Minnesota Fishing Report - 2019

[gim]

Looking forward to next spring.

[punch]

On 11/16/2019 at 5:52 PM, gimruis said:

Looking forward to next spring.

No kiddin! However, there's still lots of good fishing to be had this winter. I'll be hitting the riverbank in Monticello for smallies & poppin holes all over the north metro chasing crappies & LMB. 

 

I'm actually getting excited to hit the ice. It's looking like an early season this year. 

[gim]

Boy, some lakes started locking up with that cold snap last week and now today I saw them ice free again. Now they’re talking 40’s until Thanksgiving and some rain tomorrow. Maybe I put my fishing gear away too early...

[Sodaksam]

We have 5 inches on our lake in Pequot.   Was out today, and a curious fox was within 10 yards of me.  He wasn’t nervous at all.  Pretty cool. 

[punch]

Anyone hit the river yet? 

[FryDog62]

2 hours ago, punch said:

Anyone hit the river yet? 

Was on Miss/CR dam Saturday.  Water temps 32 degrees. Not much going except live bait.  

[ThatOneBigKid]

So what kind of damage has everyone done in terms of new gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

 

I picked up two of the Humminbird Helix 10 Mega Imaging units from Cabelas on BF. Replacing my 1198 unit on my console. I intend to pick up a Mega 360 unit for the trolling motor that I'll run off the second unit. 

 

Also picked up some jigs from Outkast and some cranks from 6th Sense. 

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, ThatOneBigKid said:

So what kind of damage has everyone done in terms of new gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

 

I picked up two of the Humminbird Helix 10 Mega Imaging units from Cabelas on BF. Replacing my 1198 unit on my console. I intend to pick up a Mega 360 unit for the trolling motor that I'll run off the second unit. 

 

Also picked up some jigs from Outkast and some cranks from 6th Sense. 

TW: Some more jigs, a couple Choppos, a 4th Z-Man original chatter to round out the color selection and a bunch of plastics - mainly one and two colors to fill in where I had one and two of a style already - and the big purchase? (du-du-DUUUU) A Dobyns Fury crank rod (7' MH/M) to go with the 6.3:1 Fuego I got as a B-Day gift.

Cabelas: A pack of XPS Squarebills.

 

Still gotta put in my Rapala order from FishUSA - round out my jerkbait collection.

[FryDog62]

8 hours ago, ThatOneBigKid said:

So what kind of damage has everyone done in terms of new gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

 

I picked up two of the Humminbird Helix 10 Mega Imaging units from Cabelas on BF. Replacing my 1198 unit on my console. I intend to pick up a Mega 360 unit for the trolling motor that I'll run off the second unit. 

 

Also picked up some jigs from Outkast and some cranks from 6th Sense. 

Will be looking forward to your review on the new 360.  I contemplated that before I bought LiveScope.  Both are good, fun to compare...

[ThatOneBigKid]

12 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Will be looking forward to your review on the new 360.  I contemplated that before I bought LiveScope.  Both are good, fun to compare...

Correct me if I am wrong, but the live scope doesn't show the "radar" like top down view of the structure around the transducer like the 360, correct? It is basically Lowrance's version of Panoptix. Otherwise I missed something looking at the Livescope. 

 

Going with 360 so there is no questioning how close I am to the structure or weedline I am targeting. Should just make me that more efficient and it should help me understand even more what is going on down there. Looking forward to it. Will for sure post a review. 

[FryDog62]

2 hours ago, ThatOneBigKid said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but the live scope doesn't show the "radar" like top down view of the structure around the transducer like the 360, correct? It is basically Lowrance's version of Panoptix. Otherwise I missed something looking at the Livescope. 

 

Going with 360 so there is no questioning how close I am to the structure or weedline I am targeting. Should just make me that more efficient and it should help me understand even more what is going on down there. Looking forward to it. Will for sure post a review. 

