Outdoors Weekly Fish Tales Archive

February 29, 2008

ANNANDALE - B.J.'s Bait & Tackle, Bill, west side of Clearwater Lake, between the two public accesses, www.bjsbait.com (320-274-3730) The sunfish bite picked up with the warmer weather now in a couple of spots out front in about 13 feet of water. Eurolarvae seems to be the best. The crappies have been biting out front a little to the left. We will be closing the shop after this weekend until ice out for some well deserved R&R.

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) On Battle, still getting crappies and some nice sunnies. Mainly around the 19-23 feet of water range, suspended with waxies and crappie minnows. Nice perch out on Ottertail in 20-25 feet of water with fatheads. Sunnies are also biting on Rush, Star, West Lost and South Turtle. Mostly in 15 to 20 feet of water on waxies. The crappies are also biting out on Ten Mile.

BEMIDJI - Bluewater Bait & Sports, Mark Cook, 1 mile north of the Hwy 2 & 71 Intersection, www.bluewater-bait.com (218-444-2248) Walleye season came to an end, closed really good. Panfish are biting on Grace and Pimusche. Crappie action is starting to pick up on the area small lakes. Perch action on Bemidji still out in the 30-foot range.

BLACKDUCK - Timberline Sport & Tackle, Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636) Walleye season ended… perch bite still going on Blackduck. Lots of pressure on Rabideau and the bite seemed to be off a little. Same thing on Pimusche, lots of pressure. Some are getting gills on Gull Lake. Some crappies coming off Red Lake now, as they are starting to see more and more.

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 bite has been good, still biting on Pancake Island on S. Center, and on the south end of Chisago. As the ice season goes on, it’ll get better.

CROSBY - Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle, Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912) Walleye season seems like it ended way too fast, but here we are now with some fabulous panfish fishing to look forward to! Crappies are more active now then they have been all winter, and sunfish have become a little more active as well in the last few days. Bay and Clearwater have been putting out some nice crappies in the evening hours, as well as a few small lakes in the area. Demons tipped with minnows have been the go-to bait. Sunfish are taking small horizontal-presentation type jigs tipped with either a waxie or a couple Eurolarvae in the shallow, weedy areas of most lakes. That last hour of day-light has been best for the nice bluegills. There are a few reports of tullibees starting to pick up on a handful of lakes close by, and this should only get better between now and the end of the ice season. Stop in for the up-to-the-minute fishing 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 season ended with a quite the fanfare… crappies and sunnies are biting good as many got out on the smaller lakes. Look for the sunnies on the weedlines, crappies suspended. We have lots of ice, everyone is getting out.

DULUTH - Fisherman's Corner, Scott, 7 miles north of Miller Mall on Hwy 53, www.fishycorner.com (218-729-5369) Bluegill and crappie action on Fish Lake is still good, 10-13 feet of water for sunnies, 13-18 for crappies. On Pike Lake, the perch are biting like crazy… fish a little deeper, 17 feet of water is where they are getting the bigger ones. And they are picking up some nice crappies in 20-22 feet of water right on the bottom, feeding on mayfly larvae. Murphy and Nichols too around the deep holes for crappies. Still some loopers and cohos on the big lake, McQuads Harbor, and all the small the harbors up the shore where they can get out on ice. And in front of the French River when it is open, clear from ice.

DULUTH - Marine General, 1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior, www.marinegeneral.com (218-724-8833) Wherever there is ice in the marinas, guys are out fishing for cohos and loopers with small jigs tipped with waxies or small minnows. Open water shore casting… some are trolling, when they can get out. One more week of walleye fishing on the river, open until next weekend when the Wisconsin season closes, guys are doing really well out there.

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, pike, and bass season has closed, but it doesn't shut the door on some fine fishing opportunities. The trout fishing will fill the gap for many anglers here in the North woods nicely. Persistence pays in this game against the wily trout. Burntside Lake still remains the top choice in the area and it has been turning out some nice numbers of fish. While the true ten plus pound wall-hangers are not coming in as often, there seems to be no shortage of two to eight pound specimens. For some variety, try Miners Lake for Rainbows and Tofte for Rainbows and Splake. For the adventurous spirits Knife Lake for Lake trout has historically been one of the top producers making the Boundary waters journey well worth the effort. Stop in at Babes, "the best little bait shop in Ely" for up to the minute reports and tactics.

