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Lake Zumbro Bluegills Rochester by Briank

The fella coming off the lake as we arrived said “lots of activity on my Vexlar, but no bites…Good Luck!”

Good luck is what Mike (HOF) Smith of Rochester’s premier bait shop – Hooked on Fishing and I had!

Ok, this is a fishing report and I shouldn’t lie, read on for more info on our Myth Busting day on Lake Zumbro!

So many of my fishing trips over the last 3 years have started with a Private Message through In-DepthAngling’s Private Mail system, this one was no different. My little flashing envelope in the center of my screen beckoned me to open my mail. It was Mike Smith of Hooked on Fishing in Rochester.

It read:

Brian, if you’re free Monday lets get some gills and crappies! They’ve been biting! Let me know.

Well, I was busy, but you know…when the fish call….

When Mike and I met at the lake, I asked him how he like his new MarCum Lx-5…he looked at me like a deer in headlights and said…”I forgot it at home”! He didn’t want to go back to get it…and I made it clear that he wasn’t going to use mine!

So he figured he would be one of the guys on MYTH BUSTERS!

Can a person armed with nothing more than a weight and a spring bobber out fish a person with state of the art electronics???? Stay tuned and we’ll see.

We used the ‘wheeler to pull my Polar three man shack and Mike’s gear out to the secret spot on the secret Lake Zumbro. Set up with four holes and fishing we were by 11 ish!

One fella walked by and said he was out for two hours without a bite. Lots of fish down there…just not biting. This didn’t sound promising.

Mike was using a minnow and some type of secret hook for crappies (that he never did show me) and for gills we were both using the “Secret Killer Lake Zumbro Lure”. I’ve learned my lesson. I mentioned the name of this purple lure in my last Zumbro report and it took me two weeks to find them again! This time, I’m not talking! NO WAY! Don’t even bother asking or bribing! My lips are sealed.

We tipped the Purple Ratso with a waxie and down to 22 feet we went, staying about a foot of the bottom. It seemed that it did take us a while before icing our first gill…I’m thinking about 10 minutes before Mike was working on his second. Since he was one ahead of me, I thought he was peaking at my Lx-5…so I put up my shack to ensure he wasn’t cheating….I might have been little chilled too.

Between the gills and talking about the Rochester Get ToGether that’s coming up in a couple weeks, I don’t now where the time went. At the end of the day, Mike may have out fished me by one or two fish…yes, without using any electronics….but I made up for it by picking up the suspending crappie that he couldn’t see. I believe I picked up the biggest gill at 8 3/4 inches too. OK, so the MarCum didn’t help me on that one…but it sounded good!!!

MYTH BUSTED!

The moral of this story is that you can catch fish without electronics. So if you don’t have a MarCum…don’t worry! Come on down to Lake Zumbro on Sunday, Feb 19th from 12 to 4 pm, pick up some panfish to take home if you like and have a good time with some In-DepthAngling folks! Who knows? With a little luck you might take home a fishing contest prize!

More info on the Rochester Get ToGether on the post above.

See You There!

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Brian Klawitter

In-Depth Angling Staff

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Now don’t go hording all of those secret purple lures…we want to catch some fish too Bill!

bill_cadwell wrote:

Unless HOF got some more in I bought him out a long time ago. And before me he had taken all from the first shipment. But you know Mike, he had more on order the moment I walked out of the store. He always knows whats hot as hes on the ice alot field testing stuff. But I’ll be sure and not tell anyone that Mike has other hot colors in stock too. In fact I think hes got something like 20,000 ice jigs. Hes a ice fishin addict real bad like.
Too bad, hes such a nice guy too.

Hey Mike, wheres the fish biten this weekend? I know you, you have been out scouting around checking out the different bodies of water while on the bait run. Gamehaven still biten? How about Willow Creek? Lookin for some gills and maybe crappies.
Thanks, Bill

ps. I cut and pasted this from the fishing report forum to make sure HOF sees it so I can get him to spill the beans on what hes hearing about where the fish are biting.

Well After seeing this post. Wildfan & I headed to the Zumbro. Well we didn’t pound them, But did ok. Got to love this site. Can it help ya get more bites? Yes is the answer.
A Big Thank YOU to IDA & all the staffers.
Stop out & see Mike @ Hooked of fishing for great bait & great Service
These are some of the fun wildfan & I had
Good Fishin DOUG 22 fow, Not on the seceret lure

another

one more

last one

Nice fish Wildfan

Holy snikes That last crappie is awesome The others were nice as well

It was all in the guide,thanks MrMuskie.

You mean the bite on other things too!

Glad you found some…I’m looking forward to prefishing for the GTG.

Quote:

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You mean the bite on other things too!

Glad you found some…I’m looking forward to prefishing for the GTG.

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When are you comin down Brian? I know, Monday when I’m working.

Thanks for the report and pics guys. I suppose you aren’t going to share your secret lure like Brian didn’t.

How big was that last crappie? Sure looked very nice. That lake has alot more to offer the fishermen than alot of people realize.

Thanks, Bill

Wildfans crappie was just over 12 in.
Have auger will travel

Those crappies on Zumbro have shoulders! Goota love seeing those big bruisers coming up the ice hole!!!

Good Fishing,
Mike

I have Monday on the calender Bill…I was planning on Saturday but Mike said you had the day off….

I have to schedule my trips around the “other” official lake Zumbro guide…and Mike has Monday off.

I keep hearing storys that channel cats can be caught down there…only one little guy so far…can anyone point me in the right direction?

Mike fixed two ice rods for me so now I can afford to break on an a channel cat!

Wildfan, two 12+ inch crappie out of Zumbro is almost a meal I’m betting!

Brian,yeah there are nice crappies and gills in zumbro but I sure wish I could have had a look at the one that was ripping line off the tip up and through my hand.That thing had to be big,but got off about 5′ under the hole.
Hope to see ya at the GTG.
Don

Brian, the cat you are hoping for… well you know that big huge fish that was peeling line of of Wlldfans pole and got loose… Well that was your huge cat and now its spooked and never will return.

Thanks, Bill