Minnesota Fishing Reports - 2017

[BassThumb]

Mille Lacs is going to be a zoo, but I'm going to try and stay away from the crowds. There's plenty of room to play out there. Last year at this time, there were smallies as big as footballs roaming the shallows in 2 FOW.

[rascalP]

Lotta places to fish - even on opener. Where you headed? North, south, east or west? I work weekends and get tues. wed. off. I love it in every way, but the weather has not been good to us mid-weekers. Still not sure how next week will play out.  We had plans to do a 2 dayer up at ML, but now it might turn into a day trip depending on weather.  I have a few new jerk-baits that NEED to be tried. At the very worst, Chisago area lakes are going good right now - seeing bass all over when fishing pannies.  No matter what,  bass will be caught.

     Bassthumb,  give a report.   I'll be curious to know how many wally guys will fish C&R.    Also, spend what you can up there.  Good for us bass guys to put our money where our mouths are.

[FryDog62]

Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die?  I heard that last year and couldn't believe it... 

[punch]

42 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die?  I heard that last year and couldn't believe it... 

 

I highly doubt that but ya never know.. some people are idiots. 

I'm going out Sunday evening somewhere in the North Metro, probably George. Happy opener everyone! 

[geneoh]

How'd everyone do?

 

I ended up being able to get out today in the morning for a few hours with my dad. We fished Sarah Lake, caught probably 10 bass, the two biggest being just shy of 3lbs each. Nothing crazy, but it was nice to set the hook a few times. It was only my second time on Sarah and my cranking battery died so we were limited in where we could fish. 

 

By the time we left at 11am the parking lot was full with about 15 trailers. Super small boat launch so that was pretty crazy!

 

 

[dsidle61]

Nice to see the thread started already!  I didnt get out today, just wanted to avoid the first timers at the crowded ramps.  Ill be out tomorrow evening, havent decided a location yet but going to go west metro somewhere.  I'm definitely focusing on finesse fishing this year, chucking spinnerbaits the past two years has me itching to switch it up.  Also picked up a lowrance hook 7 this offseason so hoping to focus on deeper structure now that im not fishing blind.  Ill report back and share what I found!

[Tlauz]

Got the camper opened up and ready for summer.  After working yesterday, got out for about 3 1/2 hours today.  Only saw 2 other boats which was nice.  Water temps were 57-60 degrees.  Tried throwing spinnerbait shallow, crankbait in 4-10 ft, swimbait , and got no takers.  Went really shallow 1 to 3  feet and caught 5 on swim jig with craw trailer.  Three biggest were all around 17 inches.   Wind was blowing 15 mph with gusts higher.  I only fished the least windy side of lake.  I was still flying through area pretty fast.  Today is one of the days I wish I had a Talon!  

[FryDog62]

Found some river smallies today ... was hard to tell if they are staging or actually spawning.  62 water degree temps.  Most were between 16-19 inches on wacky worms... one 20 incher. 

[punch]

Nice Job Frydog! Shot you a PM btw. 

 

I went out on Big Marine yesterday with my kids on my parents pontoon and we hammered some really nice sized panfish. Kept a bunch for future camping fish fry's. I really like that lake.. the boat ramp is fantastic and it's not super busy. Then I went out myself on Crooked in the evening for a couple hours but that was a mistake. The lake was pounded with pressure/boat traffic all weekend and the fish were NOT having it. They wouldn't touch anything moving and the only 3 fish I caught were fishing a weighted wacky worm in like 3 feet of water really really slowly. It was nice to get out though and toss a baitcaster around. 

On 5/13/2017 at 10:35 PM, geneoh said:

How'd everyone do?

 

I ended up being able to get out today in the morning for a few hours with my dad. We fished Sarah Lake, caught probably 10 bass, the two biggest being just shy of 3lbs each. Nothing crazy, but it was nice to set the hook a few times. It was only my second time on Sarah and my cranking battery died so we were limited in where we could fish. 

 

By the time we left at 11am the parking lot was full with about 15 trailers. Super small boat launch so that was pretty crazy!

