Owasso has plenty of that too!!! What a mess.

Google “fake wasp nest”… supposedly the fake nest keeps wasps from setting up shop because they are territorial. Just heard of this myself.

Mudpuppy http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/marapr10/mp.html

First open water… thing… of the year. Doin a little dance on shore.

Its an issue of fairness. I can’t fish for sturgeon unless I break the law. Some don’t care about the law and do it anyway. Its unfair to lawful anglers. Even if the law changes soon, people are doing it this winter and I am not, which sucks.

Gob a bunch of stuff on a hook, euros, wax worms, corn — whatever works in the summer. The key is when they come thru,its usually high in the water column, higher than crappies even. They either smack it or take it so lightly you won’t see your line move.

Found some info on the flathead’s range (for Mississippi River). Cool link if you’re into this kind’o thing. I pulled out a couple pertinent quotes:

For approximately 10,000 years, since the Mankato ice sheet receded, St. Anthony Falls acted as an effective barrier to upstream fish dispersal in the Mississippi River (Eddy et al., 1963). After the opening of the upper lock at the Falls in 1963, it became possible for fish to move beyond this barrier at least 20 km upstream to the Coon Rapids Dam, which was built in 1914. However, we had no evidence of any dispersal until 1976 when Hypentilium nigricans (northern hogsucker) was reported without voucher from the Mississippi River near Monticello (above the Coon Rapids dam). In 1995, Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish) and Lepomis humilis (orangespotted sunfish) were collected just below the dam near Dunn Island, and Percina maculata (blackside darter) was collected in two locations above the dam. Since then, Noturus flavus (stonecat), Pylodictis olivaris (flathead catfish), Pimephales vigilax (bullhead minnow), and Dorosoma cepedianum (gizzard shad) also have been discovered at or above the Coon Rapids Dam

43. Pylodictis olivaris (flathead catfish)—In 1999, this species was collected in the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Monticello (JFBM 31905). It became the sixth new species whose range was extended beyond St. Anthony Falls (Upper Mississippi River).

from http://www.journal.mnmas.org/03_ANewDistributionListOfMNFisheries.htm

MN DNR lists one location to find flatheads is below the Coon Rapids Dam. That is above the Falls. And don’t yell at me for revealing it, ’cause its right there on the “Catfish biology and identification” page, DNR website.

Kill the thread then.

There’s an old saying…

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.”

Another year oldter??? Way to go!!!

Do not cast the sucker, especially with the Shumway rig. The sucker will slip off and swim away. Just set it in the water next to your boat and let out slack line for how far away you want it. Let the wind move you or trolling motor. Also, be careful with larger suckers as the nose clip can slip off easier. (By the way, getting the sucker away from the boat is not necessary… muskies will hit it right next to the boat… don’t even need a bobber.)

I use a large round slip bobber (3″) with a bobber stop and add an ounce or two of weight to keep the sucker down. Nothing fancy to it. Good luck!

I found a good source — thanks IDO!!!!

(Earnest T was a top notch hill-person. I’d hire him if he was available!)

The tornado took down half the trees at North Mississippi Regional Park. Might be a chunk laying around you could borrow.

Thanks fellas. There’s two 1.5 oz egg sinkers right above its head… that’s about all I can offer for reference!

Stealth, flouro and straight steel. He can make them with a solid weld ring on the end for attaching a split ring if you don’t like the stay lock snaps. I’ve been using them for 4-5 years without an issue.

Bring the Strikemaster?

I’d say somewhere between 100 and truckloads. Leaning more towards the truckloads side.

I also say get the Gapen books. They will have the info you’re looking for. Old-school info and techniques from the original river rat. I love his hand drawn maps on fish locations relating to current breaks/structure. Awesome stuff!

Some people like eating more than fishing. So of course you must be fishing for food to put up with such a boring activity…

And some people like fishing more than cleaning fish. So I keep fishing and throw them back.

But to answer your question, yes I get sick of it. Its the no. 1 question I get shorefishing (after “catchin anything?”, of course).

Yes bring it to Thorne Bros. I just had a smushed guide replaced. They did great work!

Not to mention that muskies are native to the ol’ Mississip. And not just the northern stretch.

Here’s dnr stocking info for 2008. And it goes back for years. Obviously it helps the catfishin.

Mississippi River (Pool 2)
Muskellunge – 7,150 fry weighing 0.3 lbs.

Uncle Josh Magnum Toad or a big Slug-Go (up to 12″). Lunker City makes a Fin-S Minnow too that would work. All of these use a big 8/0 hook (texas rig).

Wear a life jacket and bring ice spikes cause if you go in you’ll need to pull yourself out.

New tool helps identify musky spawning habitat

MADISON – Protecting spawning habitat is critical to Wisconsin’s musky populations and biologists now have a new, less expensive, less labor intensive way to identify where the elusive fish spawn.

Results from a two-year study that analyzed spawning habitat on 24 lakes in northern Wisconsin have been used to create a computer model that soon will help fisheries biologists identify where musky spawn on 500 more lakes throughout the state, says Paul Cunningham, Department of Natural Resources fisheries policy ecologist.

“Once we’ve identified the spawning grounds on each lake, we’ll be able to uncover which areas are in pristine condition and needing vigilant protection versus other areas that are in need of rehabilitation,” he says.

Researchers and volunteers used spotlights at night to locate spawning muskies as part of a study to help identify critical spawning habitat.
WDNR Photo
To build the model, research teams comprised of University of Michigan researchers, Musky Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin members, and Wisconsin DNR fish crews used handheld spotlights to search the entire shoreline of each lake for mating muskies. Each time a musky was seen, the location was marked and its position recorded using digital mapping software. The researchers then collected data about and described the ecological conditions they found at those spots. Researchers returned to the site the next day to verify that spawning occurred by searching for eggs on the bottom.

“We took the preferred spawning habitat characteristics, such as rushes, under-water vegetation, groundwater flow, woody habitat, and moderate slopes, and created a Geographic Information System (GIS) model that, when applied to other lakes in Wisconsin, can predict the most likely spawning habitat,” says Joe Nohner, the University of Michigan researcher who led the study.

“Before, there were no efficient ways to determine the locations where musky actually spawn in a lake,” says Nohner. “Using the GIS model, DNR will be able to quickly identify these locations without performing costly and time-intensive surveys on each lake.”

Using these data, fisheries staff will be able to concentrate their efforts on high-priority areas.

Previous research conducted by the University of Michigan and the DNR showed that lakes with self-sustaining musky populations are mostly surrounded by forest, whereas lakes that require stocking often have less natural shoreline and more human development.

“Stocking cannot fully offset losses in natural reproduction, and it’s very expensive,” explains Cunningham. “The most effective long-term approach for musky is to preserve natural reproduction by protecting spawning and nursery habitat – it’s our state’s largest fish hatchery!”

The 2007-2008 study that served as the foundation for this model was funded by the Musky Clubs Alliance of Wisconsin, University of Michigan and the DNR.

Visit the musky page of the DNR Web site for more information on musky management.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Cunningham (608) 267-7502, Joe Nohner (402) 660-0282

Sweet photo.

Last weekend it was all calm there. Looks like they shut down the flow on the ruins side of the river, so very fishable.

Cougareye, google “shoulder bursitis” or “rotator cuff”… you may find the source of your troubles. Finding the exact position to sleep without pain has almost become a science for me.

This is the best photo I’ve seen on IDO.