the bigger ‘gills. Tullibees are being caught here and there throughout the area in the deepest pockets of the lake.

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) Few people are still fishing trout on Trout Lake in 40-50 feet of water with fatheads crappies minnows and jig spoons. Lots of ice around, it is easy going. Most area smaller lakes have been doing well on crappies, glow jigs and crappie minnows or tipped with waxies.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Guys on Superior are getting some looper and cohos by the French River and Stony Point. Fish Lake crappie and gill action is hot right now. On Pike, they have been getting tons of perch and some nice panfish too.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) The looper fishing going good off the mouths of the Lester and French rivers. People are starting to find crappies in the upper St. Louis River. And guys are having some great success trolling out of Two Harbors doing well… dragging boats out from shore. Crawlers off the bottom and a looper bug are working the best. Call for the latest reports for Superior fishing.

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 crappie bite is starting to develop on the area lakes at depths near twenty feet. Try using waxies on small jigs like Genz worms or Genz bugs. Minnows will also do the trick when fished under a slip float. Lake trout are still coming in out of the 50-60 foot depths. Ciscoes on a tip up will give you an extra chance while jigging airplane jigs or Chubby darters. Stop in at Babes Bait for the latest tip and tricks. 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) Crappies are biting on Chisago in 10-12 feet of water and so are the sunnies but you have to sort through them. On Second Lake thy have been getting some crappies. And out on Green Lake, the crappies are still going.

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 panfish bite in the area has been so so. On Big Birch guys are picking up a few crappies. They are seeing them on camera, but the bite is finicky. Nice sunnies on Long Lake by the Hub Supper Club, they are using fresh water shrimp there. Bass Lake at Gray Eagle and Lady Lake has been putting out some sunnies and crappies. They are still getting a lot of crappies on Sauk Lake, but they are small. And the north end of Osakis has a good sunfish and crappie bite going.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) It’s been pretty quiet around; it’s that time of the year. It seems the small lakes are really doing well. Lindsay Lake, Five Point Lake, and Pine Mountain Lake have been a few mentioned in the past few days. Most of the Sunnies are in 18-22 feet of water; fish them with a small jig and a waxworm. We haven’t heard much on the crappies.

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) The pace has slowed down, as would be expected with the inland lake season closed now for several species. Kab is still open for the taking of perch and crappie, however, this bite remains slow, but the norm would be for action to heat up mid-March or the end of the month, weather dependent. Namakan Lake remains open for some time for all species since it is a Canadian-Minnesota border lake. All the designated groomed snowmobile trails on Kabetogama, Namakan, Sandpoint and Crane Lake are in great shape and provide access to great fishing holes within a close proximity to the trail. Anglers remember due to a change by last years legislature, your 2007 fishing license is valid through April 30, 2008. Your license says valid through February 29th, but that does not reflect the change. The change in law will be reflected when you purchase your 2009 licenses, as this is a permanent law change. Hope to see you yet this spring – It is snowing as I write this and we anticipate another great week of snowmobiling and fishing opportunities.

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 bite remains strong here on Lake of the Woods. Some days are better then others, but over all the fish are active. The walleye seem to be moving into shallower water, 16-20 feet around Pine Island has been producing nice limits. Nice mixes of walleye, sauger, and perch have been found around the reefs. The bite on the Rainy River has been sporadic, with northern action during the day and the walleye bite picking up in the evening. Pink and white jigs and frozen shiners have been working well in 19-21 feet of water. The Northwest Angle and Islands has been having a great winter season. The action around Oak Island continues in 26-29 feet of water. A rattle jig is still your best bet to catch your limit. Remember you DO NOT need a passport to visit the Northwest Angle. Our season stays open until April 14th and houses can remain on the ice until March 31st at Lake of the Woods, so there is still plenty of time to get in a last minute trip.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077)

METRO AREA EAST - Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle, Oakdale, Josh, www.blueribbonbait.com (651-777-2421)

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service, www.kuduksguideservice.com (320-630-1761) The crappies and sunnies are biting on Anne Lake, pretty nice size. Haven't heard anything on Isle Bay crappies. Try Knife and Shakopee for crappies. The jumbo perch have been spotty out on Mille Lacs, as the weather warms up, look for the bite to pick up too.

