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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | I've fished the past 3 weekends up at Mille Lacs and have had rough results. In about 35 hours of fishing I've mustered 2 follows (1 was a brute) in one 5 minute period. It seems to me, that the water temperature has been holding in the mid 50's for too long and has made the fishing stagnet. I've fished my cabbage spots from past summers and the weeds still look to be in decent shape but I haven't seen anything. I've spent the other half of my time fishing rock piles on the West side. As for baits, I've thrown the kitchen sink and in every size. I've been fishing the rocks and weeds from 3-12 ft of water.
Is it the enviroment that has fishing bad or are there some things I could change to increase my chances? Any advice would be appreciated.
Mike |
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Posts: 337
Location: Central WI | Been fishing the WI river the last few weeks and been getting the same results. Mid 50's for water temps..no fish. |
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| Keep pounding!!!!! You're fishing Mille Lacs for a 40 pounder not a 40 incher. It's never been a numbers lake and even during the best years, patterning the fish can be difficult and when you do develop a pattern, it's typically short lived. You want 40 inchers, then go to Wisconsin. You want the biggest fish of your life? Stay on Mille Lacs. Go elsewhere 'cause it's easier? Stick it out and be rewarded. |
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Posts: 203
Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | Troll |
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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | Guest - 10/18/2010 6:27 PM
Keep pounding!!!!! You're fishing Mille Lacs for a 40 pounder not a 40 incher. It's never been a numbers lake and even during the best years, patterning the fish can be difficult and when you do develop a pattern, it's typically short lived. You want 40 inchers, then go to Wisconsin. You want the biggest fish of your life? Stay on Mille Lacs. Go elsewhere 'cause it's easier? Stick it out and be rewarded.
A 40 lb'er is my next goal. I've fished 140+ hours this summer and have caught 4 fish. A 50.5, 49.5, 45 and one around 35. So I'm grateful to catch 2 trophy class fish but really want to fight a big heavy fall Mille Lacs girl. I've tried trolling but I have no confidence in it yet. I watched the "Trolling Live" DVD and got some useful tips out of it.
Does this method make sense to people that troll or am I doing it all wrong...
In the DVD he seems to prefer spinnerbaits over cranks. He also is a big proponent of banging the structure. So I set up a 3 way rig with a spinner bait with a 6-8oz down rigging ball to get me down deeper...is that a dumb move? |
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| I will agree with the "guest" post, other than at one time it was a numbers lake. The fish are not in the "typical" October locations and it seems that once you do find them, they are moving the following day to new locations. Mille Lacs is not a numbers lake anymore, however if you are looking for a shot at a true pig, the lake has them and I believe ML has the biggest fish in MN. I think that water temperature drops are going to improve the fishing. I always refer to the lake as "Lake of broken dreams." Everyone sees the pictures of the monsters, but no one hears about the hundreds of other guys that walk away empty handed. If you have the patience and dedication to hang in there, you MAY be paid off big. If you need some action, Mille Lacs may not be the place to spend your fall, this lake is not like what it was in 05, 06, 07. If you are really looking for that monster fish, you are going to have fishless days, MOST of the time, true big fish do not come easy. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | If I was trolling on Mille Lacs, I would do the following:
- Use a 30 inch steel leader made of 105 lb piano wire and a #5 heavy-duty Stay-Lok snap.
- Use primarily 8 and 10 inch Jakes and Slammers. Perch, white, brown, and gold colors would be my first pick.
- Troll deep edges near the big rock bars and over the rock bars where it is at least 5 feet deep. (Otherwise, you run the risk of buying a new propeller.)
- Try different speeds from 2.5 to 5 mph.
- Adjust depths and speed to make contact occasionally with the rocks. But run the lure to shallow and you will get many hang-ups.
- If none of that produces, try trolling big spinner baits, plastics, or large bucktails. One never knows what they might hit and something unusual might be the ticket.
One other thing, you can catch large Muskies on most MN Muskie lakes. There are +50 inch Muskies caught all over the state at all times of season these days. While Mille Lacs probably gave one the best chance a few years ago, that is probably no longer true. For whatever reason, Mille Lacs simply is not the fishery it once was. Some think it is because of the high baitfish populations, some think it is because the heavy fishing pressure has caused the fish to move to open water, and some think that improper handling of the fish, especially by the pontoon trollers, has killed a lot of fish and greatly reduced the Muskie population. Whatever the reason or reasons, your odds of catching any Muskie on Mille Lacs is not very high these days and your chances of a trophy are even less. As for myself, I haven't fished Mille Lacs the past two years and have no plans to fish there again any time soon.
Good luck if you go.
Edited by Herb_b 10/19/2010 12:28 PM
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Posts: 785
| I'm with Herb_b. I plan on someday going back to ML for a few days for memories sake but once I finally left that lake I haven't had a regret. It has huge fish and beautiful structure but has been tough and the wind is such a big factor all the time. The lake can also make a guy second guess themselves a lot. I don't know about you but going 35 hours between fish would drive me crazy. There are litterally dozens of MN lakes that could (and do) give up 40 lbers.
