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Posts: 87
Location: Brainerd,MN | I fished the tourney and spent both days in Vineland Bay. No fish on Saturday and only saw 3 on Sunday. Boated 3 healthy Pike though. While at the awards ceremony one of the judges said he was just outside the Bay in 19' of water trolling a shad rap for some walleyes to kill some time and lo and behold he boated 2 muskies. A 38" and a 46". That tells me 2 things. First, the "usual" spots are getting pounded so much that the muskies are moving to other locales and second, they're chasing the abundance of perch, which is understandable. Time to rethink how to approach the Pond cause the muskies are still there. I just think everyone, myself included, is stuck in a rut fishing the same spots, same lures, same times. The last couple years have spoiled us. This year their throwing us a curve and we're all having trouble adjusting. Who said muskies are dumb? Who's conditioned who?
Jeff
Edited by Lunker_1 8/24/2008 10:17 PM
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Posts: 443
Location: Duluth, MN | You guys give the muskies too much credit. They moved off the usual spots because were just hitting them in the heads over and over with cowgirls....come on. Muskies eat sleep and make babies. If the baitfish are not in the normal locations the muskies won't be there. If the baitfish were in the weeds on the north end. The muskies would be there weather you hit them in the head with a cowgirl or not. Do you think after 5 years of great fishing all of a sudden they all got together and said i'm sick of this lets move. They have brains the size of a peanut. All they do this time of year is go where the food is. If that means you have to fish the other 100,000 acres then so be it. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Congrats to Mr. Jonesi on his team's second place finish! m |
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Posts: 654
Location: MPLS, MN | Crazy, maybe when the perch move shallow in in fall like many of our N MN lakes they will go mad. Hopefully.
Anyways who caught the other fish? |
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Posts: 670
Location: Otsego, MN | Musky fishing is not easy, NOT ALL, but many think they can just run to the sand and come home with a 50 inch fish or atleast have a shot at one. You see boat after boat pounding the north end, like Jonesi said people are fishing 20,000-30,000 acres. There are rocks, reefs, tons of weeds. I think poeple are just fishing memories right now and expecting things to happen. If there's no bait there, there's going to be no fish there either. Gotta be a fisherman and go find them like you would on any other lake. |
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Posts: 618
Location: Bloomington, MN | If more than 2000 surface acres are getting hit hard, I would be amazed. It is the most interesting long distant "Milk Run" lake I have ever seen. You see the same people all day long, 12+ miles away from where the last time you didn't want to see people. I don't know the lake very well, but during the first week of August this year I have never seen so few muskie anglers. If the so called "Bite was on!", I think you would not read about it on the internet as in previous years, since no one was there to yelp. Vermilion was more active this year than Mille Lacs, but it has received that much more "pressure", especially when the "word" got out. Vermilion has resorts nestled in the fragrent pines for people to stay at that offer more than 2 beds and light bulb. Vermilion is almost as close as M.L. is to Wisconsin and Illinois anglers that are in quest of BIG fish, and let's face it..., bottom line, Mille Lacs is UGLY!!! It is like a postcard of the black bears at the dump, minus the black bears! This past weekend was the worst showing of muskies, with the nations top muskie anglers fishing a muskie tournament in Minnesota in years. If you want to ring the "Musky Bell" at the resort in pristine northern Wisconsin, I'm all for/about you! If you want to keep your $ in the U.S. and to help pay for Mr. Fittante's or Mr. Lax's convertible Mercedis/BMW/Naples, FL gulf front property, then Minnesota is calling you. I just heared that Merritt Res. in Nebraska is once again coughing out 40 lbers. like SIN!!!! Everybody RUN (esp. the weekend of 10/11/08)!!! Photo of a bait that is going to SLAY those Perch Piggin M.L. Bulpbous Sow Beasts with fins is below!
Edited by Clark A 8/26/2008 1:44 AM
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| I have fished Mille Lacs only a few times but I have the belief that you are seeing a decline in the fishery due simply to overfishing. I have seen this first hand on the Niagra River where I spent a large amount of time in the past only to see what was one of the best fisheries in the coutry overfished to the point where the guides do not even go out but a few times per year anymore. A natural muskie population can only sustain a certain amount of pressure to be able to keep up by spawning every year, and when thousands upon thousands of angles from all over the muskie world hit a lake like Mille Lacs every day, all day, all season you are going to beat down the fishery to the point where a downturn in population is inevitable. Delayed mortality is a fact in muskie fishing no matter how careful you are with the fish and when you do the math that equals tons and tons of dead muskies. Perch population, it may have something to do with it but the fish are still catchable under those condidtions. But muskies are impossible to catch if they are not there. Just my opinion, take it for what it's worth. |
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Posts: 311
| If you want to keep your $ in the U.S. and to help pay for Mr. Fittante's or Mr. Lax's convertible Mercedis/BMW/Naples, FL gulf front property, then Minnesota is calling you.
