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Those lakes are as good as any in SC Minnesota. Right now there is a good weed bite taking place on both. Find good weeds, cast shallow running cranks and hang on. Mornings have been best. Nows the time to learn em both in the weeds.

Also a decent deep water trolling bite will likely start or has started on both already. I will find out where that one is this weekend.
Good luck – hoop n scoop.

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Yes, they are good, no doubt but I’d put Elysian, Cannon, Tetonka, Shields, Fox, Loon, Crystal and Gorman, just for starters, in front of them any day of the week.

Lab Man,

As I mentioned earlier, send me an e-mail when you have a chance.

We need to broaden your horizons. Send me an e-mail and we’ll kick some ideas around. If you could let me know how you’re fishing on Washington and Madison, that will help get things started.

[email protected]

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Can any one give me some help in catching walleyes in mankato fairbult area lakes? the water are very warm about 67 degress how deep to fish? Been trying for a couple of years and not having any luck.

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Lab Man,

It may be the water’s you’re fishing. If you want to disclose where you’ve tried, I can help from there.

Between 27 and 28″ girth.

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Goldy, you mean the Gap way out by the island? That 68 is a beast!!

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Yes, Lighthouse Gap. Wind wasn’t bad at all Friday afternoon through yesterday but would have been difficult, if not impossible, to fish on Thursday and even Friday morning. We fished the river some toward’s Schuster’s but all the fish were little.

The 68″ is on Wigwam’s website under “Catch of the Day”. When I saw that fish come along side the boat, my heart stopped for a second and then the high fives started.

Was there same time frame and we did well in The Gap, especially Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. We had one GIANT that was at 68″ but most were in that 45 – 55″ range. Check out Wigwam’s website. JP got some shots of our group on there in his daily fishing reports and Catch of the Day.

Good luck to those going this weekend. I would if I could but off to Chi-town for business.

That looks just like it was in Saint Peter and Le Sueur a few days earlier. It’s ugly between Mankato and Jordan, for sure. Conditions are changing by the minute.

Great video Darren.

I would suggest High Banks on Lake Winnie. The end of July on Winnie offers great bites while riggin’, corkin’, pitching jigs to vegetation and open water crank bait trolling.

Great fish. Congratulations!

Makes me wonder why I’m chasing perch through an 8″ hole.

James,

If you can get a hold of Josh Rucker at the River Hills Mall in Mankato, he’s the man. Awesome kid! Store number is 507-385-2400. Tell him Jamison sent you.

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Is it common for northeren to hit on small jigs and waxies? There are plenty of tip ups that hold more attractive bait for these guys there.

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Ask Jonny P about how many large pike find their way through an 8″ hole on Upper Red Lake?

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i’m not expecting a lot from this post, as i know how people are with giving out lakes. but, i live in hastings, and am tired of driving an hour north for decent walleye lakes. aren’t there decent walleyes in any of these south metro lakes, like in the eagan/burnsville/apple valley area?

i don’t need specific locations on the lake, but if you wanted to share any info, and PM is fine too. just want to fish a little closer to home on the ice.

thanks!

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Don’t be afraid to give a look to the Fairbault, Waterville, Mankato and Le Sueur area lakes.

Have you experimented with line type and/or poundage?

I travel all over the lower 48 for work and have Verizon. Awesome coverage!

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The big difference with Appledorns is that the manager (Paul Waldowski) is a darned good fisherman too. He knows what people that fish would like in a rental house, cabin, etc. He’s a great guy, and the place is nicely setup!

Joel

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Ummm, yup. Paul is as professional as it gets but also definitely knows how to have a good time. There isn’t a better place on Mille Lacs for all your fishing and lodging needs than Appeldoorn’s, regardless of where you are on the lake.

I responded to you in the ice fishing forum. One other thing to add is be sure you’re using a fluorocarbon leader from your main line to the lure.

Again, good luck.

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I am hitting Winnie the last weekend of the month for my bachelor party with family and friends. Some of the family ice fish there each winter and know some areas to go to. I am wondering if anyone here has advice on lures, jigs, colors and baits that might help me to catch a few fish. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

~Brian

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Greens and whites seem to always be strong producers but don’t rule out gold, blue and red. Keeping things glowed up, even during the day, doesn’t hurt either. Buckshots, Rattlin’ Flyers and Jiggin’ Raps are some of my favorites but a plain hook and minnow under a float should be used too. Fatheads or larger crappie minnows should be fine for bait but I have caught ‘eyes (and perch) on wax worms and/or spikes.

Good luck.

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Pretty slow weekend on French Lake. Brought home 2 10in and 1 11in all Crappie’s. Does anybody know if the 56ft hole or the 40ft hole would be the desirable location right now or is it just slow everywhere?

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Basins are a good place to be looking, especially with this colder weather. Generally speaking, too, you’ll know just how active the fish are going to be based on how high they are riding in the water column.

Look for changes in direction in a basin (inside/outside turns, etc.) just like you would on shoreline structure.

Great idea!

I’ve seen Buddy and the Petrowske’s in action and it’s something to see. Definitely do not play “chicken” with these guys. You’ll come out on the short end of the stick.

Red Rock Store, Ebay, Craigslist…

Brindley’s is great, as is Adventure North. That’s where we stay in March. Some of the best late ice perch fishing up there is right in these guy’s backyard. Pine Point, Stony Point, Grand Vu Flats and Goose Island are all strong areas to start your search. And for the record, I’d target Leech perch over Winnie perch any day of the week.

It’s a blessing at least some of these folks are caught. How unfortunate that some people have to be so selfish and can not just simply enjoy the resource.

No problem. Good luck.

Happy Birthday.

Talk about timing…

Happy Birthday!

They’re a lot like Rapala’s Husky Jerk but with a wider body profile towards the front end of the lure and the action, I think, has more of a distinct wobble to it than that of an HJ, especially at slower speeds (i.e. <1.5 mph). Where they’ve exceled in my boat most is when fishing late fall through the night using a “jerk and pause” presentation. Pricey, yes but in my opinion, they’re worth it because of what I explained above but also great color selection. This goes for Salmo, in general, and you’re right, their customer service is tough to beat.

Cheers.

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Went out to French Lake on Thursday and found about 10in of ice. I’d say a good 6 inches of black ice and 3-4in of the white crap. A few perms were even out there. Plenty of crappies on the vexilar but not too many were biting.

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FYI.

When seeing “fish” on your electronics on French, unless you have a underwater camera, it’s hard to confirm they’re actual pan fish or another species, especially if you can not get a “mark” to commit. The volume of forage in that particular lake and others in the area is almost unbelievable, so it can often be frustrating when trying to locate an active school of the species you’re targeting.

Nice report Matt.

Happy Holidays to you and your family as well.

I tried once last winter but struck out. Need to give it another whirl this hard water season when I get the chance. This video helps speed that process along.

Great video IDO! Thank you for sharing. Jonny P and Joel, you did a really nice job with this.