Fishing

Last year was our first Labor Day Weekend trip which we hope to make an annual event. One of the reasons we go up there is because we all have dogs and Riverside is dog friendly. That also makes it hard to get out to a bar.

Last year we spent the majority of the time tooling around on a pontoon. The weather was perfect. We weren’t stuck indoors at all.

So we might visit a pub for a drink or two if we are looking for something to do. If the weather is perfect again, I’ll have a hard time convincing anyone to stop in to a pub.

Is there a campground on Long that has a bar where you can tie up to the dock and stop in and have a drink (Cozy Corner)? Is there any bar on the chain like that?

yea its cozy corners. only one I know of on the water now that the river roost is no longer there. there are 2 bars in Richmond, corky’s he use to own the roost and haffleys. both on main street. you know where caseys is on the corner of hwy 22 and 23. just head straight into town till stop sign hand a right both pubs are within a block of each other. you’ll also drive right by where I grew up.

Can you navigate to Long in a pontoon?

Here’s a good story from last year.

So our friend’s mom lives at our friend’s aunt and uncles house on Knaus. We were going to go visit and pick up the dogs. This was the first time on the water. We were coming from Riverside.

Well, I knew the general direction and was looking at my Navionics app, but got mixed up. Instead of going north through the main channel before Cedar Island, I ended up going east into Cedar Island.

It wasn’t until a precarious trip under 71 that I realized I was way off course!!! I am glad we didn’t get hung up or bang the prop on a rock!

Are there any good early fall web beds a guy could hunt bass down? Most the vegetation (curly leaf) was dead at that time of the year.

We avoided the boats camped out in the main basin near the meth holes, but this year I might fish their and tool past them to see what is down on the other side. Otherwise I might just focus on Cedar Island, since my time will be limited.

sorry big guy cant help ya much with the fishing. even though I’ve lived near the chain all my life we headed to itasca or kandyohi county. spent some ice time on the chain but hardly ever summer, except in a canoe chasing females . as far as getting to long via pontoon, depends on how high the water is. best to ask riverside when ya get there. lotta help aint I.

funny story, but yea you can get screwed up out there with all the backwaters.

LOL, can’t hurt to prod someone in desperation for fishing info.

So you still live by the chain but don’t fish it?

I grew up just north of caseys, first place on the right after ya cross the railroad tracks, now grant in aid snowmobile. now live in cold spring 5 miles away and 1 mile from river access in cold spring………….and the boat is in kandyohi cty. could use the canoe though. I hit the chain, long lake 3 times last year. chasing catfish and some crappies. on a rare occasion I,ve set up my spearhouse right off hwy 22 on horseshoe or near dog island.

my wife and I have SEASONAL CAMPSITE OUT BY NEW LONDON.

Lol, its funny. Your throwing out landmarks when I’ve been there once and I am lumping Cold Spring together with Richmond and the chain.

Another true story. I have streaked through Cold Spring. Yes, that kind of streaking. And no it wasn’t last year.

well the river does get to cold spring eventually from Richmond!!!!!!

hmmmm streaking town hasn’t been the same. don’t happen to know a gal with a last name swanson do ya??? the last day of my jr year in high school a few decided to streak thru the school parking lot. you with??????

Lol no. This was over 10 years ago. A bunch of buddies after the bar, after the wedding reception for another buddy. I was the only one to evade the law and a fine.

Yes, you can get to Long on the chain, used to do it all the time Long is the end of the line though, as far as any boat navigating.

Its deeper and wider than the bridge on the East side of Cedar Island?

Thanks for the info, it might be an idea. We’ve seen all of Horseshoe except the west side past the meth holes. We’ve seen every lake up the channel to Knaus and the north side of Cedar Island. Might be fun to go down into Long this year.

It used to be pretty tight at the Camp Woody Bridge, but I would think the waters up this year ? There is good fishing, if you go all the way to the south end, on the south end of the Bible Camp Island, that has always held some nice crappies anyways

Right on

Thanks. We’ll see if the 3-4 hours I am allotted allows me to fish there. I think I might concentrate on Cedar Island for the most part. It close and maximizes my time.

Species specific info:

If targeting bluegills fish Horseshoe lake between 6-10 fow on ridges moving up to shallow water (There’s a few spots you should be able to find on a lake map like this or look for the locals in pontoons keeping everything they catch )

If targeting bass, focus on Becker lake fishing the slop weeds along the northern shoreline, there’s also a definitive weedline going towards deeper water from both islands…rubber worms rigged wacky or Carolina style work well…of use a rubber frog in the slop..

If targeting Northerns, focus on Ceder Ialnd or Becker lake fishing gradual drops from shallow to deeper water, use spinner baits or deep diving rapalas

If targeting Crappies, focus on Mud lake around the island..

If targeting Walleyes, come back in a few months

Reminder to use selective harvest if keeping some fish, let the larger fish go and keep some of the smaller ones, it will only help the fishery!

Thanks for the info.

Don’t worry, I highly doubt I’ll be keeping anything. I wouldn’t mind frying up a few panfish, but I don’t think I’ll bother since I assume I’d be the only one eating them. And I certainly will not keep any for my freezer.

I already know about Peterson’s dock from last year, although I was shut out there. I think that was more due to giving up because the pontoon was a pain in the wind to try and set up.

Navigating to Mud and Becker in a pontoon safe? Mud I believe has a shallow opening and the channel(s) to Becker I know nothing about.

What lake would be your second choice for bass?

Navigating to Mud & Becker is fine, just stay in the middle…

Ceder Island would be my second choice for bass, lots of lilly pad locations and weedlines…Ceder Island has larger fish too, Becker have better numbers..

That’s what I wanted to hear since that lake will be my focus.

I get the most enjoyment the last several years from the always improving Smallmouth Bass population in the chain, those fish are so much fun! The only problem is that they are pretty centralized on structure and the Resorts tell their vacationers exactly where to fish and catch & release is unknown to those folks…I see them every summer…

Yeah, I don’t think catch and release on the chain is practiced much. I saw guys coming in with fish baskets full every day. Than last fall Riverside posted on their Facebook page guys holding a stringer full of 3.5# bass.

The time is almost here. Water temps will be up with blue bird skies. The cats shouldn’t be a problem. Looks like I’ll be working deep for anything else. Maybe a little shallower if I get out early enough.

hey pug……….have a good time up there but leave them stearns county girls alone!!!!!!!!!!!!

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hey pug……….have a good time up there but leave them stearns county girls alone!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I don’t know if I’ll be able to help myself. My girlfriend has been trying to get rid of me for a long time and fooling around might be a good enough reason to leave me! No matter how much she encourages me to.

well pug……….get arrested????????? harass any stearns county girls????? OK. so how was fishin.

I harassed the 2 Hennepin county girls staying with us.

Fishing was slow. Thank goodness the place is full of cats.

Its not easy when you got 3 other people and they all want to bobber fish, be out of the wind, etc. However that is not an excuse, I wish I could have put them on some fish other than cats.

I did go out by myself one morning and trolled with no luck. Another time I even got my girlfriend to drag a jig and leech on Becker lake.

my bride informed me there is ice on the chain!!!!

Let me know when its 4″!

NOW I gotta drive by the lakes!!! will do! bettin money someones out on becker already spearing!

Friday there where about 7 houses on becker with an ATV also. horseshoe had close to a dozen in various places. 1 close to the meth hole and another headed that way when I drove by.

Yeah, she’s got to be good for foot traffic. We hit a metro lake and found 4-6″.