That's just one opinion though... with guys like me and a lot of guides bailing on the lake it's also possible it's got some pretty good fishing ahead, the big fish are definately still there. |
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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | All of my hours of fishing are dedicated to the Leech/Bemidji area during the summer. Those trips get hard from the Twin Cities once the sun goes down before 8pm on Fridays after work. So I wanted to give Mille Lacs a chance again since it's only 1 hour from my home. It seemed like "Mille Lacs was Back" in early August with a lot of positive reports coming out from the North End. I'll probably end up biting the bullet and hiring Jason Hamernick as he has openings through the end of the year. Even when fishing is tough, I'm sure that guy has a pulse on the lake and I could learn something for post turnover fishing.
Edited by beavergrad 10/19/2010 1:47 PM
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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | musky-skunk - 10/19/2010 1:30 PM
I'm with Herb_b. I plan on someday going back to ML for a few days for memories sake but once I finally left that lake I haven't had a regret. It has huge fish and beautiful structure but has been tough and the wind is such a big factor all the time. The lake can also make a guy second guess themselves a lot. I don't know about you but going 35 hours between fish would drive me crazy. There are litterally dozens of MN lakes that could (and do) give up 40 lbers.
That's just one opinion though... with guys like me and a lot of guides bailing on the lake it's also possible it's got some pretty good fishing ahead, the big fish are definately still there.
That's just 35 hours on Mille Lacs the past 3 weekends, thats nothing. I did catch a 35'ish fish 2 weeks ago on a Metro lake but not counting that dink it's been 100+ hrs. But I also caught 2 lifetime fish on back to back weekends. That's why I want to invest some more time in Mille Lacs, not catching or seeing doesn't bug me. |
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| You won't learn much from anyone about post turnover on Mille Lacs, the lake does not turn..
Hiring a guide will help speed up the learning curve. As everyone knows, Hammernick knows how to put fish in the boat and I am sure would be a great choice. You may also want to check out Paul Schagel ~Enduro Guide Service, he is the only full-time guide that has stuck with Mille Lacs after everyone left. He has kept his clients on fish all year, when no one else was seeing or catching fish. I know his net has been wrapped around some big fish this year. |
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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | Jclymer - 10/19/2010 2:03 PM
You won't learn much from anyone about post turnover on Mille Lacs, the lake does not turn..
Hiring a guide will help speed up the learning curve. As everyone knows, Hammernick knows how to put fish in the boat and I am sure would be a great choice. You may also want to check out Paul Schagel ~Enduro Guide Service, he is the only full-time guide that has stuck with Mille Lacs after everyone left. He has kept his clients on fish all year, when no one else was seeing or catching fish. I know his net has been wrapped around some big fish this year.
My Dad told me it didn't turn the other day...a couple of weeks ago it was as dirty as I have ever seen the water and thought it had to be turnover. I read Paul's message board post and he seems to do pretty well...probably can't go wrong with either. |
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Posts: 299
Location: Ontario, California | +1 for Paul. Great guy, puts fish in the boat and you will learn a lot! |
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| If I was trolling Mille Lacs...... I'd spool my reels with 40-50# mono. Good stuff. 36" wire leaders. I'd run baits like the 10" Slammer Deep Minnow or the 12" Big Game, about 10' ish behind a board and troll rocks at night.The heavy mono keeps baits from running too deep. Deep weed edges can and do hold fish after weeds diminish. Oxygen??? Plenty of oxygen around decomposing weeds and the walleyes are there. Here's a nugget for ya...... there is a movement of perch into Mac's in October. Muskies follow. Deep weeds. Hawkbill. 12-15' and go North. Rubber.The Queen awaits. |
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Posts: 3156
| you should really try to launch at a resort in the fall instead of public landing,, seems theres more 'break in' issues with vehicles in the fall,,,maybe because there more vacant |
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Posts: 63
| Here is a nice fall fatty from yesterday 51" This one ate a medusa. I have seen several over 50lbs in the last few weeks that I will be chasing until ice up.
Jason Hamernick
muskiebreath guide service
612 209 0608 ([email protected])
(51 oct mille lacs 001 [640x480].JPG)
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 51 oct mille lacs 001 [640x480].JPG (74KB - 422 downloads)
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Posts: 53
Location: Elk River,MN | muskiebreath - 10/20/2010 10:15 AM
Here is a nice fall fatty from yesterday 51" This one ate a medusa. I have seen several over 50lbs in the last few weeks that I will be chasing until ice.
Jason Hamernick
muskiebreath guide service
612 209 0608 ( [email protected])
That's where she was hiding! Awesome catch, I e-mailed you last week and I'm trying to figure out our plan with my Dad.
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | What a hog Jason! But that is a little small for you isn't it?  |
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