I took my wife, Jeanne, out for a few hours to Lake Zumbro today (Tue 10/18) – see her smile as she shows one of her finer fish. The temps were in the high 70s with all the fall colors in full display. We only caught about a dozen fish (almost all crappies), but the ones we did get were very nice.
On the way out we stopped at HOF to get the hot crappie presentation from Mike F. and I did point out on a map where the hot spots were for me last Fri and today.
Thanks Mike F
Looks like you had a good day Dave! 
I’ve been playing hookie a few afternoons recently. 
The fishing continues to be really great every time I’ve been out to Zumbro. Almost every day finds the fish have moved and you need to hunt them again, but when you find them they are fairly cooperative.
Thanks for the report!
Good Fishing,
Mike
Thanks for the report and pics Dave. The bite should even be getting better soon too. I see Mike finally ”confussed” his playing hooky to go fishing. 
I’m sure Nate will be proud of you Mike 
[he used to do it to go fishing back in his school days] and surprising enough some of his teachers understood his addiction to fishing. DA [IDAs Trout Fishing Geru was one and another one of his old teachers just happened to be in the room across the hall from Jessie when she had their baby last weekend.] 
I have the craving to go fishin this afternoon Mike. 
Thanks, Bill
With the cold front coming through look alittle deeper and check out cover on the lake bottom for places to find fish. Wood, weeds, anything the fish could use for cover to relate to and even tuck into can hold fish. Drop a Mini-Mite tipped with a waxie down into the cover and/or jig it slightly just above the cover should catch you fish.
My goal over the next year is to explore the lake bottom more for places for fish to relate to during the different seasons. This can be accomplished by using my electronics and also by using an underwater camera to see just what the cover acturally is like once its found.
For you guys who like to go up north this is an excellent body of water to fish between those trips. For you guys [like me] who love to fish the Mississippi River this lake is a great place to get your fishin fixes on betwwen weekends down there. And with the much higher price of gas compared to a year ago [close to double] fishing Lake Zumbro makes alot of sense. It also has some nice bass in it too. And I’m talking largemouth and smallmouth too. Then you throw in the mix strippers, bullgills, crappies, catfish, northerns, muskys, red horse, carp that will have you chasing them with your trolling motor down the shoreline so you don’t run out of line as they are stripping line from your reel like crazy and you have a very good fishery very close to home. Doesn’t get any better than that. Next time you need a fishin fix and the fuel tank gauges in both your boat and truck/car say they aren’t very full give Lake Zumbro a try. You will find out you can fish a whole lot of times with very little gas.
Thanks, Bill
And for any anglers who may not have a boat or don’t want to use the boat that day but want to fish there are alot of bodies of water in the Rochester area that can be fished from shore. Stop out to Hooked On Fishing in Rochester and talk to Mike [HOF] Smith about shore fishing places. Mike is well known for sneaking away from the store for a couple hours of shore fishing during the week, and I mean several times a week, so he knows the spots very well. Pick this fishin gerus brain and you will be on fish in no time. And if hes not in Mike Fisher the rod maker should be there and he can tell you which body of water Mike is fishing at so you can see first hand where/how Mike catches fish. We are very blessed with alot of different bodies of water to fish in this area so take advantage of it and enjoy yourself by fishing them. FISH ON!!!
Thanks, Bill
You will notice that I have gone back into the archives and brought back a few posts that talk/show how good the fishing is in the Rochester area. Theres some good pics and readings in those posts. We are truly blessed and even spoiled to live in this area. Plus southeastern Minnesota is famous for our trout fishing streams too. The Lord has created some very good waters here. Spoiled and lovin it!!!
Thanks, Bill
Quote:
You will notice that I have gone back into the archives and brought back a few posts that talk/show how good the fishing is in the Rochester area. Theres some good pics and readings in those posts. We are truly blessed and even spoiled to live in this area. Plus southeastern Minnesota is famous for our trout fishing streams too. The Lord has created some very good waters here. Spoiled and lovin it!!!
Thanks, Bill
Yes, Ron and I talk about how spoiled we are when we catch a 8 inch bluegill and decide it is only an average one, or think an 11 inch crappie is just another crappie. We have been concentrating on Lake Zumbro quite a bit lately, but Chester Woods is producing huge gills right now. The Mississippi backwaters are hot in several places right now as well. Time to get out for some more soft water fishing, and looking forward to what promises to be a great ice fishing season! 
Good Fishing,
Mike
Yes, Ron and I talk about how spoiled we are when we catch a 8 inch bluegill and decide it is only an average one, or think an 11 inch crappie is just another crappie.
Hey Ron, could I ask you to please share some of your many years of experience on fishing crappies? How do you go about catching them?
Thanks, Bill
Hey Bill, yes much of what has already been discussed by the likes of Mike, Dave, yourself and others, the tackle and the techniques, is what I subscribe to. This is a very unique time of the year and presents special considerations.
Remember, fall the the opposite of spring. In the spring, the days become longer and warmer and the panfish become more aggressive. Now the days are becoming shorter and cooler. If you have handled any panfish in the last couple days, you must have noticed that their body temps are getting down right cold. With that in mind, I concentrate on fishing them slower. Plastics is a good bet, but now I am extra conscience about tipping my jigs with meat. Either waxworms or a minnow. Some think waxworms are a bait targeted only for Bluegills. Wrong, Crappies eat them as well. This time of the year, when first thing in the morning and there is actually a lite skim of ice on the water, then I rely on minnows. Like I said, as the days wear on, the fish will become lethargic because of their cold enviroment. That does not mean they will stop eating, no rather, they will put the feed bag on in preparation for the winter months. They will eat larger meals, but they will do it slowly. That is why something tipped with meat is what they are attracked to, big meal and slow moving.
Depending on the body of water, backwaters of the Mississippi, they will start to move in shallow, for what little warmth remains and of course food. I almost like fall better then spring. Usually spring time, the water is high because of the flooding and the fish are scattered. This time of the year, the water is lower and the fish are more concentrated. Once located, you can be in for some none stop action. Now Lake Zumbro is a different story. I am still learning it, however, my observations are this. They will stay out in deep water and only come up close and shallow on those rare occasions. Again, maybe for the little warmth remaining and chasing food. However, we have noticed that even though they are out in deep water, they will suspend high. I suspect at the level of the food chain. Looking for two things, the comfortable temp and where the food is at. OK, why are the bait fish there, same reason, they are looking for the last remaining warmth and whatever they eat.
Mike and I have noticed this, while yes, the bite is good, it is not aggressive as warmer water. Lots of hits, but they are subtle and you have to be on your toes in order to connect.
Over the years, I made mental notes of the different seasons and subsequent patterns and I believe spring and fall mirror themselves in reverse order.
Yes, Mike and I have been very spoiled this year on Zumbro.
We laugh and have said when releasing some of those beauties, hey if we were ice-fishing, those fish would be going home. Now we are having fun, concentrating on what we call the $250 fish. That is what we figure at 10 inch Bluegill would cost to have it mounted.
Thanks Ron. Feel free to share your many years of panfishing experinces and expertise with us much more often. Always great to read your posts and look forward to learning from an expert. [hint hint, tell us what you know Bud] I’m all ears.
Thanks, Bill
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