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| Not looking for anyone to mention specific lakes. But, how has everyone been doing in the metro. Probably the toughest year for me so far in 10 years, fished 4 different metro lakes so far and alot of the same results. Seeing some fish, but most are still slow and low and a few outings have been goose egg trips. How's everyone else doing? Normally have 10 fish in the boat by this time of the year, way behind schedule.
Edited by Firetiger 6/18/2011 5:37 PM
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Posts: 164
Location: Twin Cities | About the same for me. Lost a fish during the metro tourny, lots of lookers. |
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Posts: 186
Location: Waconia, MN | Things have been slow for myself as well. Finding fish where I expected, but just slow lazy follows most of the time. |
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Posts: 454
| Fished Tonka Friday and Saturday and I really struggled. I managed a mid thirties fish on a squirrley phantom, but that was it. Only saw 2 other fish. I worked the shallows, the breaks, and the deeper water off the breaks and just could not get fish moving out there. I talked to a couple of people who had caught fish trolling in 25-40 ft of water. I can't believe that all the fish would be suspended out there, but I moved far fewer fish the past few days than I have in the past. Maybe I just missed their feeding windows as I only fished from about 6 am to 12:00 noon both days.
Lake Independence has been good for me. Lots of fish moving and some aggressive ones as well. Biggest fish is a 46" so far. Finding most of my fish in 5-10 ft of water.
Lake Waconia has been a battle this year as well. Only a 39" to show for my efforts, been moving a few fish though. Haven't been out there in over a week so not sure how things have gone lately, but from the network I talk to, things are still slow.
Sugar lake- only one trip there so far this year and moved around 10 fish mostly 45 + class as well. Very sunny flat day out there which is a problem on a clear body of water  Most action came pre-sunrise when low light conditions still existed. |
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Posts: 43
| Fishing on tonka has been the same for me as it sounds for everyone else. Casting has been really slow. Moving fish but mostly sluggish. Lots of suspended fish it seems to me. We have a 40 and 42 trolling like was said 25 to 40 FOW.
Waconia has been incredibly slow I havent moved a thing.
Will be making it out to indy this week once or twice so i can let you know then how that goes.
If I were to do anything right now though I would hit the inside weeds on tonka for a while and see what happens and if that doesnt work go troll for a bit and hopefully get one in the boat atleast. The water temp is still low enough pulling fish from deep isnt too bad still |
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Posts: 454
| Fished Tonka last night from 7-9 pm. Actually moved some fish and boated one. A much improved evening from my previous trips there. Still wasn't anything spectacular, but at least there was a little action.
We fished off of structure in 25-35 ft of water. Depth of lure didn't matter. We moved fish on topwater out there.
Find deep open water where there is bait and just fish it. The storm moving in could have helped out too.
Walk the dog topwater and side to side gliders seemed to be the ticket for us.
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Posts: 193
Location: Mayer, MN | Waconia last night was the dead sea, again.
Very few trucks in the parking lot and very few boats on the lake. When we pulled off the lake at 9:30 there was one rig left in the lot.
Water temps were 69.5 or so. |
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Posts: 264
| lots of luck - 6/21/2011 9:01 AM
Waconia last night was the dead sea, again.
Very few trucks in the parking lot and very few boats on the lake. When we pulled off the lake at 9:30 there was one rig left in the lot.
Water temps were 69.5 or so.
Sounds like what it was like for us last night. Only one other rig at the launch. 20 mph east winds...we need a big change in weather to get these fish going again. |
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| 10 fish moved on Sugar?? It's been slow in the evenings out there, maybe I need some morning trips. I'll be out there next week, hopefully they are getting more active. |
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Posts: 454
| Guest-
Not sure what had the fish moving that morning, but they were showing themselves. Getting them to eat was another story. Shoot me a pm if you want to discuss specifics.
Tony |
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Posts: 1224
Location: Okoboji | We have been seeing plenty of fish lately but the morning seems best right now |
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Posts: 186
Location: Waconia, MN | Anyone had any better luck over the last couple weeks? I regret to inform that I have not. Waconia has been slooooow going all year long. |
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Posts: 454
| Waconia looks to be in trouble this year. You have to work your tail off to find fish out there. Certain spots still hold fish, but they are not your milk run spots. They are off the beaten path thats for sure. I wish I could say that it was just the weather patterns, but I truly think that a lake under 3000 acres got over-pressured, lots of mortality, and lots of inexperienced anglers kept fish. Yes, everyone has a right to keep a legal muskie if they so choose, but as I have posted before, I have watched far too many people show up at the marina docks with muskies on stringers over the past couple of years. Take those fish and all the others that have died due to poor handling, deep/bad hook ups, and the 50" + fish kept for mounts, over the years and it will have an impact on the resource.
I am not saying that the lake is dead and will never recover, but it has definitely seen its prime for the time being. Maybe in a couple of years it will rebound, at least I hope so.
So, as a general reminder, please keep proper release tools in your boat, don't keep sub legal fish, if you do happen to boat a "trophy" please consider a replica and release the fish, and continue to educate those you come in contact with about the importance of protecting the resource.
Best of luck to all.
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Posts: 114
| Couldn't agree with this assessment of Waconia any more, and it's a sad thing to see. I've been fishing this lake for many years, and unfortunately when the "word got out" it brought more pressure than it could handle. The extremely hot water temps last summer didn't help matters any either.
Hopefully someday she will come back, but in the meantime like asteffes said please practice proper, safe release for the fish! |
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Posts: 208
| Its not just Waconia in my opinion! I don't care what metro lake your fishing there are just more people taking up the sport and as the popularity continues to grow the fish are exposed to more and more pressure. They have baits in there face day after day after day and there interest begins to fade. With all the new musky fisherman proper handling becomes critical. |
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Posts: 149
| Fished Tonka yesterday in the afternoon and into night for about 7 hours and had three follows from mid to upper thirty inch fish all on the deeper weed lines. Never raised a thing in the shallows. |
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Location: Minneapolis | A lot of people are just using their bass gear with a wire leader on and calling it a day. No nets or proper release tools either. I've seen 2 floaters this year who knows how they died.
Nothing but follows for me so far, but I consider that decent for shore fishing. |
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Posts: 40
| Moved 3 on Tonka last night, one of them on dawg balls, got to figure 8 everytime! Saw a boat net a pretty nice fish near us. Lots of people chucking blades, can hear them clanking from a mile away! |
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| Thursday night Metro: Blades turned on thick 42.5 and 33 in the fig8 10 mins apart both on DCG.... buddy had 45+ around 3 times in the 8 fished swiped and missed his 13s and sunk down not to be seen again. |
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Posts: 454
| Lost a good fish on a pounder at about 8 am today. Moved one other fish. Better than nothing, but still no real pattern on the lakes I fish.
Fished the night bite Wed. this week, 8 pm to 2 am and had NADA. Should have waited til Thursday I guess |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Cormorants, Tony. Cormorants. |
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