FOREST LAKE - Mikes Bait on 8, Rich, 1/2 mile east of 35 on Hwy 8 (651-464-5150) Panfish bite going good, guys out on South Center are getting some crappies in 20-30 feet of water suspend. In the evening they are moving up to shallower water, 8-12 feet. Small red and blue jigs with crappie minnow. North Center too… Forest Lake you have a chance at a bigger crappie, 2nd or 3rd Lake, but not the numbers.

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) Good end to the northern season, guys had good luck. Nice sunnies coming off Long Lake by the hub supper club, they are biting on fresh water shrimp in 8 to 12 fow. Also heard on the north end of Osakis, they are getting some nice sunnies also on fresh water shrimp. Big Sauk Lake they are getting some panfish. Crappies on St. Mary’s in 30-35 feet of water with crappies minnows. We still have shiners and suckers if you are heading out to fish walleyes on the border waters.

HACKENSACK - Swanson's Bait & Tackle, Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack, www.swansonsbait.com (218-675-6176) With walleye and pike season ended it is time to concentrate on the panfish! Luckily the weather is cooperating. The warm weather and longer days usually gets the big panfish active. The reports of big sunfish are starting to trickle in at a more constant pace then they have all winter. 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. Crappie reports are still a little bit sluggish. My suggestion, head to your favorite lake and be fishing in 18-24 feet of water when the sun is setting. Fish 2-4 feet off of the bottom with a small glow jig and a minnow. Perch fishing remains steady on Leech Lake. Trader's Bay and Pine Point were hot over the weekend. Look for the weed edges growing in the sandy bottom. A rattling jigging spoon and a minnow head are a great bet this time of year. Haven't heard of any Perch on Woman Lake recently but if they are going to bite, now will be the time. Do you suppose the tullibee have bounced back in Leech Lake as well as the walleye and perch have? Might be worth a try this spring!

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) Beautiful weather ended the inland lake fishing season for northern pike and walleye, fortunately Namakan Lake, being a MN/Canada border water remains open through April 14th. Kabetogama remains viable for crappies and perch year around and in just a few months when the hard water softens you can enjoy the 2008 opener on May 10th. As of today the bright sun softened the trails, however colder weather is enroute and we expect the snowmobile trails to bounce back after they are groomed. Lake trails remain in decent shape, as is the ice. Namakan and Sandpoint have snowmobile trail access for anglers. There is nearly a month left to angle for walleyes in Namakan and northern pike has a continuous season. Enjoy fishing on the hard water while you can.

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) There's always good news on Lake of the Woods. Ice depths are tremendous. 30 plus inches of ice are on the big lake and 22 plus inches on the Rainy River. Many resorts are looking to add another extension for drilling those holes.Houses are spread out across the lake covering different depths in different locations. Many resorters are taking their guests miles across the Big Traverse and catching limits of walleye, saugers and many perch. They attribute the great bite to the incredibly low temperatures that the area has endured for quite a few weeks. Anglers are bringing in limits in 30-34 feet of water and the bite has been consistent using shiners. The Northwest Angle and Islands have experienced a very successful season and those limits of walleye and sauger just keep coming in. Jumbo perch provide a great deal of entertainment and they are in abundance. REMEMBER: you still don't need a passport to travel to the Northwest Angle. Here's a news flash! If you haven't heard, your 2007 fishing licenses are now valid until April 30th according to recent legislation. That means there's plenty of time for that fishing trip to the northland. Ice generally stays intact on the big lake throughout March even though fish houses come off March 15th.There's nothing like having full sunshine, a beautiful day, drilling a hole and fishing in the great expanse of Lake of the Woods during that time. Give a try! Snowmobilers will be interested to know that trails have been groomed in the area as well as on the lake. We have two feet or more of snow base on the ground and snowmobilers are enjoying the paradise.

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) Sauger are still biting on the St. Criox in the Bayport area, jigging #3 raps. 30-40 feet of water. Centerville and Peltier have been getting hot again.

MILLE LACS LAKE – Chris Kuduk’s Guide Service, www.kuduksguideservice.com (320-630-1761) Anne Lake crappies and sunnies are going good. A few perch out on Mille Lacs. Shakopee wasn’t going as good for panfish.

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) Panfish in the bays, but they are small, you need to weed through them. Avoid the confusion and stop in and get your new license now and be ready for the opener.

