Mill Ruins

Now that I have your attention, we must be about 3 weeks away. I have to start bringing my cat gear to work.

Fair weather cat guy. I’ve had it in my truck all winter!

I think you’re right. Maybe even sooner. I need to get some bait together, get my gear in the truck, and get ready. It’s looking like I might actually get to do some fishing this spring, if I time it right, and the Ruins ain’t far from work.

Quote:

---

I think you’re right. Maybe even sooner. I need to get some bait together, get my gear in the truck, and get ready. It’s looking like I might actually get to do some fishing this spring, if I time it right, and the Ruins ain’t far from work.

---

We need to form a little secret society of Mill Ruins catters. Seems like the last few years it has been hit or miss. I’ve tried figuring it out, but it doesn’t appear to have anything to do with water temp, as in on warm days when the water warms more than a couple degrees, cloud cover or barometer. I am beginning to think that that they just cruise from lock to lock. Sometimes they are there when you go down there, sometimes they are somewhere else.

hmmm…guess the invite never went out to you Pug for the secret society…

Mill is always the first place I start and the last place I fish before ice, it’s nice to be able to sit in the truck and watch the tip of the rod.

Last year we got into some bigger cats down there, see attached photos..

Fish or no fish – Mill is a great way to spend the evening, you never know what your going to get. (watched two bums make a fire in the park last year, then watch the whole fire department come down because there was a fire, the bums left the fire before the police and fire department came and actually waved to the police vehicles and fire trucks )

That face is 100% appropriate when holding such a big carp.

holy moly..that’s a Huge carp! did you weigh it?

oh and Jakob funny story about the homeless it’s funny what you see sometimes when your fishing..for instance yesterday as soon as I pulled up I notice a van and an suv pull up. Woman gets into the van they sat there for about 1.5hrs then she gets back in her suv and they both drive off when the male drove past me his windows were all fogged up

Paolo – if you think that’s funny, you’d love fishing at Blackdog up here..

Does anybody know if Mill Ruins is iced in right now?

Quote:

---

Paolo – if you think that’s funny, you’d love fishing at Blackdog up here..

---

Hey! That’s my “hangout”! They actually scared those “lurkers” out with a sting a few years ago. Same with the Old Meeker Dam.

Steve, I’ll drive by in the morning, but I am guessing there’s still ice. But it can’t be that thick. It won’t take much.

I’ll report in the morning.

Quote:

---

Paolo – if you think that’s funny, you’d love fishing at Blackdog up here..

---

ICK!! Not that one! Wait until some guy hits on you. Although it’s funny running into them now and again especially when they worry your a cop.

cant wait to get back to mill ruins spent some late nights out there last spring.

It’s definitely not open. It’s hard to gauge what it will take to open her up too. I forgot my camera, but here’s what I did see.

The canals are open. They create an opening at the mouth of maybe 5 to 10 yards. The ice “looks” thinner and softer in front there and a little more solid downstream. There is a hole just outside the lock. I can’t tell if it is standing water or an actual opening. I imagine that the ice in front of the railings is probably 6-8″ at best and thicker as you go down stream. To my eye, it didn’t look like it would take much to open it up. Maybe 5-7 days of 40-50 weather.

Take it with a grain of salt, as my judgment isn’t always the best. Add to that my cabin fever and wanting to will the water open to fish. I should add that besides the one hole there aren’t any other opening or cracks.

So it’s ice fishable?

Yep, but the rest of us are bored with it already. It’s all yours bud!

someone drive a truck out there and break the ice so we can fish sooner

Thanks for checking, Pug. This nice weather has me longing for some open water fishing. I may walk down to the King Plant Outlet in Bayport and does a few shad out in the open water and see if there are any channel cats cruising around since Mill Ruins is iced in.

Quote:

---

Thanks for checking, Pug. This nice weather has me longing for some open water fishing. I may walk down to the King Plant Outlet in Bayport and does a few shad out in the open water and see if there are any channel cats cruising around since Mill Ruins is iced in.

---

Looking at the extended forecast, it isn’t opening up any time soon.

We all know once March hits though, she can be 60 one day and 20 the next. Last year was bad though, if I remember right. Yep, maybe 4 or 5 50 degree days in the middle of the month, but that was the warmest.

