Got out last night and only got one 1 fish… but it was a 28.5” 10.1 lb prespawn female. I was shocked! 51 degree water and downstream near 494. What is a fish like this doing holding onto eggs this late and this far downstream? Anyone seen this before? And apologies for the awful solo picture…
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What an absolute beast – Great work PmB!
Not sure about the rest of the crew here but I’ve been having a good fall for numbers but not so much for size. I feel like I used to pull more +24” fish in the past but they’ve been hard to come by lately for me.
I’m south east of the twin cities in Eagan. If you’re in the area, I can make a bit of a drive 👍
A favorite of mine are 4″ and 5″ AA Bad Bubba Shad with a 1/2oz VMC Ike approved head. That combo has been responsible for all my biggest eyes.
The past two years, I’ve tipped my spoons with Maki plastics. My two favorites have been the Minno Head and the Maki. I typically take the hook off the spoon so I can thread the plastic over the shank, then stick it back on the spoon. I’ve outfished my buddies on walleyes, perch, bass, whitefish…. until January when those fish get WAY pickier. Then it’s back to the real deal for me.
I haven’t found a great solution for graphing in weeds, but I will say I prefer the sonar view over the flasher. It seems to show movement in the weeds better and can help you distinguish fish from all the other noise.
I switched from a graphite rod to a glass rod last year for lipless cranks. My catch rate went up from 50% to 90%. That extra flex in the rod was a total game changer for me.
Just about stopped my heart!
We’re still finding a few nicer fish in the lower stretches of Pool 2. Numbers typically dwindle quickly as the water temps drop into the 30s.
Here’s a nice one we pulled from a shoreline seam last weekend.
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This reminds me of a walleye that hit my swimbait right next to shore this past spring. Literally came out of the water after my lure, missed, landed half on shore, then rolled back into the river. Short flip back and I caught her! It’s just insane the kind of predators walleyes can be.
Super cool!
I’ve had some luck targeting eyes just off the weedline. They seem to get on clean bottoms and actively hunt right around sunset. If you find a point near weeds with bait on it, you should be able to pick up some fish at primetime.
Nice! Glad you were getting bit out there, no sign of life on the other side of the river.
Quite a bit of ice and not a lot of fish… at least from shore!
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Would definitely second the vote for Shimano. Been running Curados and Chronarchs for years and they are awesome reels. A little clean and lube each winter keeps em running like new.
Was out on Calhoun last week and they had about 10″ where I was fishing. Should be safe out there.
Just got a Recon 5+ and gave it a test drive last weekend. Has anybody found a good way to keep the camera facing a bait while your hands are tied up managing a rod/reel?
A wider spool gives you more surface area on drag washers too – that seems to give you a smoother drag.
I agree – the lake doesn’t get much pressure through the ice. It’s a big lake with a lot of structure so the fish can be tough to find. If ya find a school though, you can get them all to yourself.
I use the Piranha Maxx and am a big fan. For the price, it’s a very effective unit. I really like how compact it is and it seems to require very little battery power to run.
Tim – I run into the same thing. Seems like bass really concentrate on the weed lines in June then disperse as the summer progresses. I still find fish on the weed edge this time of year, but deeper cleaner bottoms seem equally as productive… especially if you’re around pods of bait.
Pug – cool that you’ve seen this as well. It’s happened enough times this summer that it doesn’t feel like a coincidence. I’ll be experimenting with how to cover water while working in the occasional deadstick.
Been jigging up some nice bass out on some smaller metro lakes. This 5 lber bit last night while I was picking out a backlash. Bait was sitting there for 10 seconds! Anyone else ever experience this??
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Saw some at the Cabela’s in Rodgers last week.
Caught a few walleyes while bass fishing down river this weekend. Looks like at least some have started migrating towards summer spots.
A kayak on the city lakes is a great way to go. Electric motors only so you don’t have to worry about boats mowing ya down. Calhoun, Harriet, Isles, and Cedar are all solid fishing lakes.
The triple grips have worked really well for me. I’ve also had success with gamakatsu round bends. The key for me has really just been upsizing. That’s helped my hookup percentage in a huge way.
I found this old thread really interesting. I’m wondering if anybody has had luck over the past couple years fishing plastics/Gulp for walleyes through the ice? I’ve had some luck vertically jigging plastics in open water so it seems like this should translate to the ice.
Awesome – good luck! Metro eyes are a bit of a mystery to me, so I’m looking forward to the report.