There are two views on Livescope - straight down and one that shoots out in front of the boat (or whatever direction the trolling motor faces).  

 

Straight down is a cone so not as wide a circle as 360 Imaging, but wider than the typical transducer.  It is real time, no waiting for the screen to refresh, very accurate in identifying structure and fish, which way they are moving, etc.  Absolutely great for drop-shotting, Ned/Neko, etc.  

 

Switching the view forward can go out as far as you want (I'm typically 70 feet or whatever casting distance is).  Here Livescope helps you see/follow the weed edge, structure, etc. and see "some" fish movement.  I say some fish because the big ones or baitfish clouds are more obvious, but less so smaller fish that are farther out or those really tight to the bottom.  

 

I think both Livescope and 360 are great to get a better idea of what's going on down below, maybe to identify structure to cast too more so than actual fish, but both to a degree.  No idea which is better, just probably a little different in perspective.  If we ever get out on the water together we should jump in each other's boats and compare the same area sometime.  ?

[ThatOneBigKid]

2 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

There are two views on Livescope - straight down and one that shoots out in front of the boat (or whatever direction the trolling motor faces).  

 

Straight down is a cone so not as wide a circle as 360 Imaging, but wider than the typical transducer.  It is real time, no waiting for the screen to refresh, very accurate in identifying structure and fish, which way they are moving, etc.  Absolutely great for drop-shotting, Ned/Neko, etc.  

 

Switching the view forward can go out as far as you want (I'm typically 70 feet or whatever casting distance is).  Here Livescope helps you see/follow the weed edge, structure, etc. and see "some" fish movement.  I say some fish because the big ones or baitfish clouds are more obvious, but less so smaller fish that are farther out or those really tight to the bottom.  

 

I think both Livescope and 360 are great to get a better idea of what's going on down below, maybe to identify structure to cast too more so than actual fish, but both to a degree.  No idea which is better, just probably a little different in perspective.  If we ever get out on the water together we should jump in each other's boats and compare the same area sometime.  ?

I would be down for a comparison fishing trip. Would be sweet to see the differences between the two.  

[umdivx]

On 12/3/2019 at 1:48 PM, ThatOneBigKid said:

So what kind of damage has everyone done in terms of new gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

So lets see.

American Legacy.... Dobyns Champion Extreme HP 7'-4" spinning rod and Champion XP 7'-3" casting rod to round out my already large Dobyns rod collection.  Also picked up a new Tatulta SV TW casting reel. 

Outkast Tackle.... re-stocked up on perfect ned heads, Golden eye swim bait heads, and a good amount of the money jigs.

X-Zone Lures.... loaded up on some more plastics and got a few hats.

Biospawn...  loaded up on 3.25" Exoswim plastics

Rapala.... Finally picked up one of their tournament culling scales

All Terrain... loaded up on jigs, mainly 1/4oz, not a huge heavy jig person so the lighter the better for me. 

 

think that is it so far. Can't keep track of everything I got. 

[FryDog62]

Big fan of All-Terrain Grassmaster Jigs - I hope the new ownership doesn’t mess with the best “weed” jig on the market ( I have dozens of 1/2 & 3/4 oz GM jigs)

[OperationEagle]

On 12/3/2019 at 1:48 PM, ThatOneBigKid said:

So what kind of damage has everyone done in terms of new gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

 

I picked up two of the Humminbird Helix 10 Mega Imaging units from Cabelas on BF. Replacing my 1198 unit on my console. I intend to pick up a Mega 360 unit for the trolling motor that I'll run off the second unit. 

 

Also picked up some jigs from Outkast and some cranks from 6th Sense. 

Was able to grab one of those helix 10 mega si’s online from Cabela’s at the BF price.  Will replace my gen 1 DI up front ...so now I will have one at bow and dash. 

 

Arrives tomorrow.  Looking forward to seeing which transducer it comes with. Read it’s not the standard mega but the g3n one. We will see.

