Wild24

Ha, the bat may help but gloves won't (unless you get some chain mail gloves lol)! I would recommend getting a Fish Grip or a Fish Grip Jr. (I use the Jr.). Also, you can pick them up by the gills with a little practice. Be careful, though, as grabbing by the gills can still put some nasty cuts on your fingers. There's a technique to it, just google search it and i'm sure you'll find a good explanation. They're really fun to catch when the small ones leave you alone. Northerns generally like to do a violent shake just as you're trying to get the hook out. Their timing is usually spot on unfortunately! The fish grip has worked amazingly well for this as I no longer get scared that they're going to throw the hook in my fingers. What part of MN did you move to? Man, it sure feels like it sometimes!

Hey seporpn, welcome to MN! One of the very first things you'll learn is that we Minnesotans are very defensive about our state lol ;-) We have many lakes and wonderful opportunities to fish for many great species. One of the best things about bass fishing in MN is that you are, in a sense, the minority as most fisherman here target walleye. This is a wonderful thing! There is much less pressure fishing for bass here than you are probably used to. My advice is to ignore those people and keep watching those YouTube videos! Any information you are able to have at your disposal is to your advantage. Sure, some things may not work as well as down south, but that doesn't mean it won't work at all. I would also advise to not, however, run from those conversations. Fishing for walleye is different than bass fishing so anything you learn along the way betters you as a fisherman. You'll also catch many walleyes while trying to catch bass at certain times of day/year. It's really a lot of fun since they fight differently. If the bass bite is cold then you can always switch to targeting walleye and vise-versa. Be prepared to have some toothy friends bite off your lures while bass fishing here. Small northerns inhabit the same territories as the bass you're targeting, especially using baits that move. While northerns are really fun to catch, the small ones can be a pain in the rear when the bite off your line or chew up your fingers taking out the hook. Again, welcome to MN and I wish you luck!

Lake Calhoun will give you a great view of the Minneapolis skyline. As mentioned previously, it can be busy but that may be a good thing if you want runners/walkers/boats/etc. Lake Harriet may be another one to consider, although I don't remember if you can get the skyline in a shot (at least not as good as Calhoun). Lake Nokomis would be similar to Lake Harriet- nice scenery and many people out and about walking around. All of these are in Minneapolis so it would be easy if that's the city you're planning to stay in. If you're willing to travel further, the bluffs near Taylor's Falls (north of Stillwater about 45-60 minutes from Minneapolis) on the St. Croix River would make a nice background. Many, MANY more options if you're willing to drive a little ways. My best advice would be to google some images of all places mentioned and pick which one would be best suited for your scene. One thing's for certain, you have plenty of options if you're looking for lakes in MN! Good luck and enjoy your time here, May can be an amazing month for weather and is a time everyone likes to get outside to enjoy it!

Went shore fishing yesterday for about 4 hours on the Mississippi in Red Wing, MN. In the first 30 minutes I lost a zman chatterbait elite and a siebert swim jig. Luckily I didn't lose another one the rest of the day, otherwise it may have quickly become a very short day of fishing! I don't shore fish very often, but when I do it generally shows :-P

Of course I just made a swim-jig-focused order (my second order in a month) a couple of days ago! You waited just long enough so I'd have to place a 3rd order, didn't you? ? In all seriousness, Mike, you make a great product and I'm looking forward to the day I place another order to try these out!