Thank BrianK
I look at the LEDs. I now all i have to do is save up some money to buy lights.

If our town had manufacturing or large business to drive up the wages, it would be heaven!

Looks like they’re talking close to 30 degrees this weekend… should be a good one!

Sorry, meant that I was casting blind to shoreline rocks. Chasing ghosts that were not visible…

Soon I’ll be casting at rocks that have big dark blobs next to them…

Lots of native fish in the River year round, sauger too in good numbers. It’s not like fish vacate the river after the spawning run…

The gap, Four Mile Bay, and parts of the river are already crowded on opener, every year, no matter the ice out dates. This year it’s going to be a ZOO.

Awesome stuff, Chris. Well done. I spent a couple of hours on the lake on Friday night, well after dark, with a good friend, digging out my own sled. I felt like I was about to have a heart-attack, so I’m sure that old boy REALLY appreciated the helping hand!

It truly is a sad society we live in. Hard to believe that people won’t go out of their way to help others…

Bite remains stellar!

Well, we got roughly 14″ of snow, on top of the already existing 13″ plus… Travel off of plowed roads is not advised. If you are using plowed roads, be sure to respect them, and not drill on the roads, or block them. Tossing a $5 at the plow guys doesn’t hurt either…

On a good note, the fish didn’t seem to care one bit that we had a giant front coming through! Walleye and perch fishing on Lake Bemidji continues to be quite good. Renters came in on Friday and caught fish on the first 4 drops when they entered the house, and had steady action all weekend. Pretty even mix of walleyes and perch, even mid-day. Deeper water is still putting out, but we’ve stuck to the mid-depths around mid-lake structure. Set lines are producing well. Family went out in the blizzard and found that the set lines are producing, as are bigger spoons tipped with a head or Lindy Darters in gold or dace.

Panfishing is also going strong. We hit some untouched water on Sat. pre-storm with sleds and struggled to find pods, but once located they were hot. Last spot of the day we found fish 4-6′ under the ice over 14-21′ of water on a steep break. Literally fished right under the ‘ducer on the FL-22HD… very fun and surprising this early in the season! We managed a pile of crappies, biggest going 14″, and 3 ‘gills over 10″!

Good luck out there, and be SAFE! Bring your shovel, tow straps, and common sense!

Looks like we’re going to get it tomorrow!!

Thanks for the info. If I happen to get anything I will post pics.

There are a few in the Mississippi chain of lakes, but are tough to come by. Especially in the winter. Much better off picking a small lake on the outer rim, and having a go. Most of the smaller lakes in our area are great for panfish!

Tullies and perch came from Lake Bemidji… pannies were from the lake I ran out of gas on….

I applaud your efforts! Keep searching, and don’t give up on the lakes you’ve hit either. Sometimes all they need is something to kick their switch (time of year, weather, time of day, hatches, etc…)

Nice report!

Had an epic bluegill day yesterday…

Yes, through Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge on Lake Bemidji. Otherwise you can always hire a guide…

That’s a beauty, MJ5! Nice hybrid bluegill/pumpkin there. Hybrids sure do grow!

I would rather fish Lake Bemidji for walleyes than Red Lake right now. You can keep 6, no slot, and the fishing is bonkers still. Jigs and minnows in 4-12′ of water has been stellar! Pike are going as well as the perch.

You won’t find any smallies on Blackduck, but if you travel to Island you’ll find some nice ones. Also some really good walleye fishing at times. Even some good pannies in there.

Have fun, you’ll go home grinning ear-to-ear!

Should’ve called, James! I was on the lake all day on Tues. pre-fishing. It was brutally windy out there, so most of the boats were tucked up on the north or east ends. Haven’t been a lot of people fishing that south shore, where you would’ve been able to see them. It can be deceiving looking out and not seeing anything, but I assure you, with the big tourney this weekend, the lake has been busy!

Tuesday night I had another guest out who absolutely laid wood to the walleyes. Walleye fishing in June… can’t beat it!

Got one for the wall over the weekend…

Opener was slower than usual on the Duck. Usually Blackduck is a hot opener lake, but it got off to a slow start. AS the water temps have been rising, the fishing has gotten better. I would assume by the 4th you’ll have some good mid-summer patterns starting to creep up and you’ll get into a decent pile of fish.

In July cranks can rule on BD after dark. Bring them along…

http://www.northcountryguides.com

How did you do, PanfishChasers?

Wolf was putting out some crappies, but everything in the area has slowed substantially with all of this horrid weather…

Suckers on set-lines in the middle of the night has been stellar. When jigging or catching the evening or morning bite I’d stick with a shiner or a shiner head on a jigging spoon. I wouldn’t fish shallower than 17′ of water right now, unless you’re spending the night in the shack. Anywhere from 20-36′ of water has been productive for multi-species action. Perch are more active out deep. Keep at ‘er, they’re out there!

Sorry to hear that, man! There are definitely fish out there to be had! All of our rentals are kicking out at least a few walleyes during twilight hours, and some nice perch off and on during the day. It’s a tougher year than most, but they are still there!

What depths are you fishing? Area? Type of structure? Maybe I can help…

Here are a few from this week…

Pannies are still cranking….

Here is my best day pannie fishing in 2010. I know there are a few days left… but nothing could compare to getting one of the biggest ‘gills I’ve held and seeing my 3 year old boys face. He also caught his largest to date the same day…

I’d be on the Red River of the North on… umm… May 18th? I can’t choose an exact date, but it’s when the call comes from the river telling me to get my butt loaded up and headed that way!

Nice work, Bob! Wondered where you’d been hiding…

Thanks, Charles. James, nice meeting you at the Ice Show!

We offer fish house rentals (sleepers) on Lake Bemidji and sometimes swing the houses to local pannie haunts or better ‘eye bites near by. We also rent our full fleet on Leech Lake during the Eelpout Festival in Walker, MN. Everything from simple holes and bunks to queen beds and flat screens in the mix.

We also have private guided trips with ATV’s, sleds, and portables. Many backwoods lakes are explored and we have lakes all to oursleves many times…

Nearly 10 years in business, and we never get sick of hearing fish stories…

Opener in the Bemidji area was very good to us. Some people had trouble, while most were rewarded w/ quick easy limits.