Might have to get up there this spring….if I can stop looking for agates long enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJaa-2ajrM

We should definitely have a get together or several for that matter. I strongly believe this will possibly be our last year to fish Mill ruins and the Ford Dam area’s.
Those Electric barriers are coming which means the party is over…

What would they say if I wrote a letter saying that I’ve been fishing this stretch of river my entire life and it is an important part of who I am? I’m not sure I understand why barriers would be installed there as there are no reports of substantial asian carp populations. Butt, if it is infact a legitimate action needed then I can accept it if there is a management plan in effect. Either way it is a big blow to me.

It’s a “neck down” area TC. The Hastings dam was considered but it’s like 800 yards across and it word be more expensive. Notice I didn’t say TOO expensive? The thinking by people other than the MN DNR is that there is nothing that costs too much to stop these fish whether they are truly coming or not. We need to spend money to ensure they can’t come.

Because of the threat of AC going up river and infesting places like Minnesota’s Gem, Lake Mille Lacs and other reservoirs, I’m afraid these people don’t really care that this area is “part of who you are”.

March 31 ~ 2012 April Fools Get Together

We can call up the news channels and get them to cover us and our opposition to the plan. I’m sure there are probably businesses upstream that would like to show up too, ones that rely on the barges.

I thought AC are only thought to be able to thrive in rivers?

I thought AC DNA was found above the Coon Rapids Dam?

There is no way around the CR dam, so they are spending all this money to protect a stretch from St. Anthony Falls to Coon Rapids Dam???

Outlawing lake jumping will be for the sake of saving them from zebs, fleas and milfoil.

Some eDna was found above the Coon Rapids Dam.

Quote:

---

We should definitely have a get together or several for that matter. I strongly believe this will possibly be our last year to fish Mill ruins and the Ford Dam area’s.
Those Electric barriers are coming which means the party is over…

---

Gotta watch out for those snake heads crawling north, shall we install road blocks? Are these electric barriers going to eliminate fishing thru this whole stretch of river? If so, how do they propose to stop me cat-fishing from shore in the middle of the night in areas not accessible to vehicles? Maybe I’d throw out two lines since id already be breaking the law.

Quote:

---

Might have to get up there this spring….if I can stop looking for agates long enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNJaa-2ajrM

---

Am I a great net man or what? See, I am good for something.

Man that looks like a lot of fun. I think we have to do that this year for sure. I think we should also turn it into a bit of a rally and protest against the barriers.

The bozo proposing it is one of those Republicans who are so against big government wasteful spending and wasteful spending at the U of M. They want to dip into legacy funds. He is also trying to use the old scare tactics of this needing to be done right now.

Listen to this bozo.

Start at 57:15

I sent the following letter to Rep. Hackbarth.

Quote:

---

Dear Representative Hackbarth,

I am interested in learning a few things about this bill and I have a few questions.

Why exactly would you put barriers in those 3 locations when it has been confirmed, I believe, that the silver carp are already above Lock and Dam #3? I’ve heard unconfirmed reports from anglers that they have been caught on pool 2. And why are 3 necessary, when one should do the job? Why are they needed when the Coon Rapids dam is a hydraulic barrier? If the concern is the spread then why is the Minnesota river that is connected to pool #2 not being addressed as it is a large river that flows through a large portion of Minnesota? In the proposal in Chicago I heard that they then also would make it illegal to fish within 2 miles of the electrical barriers, including shore fishing. Is that the case here? I am also wondering about the cost and where you propose the funding come from. I have heard that you are looking to use Legacy money, as well as funds from the lottery, but where else do you propose the money comes from?

---

I also urged him or a staffer to sign up at IDO and address our concerns.

His email is [email protected] if you are intereested in contacting him as well.

Good idea’s Pug and TC, NICE!

Everybody should watch that Hearing video that Pug re-posted!

And try to pay attention…

Can you imagine if there were no fishing allowed at Minnehaha Creek?

That’s like getting rid of Apple Pie and Chevrolet…

I gotta give props to Pug. Thanks for the contact info, myself as well as others are more likely to contact this guy and voice their opinions. I probably would have posted a few times in anger and not much else. Now all I have to do is click the link and speak my mind. People lack motivation to go that extra mile and seek this information, myself included sometimes. Anyone who has feelings on the barrier issue I urge to use this resource. You will be holding yourself accountable for what happens and will force these people to be accountable as well. cheers Pug!

Well I haven’t heard from the guy. Not surprising, since I feel a lot of legislatures just have contempt for their constituents. They can’t be bothered.