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Posts: 275
| It's that time of year to start the report again. Annually we have many posts,
helping others with the obsession. We are all anxiously awaiting the opening
next Saturday. We passed the time this weekend by fishing for bass and northerns
on Tonka. Water temperature and clarity varies by bay. The bass and northerns we
caught hit hard and we caught some nice crappies on the flyrod. They also hit hard.
Not many, but good quality fish. We did spook some muskies in the shallows.
Several of them were sunning in the warmest water in the ultra shallows. Be careful
in Crystal Bay and going under the Arcola Bridge. Too many people short on common
sense. Have a great season!
Tom |
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Posts: 656
Location: Forest Lake, Mn. | As many of the old timers to this board know, I used to start this thread every year. The last couple of years, as many are aware, due to my wifes illness and passing I haven't been fishing much or very active on this board. This year I plan on fishing my arms off. So I will post much more often.
I got a new boat this spring. I have it mostly rigged and ready but there's some odds and ends to be done. I haven't been fishing yet for anything so really can't provide to much insight with this post. I've been on White Bear and Bald Eagle trying to get the break in hours done.
I was on both lakes a week ago Monday, May 23. White Bear. I noticed water temps in the low 60s. Was surprised by that because of all the rain and cool weather. That day was a bright sunny day with warm temps. I tooled around the shallows on the west side of Manitou Is. Didn't see any signs of muskies. Partner saw a couple of small fish but overall the real shallows were a dead zone. I did mark some fish suspended off the sides of the various humps and midlake structure. Got a new color unit (WOW GET ONE IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT.) and some of the marks looked like good sized fish. Not claiming that they were 'skis but bigger than bait and small fish. Went out over the deepest water in the lake and marked a few decent fish down 40 to 50 feet. No clue as to what they are. Walleyes, suckers, carp, pike, muskies? your guess is as good as mine.
Blad Eagle: Haven't been on this lake much in the past few years. Noticed that the water color seemed clear. Much clearer than I ever remember it, but then it's early and the blooms haven't started. Again fish seemed suspended near structure. Boats were fishing but I couldn't tell if they were catchin anything. Water temps were a little warmer at 62. I noticed what appeared to be weeds on the sonar down to 20 feet or so. Much deeper than any weeds I ever remember on this lake. Deeper than White Bear even, which seems very odd. Still this is only my second time on the water with the new unit and I may not know what weeds look like on a color unit yet. So maybe they weren't weeds.
Anyhow, that's a report on conditions on the 2 big N.E. metro lakes as of a week ago. Water temps should up a bit after the last couple of sunny days.
Oh, the new boat is a fire engine red Alumacraft Tournament Pro 185. Custom paint job to match the truck. I named the boat after the nickname I had for my wife. I call it the S.S. Hugmuffin. The name is on the side of the boat near the registration #s. So if you see me on the water, stop and say hi! |
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Posts: 113
Location: Shoreview, MN | I posted this elsewhere, but Owasso was sprayed with herbicide on 6-2-05. Within a week all the weeds will be dead. I had no luck yesterday fishing for bass. Water clarity was pretty good (4-5') and the pondweed is up, but not really all that great, and I found no cabbage.
I was on WB a week ago for the bass opener. Water temp was 58-59. Weeds look pretty good in a lot of areas but not much using them. Got a few small pike shallow and a couple decent bass that had clearly not yet spawned. With the nice weather this week I'd guess it's got the bass spawning and the pike will move shallower too.
Can anybody report any conditions on Forest?
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Posts: 676
Location: Twin Cities, MN | Hi,
I hit forest with my traditional opening day partner. Lots of wind, and as usual, lots of weeds. I had three follows, all on a black bucktail with a white blade. All three were lazy follows with none showing a true interest in actually biting. Lots of boats out today, and it looked like most were muskie fishing.
Pal |
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Posts: 105
| metro lakes were really slow. got an early start around 6ish. had ten+ follows on top and gliders, all lazy, lots of fish, no real takers. did manage to get a 37inch pike. how did others do in the area? |
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Posts: 2378
| got a 36 or so on a hellhound on Waconia...only fish we saw all day.
got soaked to the bone too |
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| Hit Forest this morning about 5:15 am, and by 5:45 I had a 31" and 39" in the boat, and nailed a 41 shortly after 8:00 am. My best opener so far hands downs, and a personal best day to boot, 3 fish one outing...
I threw nothing but gliders all day REAL SLOW with ever so important pauses...
Esox23 |
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Posts: 267
Location: Right behind you (tap, tap) BOOO | Forgot to log on... |
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Posts: 185
Location: Mendota Heights, MN | Fished WB all day Sat. 5-2, few small pike and one decent bass caught. Saw no follows, but did have one swim right in front of the boat shallow.
Water temps ranged from 62.4 - 66.8 (surface temps) around the lake. Maybe got warmer by evening.
Got soaked, got sore, had a great time.
Steve
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Posts: 146
Location: Wayzata, MN | We were on Tonka saturday [QUACK]... four follows, all smaller fish. My bilge works great............
