PIGS in Lake Minnetonka!

The last couple months on Lake Minnetonka have provided some phenomenal fishing opportunities right here in the Metro area! Here are a few of the fish that we have seen come out of the lake this year. I have to say, in the past 15 years, I have known Lake Minnetonka to have some fat fish, but the catch rate hasn’t been that great. I would go out on a limb and say this is some of the best Walleye fishing anglers have experienced in a number of years on Lake Minnetonka. Take a look at some of these photos, and if you fish Tonka, please post yours!

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More Pics!

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What would be a few tips you would share about fishing that lake for eyes’? They are there that is for sure but the methods used to fish these metro fish must be so precise and different than any other lake that you have to think out of the box a bit to make magic happen! RR

Don’t laugh. I caught this with my wife on Saturday eve.

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Who’s the guy in the blue coat?

I’ve seen him in some photos that were emailed to me several years ago.

I am not sure who he is, I know everyone else though. As a side project I run TonkaFishing, and we have user submitted photos directly to our facebook page every day. That was one of them!

@roosterrouster you will see two techniques being used for Walters right now on Tonka. Trolling Cranks, and Pitching Jigs with a Fathead. The fish are moving around chasing bait balls, so if you find the bait the fish aren’t far behind. With roughly 31 channels available to fish on the lake, start with those, and you should see a fish or two a night.

Got it. The photo I received of him claimed one walleye was 33″ or 34″. For this reason, Tonka is always high on my list of walleye lakes to visit each year.

None of those photo above surprise me. There’s a lot of pigs in that lake.

My largest Walleye on a lake in Minnesota is 32.5″ on Crow Wing Chain back in 2008. I’d love to see a 33 or 34 from any lake in MN. If it was my backyard, then all the better

I also keep hearing stories of a famous sturgeon that lives in Tonka. I have my doubts. But certain people swear by it. Crazies.

biggill wrote:

Who’s the guy in the blue coat?

I’ve seen him in some photos that were emailed to me several years ago.

Looks like Corey Bechtold.

^^^ Agree with this, looks like Corey to me as well, met him a few times at TB seminars over the years. I believe a couple IDO members know him fairly well, someone might confirm if they see the thread.

Very nice fish, Nick. Not sure if I’ll be out there in a boat this fall but will be out after them on early ice!

Yes that is Corey Bechtold

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Very impressive fish………….but not as impressive as you getting all the photos loaded without any being sideways or upside down.

Here’s the pics of Corey’s fish that found their way in my inbox probably close to 10 years ago.

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Bigguns

Have not been out there in a couple years now but it can be magical once you figure a few things out.

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Those are pigs

What tactics would be recommended for finding tonka eyes’ right now? Fishing the channels after dark? I’m mainly a musky guy but I’ve been trying to mix in more walleye fishing this year and it’s been a learning experience for sure!

@cks86 You can’t go wrong on Tonka in the Spring and Fall fishing the channels. When the bait starts to move in, those fish will stay put and provide weeks of good fishing. Anglers will pull cranks and have great success, but you will also see a ton of the simple “jig and minnow” presentations. They both work great.

As always, I encourage folks to release Walleyes on Tonka, especially those that are 16″ or less. A lot of effort goes into putting more fish in the lake through the Westonka Walleye Program – and it is something we hope helps the future of the fishery!

pretty solid mid-November fish

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