Thread: MINNESOTA... How's the bite this year?

About the same to report here in the southern end of MN too. Water temp yesterday was at 70. We don't have weeds on our local lake [a reservoir actually] due to the extremely steep shorelines and deep water right at the water's edge. Our crappies line up right along the first break which can be anywhere from a couple feet off shore to maybe 8 feet out and 4 feet deep. This lake is challenging. Jigs and plastics of purple with chartreuse tails have been the rule in our boat. We get a lot of idiots on the water by 10 in the morning so my fishing has been from about 5 am until 10 am. We've had some very nice sunrises lately.

I was at Bryant Lake's swimming beach with my son today. It's still early, so the water was nice and clear and there were plenty of sunnies checking out the legs and toes. I noticed their chartreuse-ish tails behind the dark/purple/brown bodies and it reminded me of your post, CTOm, and my favorite black and chartreuse tubes.

Its been a while since anyone has added anything here so I'll toss in a couple cents worth.

I cannot ever remember where we have had such a water over-load almost state-wide as what we have going on right now. The Rainy River system on the Canadian border is really getting bad and the heavy rains just keep coming up there. We were in Two Harbors at the cabin last week and the rains we had made the yard look like swamp. Lake Superior is much higher than last year and a person fishing on the breakwater in Two Harbors does not need a net with an extension. For that matter a fish could almost be slid up onto the walkway if the waves were used. I've never seen Superior this high before.

More locally to my home in Rochester in the SE corner of the state, the local lake I fish the most, Lake Zumbro, is currently over 3.5 feet into the flood stage and the Mississippi River is something like 12 feet into the flood stage so the fishing around here is spotty at best. Our local flood control reservoirs are to capacity now too so the shoreline bass fishing should be dandy but it doesn't stay dry enough to venture out into the grass. If the daily rains would give it up the Zumbro would be fishable in about 8 days but we've still got rain on the slate for the next five days here. It would be nice if these fronts would go backdoor and soak some of the fire prone areas in the west and give everyone a break.

Originally Posted by CTom

Lake Superior is much higher than last year and a person fishing on the breakwater in Two Harbors does not need a net with an extension. For that matter a fish could almost be slid up onto the walkway if the waves were used. I've never seen Superior this high before.

Tom, How, and for what do they fish Two Harbor's breakwater?

Lake trout and salmon. I cast spinners and baits like Little Cleos and Krokodile lures.

Super high water here in the Cities,too. Most of our Chain of Lakes, and other city park lakes were walled by in WPA days. We started the spring about as low lake levels as I have ever seen but now Minnehaha Creek is overflowing its banks, Lake Minnetonka is "no wake" and water levels are over the walls in many places.

Sunfish are bedding so bite is on there. I could have limited out on 8" males the other evening, with one on every cast there for a while. Crappie spawn is about over, but bite is still strong there, too.

Muskies are out this year with my first stolen panfish this past week (that was the third muskie hookup of the year on panfish plastics and I saw this one happen from start to finish, although it was not actually a hookup on the muskie, only the crappie it stripped from my jig.) The muskies are patrolling fishing docks and inside weedlines this time of the year for spawning sunfish and ducklings.

Shoreline fishermen with plastic worms and hard baits are taking lg mouths by walking the walls and casting to the outside weedline. I have already seen a 23" bucketmouth this year, and reports are there of numerous fish pushing the 20"/5# mark.

High water, lots of continuing stormy weather, but a good bite on most of our species when the weather and the water levels allow.

Most of my potential fishing time this spring has been raining, however, so I have not been out as much as in former years.

One thing really new this year: we have a pair of breeding plumaged loons on Lake Calhoun right in the heart of the south side of Minneapolis. Really gotta wonder just where they are gonna find enough privacy to nest, though.

I'm pretty well land locked right now. Even my shore fishing areas are under water. On a positive note, I don't have to water the garden.

Originally Posted by no1son

One thing really new this year: we have a pair of breeding plumaged loons on Lake Calhoun right in the heart of the south side of Minneapolis. Really gotta wonder just where they are gonna find enough privacy to nest, though.

Don't be surprised if they show up in your garden, no1son.