Suggestions for MN metro?
619musky
Posted 5/11/2009 4:06 PM (#377441)
Subject: Suggestions for MN metro?





Posts: 264


I am planning to fish Minnesota this year and if anyone has suggestions on some lakes to fish in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area that would be helpful.

Edited by 619musky 5/11/2009 4:28 PM
deafmuskyhunter
Posted 5/12/2009 2:36 PM (#377655 - in reply to #377441)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for MN metro?




Posts: 172


Depend on where u want to fish theers few lake in ne metro, sw, nw, west of metro. Wbl, forest lake, bald eagle, tonka, waconia, indy, owasso, and few of tigers lake.
Tonka Boy
Posted 5/13/2009 7:34 AM (#377792 - in reply to #377441)
Subject: RE: Suggestions for MN metro?




Posts: 96


What time of the season are you thinking?
619musky
Posted 5/13/2009 3:45 PM (#377914 - in reply to #377792)
Subject: RE: Suggestions for MN metro?





Posts: 264


Mostly July and August. Some June, some september
MNSteveH
Posted 5/14/2009 7:36 PM (#378247 - in reply to #377441)
Subject: RE: Suggestions for MN metro?


July and Aug can be tough if you are limited to weekends because there's lots of boat traffic and the lakes get pounded. Be prepared to get up real early. I can usually find fish moving at/before sun up. Sunset can be good too, but finding a parking spot for the trailer can be near impossible in the afternoon/evening at that time of year. Weekdays are better, but early evening can still be real tough at the boat ramps.

Also if we get a real heat wave water surface temps get high enough that fish mortality can be an issue. Some of us stop fishing muskies if the surface temps get into the 80's.

I live for mid-sept until ice-up.

I like the NE metro (WB, BE, Forest) because if I'm not moving fish on one lake it's a short hop to another. Chaning up lakes has helped put fish in the net.


619musky
Posted 5/14/2009 9:14 PM (#378267 - in reply to #377441)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for MN metro?





Posts: 264


ya im definately not limited to weekends so thats good. and i would fish in the fall but i go to school in the weekdays so my weekends are filled with hunting. On WBL what are some key things to look for when fishing the weed beds and breaks?
MNSteveH
Posted 5/18/2009 8:26 PM (#379067 - in reply to #377441)
Subject: RE: Suggestions for MN metro?


for me, I like WB because of the clear water - but that also makes it a tough nut to crack. If you are new to musky fishing BE or Forest might give you a better shot at contacting fish, but WB does have some tankers.

For me I seem to find fish on WB either really shallow - 1ft on the rocks when they are really active - or off the deep edges (maybe 17-20'). The weedline is real deep (18'+) and fish are often out off the edge a bit. My best bait has been a 9' deep-diving Grandma's (perch) for fishing the edges, although a bulldawg (walleye) is a favorite of many. When the fish are shallow, purple or pink bucktails have put some nice fish in the boat as a well as a black topraider. When nothing else works a Jackpot over the weedflats will sometimes move a fish. And, topwaters over open water is another popular pattern.

All the obvious spots will hold a fish from time to time but I think a better strategy is simply getting on a weedline and follow it all around the lake until you contact a fish. The "best" spots get pounded and fish will move to relatively obscure locations along a weedline. Same goes for BE and F too.
rpike
Posted 5/21/2009 4:14 PM (#379819 - in reply to #379067)
Subject: RE: Suggestions for MN metro?




Posts: 291


Location: Minneapolis
MNSteveH - 5/18/2009 9:26 PM
All the obvious spots will hold a fish from time to time but I think a better strategy is simply getting on a weedline and follow it all around the lake until you contact a fish. The "best" spots get pounded and fish will move to relatively obscure locations along a weedline. Same goes for BE and F too.


That's some darn good advice for almost any metro lake. It takes a long time to work around miles of weed edges, but often odd-ball spots are better than obvious ones.