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) Try jigging the perch in deep water, fathead or crappie, 28 plus.

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) Crappies are biting in the bays, Wayzata and Browns on ratso’s. And out on Black Lake, the crappies are coming out of 22 feet of water. And the sunnies are biting shallower, on eurolarve and mixed jig colors, up on the nice green weeds. And some are coming in off Madison too. Lake Independence should be picking up too. Glow jigs and crappie minnows. We are carrying suckers still for the guys heading out to the river and for the catfish guys.

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) Spring is coming fast and we are starting to get cabin fever. I know that I have been thinking about open water. It all starts this month as the river starts to open up and the walleyes start their spring run. As we are starting to think about spring we are still hitting the crappies pretty good. I haven't been catching a lot of big guns yet but there are lots of active fish in the 10-11 inch range. Check out the deeper water on any small lake. I have caught fish in 30-40 feet of water. It seems like minnows are working just as good as spikes or waxies. Give us a call if you want to get out on the water. We will fish anytime anywhere.

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) We have a nice sunfish and crappie bite going on the north end right now.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) Lots of guys have been getting out panfish fishing. Prairie has been very productive for sunfish. They have been getting lots of them, and some crappies in the evening. And Lida is full of nice sunnies and crappies, they have the crappie slot of 11 inches or greater. And they have been getting some tullibees on Lizzie. Cars are getting around pretty good on the lakes. Snowmobile trailers are still in great shape, they are still being groomed.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN)

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111)

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) The sunfish have been biting in the early morning on Pelican Lake by Monticello, Fish Lake, Clear Water and Lake Alexander have also been producing sunfish. Green Glow jigs, red and orange/green and gold jigs have been good producers. Crappies have been providing some action on Mayhew Lake, Julia and Upper Spunk. Rice Lake and Kings Lake should be worth a try. We have auger extensions for sale and we have fresh water shrimp in stock. We also can accommodate all your 2008 MN DNR license needs. Our store is changing daily and soon we will be selling firearms again.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) On Clear Lake the sunnies are biting, guys are catching a lot, but you have to sort through them. German and Jefferson have been okay for crappies, try out in that 30 foot water with a jig and a crappie minnow.

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) Lake Tetonka is producing some sizable crappies using Ratso's in 20-25 feet of water. Lexington is hot with nice crappies and sunnies. Spikes and waxies seem to be the best.

UPPER RED LAKE - White Birch Resort, Monte Sharbono, vacation@whitebirchresort.net (218-835-4552) Well, with the walleye season done, there haven’t been many people out. A few are chasing crappies around, but the reports are fair and few between of anyone having success. You really have to look for them, but once you get on them, you’ll be in for a good evening of fishing. There still are some big ones around.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm, www.intownemarina.com (952-442-2096) In Towne Marine will be closed as of March 2nd until the ice is out.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) I wish I could tell you that the perch are jumping out of the holes on Big Winnie, but it's been a bite that mystifies even the veteran perch angler. Just when the weather begins to warm, and the fish begin to bite, then all of a sudden a clipper comes out of Canada, and shuts down the fishing for a day or two. I talked to a couple anglers from Wisconsin that caught their limit of nice perch on the humps on the North end of Winnie, only to come back the following weekend and caught half as much. Both have been fishing Big Winnie for the last twenty years, and said this has been a tough season to figure. They can see the fish on their electronics, but many times they won't bite. The North end of Winnie, from a mile out from the Big Rock Pile, West to Zoomers has been the best. The depth with the best action seems to change day to day, but 23-28 feet seems to be the most consistent. Northland Forage Minnow, small gold Buckshot Rattle spoons, and Swedish Pimples, seem to be the best presentations. A chub head, 2-3 waxies, or a chunk of Berkley Gulp are working. Some of the anglers have noted that if you can find deep rocks in 20-25 feet, it pays to stay in that area. Hopefully things will continue to improve. Make sure you call Highbanks, The Pines, Nodak's, or McArdles Resorts for up to the minute ice and fishing reports.