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) Ice fishing is still going pretty good. The crappies are going on many area lakes. The best bets are the Gull Chain, Sibley, 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 the ticket.

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) Some nice sunnies on the north end are being caught on waxies and Eurolarvae. Take advantage of the good weather and drill a bunch of holes and move around and find them.

PELICAN RAPIDS - Park Region Sport Shop, Lee Brenna, Intersection of Interstate 59 and 108 in downtown Pelican Rapids (218-863-5701)Sunnies and crappies biting well on Lida and Prairie. Lots of people out. Tullibee action has been pretty quiet. But the panfish bite going forward should be good. Also try Lizzie for a good panfish bite.

RAINY LAKE - Rainy Lake Tourism, www.rainylake.org (1-800-FALLS-MN) There have been good reports from the Birch Point area, with walleye in 30-35 feet of water and the best bite in the late afternoon and early evening. Near American Narrows, the fishing has been best earlier in the day, but again in 30-35 feet of water. Crappies have also been biting in both areas. There have also been good reports on walleye near the east end of Dryweed Island. Northern pike can be caught around Rainy Lake City in 10-15 feet of water. Snowmobilers will find the lake trails open and staked, but the surface may be windswept with hard drifts. Land trails are describes as very good to excellent. You will find the latest reports 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) Lots of limits of walleyes and saugers being caught with #5 and #7 jigging raps tipped with a head of a minnow on Pepin, from Frontenac to Maiden Rock. Crappies are biting at Baypoint Park, and guys getting out at the dam using Ike’s hair jigs, red with white tail, tipped with minnows are getting lots of nice saugers.

SAINT CLOUD - Stop Light Bait, 45 8th Avenue SE, St. Cloud (320-255-9689) The fishermen were slowed down last week by the slow weather. Sunfish were biting on John, Mayhew and Lake Alexander. Some of the new glow jigs with the glow tails have been working on crappies, sunfish and perch. Crappies were biting on Diamond Lake, Lake Maria and big Birch. Crappies on Julia can be caught during the day or at night. And Two Rivers Lake would also be worth a try. The Mississippi River has also been producing a few crappies. Lake Osakis would also be worth a try this time of the year. We continue to carry the freshest bait possible.

SAINT PETER - Hermies Bait, Brad, 43539 French Hill Rd. St.Peter MN 56082 (507-931-6875) Sunnies are biting on Clear Lake at Lexington, some nice. Also try Shields Lake for sunnies and east Jefferson too. Crappies have been slow, few on Washington in 20 feet of water, and Mazaska in the deep hole.

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) We hope the crappie action heats up now that the walleye season is over. Guys will be out chasing them, and we have plenty of ice around, so they should be able to try for a while.

WACONIA - Mase's In Towne Marine, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm, www.intownemarina.com (952-442-2096) Good panfish bite on Center Reef 12 feet of water, crappies in the evenings. North of Pillsbury, on the NW side of the lake, they are getting sunnies in 10 feet of water, 20-22 feet of water for crappies in the morning and evening.

WINNIBIGOSHISH – Walleye Visions, Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids www.mnfishingpros.com (218-327-2312) One week from the next is the tale of the tape on Big Winnie. The weather was great the end of last week, right through the weekend and the perch cooperated and provided good action for those that came to Winnie. The North humps were the most consistent; from Zoomers back to the East were good bets. The depths were still 23-28 feet on the edges, but when you found them the action was good. I talked to one party that kept a limit for four anglers and there catch were nine to 12-1/2 inches, and that's not too shabby anywhere. They got most of their fish on Gold Buckshot Rattle Spoons from Northland, and they were tipping it with a minnow head or 3 waxies. It seems that the warmer weather may have triggered a better bite this past week, but one thing is for sure it's looking like the perch fishing will be good right to ice out. Some of the rock humps on the North end off Pigeon Crk., or the Big Rock pile may be worth checking out. There also are several humps like Big and Little Salami, East of Zoomers, should also be good. Stop at the Pines Resort or Highbanks and ask for the latest info. Either John or Rick will give you the straight scoop. On the South end of Winnie contact Roger at Nodaks, or Craig at McArdle's for information on the South and West areas. The weather should start to stabilize and the perch will provide some excellent action for the next 6-8 weeks.