[umdivx]

On 12/4/2019 at 10:29 PM, FryDog62 said:

Big fan of All-Terrain Grassmaster Jigs - I hope the new ownership doesn’t mess with the best “weed” jig on the market ( I have dozens of 1/2 & 3/4 oz GM jigs)

Less of new ownership and more of a partnership. AT just couldn't keep up with distribution. That is why they partnered up with Clam/BF so they can handle the distribution aspects.  

[OperationEagle]

Heads up that the gander outdoors in lakeville has a 50% off sale on almost everything in the store. Includes non ice fishing baits, rods and reels. 

 

I walked out out of there today w a Daiwa ballistic 2500 for $115, a presidential xt for $35, and an avid x spinning rod medium xf for $110.  

 

I believe it will continue until inventory is drawn down. Hear they want to make room for moving some RV’s into the retail space so they need the room.  

 

Note that the cashiers are having to manually mark everything down at the register so the checkout line was extremely long. For this discount it was worth the wait. 

[FryDog62]

Interesting article on a big fish caught in a state not known for big bass... kind of like Minnesota. Was caught on a mop jig which is one of my favorite lures when hunting for size.  Wonder if there is a double digit bass that will be caught here someday, and if not on live bait, if it will be on something like the big mop??

 

Angler Catches Giant Bass in Unlikely State

This is something we certainly didn't expect to see, to be quite honest. Angler John Huckstep caught a 13.2-pound bass in Virginia last week! We've never really heard much about big bass coming from Virginia, but apparently some monster bass live there. Huckstep is known for his big bass prowess and is a respected angler throughout the state. He was kind enough to share some of the details of his incredible catch with us.

 

Huckstep fooled the 13-pounder with a black/blue-colored Buckeye Lures Mop Jigwith a Zoom Swimmin' Chunk in sapphire blue. 

 

[gim]

While Minnesota lies further north than Virginia does, its very possible that both the largemouth and smallmouth state records could be broken here soon.  A 13 pounder largie might be a little extreme here in Minnesota but a 9 or 10 pounder probably isn't.  It would have to also be a pre-spawn or autumn fish so it has the massive weight needed in my opinion.  With warming waters/climate and the fact that bass are adaptive to it, maybe its only a matter of time.

[Frog Turds]

i'll definitely keep swingin for the record, be cool to catch a freak that really tops it and not by just splitting hairs...i've only been 1.37#'s off of the current record twice, both were fall feedbag largies...love to look into a scale crystal ball and know what those same females would of weighed up prespawn...

[FryDog62]

18 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

i'll definitely keep swingin for the record, be cool to catch a freak that really tops it and not by just splitting hairs...i've only been 1.37#'s off of the current record twice, both were fall feedbag largies...love to look into a scale crystal ball and know what those same females would of weighed up prespawn...

Frog, The bigger fish you’ve caught, have they been on big jigs or on other favored set-ups?

[Frog Turds]

the one in 9/24/13 was an inland chain of lakes in central MN/south of the cities on a 1/2oz black/blue jig with a 4" pitboss trailer, so somewhat bulky...jig is my favorite and one of my bread & butters...she was under a dock, the last dock in the line with the deepest water under it with a fairly fast transition to deep water...2 or 3 docks prior to that one and the fish just before went 6.72#'s on the same...which i broke both my PB's back to back just minutes apart, was a good day...

 

the other was last year in the sippi backwaters on 10/22/18...on my least favorite baits to throw, a 1/2oz chatterbait...i'll point out why i dont care for them is that i really hate feeling all that vibration BUT if its the tool i need and they are keyed in on it ill throw it, im not that stubborn lol...i found a pile of pigs on an outside edge of a lotus point that had some deeper structure (never really deep in the backwaters but still deeper structure compared to adjacent area) and had flow running along the entire edge of that lotus field...

