Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

February 22, 2008

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) Clearwater sunnies and crappies biting out front to the left, in about 10 to 18 feet water. Northern action has been good, both spearing and angling. And guys have been picking up the occasional walleye towards sunset in 15 to 18 feet of water. We have a good plowed road to the east basin.

ANOKA - Action's Fishing, Jack, 809 West Hwy 10, www.actionsfishing.com (763-422-4890) Nice weather last Saturday and lots of people went to the Forest Lake contest, we heard a lot of no bite stories. More contests this weekend after another cold snap. The shop will be closed March 1st through the 14th, we need to go find open water and warmth. Buffalo and Pelican have continued to produce and look to be your best bet this weekend.

BATTLE LAKE - Ben's Bait & Tackle, Josie, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596) For walleyes, they have been catching them on Battle Lake out in 17 to 30 feet of water. On Ottertail, they are getting some walleyes in anywhere from 9 – 35 feet of water. For sunnies, try it on Star, S. Turtle, and Ellingson, from 15 to 20 feet of water. Crappies, they are biting on S. Turtle and Battle, from 20 to 25 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) Fishing has been picking upon Bemidji, guys were getting perch out in 30+ foot water, walleyes in the evening in the same spots. We heard some good panfish reports coming off of Grace Lake. Plantagenet is producing perch and walleyes in about 30-35 feet of water.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) Out on Gull Lake they have been getting a few walleyes and bluegills. On Island Lake they are getting some real nice walleyes. The wind has drifted the snow pretty good right now, so watch out that you don’t get stuck. The perch have still been biting on Blackduck. Up on Red Lake, the walleyes are biting ok, and some are finding crappies.

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) Call us for the latest reports!

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 really well in the shallow waters and bays on North Center and South Center around Pancake Island. The walleyes are biting in the channel. Guys staying away from the groups seem to be doing better.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Very little walleye activity this past week. There is a small window from 6-7 that is producing a few ‘eyes on Serpent. Crappies have been active throughout the day on many lakes, and primetime bites are going strong on Bay and Clearwater, as well as many other small lakes around the area. Plastics have caught a good majority of the crappies lately. Sunfish can be caught in the same areas, or in shallow weedy flats. A Marmooska Jig or Diamond Jig tipped with either a waxie or a eurolarvae has been the best big sunfish setup. If fishing deep water, watch your electronics and move wherever you are reading a fish as they are somewhat scattered in the water column. Pike are very active, hitting everything from small panfish jigs to big sucker minnows. For the best results, throw tip-ups out in 14-18 fow with a sucker minnow half-way down. A few lake trout have been caught on Big Trout, but it is still too early to know if it is picking up or not.

CROSSLAKE - Holiday of Cross Lake, 35610 Cty. Rd. 66 Crosslake, Lee (218-692-2708) Held’s Guide Service (218-820-0989) The walleye fishing on the Whitefish Chain has been very steady lately. I'm finding bigger walleyes in 12-15' on Foley's Bar and finding some numbers on the fish house bar on the fingers on Upper Whitefish. Crappie fishing has been hit and miss with the change in temperature. Still finding crappies suspended in the 25-30' depth range. Finding some nice northerns in the weed flats.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Tip up fishing at Rice Lake out in about 12 feet of water has been good. Out on Fish Lake, the crappies and gills are biting in about 15 feet of water. Out on Boulder Lake, guys are doing well on walleyes in about 8 feet of water, and they are getting a few crappies. Down on Superior, off the shore by the French River, they have been getting a few loopers and cohos. The walleyes are biting on the St. Louis River by Barker’s Island. Guys aren’t getting a bunch, but the ones they are getting are big. And we’ve heard a lot of good crappie reports from Nichols and Laura… and a good perch bite on Pike Lake.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) Fishing is good in the harbor, we are getting some walleyes. Up the north shore, they are in the harbors on the ice, getting some loopers and lots of cohos. The river has been good, but you gotta move around. They have been using shiners or suckers. Best baits up the north shore have been waxies or crappie minnows. Inland lakes have been good for crappies; they are starting to show up.

