Minnesota Fishing Reports - 2018

[Jmhalvo]

I think they originally thought it protected the bedding bass, but really it’s silly because it doesn’t. They are on the beds all through May, so why not open up April? Few Minnesotans care anyway. Walleye is king by a mile - I can hardly find anyone interested in bass fishing 

[sully420]

I wish it was catch and release from ice out to the end of may but what can we do.

[geneoh]

I'm starting to get a little stir crazy. I must be watching to much fishing youtube. I'm going to try to get to Iowa mid-April before the opener. That's if ice out happens soon...

[sully420]

1 minute ago, geneoh said:

I'm starting to get a little stir crazy. I must be watching to much fishing youtube. I'm going to try to get to Iowa mid-April before the opener. That's if ice out happens soon...

Hit me up if you want my login for my outdoor tv there some good mlf to catch up on

[Jmhalvo]

1 hour ago, geneoh said:

I'm starting to get a little stir crazy. I must be watching to much fishing youtube. I'm going to try to get to Iowa mid-April before the opener. That's if ice out happens soon...

Why not SD smallies?

[nguggs]

Where are some good smallmouth spots in SD? Ideally near Sioux Falls...

[Jmhalvo]

2 hours ago, nguggs said:

Where are some good smallmouth spots in SD? Ideally near Sioux Falls...

They are all over UTube

 

[Ranger518vx]

I have fished Mille Lacs the last 2 years and the first week in June seems to have been peak week for bed fishing. However, this winter has been much colder and I am nervous this week may not be peak this year. Historically, does anyone know when the best week is for bed fishing? 

[JackKlassen]

On 3/29/2018 at 5:37 AM, Jmhalvo said:

I think they originally thought it protected the bedding bass, but really it’s silly because it doesn’t. They are on the beds all through May, so why not open up April? Few Minnesotans care anyway. Walleye is king by a mile - I can hardly find anyone interested in bass fishing 

Although it isn't something I'm proud of, a few years ago when I was still in junior-high, me and a few of my buddies would fish a few city lakes before the season started (April/early May) and really lay the hammer on them. We would catch tons of fish in the 4-5 range with a couple pushing 6 and 7 in lakes where we'd struggle to break 4 in the summer months and we weren't catching them off beds. Looking back, I think this is part of the reason the season is so late (protecting fish preparing to spawn), not just bedding fish since lots of fish are still on beds by the time the season starts, especially in years like this year where ice out will be late.

[Jmhalvo]

13 hours ago, JackKlassen said:

Although it isn't something I'm proud of, a few years ago when I was still in junior-high, me and a few of my buddies would fish a few city lakes before the season started (April/early May) and really lay the hammer on them. We would catch tons of fish in the 4-5 range with a couple pushing 6 and 7 in lakes where we'd struggle to break 4 in the summer months and we weren't catching them off beds. Looking back, I think this is part of the reason the season is so late (protecting fish preparing to spawn), not just bedding fish since lots of fish are still on beds by the time the season starts, especially in years like this year where ice out will be late.

Yes that is probably the reason, but that doesn’t explain Michigan. No season and yet they still have big bass to catch all year

[punch]

2 hours ago, Jmhalvo said:

Yes that is probably the reason, but that doesn’t explain Michigan. No season and yet they still have big bass to catch all year

Michigan actually did a study where they took a few lakes and left them open for year-round catch & release and compared the data with lakes that had a closed season and found that C&R didn't damage the population. Which is super obvious to ANYONE who lives in the south that catch bass all year. Michigan, however, used the data to make a legitimate argument for changing the regulations. Minnesota & Wisconsin need to follow suit, and i'd imagine they will someday. They don't even need to do their own surveys! Just use the Michigan data.

 

Every season I send the MN DNR an email asking them for year round bass C&R, and link the articles about Michigan's open season. They have yet to respond to me. 

[MN Fisher]

34 minutes ago, punch said:

Every season I send the MN DNR an email asking them for year round bass C&R, and link the articles about Michigan's open season. They have yet to respond to me. 

I hope it's not C&R only you're asking for - some of us like eating Bass. If it went to C&R only, I'd probably fade away from fishing all-together.

[sully420]

Im in favour of a c&r period from ice out untill june 1st i think that would be a good compromise. 

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, sully420 said:

Im in favour of a c&r period from ice out untill june 1st i think that would be a good compromise. 

Opens to keepers Memorial Weekend now - how about Ice-Out to the normal open date? I would cheer for that - get more 'practice' in before I start stocking my freezer.

[Jmhalvo]

21 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I hope it's not C&R only you're asking for - some of us like eating Bass. If it went to C&R only, I'd probably fade away from fishing all-together.

Of course no one is suggesting that. 

[gim]

I'm beginning to wonder if there will be open water by opener this spring.  A friend told me that most people are still driving a full size truck on lakes in the metro, and I see single digits for lows for several days now.  I wouldn't be surprised if the entire northern half of the state is still covered in ice by mid May.

