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Posts: 921
| I've done some searching online and read a few things on various sites.
Just curious if anyone has any feedback on Baby Lake in Hackensack. Sounds like they are smaller fish from the old Shoepack stain stocking many years ago.
I don't need to catch giant fish, but if there is enough fish in there for some activity?
Thanks - Midge |
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Posts: 1247
Location: Walker, MN | It's not a hot lake by any means, you can catch a couple if you put in some time. 2000-2010 all of the smaller lakes in that Longville area were good, much tougher now imo. |
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Posts: 921
| Interestingly enough, I was in the sport shop in Longville yesterday and I heard the 2 kids working behind the counter talking about muskies. I asked them about Baby Lake and they gave me a blank stare. Neither of them had ever heard of muskies in Baby Lake. Ha! |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Baby lake has seen it's better days, and hopefully the fishery is just needing to rebuild itself. I've been fishing Baby lake since I started muskie fishing in 1979... It was a solid numbers lake up through about 2004 or so, then it started to tail off. I feel this was due to the increase in fishing pressure with a public boat launch that went in in 1997. There are still fish to be had, but they are much more few and far between. The weird aspect is that the population assessments from the DNR still show good numbers as compared to other area lakes... It might be as much as finding a different pattern for the fish (and I will admit fully I have yet to find that pattern).
In 2014, the DNR did an assessment on the system to determine genetics...and quite a few fish were assessed on both Baby and Man Lake. The presence of shoepack in the genetic lines still existed (as would be expected since there is no stocking of muskies taking place since the last shoepack were put in around 1980 or 1981...cannot recall the year).
Complete speculation on my part, but after that study, the population (to me) has seeminly tanked. Then again, I can remember back around 95 or so when a lot of small fish were present, and I've essentially been able to watch them grow up... My hope is positive that populations will reestablish themselves (kind of like the ebb and flow of grouse populations on their 10 year cycle type idea)
I don't get the opportunity to fish as much there as I used to, but I remain hopeful that this coming year I will see more activity from fish. I've got to break out of my normal tactics and try some new things and hopefully I'll stumble onto something...
I had a conversation during rifle season with Rusty Lillyquist and he and I were in agreement that overall the lakes are not as solid as they used to be....including wabedo and little boy.
Structure-wise, you cannot beat Baby. Lots of structure all over the lake, but I would suspect opening weekend the access will be full of rigs (it can hold 7 rigs roughly).
If you go...enjoy!! It's a beautiful lake!
Steve |
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Posts: 776
Location: Ames, Iowa | Always had super clear water. I think it's a better evening lake. I have seen muskies on top of the rocks catching some rays. My daughter's hand was attacked by a 30 incher at the public dock on the SE side several years ago while she was waving it at some bluegills under the dock. Then she pulled out a baitcaster and got him to follow. There used to be some great weedbeds in that lake. Mann Lake is next door via a squeeze under the bridge on the east side- my new boat cannot make that. Mann is much cloudier than crystal clear Baby. Wabedo just seems to be a a night lake. And Little Boy I have never figured out. Have not been to either of those for quite a few years. I used to start my summer on Leech with a couple days at Wabedo first. I hope it is still Zebra Mussel free. The locals were working hard to check boats at the Little Boy ramp and keep them out of the lakes. About 15 years ago on here I wrote every lake in MN and Iowa will have zebes within 5 years. Have no idea what lakes aren't infested. |
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Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya!
So far, we have not seen them on the chain of Baby and Man, which is a good thing, and the weedbeds are still solid. I see much more coontail on Baby than man...especially as the season progresses. So far, no Eurasian, and at this point, I don't think we have an infestation of Rusty's yet either. Have not been out on Woman for a couple of years so I don't know how the weedgrowth is going there after the rusty's decimated them a while back.
Dj...did you get out up there? I won't be up until next weekend.
Steve |
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Posts: 776
Location: Ames, Iowa | Going up for a week starting June 6th thru the 12th with the new boat, and would get on Wabedo first before going to Leech. Then a week July 8th-14th at Leech when the real muskie season starts. I'll be back on Leech from August 17th-Sept 4th. Once I get to Leech that's where I stay, with a couple drives over to Kabekona Bay. Couple years ago the EWM was so thick on the shallows east side of Leech it was tough to get thru the Narrows. And the rusty's continue to be like a roller coaster- however they haven't been bad for quite a few years. |
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Baby Lake MN