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 brutal cold weather coupled with the high winds kept most anglers off the ice this past week. Those that did venture out to trout fish seemed to be doing better over all than the walleye or crappie fishermen. Burntside, Knife Miners and Tofte are the top picks right now. Time is running short for the walleye season, so get out there while you can. Stop in at Babes Bait and Tackle for up to date lake reports. 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) Out on South Center, they have been getting some walleyes and crappies in about 20 feet of water. Chisago has been good by the eagle’s nest, and Green has had a good crappie bite and walleyes too. Forest Lake has been has been producing some nice crappies in 2nd and 3rd lakes. North Center out by Nelson’s Island has also been good for walleyes in 10 to 20 feet of water. The northerns are still biting well on Green Lake.

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 sunnies have been biting great on the north end of Long Lake, the one by the Hub Supper Club. They have been getting a few nice sunnies and crappies on Swan Lake. There has been a really good crappie bite going on Big Sauk and Long Bridge Lakes. (note, the limit is 5 on Long Bridge) they are still getting walleyes on Big Birch. The crappies are also biting on Pike Lake. We still have a good selection of all bait including shiners.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) Most were at the eelpout fest last week; few were out and around fishing here. Fishing around was slow… some out spearing, didn’t hear much about that. Try pleasant or birch for crappies. Also try Lindys Lake around the weed edge with a jig and a minnow. The smaller lakes are going to be producing better right now.

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) Anglers had a good time catching a variety of species in near normal weather for a change. Both ends of Kabetogama, East and West provided at least some action. A few reports out of Namakan appear the same. Anglers trying for walleyes were surprised with some Jumbo perch and saugers. Walleyes look promising for this summer with many small fish versus the normal over the slot size. Northern pike still active, preferring live bait. Any depth rang off structures from 12-20'. Walleye family fish hitting most consistently at depths between 26'-32'. Surprisely many of the better spots have been known to be good summertime locations. Glow jigs with minnow or small ball jigs is the most popular presentation. Enjoy your last week of the regular inland lake season.

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 on Lake of the Woods. Houses are being placed anywhere from 5-6 miles off shore, all the way up 25-28 miles off shore. A nice mix of walleye, sauger, and perch can be found in 30-34 feet of water. Some anglers are having luck around the mud flats, while other are sticking to the reefs and doing well also. The Northwest Angle and Islands area has been a hot spot for walleye and perch, a rattle jig in 24-28 feet of water has been working very well. The reefs around Oak Island and Flag Island have been giving up beautiful limits of fish. Out by the Clementson area anglers have been finding limits is 22 feet of water. Pink and white jigs and frozen shiners are still working well right off the bottom.

LEECH LAKE - Anderson's Resorts, Tim, www.andersonsleech-lake.com (1-800-516-0077) Most were out for the Eelpout Festival. It was great weather for it. We know that a few walleyes were caught out around Walker Bay away from the crowd. The biggest pout was 12.74 pounds.

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

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service, www.kuduksguideservice.com (320-630-1761) Still getting some dandy perch in Wigwam Bay out from Northstar resort, and a few out on the flats. The walleye bite has been pretty slow. Knife Lake and Anne have been good for crappies too. Stop by Barnacles and have a smoke in their bar next time you are up and they have their theater going on.

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 story continues, "tuff bite" is the phrase heard around the lake, as anglers search for the honey hole. Some getting bites on deep gravel, others heading out to the flats had some luck, big ones too. The key seems to be stay mobile if you can, punch out a few holes, no bites? Move on. Remember big fish come from little fish and there is an abundance of those 3 inchers. Try jigging the perch in deep water, fat head or crappie, 28 plus. For walleye, just before dusk to an hour after dark, shiner, or even a lite sucker. Get up here and fish February 23rd in the perch extravaganza.

LAKE MINNETONKA - Wayzata Bait & Tackle, Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227) Still getting walleyes out on the weedlines, in about 30-34 feet of water in Browns Bay using a jig and a minnow. Guys are still getting a few northerns off the weed flats, 8-12 feet of water with tip-ups and suckers. Nice crappies in browns, tight against the milfoil, late afternoon bite. Sarah and the other small lakes around are putting out a nice mix of sunnies and crappies.

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) If you want walleyes Gull has been the place all winter. Mid lake humps are holding some decent fish and the best bite is in the evenings. The best reports are coming from 15-20 feet. The crappies are also going good on many area lakes. The best bets are the Gull Chain, Sibley, the smaller lakes on the Whitefish Chain, and North Long. Look for deeper water to be holding the most crappies right now. Crappie minnows or spikes on a small glow jig is the ticket for slabs. The pike fishing has been great on Edwards, Cullen, and the south end of Gull. Tip ups and big sucker minnows are producing some nice catches. Sunfish reports have been limited.

