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| Ok, so with the tournament going on I decided to skip the Polk county area and avoid the chaos. Sounds like there was a lot of fish caught however what everyone keeps saying still seems to play true. ALL THESE FISH ARE SMALL!
With that in mind I tried some new water. Fished white bear and bald eagle sat and today. Let me tell ya, no more bone or deer lake for me. I actually found some lakes where I could potentially catch a 50 inch class fish. Or at least an upper 40's fish. I didn't actually boat one but we moved a bunch and a few that were in the 50 inch range. 2 on WBL and 1 on BE. Could not get them to bite!!
You could fish for years in Polk county before ever seeing a fish of that size. I guess the north metro is coming to fruition after all of the stocking programs. I owe a donation to the north metro chapter once I catch one of these pigs I saw!
So I am taking the above advice from this post and staying in MN! And if you live in WI I would reccomend checking out a north metro lake instead..... They are not too far.
It is sad to say, but bone and deer are past their prime. if you enjoy 20 to 25 inch esox you're better of pike fishing somewhere with lite tackle.
Sorry to be negative but after fishing deer and bone for years they just don't fit the description of a "good muskie lake"!!
On a side note; how's forest for ski's? I think I am going to try that next as it is even closer to my home.
Jacko
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Yep, no big fish in Wisconsin. Post a picture when you get your 50! Why would you drive over to WI from there anyway? Interesting IP, by the way...  |
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Posts: 303
Location: WI | ArnieB - Email me at [email protected]
I want to ask something of you. Thanks. |
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| There are plenty of big fish in WI, no doubt about that. There are just no big fish in bone or deer.
Jacko
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Last year, I fished BE with Musky_Joe and we were the only 'ski fishermen on the lake. On Bone or Deer, you have 1 fish and 7 boats per acre fishing muskies. I know there are still big fish in there, I've seen 'em. They are just so well conditioned, they don't show up very often. Or maybe I'm just in denial. |
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Posts: 303
Location: WI | I fish Deer all the time and I never see big fish. |
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Posts: 80
| Jacko, there are plenty of GOOD fish in Polk county I personally released a thirty pounder on Bone in early June on a Sunday afternoon with jet skis buzzing by, I have also personally caught six over forty" on bone this year. There is a tremendous amount of fish in the 36-46 range on Bone also there are 2 fish that I know go over the 50 mark swimming there! In a few years when the Leech lake strain is hopefully booming on Deer I suppose you will still be crying. If you learn to adapt and try some new methods you can catch fish in Polk county that will rival anything in the state in the exception of a few trophy waters, put your time in on Bone for the Fall bite and you will catch a mid to upper forty or you are doing something wrong. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I was just over that way a year or so back, and did pretty well, actually. Will Bone or Deer ever be what some of the Minnesota Metro water is? Good chance they will eventually as we change harvest, stocking, and other issues here. It's NOT the fish, so perish that idea.
Fish where you want, but don't bash water or people who do better on a certain lake or river than you; just because you have been unsuccessful there doesn't mean the lake isn't worth fishing. I'm fishing with Ed pretty soon, and am really looking forward to the trip.
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| How about deleting this thread before it gets out of hand. There is not any structured info or current valuable reports here anyhow.
Nuf said.
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| Also Mr. Worrall seems to confirm that the north metro lakes are better than bone or deer! when he says that bone or deer will be "as good" when things change.
There you have it folks...... Until things change your better off on wbl, bald eagle, forest etc.
Confirmed today by a world class muskie guy.
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It's no secret a few of the Metro Lakes have 'come of age' in recent years and have put out some tremendous muskies. It's my opinion some are already declining from their peak, but we'll see about that in the future. This has been a serious topic of conversation onsite, in case you missed it. ( Apparently you did). Bone has been the topic of much debate, and the fish there and elsewhere are under study by Dr. Sloss's lab. there's already some preliminary study information posted here as an article.
When things change? Things have been 'changing' in Wisconsin's approach to managing muskies for over a decade.
Obviously, I was speaking to your claims of 50" fish in numbers. Please don't try to misrepresent what I said. In fact, I think Bone is one of the best numbers lakes in the area, and features great numbers of fish in the 38 to 45 to 46" range.
How do you like the Blackberry?
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Posts: 80
| social sips between fish!!! |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Ed, how'd you do today on your solo adventure? |
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Posts: 80
| Hit the Apple got a 38ish, and 35-36incher and saw a lower 40 fish. All on M/Gs in the thick stuff. Fished for about nine hours picked my seven year old daughter up on the dock in between showers and she fished with me for about an hour she has got a 6'4 cabelas muskie rod with a 5600 on it and she is becoming quite the little caster!!! |
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Posts: 38
| Bone is one of the better lakes within reasonable driving time from the twin cities. I personally dont think that Bald Eagle can even be compared with bone... Sure Eagle spits out some big fish each year, but a 54 incher outta there wieghs 20 lbs.. lol. Now forest on the other hand, is worth talking about.. |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Way to get her started early, Ed! Just booked up a weekend at Pine Grove on Bone in early October. Also have my first child on the way this week. Can't decide which one I'm more excited for! |
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| Question ? If Deer lake is stock and managed for musky why is it that all or the fish seem on the smallish side.
