Goose Lake

Manged to get out on Goose Lake up near Rush City this afternoon. I got a 20″ walleye and lost a similiar sized walleye at the hole. I was fishing in a bay where nobody else was in 17′ of water a little off the weed edge. The fish bit on shiners on a slip bobber with a glow hook right about sundown. Also caught a 10″ willy on a glow rattle spoon tipped with a whole fathead. Lots of lookers but no other takers. Shiner minnows seem to almost always out produce fatheads on this lake. There wasn’t another house within 500 yards of where I was at.

dd

Have you fished Goose Lake often? That is a pretty good haul from lillydale. I have spent a couple of days on goose in the last few years. Nothing more than northerns for me. Did notice a realy good sucker run off the north end one spring.
Does the farm still have the road set up with the coffie can for donations?

Hey Mike! I’m from Cambridge originally and Goose is the lake I have logged the most hours on. So, despite my wifes objections, that is where I will run to when I’m not sure where to go. Goose can be a decent walleye lake. I decided yesterday that I’d stay fairly shallow and avoid the crowd and it worked out pretty good. And yes, the access you mentioned is where I went in (and I didn’t go very far).

dd

I’ve known of decent success in the fall trolling shallow for walleyes, but not much in the winter. Is it usually a pretty good bite?

My experience has been that it is a short bite around sundown and sunrise. I probably would have had more action Sunday if I had set up a line of holes from deep to shallow and followed the bite in. But it was cold and I didn’t have a lot of time (lazy). Its worth a shot.

dd

I wouldn’t neglect the other two lakes in the chain. I get up there quite a bit. Rabour and Mandall have some great multispecies action early and late in the year. Rabour gets most of the attention because of the Crappies. If you are looking for a legitimate 1 lb bluegill this is the place, I have seen two fish this year hit the 10″ mark, and one brute that was 10 and 7/8″‘s. Based on my last trip out there I would have to say the secret is out.

There aren’t many bluegills in Goose but the size runs nice. The crappies in Goose can get big too. I’ve fished both Rabour and Mandall and caught a few fish. I haven’t ice fished them, however. Might have to give it a shot.

dd