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
That is the funniest thing I heard in a long time. Keep em' coming, your killing me!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Posts: 3147
| Actually two very well known Muskie anglers that everybody here knows share the same opinion Matt K expressed,,One has been fishing the lake since the early 90's long before the rest of us jumped on the bandwagon and he knows Mille lacs has well has anybody and he probably has the biggest network of local anglers that he talks with,,I talked to one of them on sunday night and he feels that adult fish are less abundant due to hooking mortality. He told me a story about some skindivers off the break on the northend finding alot dead in the cabbage,,He also said "Brad why dont you throw it out on the internet for opinions has he dosent do the internet",,I said "NO thanks I dont want to open THAT can of worms",,,I think its good that Matt K brought it up
not my opinion but the opinion of two well known mIlle lacs muskie guys
Edited by happy hooker 8/26/2008 3:14 PM
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| BenR - 8/24/2008 10:14 PM
St. Clair, St. Lawrence, Ottawa....
How can you even say st. clair in the same sentence? not even in the same class of water. |
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Posts: 999
| Anybody ever consider that maybe these mega fish have finally past their peak and now they are dying off of from old age? We heard about how this fishery could crash some day. I would like to hear Paul Hartman's thoughts.
Mr Musky |
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Posts: 2089
| Sorry, Mille Lacs is a STOCKED fishery. The fish are still there, but not where most are fishing. I SEE nearly every boat throwing the same baits. People have gotten it in their heads that all I have to do is throw this here and I'll catch a fish. Not the case.Of course there is some delayed/hooking mortality, that just goes with the territory, whether it's Mille Lacs or any other puddle. I received a call this am that some individual is going to start a petition to ban night fishing for muskies on Mille Lacs. You've got to be kidding me. Ban Night fishing? Ok, then ban the multiple line pontoon sn er trollers, then ban those with limited experience who kill fish due to lack of tools/experience. Then we can write tickets to those who catch one by mistake. Hahahahhahaha."Skindivers finding "a lot" dead. If this is in fact the case, why not say anything? Why not bring this obvious travesty to someones attention. Naw, i' don't do the internet". Too funny. Then pick up the freakin' phone and make some calls. Show me pictures. Time for people to start FISHING again. We've been spoiled the last couple years and expewctations are /have been very high. I've heard several Mille Lacs veterans say the same thing this season.....She takes care of herself. 132,000 acres of water . Oh, the fish that won the tourney this weekend was caught from a spot that has probably NEVER seen a muskie boat. 1st cast 48. Think out of the box. Oh, the attatched pic is from Wahkon bay a few weeks ago. How would they land a fish or even release it. I'd bet they had the Frabill and Knipex ready to go. May want to ban these too. Steve
Edited by Steve Jonesi 8/26/2008 3:36 PM
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Posts: 133
Location: Lake Tomahawk, Musky Central, USA | Yeah I sure do love the sound of christmas coming while out pounding...and the rubber frenzy last year was good to watch too
Edited by Andy 8/26/2008 3:39 PM
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Posts: 999
| Good Points Steve! We'll see what this fall brings. Obviously the cisco's and whitefish still have to spawn! Cant wait to hear if the bite still sucks then or if it blows up the internet lines.....
Mr Musky |
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Posts: 221
Location: Detroint Lakes, MN |
I don't think any of the large bodies of water are having a good muskie bite this year.
Leech is notorious for being a dead sea one year, and then an awsome bite will happen the next.
Sometimes the fish are just off.
JS
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| I looked up the stocking info. for Mille Lacs from 1998-2006. They put 3,393 in 99, 3,000 in 04, and 3,000 in 06. That's only 9,393 muskies (fingerlings) over a 9 year period on a lake that is 128,000 acres.
Now look at a lake like Lake Bemidji. In that same 9 year period there were 8,680 muskies stocked (mostly all fingerlings with some adult muskies) in to Lake Bemidji, which is only 6,420 acres in size.
My point is that I hope natural reproduction is very successful on Mille Lacs or the lake could be in trouble. With the late spring we had this year, I question whether it was a good or bad year in that department. The fish were still spawning when the season opened. Along with that, the natives gill-net their fair share of muskies every spring.