 

 

 

 

Yeah the ramp at Sarah is VERY sketchy. Pretty cool lake though. 

[nguggs]

Got out on Tonka Sunday morning. Wasn't much busier than a normal Sunday for me. The launches are built for crowds. Stayed in Grays Bay as it was pretty calm, and water was warm. Water temps into the 60's in the shallow flats.

 

Only caught two in 3 hours. Was pretty slow. Both on a natural colored squarebill. But, it was really nice to get out fishing again. The DNR at the launch said that a few others were finding Tonka slow so far, as well.

[BassThumb]

On 5/13/2017 at 1:22 AM, FryDog62 said:

Are the walleye guys that catch smallmouth on Mille Lacs still slitting their throats and releasing them to die?  I heard that last year and couldn't believe it... 

I think that's mostly a myth. I've never seen a floater. 

[FryDog62]

5 minutes ago, BassThumb said:

I think that's mostly a myth. I've never seen a floater. 

 

I sure hope so... I was out with a guide 2 years ago and he said he'd heard of it too but never seen it.  He said more often it was guys taking their legal limit of smallmouth and depositing in the trash on the way home... 

 

Could be urban myth, and now with what Bassmaster brings in revenue maybe sentiments are changing --

[BassThumb]

On 5/13/2017 at 0:12 AM, rascalP said:

 Bassthumb,  give a report.   I'll be curious to know how many wally guys will fish C&R.    Also, spend what you can up there.  Good for us bass guys to put our money where our mouths are.

The fishing was pretty slow, numbers-wise, but the size was nice. Caught 11 fish total. Top 5 weighed about 21 lbs., all on a deep diving LC Staycee jerkbait. Crawdad imitations didn't get bit once.

 

Fish on the south end of the lake were starting to arrive on the beds. Some were very active. On the east side, they were deeper and inactive, staging suspended off the breaks I believe. Couldn't get them to bite.

 

Here is my dad with our biggest, a stubby 5-pounder.

 

 

13 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

 

I sure hope so... I was out with a guide 2 years ago and he said he'd heard of it too but never seen it.  He said more often it was guys taking their legal limit of smallmouth and depositing in the trash on the way home... 

 

Could be urban myth, and now with what Bassmaster brings in revenue maybe sentiments are changing --

Doing that to 10-15 bass on a lake that 20 x 30 miles wide is really ignorant, even more so than the guy who tosses a carp in the bushes of a local park for everyone to smell for the next two months. 

[dsidle61]

Managed to get out last night for just about 2 hours.  Went to fish lake in maple grove, usually my mid summer lake for frogs but I went bc its close to home.  Only managed one on a weighted wack rigged senko.  Decent size though, maybe 2-3 lbs.  Will probably be off to Maxwell Bay next time im available.  

[OperationEagle]

Was out on Saturday on a south metro lake and it was epic. Fish were shallow.  Threw senkos all day. 

 

Between the the two of us, we caught 25.  Of these 5 were greater than 19 inches. 2 were 20 inches. 

 

Most fish were had from 6 am to noon. Probably my best opener yet. It was great to be out on the water for another season.  

 

We are blessed, my friends, to live in a state with such a great fishery.  Hope to never take it for granted.  

[baileyjs]

Hi all, haven't been around much recently but hoping to get out more this year.  I took my 8 year old son out for a few hours Saturday evening and we did alright.  I was surprised how on the lake we typically fish the docks the weedline was already out 10ft from the end of the docks and full of snot grass!  It's a smaller lake that holds large numbers of smaller bass so he's pretty much sure to catch a bunch but not sure how often I'll be going back this year.

[geneoh]

Went out to Medicine Lake yesterday and was going to brave the storm. Only lasted about an hour and then was hit with blue birds and heavier winds. Made it a little difficult to fish but still caught some. Caught all my bass but one on a weightless senko. I was just flipping reeds in 2-3 ft of water. Nothing huge. Missed a lot of fish. Water temps are already high 60's.