I was out Yesterday and moved 7 caught 2, and hooked up once trolling but the fish slipped the hooks before we could see it.
All fish appeared to be in the high 30's low 40's. The 2 we caught were 34" and 38"
Were are all the Big Girls.
PS. I saw one 36-38 floater it appeared to be dead a couple days maybe a week.
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Some waters produce big fish, some don't for about a zillion reasons. There's about 6 weeks reading about this issue in the research forum, go there and read for your answers. Deer does kick out upper 40" range fish, and maybe would do better if most fish caught in that size range in recent history were not harvested.
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Posts: 17
| Is it true that Deer also had the Leech strain stocked at some point? If so how long ago was the Leech strain stocking?
Thanks! |
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Posts: 80
| A conservation warden told me that they stocked them this year. |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | I'm no expert on this subject at all, but I think Steve hit it right on the head. A lot of the "oldtimers" that fish these lakes are acustomed to keeping everything they catch that's legal, no matter what. My father in law, for example, has cooked us many a fish fry that included: a 21" largemouth, a 22" walleye, 8 5" bluegills and however many bullheads he caught that day. Muskies, Inc has done a lot of things to try to get people of that ilk to release muskies, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I really think both of these lakes have a ton of potential, both now and in the future, and that's why I started this post. With more of the right attitude towards musky management and catch and release, I don't think this post will be so littered with "No big fish in 'Scosin," all the time. And, once again, I know there are big fish in Polk County because I've seen them and find a way to not catch them! |
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Posts: 250
| Does anyone have any updates on how things are going on Deer? We have a group of us going there the first weekend in October. We are hoping to hit it just before turnover. Thanks, Steve
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Posts: 454
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That lake is relatively deep and very clear, usually doesn't turn over til mid to late October |
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| FISHED BONE 9/14 TO 9/16. PUT 8 IN THE BOAT AND LOST 10-12 OTHERS. HAD A ROOKIE IN THE BOAT AND HE HAD A HAT TRICK DAY. BIGGEST FISH WAS 42 SAW BIGGER ONES. WATER TEMP 62. GOOD LUCK AND REPORT BACK!
BIRDSNEST |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | That's sweet, not a bad weekend. Seems like those bigger ones that you see bite in the fall. How was the fishing pressure? |
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Posts: 303
Location: WI | BIRDSNEST - 9/19/2007 4:52 PM
FISHED BONE 9/14 TO 9/16. PUT 8 IN THE BOAT AND LOST 10-12 OTHERS. HAD A ROOKIE IN THE BOAT AND HE HAD A HAT TRICK DAY. BIGGEST FISH WAS 42 SAW BIGGER ONES. WATER TEMP 62. GOOD LUCK AND REPORT BACK!
BIRDSNEST
Did these fish eat bulldawgs or bucktails? Maybe neither, but that's my guess. |
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| ON FRIDAY SAW 1-5 BOATS, SAT AND SUNDAY 10-15 BOATS, NOT BAD FISHING PRESSURE BY ANY MEANS. WHEN YOU ASKED LURE SELECTION WERE YOU SURE YOU WERN'T IN MY BOAT. HA! HA!. BULDOGS AND HAIR COUGHT MOST OF THEM.
BIRDSNEST
PIKIN AND GRINN MOST OF THE TIME! |
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Posts: 639
Location: Hudson, WI | Anyone have any water temps for Bone? Tons of edible sucker will be in the water this weekend up there, hoping they get eaten. |
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Posts: 17
| I will be heading up to Deer Lake in Polk County, WI tomorrow to chase some muskies. As of right now it will be a solo mission. I plan to be on the lake around noon and fish until dark tomorrow, and on the lake again Sunday Morning through mid afternoon.
shoot me an email or give me a ring, 651-983-6603 if interested in fishing.
-Chris |
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Posts: 55
Location: Arena WI | I FISHED BONE 2 WEEKENDS IN SEPT. AND DID QUITE WELL. WE PUT 16 IN THE BOAT AND LOST THAT MANY TOO! WATER TEMP 63-65. ALL FISH COUGHT IN 10' OR LESS. MOST CAUGHT ON HAIR AND SURFACE BAITS. LARGEST WAS 42 AND SAW SOME OTHER LARGER FISH THAT WERE JUST LOOKING. HEADED UP IN 2 WEEKS, I'LL REPORT BACK AND I HOPE YOU DO LIKEWISE.
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