We kind'a knew we were in for it when my fishing partner asked what the water temp was when we
hit the first spot... 66.6
But hey, we broke the seal... ready to go now! |
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Posts: 223
Location: minneapolis | Thanks to my generous boat host Marine 1 we had a decent opener on Forest.
Fished early am 'til about noon and moved 1/2 dozen fish ( including a 50" class beast ) and put a couple of thick mid 30's fish in the boat. Many other muskie fisherman on the lake- looked like Ranger boat convention was going on !
Water temps were mostly high 60's throughout the lake, Marine 1 - aka gadget man- can give specifics on temps and barometer levels every 10 mintues ! 
Got my first "weagle muskie" on the very first cast - cool way to start the season
Had alot of fun ( it's always great to meet guys from this board )
all in all - a good day on the water and a nice start to the season ! |
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Posts: 275
| Fished Tonka this morning. We got a late start,but
I think the weather forecast kept many boaters home.
Lots of spots at the launch, even when we took out. One half-hearted follow
in very shallow water. The fish was curious and definitely not
afraid. Shifted to bass and had a great day on spinnerbaits and
senkos. Temperatures were in the 64-68 degree range. Weeds are
growing better in the warmer water. Traditional summer spots had
a number of boats on them.
Tom |
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| Had a short time on Baldy Sat evening. Saw a couple, slow and low while it was sunny in the early evening. A guy who passed by me (going the opposite direction) got one about 40", about 50 yrds down from an area I had just worked pretty well with about 3 different style baits - at least I had the location right . Pretty sure he was using a slow jerk bait. DNR guy at the ramp said he had heard of a few nice fish caught.
Weeds are way behind last year and relatively little along the S and E shorelines (maybe the homeowners have already sprayed?), also didn't find much on the big "fingers" on the S end of the lake. The W humps had nicer weeds, but nothing appeared to be using them.
It was a really beautiful night, but nobody told the fish.
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| MNSteve
That was probably me and my partner you saw. Sorry I wasn't more 'talky'. Had I known it was you, I would have introduced myself. We had a good opener, and you are correct on the presentation. If we cross paths again, give a shout and I'll tell you what I've been seeing. I'm in a big white Ranger 621.
BrianF. |
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| out yesterday about 5hrs "mon' ,,we had around 35-37 follows put the hooks in three with one 46,,,"MAN" did it feel good to "NOT" fish in raingear and actually sweat,,unfortunitly the mosquitos made their debut though |
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| Moved two fish on Calhoun last night (Thursday). High 30s, most likely. On bucktails. Surface temp was 74, north end was really green and south end was fairly clear. Never have seen that before. Another interesting point, saw more "natural" weeds than I have ever seen on Calhoun. Maybe the milfoil is just not there yet, but it was nice to see. Could also be that I am just early in the season. Beautifyl night to be out. |
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| Fished the Croix last night
Water temps 73 to 78 degrees. The water was still fairly high but the clarity was good.
41" on topwater
Has one bump and miss a spinner.
Saw some photos of 48" take by some likewike afflicted angler.
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| This Saturday's Metro Tourney was a total bust for my partner and I and everyone else who chose to fish Lake Independence. We saw only 5 fish in 9.5hrs. of serious pounding the water. To my knowledge, no legals were caught from Indy and we saw a guy land a small 24". I blame the rain and the SE wind.
No legals from Waconia, Bald Eagle, and Eagle to name a few. I heard it was Forest/ White Bear or bust. |
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| Hit Calhoun Friday night. 4 follows, one decent one. All were pretty slow. Bucktal and spinner baits. Caught 3 bonus pike over 26 inches. Not bad for a metro lake. Had the lake to ourselves. Flat calm.
Fished Tonka on Saturday 9:30 to 3:30. One lazy follow on a mid-30s fish. Very slow. Beautifyl day. Fished bucktails, spinner baits, phantom, and a short time on topwater. Anyone doing anything out there this year? |
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Posts: 105
| started on French sun, the traffic was out of control, moved to calhoun to get away from all the madness. only boat out there. really flat and hot. water temp was in the 70's. 5 follows all on an AP lure. stayed after dark till midnight, saw and heard nothing after dark, it has been really tough on metro lakes. |
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Posts: 275
| We fished Deer today. Water and weeds are in great shape. However, there
had been some spraying and we saw a guy dragging the weeds with his boat in front of his
place. Temperatures were from mid 60s to low 70s. We had one follow and saw two others.
Bass, however were great...almost a career day. I've got a bad habit of shfting to bass
when muskies are slow.
Tom |
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| Fished WBL Saturday Morning.
Water temps were 73-75
Had a hit and a miss on topwater and a follow from a decent fish on a Jerkbait. The follow came up from under the boat and I could not raise the fish again. Fished for 5 hrs and caught 2 small bass and 2 small pike.