Edited by Baby Mallard 8/26/2008 4:32 PM
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| just a thought, but have any of you gone perch fishing in the past few years??
1000's of boat, each boat takes a few perch for the table and whhoooolaa, problem solved. |
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Posts: 447
Location: Waconia, MN | thanks for the 411 Mr. Jonesi on the Pond, and what is going on, and what should be done. Also CONGRATS on 2nd place this past weekend!
Edited by ArmPit 8/26/2008 5:25 PM
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| Main lake water temps peaked out about ten degrees cooler than last year. The fish are still eating and there are still ALOT of them out there. There are tons of perch out there- more young than old.
I think the tulibee population is healthy they just aren't where people normally see them.
THis is all I got besides what others said very interesting ...Think outside the norm.
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | I`ve never fished the pond,probably won`t anytime soon,sounds like the double tens just aren`t fooling the fish the way they were.What was everybody catching muskies with before the 10`s,maybe go back to the basic lures.I had a guy at lake manitou who runs the camp tell me all he needs is a #5 mepps,and he will catch everything on it,just wondering if people are trying smaller lures at the prime times. |
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Posts: 3147
| If the muskieas are getting fat on the perch gorging themselfs,,,shouldnt we be seeing them spending MUCH more time on the sand??? and if they have been pressured off north end shouldnt they be stacked up like cordwood MORE then the glory days of northend..on the other alternative sand areas,,they have to be somewhere shallow digesting this bounty of feed,,are you guys seeing this?? dont have to name spots but it only seems to figure |
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Posts: 159
Location: NYC (and many weeks in MN during summer) | muskies can go DEEP to digest too.
Randy |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | NYmuskyhunter - 8/26/2008 9:04 PM
muskies can go DEEP to digest too.
Randy
Not likely as the deeper water is cooler and it would take longer to digest at cooler temps than warmer ones. |
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| muskie! nut - 8/26/2008 9:12 PM
NYmuskyhunter - 8/26/2008 9:04 PM
muskies can go DEEP to digest too.
Randy
Not likely as the deeper water is cooler and it would take longer to digest at cooler temps than warmer ones.
not necessarily. no thermocline . cold year. less temp stratification. eat perch that stayed deep and digest anywhere you like ms. muskie. |
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Posts: 3147
| yes but some of these other sand areas Should see a marked increase in fat lazy fish laying there,,if the bounty is that rich |
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Posts: 148
Location: Northwest Wi. | As far as the north end is concerned,, I still say the Armada of Foreward Trollers/Planer Boards are taking there toll..I did not fish the MMTT but was up on the north end on Sunday and counted 13 of them in 1.5 hrs. I do not think that any were fishing the Trny. buy the look of the rigs. One guy had the Planer ropes tied to the net proped up in the bow as a mast,, Clearly not prepaired for C&R.... BTW foreward trolling is already banned in many countys in Wi. with Muskie lakes..These lakes are still strong after many generations of heavy Muskie fishing....As for the night ban,,Most likely a guy who likes to sing Karaoke!!
Edited by pitch'n 8/27/2008 9:25 AM
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| Yep, Mille Lacs is fished out. It's time to start searching for the new "World's Best Trophy Muskie Lake." Mille Lacs is fished out and no longer deserves the title. I heard Tonka is hot. |
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| Tonka is on fire ! |
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| Interesting. I do not fish Mille Lacs and have only been on "The Pond" once. In Wisco we rarely see fish up shallow in the mid-summer months "digesting" food. These fish could easily just suspend in the top two or three feet of the water (where it is warmer) column, over the main lake and digest. If they are feeding on perch, tulibee, cisco's or whatever...these fish very easliy could be out in no-mans land. To bad it is so hard to target suspendos out there...it would be a needle in a haystack - that said we, did pretty well on another big MN lake this year fishing suspended...at times it felt like we were fishing lake michigan around nothing...but the fish were there and did eat. |
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| By the way. I've received a couple e-mails asking about the dire condition of the Mille Lacs fishery. I was being sarcastic but there were some people that didn't get it. And my comment about Tonka was purely random - it was the first lake that popped into my head. I should have mentioned Big Detroit or Bone and sent all the sheep there instead. If 'Tonka really is on fire it's pure coincidence. All my focus is on Mille Lacs and I don't spend much time worrying about where the "hot" lake is at. I do, however, appreciate all the buzz about Mille Lacs being in a state of decline if it alleviates some pressure. |
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