[rascalP]

Bassthumb,  

         Nice fish.  Looks like you had great weather. My plan was to get up there tues.-wed, but weather changed that.  Instead we checked out a lake that's on our schedule this year that we haven't fished.  We scouted a little for later and fished shallow for today.  The bigger fish came from 4-8 fow, inside weedline mainly. Best baits were swimbait and my favorite early season jerkbait - a pink x-rap. It really does work well. And then a pike decided to keep it for himself.  Pretty sure Rapala will sell me another one.  Good opener overall.

[Bassn4fun]

Made it out Saturday with my wife and kids, ended up with 5 bass and a couple of slimmers.  We had 1 bass at 18.5", 17", 15", 15" and a 13" all came on a white spinnerbait fished through lily pad fields (they were about 5-6" off the bottom).  I couldn't get any on a worm, tube, grub (I didn't try a wacky rig sinko though) or a swim jig.  There were a lot of bass up shallow swimming around I didn't see any beds on this lake but it has to be really close the water temp was around 62-65.  I took Monday off to go fishing and ended the day with 14 bass and 3 northerns, all of the bass were between 13"  and 17.5" and caught again on a white spinnerbait with a paddle tail trailer.  I was fishing the same kind of structure, the thing that has me confused is that I had a couple really nice bass and a big northern shake off my spinnerbait, I didn't change rods or how I was setting the hook and the ones that I did catch were swallowing the spinnerbait ( I was using a trailer hook also).  The rod I was using is a 7' MH Fast baitcaster with a 7.1:1 gear ratio reel with 12' Fluoro.

[gim]

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 10:54 PM, rascalP said:

And then a pike decided to keep it for himself.  Pretty sure Rapala will sell me another one.

 

Haha good one

[OperationEagle]

Anyone head out this past weekend?  Interested to hear how it was.  

[shimmy]

Heading out there this weekend! So very excited. Haven't wet a line since my October trip there. From what I hear the water temps are 58ish in Ottertail County. While it seems the fish have not fully committed to the shallows, there will be some. I hope people are throwing jigs up there! I am reading about all these crankbaits and various baits mumbo jumbo...put those down! It's big bass time. Tie on that jig, sacrifice numbers, and catch that giant this spring. Hope to see some more pictures from everyone.

[OperationEagle]

Oh dang...shimmy is in the house. Epic pics always seem to follow. 

[BassThumb]

Mille Lacs locals may want to focus on the red-hot walleye bite for the time being and let the bass take a backseat. Best trip of my life today for any species in the wind, mist, and rolling clouds. 

 

I was fishing for bass with small swimbaits, specifically 1/4oz VMC Mooneye Jigs and Keitech Easy Shiners in Pearl Ayu color, and ended up with no less than 50 walleyes over 16" along with 8 bass in the 1.5-2lb range. At least 6 walleyes over 24". They all came from the edges of rocky seams in 6-9' of water. I cast the swimmers out, let them fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled them back, bumping along the bottom. 

 

Good luck guys. I know this is Bass Resource, but good fishing is good fishing.  

[punch]

14 hours ago, BassThumb said:

Mille Lacs locals may want to focus on the red-hot walleye bite for the time being and let the bass take a backseat. Best trip of my life today for any species in the wind, mist, and rolling clouds. 

 

I was fishing for bass with small swimbaits, specifically 1/4oz VMC Mooneye Jigs and Keitech Easy Shiners in Pearl Ayu color, and ended up with no less than 50 walleyes over 16" along with 8 bass in the 1.5-2lb range. At least 6 walleyes over 24". They all came from the edges of rocky seams in 6-9' of water. I cast the swimmers out, let them fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled them back, bumping along the bottom. 

 

Good luck guys. I know this is Bass Resource, but good fishing is good fishing.  

 

I got a campsite booked Friday-Sunday on Mille Lacs down at Father Hennepin. Taking the wife and kids and the boat (and the RV). Plan on chasing walleye and smallies all weekend down in the southeast corner. Can't wait.