2021 Minnesota Fishing Season

[gim]

Since no one else started it, I did.  It will be a while before we can post photos, success, failures, or other information on our fishing...but fire away!

[MN Fisher]

Well - once my last rod arrives (still waiting on shipment), I'll post a pic of this coming year's arsenal. There's been a number of upgrades since last year.

[BBug]

I moved up here a year ago last June and I had left my boat in Ohio . My son who only had a mild attraction to fishing became heavily infected with the disease we all love. This prompted him to ask if we could get our boat here. So, in July 2020 I drug it to Minnesota. What a great move that was. It seemed like we fished more lakes this past summer then are in the state we left, and caught fish nearly every time.  This got him even more excited to go. This year we have set a goal to fish 100 different bodies of water.  If the stars align, I think we can do it. If not we will have a great time trying.

 

[gim]

5 minutes ago, Les W Weimer said:

This year we have set a goal to fish 100 different bodies of water.

 

If you head north, you'll easily be able to do that.  You could honestly fish for 3 months straight and not fish the same like twice in northern MN.  And you would likely not encounter very many other anglers specifically targeting bass either.

[BBug]

We plan to head North to target some smallmouth this year. Our area is pretty much largemouth only and after my son caught his first brown fish at Mille Lacs, he wants more. Can you tell me if the upper Mississippi is hard to navigate with a bass boat. We love river angling and we thought we would give it a go. 

[MN Fisher]

It's navigable to Lake Irving in Bemidji - long as you discount dams and such. When I lived up there, we had an old plywood hull day-cruiser that we'd take on the river from Lake Irving down to the dam at the SE end of Stump Lake.

 

Put in at spots between dams, and you shouldn't have a problem.

[BBug]

Perfect! Thanks Much!

[gim]

Then you are in luck! Because in addition to being the land of 10,000 lakes, there are plenty of miles of fish-able river. And I will tell you personally that that are under fished too.

[BBug]

Sounds like I need to move more toward the North. 

Thanks

[MN Fisher]

Just as far as the cities really - in close proximity to me, there's dozens of lakes (no, that's not counting the named lakes that are part of the Minnetonka chain), four rivers (Mississippi, Minnesota St. Croix, and Crow), and a number of canoe/kayak worthy streams.

 

Now, my time is limited, so I don't get to many of them, but they're in the area.

 

Item of note: State record largemouth came out of one of those close lakes.

[BBug]

are there lakes without names that have boat ramps ? I just figured that the ones that weren't named were more swamp like and pretty much void of any gamefish.

[MN Fisher]

Pretty much if it ain't named, it's a walk in for canoe/kayak. Even some of the named lakes around here (Langdon in my town for one) don't have ramps.

[gim]

A new proposal has been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature.  It allows for the Catch and Release of bass, northern pike, and walleye (both SMB and LMB) year round (in addition to the harvest regulations during the summer months) south of highway 210.  It also requires the use of artificial lures only prior to the traditional opener.

 

I know that Wisconsin and Michigan have a year round C & R bass season.  Wisconsin recently just started this last season.

 

I feel like the proposal being introduced has very little chance of passing as it currently reads.  We don't need people specifically targeting walleye, pike, and bass while there is a prime spawning season for them, even if they aren't harvesting them.  They should have just tried to get this done for bass fishing IMO.  The entire reason that bass fishing was closed until the traditional opener was to protect people from "accidentally" targeting other species.  This proposal renders that part useless.

[MN Fisher]

I see how you go down that line - but given the 'popularity' of walleye and northern here, if they went bass only on this, a lot more constituents would raise a ruckus about 'special treatment for bass anglers' than there would be for the reverse.

 

Plus it wasn't all that long ago that they opened bass for C&R when walleye/northern season opened...we use to have to wait 2-3 weeks for our 'targets' after the W/N anglers were already out. Giving bass only another pass 'so soon' would make the angry voices louder.

[gim]

 

I agree.  Which is why I'm not really for or against it either way.  Wisconsin and Michigan can make it work so maybe we can too at some point.  I just think that once they threw that portion in there about specifically targeting W/N in addition to bass, it has no chance.

[gim]

I made a mistake in my previous post. The new proposal only applies to bass. I must have been reading an older proposal.

 

Here is the language. Changes are underlined.

 

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php?number=SF490&version=latest&session=ls92&session_year=2021&session_number=0&fbclid=IwAR0pvv3i0o7iXxzTkcIv1yb0LyVfKnMtJx13mEHdFerK4MWN2qO8WKA6cZg

[losslakelunkers]

So when could this possibly be enacted??? Also is the likelihood of it happening? 

[gim]

The intent was to be enacted this upcoming season.  The likelihood is low, IMO.

 

Quite honestly, I think it may happen at some point down the road but as I previously stated, Minnesota is usually about a decade behind Wisconsin on these types of outdoor changes.

[BBug]

All I know is that the fishing here is much better then where I came from. Maybe it is because all of the fishable water dilutes the pressure or maybe its the seasons. It would be nice to get the boat out shortly after the ice melts however I can deal with waiting a bit longer if it means my catch per cast ratio remains like it was last year. 

[Mustache Dave]

I don't think that the catch and release legislation will pass.  I know the Minnesota DNR does not support it.  

[shimmy]

Hey all, I have been getting stir crazy recently. The wait is real. Just decided to clean up room on my computer and uploaded some MN bass fishing. If you are bored and looking for a pick-me-upper, enjoy. 

 

Here is one with a bunch of 6 pounders.

 

 

Here is a Fall weekend in 2019

 

 

Some fishing from 2020

 

 

And a 28+ pound bag from last fall

 

 

[CM-fisher]

Since most anglers are moving towards catch and release only for largemouth, I think that a year round season would not be a bad idea. IMO the legislation will fail, and I will have to be content with bluegill and crappie until mid May.

[gim]

Same. Not completely bad but I’d rather bass fish if I had a choice. Maybe this is the spring I finally pile into a 15 inch crappie.

[Deephaven]

Took the family out today.  Found no crappies, but picked the side of the lake close to home which had homogeneously 41 deg water...even the back water was the same temp.  Didn't want to subject the younglings and my wife to lots of effort and no fish so we bailed a bit early.  First nice day though so I didn't expect anything.  Perhaps on Monday since they have no school things will be different.

[MN Fisher]

Any time on the water is a good time.

 

Me: I'll be doing the last thing needed on the canoe tomorrow...but it'll be a bit before I can get it out - the wife's PCA came down sick (not COVID) and we don't know how long it'll be before she's on her feet again...until then, it's shore-fishing and wading for me.