Park hours off website for North is sunrise to 10pm. Got there at 6am last weekend to locked gates. If a guy were to shorefish at night when is a good time to get out of there? 10pm? Not sure when they actually lock the gates, or if they do every night?
Last couple years have had bad luck on getting kicked out of parks fishing at night. Rather not get a ticket on the windshield either.
They don’t seem to be real consistent about when they open the gates. I can’t help much on the closure, I am usually off the water an hour after sundown.
This time of year they seem to close the gates right after dark. Once the weather warms they are pretty good about keeping the schedule.
If I shore fish it’s up by the dam. If you are going to be late I would park in the neighborhood and walk down the hill. There is a patch though the woods near those picnic shelters.
I almost got jumped down there late one night cutting back through the woods, though. Group of homeless folks camping in the woods took exception to something I must have done. Some weird people down there really late at night.
Most Uninteresting Fact: Those woods you speak of I found the biggest night crawler I had ever found. I am not kidding when I say it was at least twice the size of a normal, full grown crawler.
I walked during the day. This is where I parked.
Lot
I passed a lot of homeless people when I fished the shores of the river, but not there. I wonder if short-shorts still lives down at Lilydale.
My father always talked about homeless people and whatnots around the river but I’ve never had any runins fortunately. His dealings were 30yrs ago, but talks like they were yesterday.
One encampment was up by the 42nd Ave train tracks west side, and that’s about it. I’ve fished the river from shore at night ALOT, and many places.
Homeless people don’t concern me. Wildlife does, specially beavers and rutting bucks. Women cops always give me hard time to.
I’ve live right by the South Gate of Hidden falls. “Sunrise” seems to be interpreted differently everyday, but you better believe they’re there right on time to lock up at 10. They WILL ticket.
Lilydale is where the short-shorts hang out…don’t ask me how I know.
I’ve never seen a deer down by Hidden Falls but have had a couple run ins with mean turkeys on both sides of the river.
These guys might not have been homeless but they were up to no good when I was down there. Probably transients moreso than homeless. Walking through those woods at night is the only place I utilize my conceal and carry permit after that little escapade.
I agree they will lock up around 10 most nights, so best playing it safe and parking somewhere up top. I would like to hear more about this homeless mugging that almost occurred… I’m super surprised I haven’t had any overly weird run-ins because I have fished HF at night from the launch to the dam at least 300-400 times in the last 5 years or so. Although I HAVE had some close up encounters with beavers and man do those things scare the crap out of me. They’ve never been aggressive per say, but they definitely kept walking directly towards me without hesitation even when I throw my arms up in the air and yell. Now I just quickly walk as far out of their path as possible. Nhamm, do you have any interesting beaver stories(not involving women) or encounters with rutting bucks?
Oh yeah, I have had run-ins with security down around the hydro electric facility. They like to chase people away from AMYWHERE near it. Wonder what they’re really doing/making down there!!
Funny…I have never seen a beaver down there.
It was early April a couple of years ago and I fished just past dark. Everyone else along shore had left when it got dark so I was the only person around. As I cut back through the woods (along that fence that borders the Ford property) there were people following me but at about 50 feet away or so. Pretty soon, I was aware of 3 or 4 men kind of around me and they were cat-calling each other almost like they were trying to get a feel for where each other was. I picked up the pace and pulled a small knife out of tackle box and turned on my flashlight. The guys had me bracketed as I walked back and they continued to close the gap without saying anything except these weird cat calls. I got to the edge of the trail and there were 3 more guys on the top of the picnic shelters who proceeded to jump down and surround me near the parking lot. All the while, the group continued to cat-call each other.
As I approached the car they started to ask what I was doing and why I was in the woods. I made it clear I didn’t want any trouble but if they got any closer I’d defend myself. I loaded my stuff up and I high-tailed it out of there.
Chances are they were just messing with me but I’m a little more cautious when I shore fish over there now.
Wow, that is NUTS!!! I woulda needed a change of underwear… You talking about the fence that runs along the base of the bluff and intersects the river where the concrete pilings are and the dirt trail ends?
Yeah, that fence that runs kinda east/west along the bluff. Not much of a fence anymore with the trees and stuff that have fallen into it.
That’s the only time I’ve had any issues down there but it was a strange encounter. My heart was pounding when I left there.
That’s wild, glad it’s nothing more than an odd story to tell. Being on the river in the middle of the city is unique. Luckily most of my odd encounters have been with naked people and not violent people — lots of hookups down at the South Gate before it was closed; and then there was the butt naked hobo bathing himself on the shores of Pike island one morning last summer as my son and I cruised by. I had seen that guy earlier that week when I was running the trails around that island and I’m pretty sure he had made Pike his home. Run into that on the bluff between by Crosby Farm and shepherd road too.
Nhamm, do you have any interesting beaver stories(not involving women) or encounters with rutting bucks?
Just the typical paddle slaps 10′ from you and you have no idea they’re there. Most my runins with wildlife is north of St.anthony falls. There are some serious sized beavers up that way, well at least used to be. Don’t frequent it that much anymore. Got between mom and her pups and recieved that weird hiss growl they do. Stupid things, they were the ones swimming along, bullys if ya ask me!!
Buck charged me one full fall moon at the Coon rapids dam. Lots of does that will play with ya up that way during the rut as well.
All runins have been at night when everyone has been gone for awhile. That’s when I show up 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>AUTO_5 wrote:</div>
All runins have been at night when everyone has been gone for awhile. That’s when I show up
You sound a lot like me! Man, good thing you didn’t take a tine or four to the abdomen!! Those beavers can really get you with that tail slap especially at night! Yes, total bullies, I agree.
Wouldn’t say the bite is on, but fish are there and pulled more than a few this AM once I figured it out
Got to the launch and realized I forgot my tackle bag 
. Luckily did grab the minnows and crawlers and had my hair box in truck. Got a small one on all black hair with minnow by launch but that was it.
Went up to dam and still very little luck. Decided to go for suckers and threw on an all green hair that was bushier with a crawler for some suckers at least. Whack whack whack the walleyes went, couple not more than a few feet off shore. Dude showed up later and hit one on a ringworm. Longer profiles seem to be the ticket today.
Lots of boats at ramp. Gorgeous day out there, grabbing the kids and off to some sucker spots!
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Yikes…! Other than Nicks post here about some fish caught the preceding posts are downright frightful. I work right downtown Minneapolis and over the years have encountered more than I would ever imagine as far as human “creepiness”. Getting old now as it seems to be an everyday, multiple engagement with these “rough fish”. Doing my best to be graceful and “tolerant”, however I cannot get out of the city fast enough and go “Due North”…which I have always done for my lifetime.
Always the dream “or reality” to come around the point on a shield lake and find that “Mermaid on the Rock”!
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You should have asked for a ride!!!
There were a dozen boats at the dam, a dozen at the confluence and I managed to find a decent bite all by myself trolling some cranks.
Beautiful day out there.
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