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) Guys have been getting a few sunfish on the north end of the lakeon waxies and fresh water shrimp.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701) Lots of northerns coming in… they have been using medium to large suckers on tip ups. Sunnies staging a little shallower then they were, mainly 9-14 fow. Crappies suspended over the 20 something stuff, sunnies moving shallower.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) Jigs and minnows are working for walleye and some crappie are being caught too. Look for deeper areas around Birch Point in Sand Bay and a little shallower around Rainy Lake City. With the Park Service ice road now open to Busheyhead Island, anglers are catching fish around the east end of Dryweed Island. Portable gear is a good bet is you head any further east. Snowmobile trails are in very good to excellent condition. Groomers have been out on the land trails, but not all lake trails and safety portages have been groomed. You will find the latest information on the International Voyageur Snowmobile Club website www.ridetheborder.com Cross country ski trails are open, groomed and tracked and snowshoe trails within the Voyageurs National Park are open. Snowshoes and skis are available at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center Wednesdays-through-Sundays.

RED WING - Ike's Bait & Tackle, Ken, 2109 Old W Main St, Red Wing (651- 388-2111) Some nice walleyes and saugers have been getting caught on Pepin, using a jigging rap and fathead minnow heads. Some nice crappies in Baypoint park area, and the occasional walleye and sauger. Guys getting out in the boats by the dams doing good, using ring worms and Ike’s hair jigs tipped with minnows.

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) Colder temperatures have slowed down the fishermen. Some northerns were being caught on Clearwater and Pearl Lakes. There also has been a good northern pike and sunfish bite on Pelican Lake near Monticello. Crappies have been biting on Julia. The day time bite has been productive, you need to move around to find the fish. Sunfish are being caught on Becker, Pearl and Goodner Lakes. Osakis has also been producing some nice sunfish on the north end of the lake with freshwater shrimp being the preferred bait. The walleye, northern and bass seasons close at midnight February 24th. 2007 fishing license is good through April 30th; the 2007 fishing laws are good through February 29th. March 1st the 2008 laws apply. We have shiners, fresh water shrimp and all the other baits you will need.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) Lake Washington, they have been getting crappies in 20 to 25 feet of water. On Madison, the best crappie bite has been in 20-30 feet of water. Walleyes are biting on Lake Hanska at night, northerns hitting on East Jefferson and a few sunnies out there too.

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 ft of water. Northerns are being had with tip-ups using sucker minnows down near the DNR Hatchery. Lexington is hot with nice crappies and sunnies. Spikes and waxies seem to be the best for them.

UPPER RED LAKE - White Birch Resort, Monte Sharbono, vacation@whitebirchresort.net (218-835-4552) This is the last weekend for the walleye season, looking for some good weather for guys to come up and get out on the lake. They have been biting pretty good when the weather warms up.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm, www.intownemarina.com (952-442-2096) Good panfish bite lately, center reef and north of Pillsbury have been good. Sunnies during the day and the crappies are mainly right before dark and into the night. The eyes have been inconsistent. Try Kegs Reef or Nelson Reef and get away from the crowds. And look for the pike on the weed edges.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) The temperatures seem to moderate one day and then a big Clipper comes in and slows things down for a day or two. Big Winnie is like any other lake and is affected by the constant changes that we have experienced this winter. The perch bite has been the best bet and the deep edges on the West and North side of Moses and Center Bar have been pretty good in 26-30 feet of water. Like everything else on Big Winnie drilling several holes and continually moving from hole to hole, is crucial. Late in the winter it's important to make sure you tone your presentation down and go light. Small forage minnow spoons with 2-3 waxies will many times out fish minnow presentations for perch this time of year and especially when the bite is off. The far outside edge of Raven's Point, and some of the rock humps up North are also turning out nice catches of perch and an occasional walleye. Just remember this is the last weekend coming up to try for walleyes and northern pike. Except for some border waters, the season ends this Sunday in Minnesota. Start to think about open water and make your plans for the up coming season. Contact your favorite resort in the Winnie Area and give the mnfishingpros Guide Group a call and we can help you with your accommodations. Contact us at www.mnfishingpros.com.