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Posts: 656
Location: Forest Lake, Mn. | Well finally after getting the new boat rigged and some unexpected problems with the trailer, I got out on the water. Hit the Bear last night. 1 largemouth about 2 1/2 pounds. A couple of other blow ups then dead. Water temps at 77 by my Lowrance unit. So it's warming up and we should be hitting that presummer peak, but couldn't prove by me.
Water levels way way up. Seemed about a good 3 feet or so. Hard to judge in the dark but I had the trailer backed in pretty far and the boat still really wasn't deep enough to come off the trailer. Ramp slope not very steep when the water is high. The underwater concrete apron is back farther so when the water is up the slope isn't very good.
Lots of milfoil floating. Much, Much more than I remember in past years, but due to wifes illness haven't fished much and wasn't on White Bear at all last year, so for me it was quite a noticeable change. Also was reading weeds down to 20 feet deep on the graph. That also is a big change from the past. Used to be the weed line was 15 to 17 feet. I don't know if this is due to clearer water so the weeds are growing deeper or if it's the same as in the past but all the rain has raised the water levels so there are deeper weeds than normal. Stayed out until 4:00 am, beautiful night to be on the lake, warm, calm, no bugs, full moon, but except for the activitiy at sundown with the bass the rest of the night was dead. Maybe to bright with the full moon?
Getting older, I've got aches in places that I didn't even know I had places. I've forgotten how much work throwing muskie baits is.
Edited by fishpoop 6/23/2005 11:43 PM
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Posts: 146
Location: Wayzata, MN | Hit Tonka this morning for a few hours... el-zippo.
Water temps were 78-79 degrees, the water is high, weeds are thick...
Talked to a couple of bass fishermen and a walleye guy, they saw my gear and immediately said, "heck, we haven't even seen any muskies this year yet... we usually see them when we're out and about."
I marked larger fish near the bottom, in 16 - 19 ft of water. I noticed a lot of smaller fish on the outside of the weedbeds in 8 to 14 ft of water... Carp are enjoyng themselves.
Tight lipped so far... Might have to swing into some night fishing with this heat, etc... |
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Posts: 479
Location: Eden Prairie & Pine Island | Not sure the night bite is going on Tonka, yet, either...4 1/2 hours last night to midnight and na da. Is it possible for the temperatures to have raised too fast causing them to shut down? |
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| Ive been making the rounds and fishing sucks,,talked to the dnr this week and quite a few smaller metro lakes have a dose of culminaris a bacteria,,its common every year maybe a little more this year but it causes panfish to die,,shouldnt effect the muskies but maybe the catching has with the panfish stumbling around sick the muskies are getting alot of easy meals and might not be so intrested in chasing lures,,at tleast thats what the biologist told me,,might want to head up north to fish the next couple weeks |
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Posts: 275
| We fished Tonka on Wednesday and this morning. The ramps are
virtually empty and the lake is so peaceful until about 11:30.
The muskies are so indifferent, it reminds me of dating in high
school. We are also marking them deep, but they are as unresponsive
as the Minnesota legislature. Water temp is in the 75-77 range. Lots
of floating milfoil bits. Fortunately the bass are biting. Biggest today was
a 21" on a spinnerbait. we are not seeing/catching little northerns...sort of
good news and bad news. I have been seeing baitfish/panfish schooling over deeper water.
Does anyone know if that means anything. I have been fishing around them hoping to pick
up a predator, but that strategy has not worked. Today I finally caught a bass on a surface
lure, they have been more receptive to horizontal presentations. I have not tried topwater for
muskies yet, so maybe that is a good sign. Others who have posted are talking about topwaters, so
I think I will start using them on the edges of darkness. Talked to a guy at the ramp this morning,
who said he caught a small one and he was out during the storm, so when I get there the blazing sun
comes out. Hope you have better news that this.
Tom |
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Posts: 113
Location: Shoreview, MN | Fished Forest Wed evening - very slow. One smallish ski followed a spinner and a couple half-hearted rolls on a Viper in the thick weeds. Other guys seemed to be doing the same.
Fished Owasso Sunday night - amazingly little boat traffic, maybe because the wind was howling pretty good. Weeds are pretty much non-existent and water clarity only about 1'. One little guy (~30") blasted a topraider and went airborn to give me a little excitment, but otherwise nothing. |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | Fishing sucks right now. Out for 14 hours on Sat with one follow and one blow-up. Out 3 hours Sunday with 0.
Water temps have been 75-79.6. Water @ 10' is 70-72deg.
Tons of baitfish, which is why the fishing probably sucks right now.
Although we were out last Tuesday and got 2 and lost 1. Thank God I'll be in Canada next week! |
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| tigers went on a rampage thurs,fri,,3 in two days and missed some more,,seems like when you get a couple hot.hot no wind days in a row the last two hours of the day is great for the pretty barred ones,,,,,Had to sell raffle tickets at Cabelas all weekend but snagged a brand new Frogg Togg set for $9 stopped off for a couple hours afterwards but nothing ,,seems more and more like Tigers and wind dont mix |
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