 

to be honest, i would of never thought id get a 7.56#er out of the sippi...compared to the lakes i used to fish which i caught 5+ pounders regularly and usually atleast 1 over 6 per season...the sippi gives up a decent amount of 4+ but 5's and above are scarce compared...not saying the numbers of 5's and/or 6+ arent there but your dealing with endless acres of water volume and endless acres of veg for them to get lost in (p.s keep in mind i know that im not telling you anything you dont already know  )

 

for me, lakes are easy to break down and find them compared, sippi is a different animal when every time i go, which is weekly there are so many environmental factors at play it can be like day 1 each time in a sense...whether its water level fluctuations, flow, vegetation growth (i'll throw in vegetation movement even) it can morph so rapidly and behave so drastically different from one week to the next...just can be a very unstable system vs a land locked lake that doesnt experience those same factors that the mighty miss does and for the most part, lakes are stable and consistent...

 

but i wouldnt change it, im a river rat and i'd be totally cool if i never fished a land locked lake again...per my heavy cover bassin style, theres simply just no better fit for me...

 

so to answer your question, oddly enough 1 on my favorite and 1 on my least favorite...

[FryDog62]

15 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

the one in 9/24/13 was an inland chain of lakes in central MN/south of the cities on a 1/2oz black/blue jig with a 4" pitboss trailer, so somewhat bulky...jig is my favorite and one of my bread & butters...she was under a dock, the last dock in the line with the deepest water under it with a fairly fast transition to deep water...2 or 3 docks prior to that one and the fish just before went 6.72#'s on the same...which i broke both my PB's back to back just minutes apart, was a good day...

 

the other was last year in the sippi backwaters on 10/22/18...on my least favorite baits to throw, a 1/2oz chatterbait...i'll point out why i dont care for them is that i really hate feeling all that vibration BUT if its the tool i need and they are keyed in on it ill throw it, im not that stubborn lol...i found a pile of pigs on an outside edge of a lotus point that had some deeper structure (never really deep in the backwaters but still deeper structure compared to adjacent area) and had flow running along the entire edge of that lotus field...

 

to be honest, i would of never thought id get a 7.56#er out of the sippi...compared to the lakes i used to fish which i caught 5+ pounders regularly and usually atleast 1 over 6 per season...the sippi gives up a decent amount of 4+ but 5's and above are scarce compared...not saying the numbers of 5's and/or 6+ arent there but your dealing with endless acres of water volume and endless acres of veg for them to get lost in (p.s keep in mind i know that im not telling you anything you dont already know )

 

for me, lakes are easy to break down and find them compared, sippi is a different animal when every time i go, which is weekly there are so many environmental factors at play it can be like day 1 each time in a sense...whether its water level fluctuations, flow, vegetation growth (i'll throw in vegetation movement even) it can morph so rapidly and behave so drastically different from one week to the next...just can be a very unstable system vs a land locked lake that doesnt experience those same factors that the mighty miss does and for the most part, lakes are stable and consistent...

 

but i wouldnt change it, im a river rat and i'd be totally cool if i never fished a land locked lake again...per my heavy cover bassin style, theres simply just no better fit for me...

 

so to answer your question, oddly enough 1 on my favorite and 1 on my least favorite...

Having grown up in Rochester and in Olmsted County (the only county in Minnesota without a natural lake) we fished the Zumbro River and Mississippi near Wabasha frequently.  You’re absolutely right, a lot of 3-4 pound bass and the occasional 5, so to catch something north of 7 lbs there is a very rare beast indeed! 

[NathanDLTH]

Think it’s possible for a 9-10 lber here, glad someone broke a record. I’m hoping Minnesota’s record gets beaten. 

[FryDog62]

4 hours ago, NathanDLTH said:

Think it’s possible for a 9-10 lber here, glad someone broke a record. I’m hoping Minnesota’s record gets beaten. 

If you had to guess - - will it be caught on a river, large lake or smaller body of water?