10/27 Report

For me, I had a good day for size and OK for numbers. I wanted some fish to eat so I kept fish for my one time in the fall. I released a 19.5″ sauger, kept a 18.5″ walleye and 1 walleye/3sauger 15-15.5″ and a 14.5″ sauger. Caught a total of 11 sauger and 5 walleyes, plus 2 tullibee(?) and some sheepies. I was out for 7 hours so I had to work for them. 3 keepers from Prescott, 3 from the Kinni Narrows. 3 keepers caught trolling #5 perch Shad Rap on lead core and 3 caught on a jig/minnow. About 20′ seemed to be the magic depth.

It was a great day to be out. It stayed dry. There wasn’t much wind. There were only a couple of other boats fishing Prescott and the Kinni narrows.

I’m guessing those tullibee were mooneyes since I have never heard of T’s in the river. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. Thanks for the report. I might get out sat depending on weather. I’m juggling weather, pheasant hunting and fishing near Prescott.

The fish reminded me of tullibee I have caught on Lake of the Woods. One was pretty good size and gave me the best fight of the day and made a couple of short runs. It was very oily and smelly.

Do Mooneyes get that big?

Any other ideas on what they were?

I thought with the deep water between Stillwater and Prescott there might be some tullibee.

Gopher – I’d bet you hooked an adult shad!

On my website, I have a story about shad and baitfish that may interest you? And archived on this site too.

Sounds like you had fun, that’s what it’s about!

Keep Catchin’

Turk

I dont know if its legal but mooneye is some awesome catfish bait. I olny tried it with two fish last year but each time I tried it cut mooneye got 3 times as many hits as the cut sucker. most were channels but one little flat took a taste also.

Hey Bushman….you can’t use anything out of the Croix or Miss…if it’s zebra mussle infested waters…(MN laws)

You can’t use a mooneye.sucker, etc from the Croix or Miss for cutbait because of Zebra mussels?

Wow. I can’t keep up.

I thought that might be the case.. Too bad you cannot seeing its the same body of water. My plan B was to claim to be a cheesehead But that 40$ out of state license does not included border waters

You are right about it being confusing. If you go to the 2004 Minnesota Fishing Regulations, page 69 under the Exotic Species Laws it states: “It is unlawful to: harvest minnows, frogs, or any other wild animals from infested waters for bait.” There is an exception – if the waters you catch the bait from are only designated as infested because of Eurasion watermilfoil, you can use the bait for personal use but only in that body of water.

This part of the regulations is not written very well and confuses a lot of people. The point that they are trying to make is this: you cannot harvest and use bait from any water infested with Zebra Mussels. In Minnesota that is the Mississippi (downstream of St Anthony Falls) and the St Croix River (downstream of the St Croix Boomsite Recreation Area – river mile 25.4), the St Louis River (downstream of the Fond du Lac dam), and the Zumbro River (downstream of Lake Zumbro). The only reason I know this is because I corresponded directly with the DNR to clarify what I could and could not legally do to obtain baitfish from the St Croix River. I wanted to harvest some shad for use as cutbait and was told that I could not legally do that because of the zebra mussel infestation. Now for the kicker in this whole issue: If you live in Wisconsin and have a Wisconsin fishing license you can catch and use all the bait you want from the St Croix and the Mississippi. How’s that for a fair and equitable system of fish and game management.

I’d believe Turk over anyone. I do know a mooneye when I see it. Huge eyes that are disproportionate to their body. Smelly, thin and very strong. They constantly flop after landing them and bleed real easy.

That is a good description of a mooneye. They really smell and are bleeders. The one’s I’ve gotten are usually foul hooked somewhere in the face.

Hey Comm…you forgot the best part…If you live in MN and buy a WI license you still have to follow the MN rules…If you live anywhere BUT our beloved state, you can follow the WI rules.

Attached is a (big)Gizzard Shad

That how we usually catch them also a treble hook in the head.That why I figured there was no sense to put them back in the water and as smelly as they are I knew it would be good cut bait We always catch a few out off anderson point while going for crappies also in the winter.