Le Homme Dieu Chian, Alexandra MN, Bass Fishing

Each year the Zumbro Valley Bassmasters of Rochester, MN holds a two-day bass tournament. Being a Southern MN club we try to select a popular tournament lake in the northern half of the state. This year we picked the Le Homme Dieu chain in Alexandria MN. The chain holds a huge population of bass up to two pounds like the ones in the photos of my friend George Lair. The challenge is to find the larger fish. A feature of the chain is the bridges between lakes are low and the water is shallow so there aren’t many big boats on the lakes. A break from the cruiser wakes adds to the enjoyment of the trip. It has been over 5 years sense our club fished the chain but its always popular with the club because its holds so many fish. You don’t go long without a bite.

So why do a report on the chain? The Alexandria area is a fun place to be with neat spots like the Garfield Pub in Garfield MN. I’m a major Garfield comic strip fan so I couldn’t resist the photo. From my prospective, the chain is a perfect place to introduce a novice to casting for bass and northern pike. What makes the chain so easy to learn on is the number of fish and the fact that many of the weedlines that hold the fish are narrow and the weed growth can be sparse. It can be very frustrating for a novice when their lure is hung up in the weeds all of the time. OK, I’ve got your interest so where do you start? The first thing is a good map of the chain so you can locate the structure. I would suggest the new 3-foot increment maps from Lake Master. From there you must be able to read your flasher or graph to follow the weedlines with your electric trolling motor. In general that means holding the boat in the 10 to 15 foot range for this chain. These are skills that take some time to develop but practice makes perfect. The final components are rods and reels that can cast half-ounce lures. That means something other than the equipment you use for trolling or live bait fishing. The assumption is a novice will not be able to cast with bait casting tackle yet so open face spinning tackle is the place to start. What I would suggest is a 6-½ foot medium heavy rod with a fast taper. The fast taper will handle the heavier lures for this application. Companies like St. Croix print all of the information on their rods so it’s easy to select the right action. The reel should be a medium size because the larger diameter of the spool handles the 10-12 pound test line needed for this style of fishing. An outfit like the one I’m describing can cost over a $100 but what you’re investing in is the tools to do the job properly. All of us home fixer-uppers can appreciate not having the right tools to do the job. Two basic lures to start with are a spinnerbait, such as the Northland Reed Runner and a Rattle-L-Trap or Rattlin Rap. The folks at Christianson’s tackle shop in Alexandria have an excellent selection and can help you pick out the right lures and colors.