 

On the regulations, I think Frydog is right.  They've always had a closed season from March - mid May for walleyes/pike in Minnesota and it simply carried on to bass...to protect them when they are most vulnerable during peak reproduction.  That's why the traditional opener for bass used to always be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  The thing I worry about is if (and when) walleye populations start getting so depleted that meat hunters turn to bass instead.  Bass are not a renewable resource around here because we don't stock them and they take a lot longer to grow in cold water.  I think the days of keeping 4 or 6 walleyes as a daily bag limit and 10 crappies is coming to an end.  Its completely unsustainable.  I just hope they don't start keeping bass instead.  I think our state has the great bass (and muskie) fishing it does because most people practice C & R when targeting them.

[MN Fisher]

28 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I'm beginning to wonder if there will be open water by opener this spring.  A friend told me that most people are still driving a full size truck on lakes in the metro, and I see single digits for lows for several days now.

I live by Lake Minnetonka - have no choice but to see Black Lake or Emerald Lake when I go out as I live on Phelps Island. I haven't seen anyone driving on the lake, be it Black, Emerald, Cooks Bay or Spring Park Bay in over a week. People are still walking out to do some fishing, but that's it.

 

Far as open water...was starting to see some open places along the shorelines of just about every bay or small lake in the group, but that went away with last night's frigid temp. I doubt we'll see an average Ice-Out (Apr 14), but I think we won't even have floating ice by opener.

 

Though I do remember an opener back 40 years ago when I lived in Bemidji where we WERE fighting floating ice the whole weekend.

[Jmhalvo]

""...........

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I'm beginning to wonder if there will be open water by opener this spring.  A friend told me that most people are still driving a full size truck on lakes in the metro, and I see single digits for lows for several days now.  I wouldn't be surprised if the entire northern half of the state is still covered in ice by mid May.

 

On the regulations, I think Frydog is right.  They've always had a closed season from March - mid May for walleyes/pike in Minnesota and it simply carried on to bass...to protect them when they are most vulnerable during peak reproduction.  That's why the traditional opener for bass used to always be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.  The thing I worry about is if (and when) walleye populations start getting so depleted that meat hunters turn to bass instead.  Bass are not a renewable resource around here because we don't stock them and they take a lot longer to grow in cold water.  I think the days of keeping 4 or 6 walleyes as a daily bag limit and 10 crappies is coming to an end.  Its completely unsustainable.  I just hope they don't start keeping bass instead.  I think our state has the great bass (and muskie) fishing it does because most people practice C & R when targeting them.

Every few years there is talk of ice for the opener but it never happens. The sun is too strong now. The local weather just mentioned that it was below freezing all day YET we lost 2 in of snow. Fear not- the lakes will be open south of Ely

Edited April 5, 2018 by Jmhalvo

[FryDog62]

32 minutes ago, Jmhalvo said:

""...........

Every few years there is talk of ice for the opener but it never happens. The sun is too strong now. The local weather just mentioned that it was below freezing all day YET we lost 2 in of snow. Fear not- the lakes will be open south of Ely

Wasn’t it 4-5 years ago Mille Lacs still had ice on it for opener and it was basically cancelled... I remember a week later the wind came up and some sheet of ice went across the road and hit some houses...  Man I hope that doesn’t happen again!

[punch]

I'm just bummed I gotta drill a hole to go fish some crappies still. This time last year I was already out crappie fishing in my boat! 

 

Guess we can go in our backyards and practice flipping into snow banks? 

[MN Fisher]

6 minutes ago, punch said:

Guess we can go in our backyards and practice flipping into snow banks? 

Or re-organize the tackle boxes for the 5th time

Or plan on the mods to our rides (been drawing up plans to mod my canoe)

Or maybe have a coffee-klatch to discuss...whatever (though if it's sports other than fishing, I'm useless)

[punch]

3 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Or re-organize the tackle boxes for the 5th time

Or plan on the mods to our rides (been drawing up plans to mod my canoe)

Or maybe have a coffee-klatch to discuss...whatever (though if it's sports other than fishing, I'm useless)

 

And scour ebay & facebook & CL for fishing deals.. and refresh Bass Resource all day.. and watch old FLW & BASS tournaments on youtube.. 

 

 

[Jmhalvo]

8 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Wasn’t it 4-5 years ago Mille Lacs still had ice on it for opener and it was basically cancelled... I remember a week later the wind came up and some sheet of ice went across the road and hit some houses...  Man I hope that doesn’t happen again!

Could be, I stand corrected. Anyway I still hope to hit S Dakota soon!

[FryDog62]

40 minutes ago, Jmhalvo said:

Could be, I stand corrected. Anyway I still hope to hit S Dakota soon!

I know... I was there April 20-21 last year.  Beautiful, glassy calm, mid 60’s, literally no one on the water.  Obviously not going to happen this year, but I remain optimistic to get there at some point hopefully before the season opens in Minn.

[sully420]

I don't think South Dakota will happen this year for me ice wont be out by apirl 26th. Im thinking about going to Iowa a lake called Brushy Creek lake. Has anyone heard of it?