This will be the first of many reports from my boat on Mille Lacs this Fall season. Viewers will soon be bombarded by reports from the great lake of Mille Lacs. And rightly so! This time of year ranks right up there with the fishing and deer opener! Walleyes, BIG walleyes move into shallow areas following huge schools of perch which are amazingly abundant this year. I will try to add a little different dimension to each report if possible, but the truth is trolling will flat out put more fish in your boat now than at any other time of the year! Although last night while fikming a video, we coaxed a nice 27" eye to the net slip bobbering leeches over rocks.
We have been targeting different areas of the lake looking for big fish, and also for slot fish for the table. This searching takes a lot of time, and it is something we do every year before guiding hits full bore. What we have found so far is that the slot fish are handing on rocks and points. Slow trolling (1.5 MPH) Grappler Shads and Shallow Shad Raps will put numbers of slot fish in the 18-21.5" range in the livewell. No doubt that for my boat, the best action on slot fish has been from the Garrison area south along Seguchi, and down to the casino. If you hug the rocks, you will find the fish! "S" turns are very important! Many of our fish are coming on the turns. Reason being is that we are concentrating our efforts on depths of 4.5 to 9 feet of water. "S" turns will run your lure in water untouched by the boat. Here is my son Ben Tuckner with a solid 25 caught on an exploratory mission to find fish for guide trips and filming.
Weeds are also producing fish, but you will find that this year, classic weed beds that were "Hot" last year may have weeds up to the surface due to low water levels. Areas we trolled last year that were in 8 FOW are now 5! Lure choice is critical now. You may opt for floating stick baits as opposed to suspending them and hanging up in the weeds. Storm Thundersticks, Floating Rapalas, and my favorite, the Smithwick Pro Rogue and Super Rogue in chrome and craw colors get the nod. These were used to produce many slots caught over the weekend like the one shown here by Jake Stark, my nephew from Woodbury. (Nothing like fishing with Ol’ Uncle Tuck for your birthday, huh?)
Bigger fish are where you find them! Seriously, many of the bigger fish coming to the boat recently are coming out of the same areas that the slots are coming from. I popped this 28" out of 4.5 FOW over a large rock pile. When in that shallow, be sure to shorten the amount of line back, and keep the rod tips up high. These 10-6 St. Croix Wild River Rods allow you to do this with ease. They also impart an awesome action to the lures, and will take up a lot of the fight of these monster fish!
I will be up guiding the whole week of the 8th, and am booked solid. (Thanks all!) and we should be sharing some wild photos and stories for sure!
Take care, and be safe!
I can’t wait buddy.
Great report Tuck! Looking forward to this weekend!
Chris,great report and pics.This is a awesome time of the year for Mille Lacs fishing reports.Best of luck on your guide trips.
I’ll be up on Oct 13,14th.This will be my 3rd trip to the Big Pond,but first for the night time trolling bite.
It’s going to be fun.
Ryan Hale
Awsome report!!
I’m hoping to be on the water by 3:00 Friday afternoon!!! 
ROOKIE
Rob, had fun last night! Just a taste of what is yet to come…
There will be many of these too….
This was a one eye walleye that my brother in law Andy Stark caught. Notice how thin the body is compared to the head.
I think Rob is trying to say that the bite starts about dark-30 Ben, and tends to pick up into the night. Although I’ll never test it since I’ll be sleeping until dark anyway.
It’s not a bad idea to get on the water early and get your trolling runs GPSed, especially if you’re new to the water. Be safe out there!
Keep the VHF on for Dave’s brat call at midnight!
Good job as always Tuck!!!!
Sorry, never-mind, I just realized that you were talking about the fish
Hey, he’s my relative too
That’s my plan Wade, then I won’t be a ROOKIE on Saturday night. You can bet that if Zach and I are awake this weekend we will be fishing.
I would love to make it up there soon!! Great repot Tuck! That for sure gets the blood pumping!! What are the air temps right now at night?
Exceptionally well detailed report. Nice work!
See you Fri boys
Great report Chris
Wishing each and everyone good fishing and a safe trip.
I’ll be thinking of you all catching those monsters and wishing I were there also.
Great report Chris. Thanks for sharing a lot of details. One question for those of you that have been up there recently, which launch on the west side have you been using. I am heading up Thursday and the guy I am fishing with is a little concerned about banging his new boat on the rocks going in/out of the launch. Thanks and good luck to all that are fishing the next few weeks!
Brett, I’ve always liked Terry’s boat harbor. It’s a pay ramp, but safe and centrally located for my fishing.
Brett, I have been using Terry’s or Phils Myr Mar Marina if I’m concerned.
Although we did use Pikes point Public the other day (Sun) with no problems. 
I’m so freek’n excited I can’t sit still
Lip,
Is the dock still in at Pikes point?
Thanks guys. We will be up there around 6:00 on Thursday – let me know if anyone wants to try to get together. And, feel free to PM me your hot spots too!
Brett
Great report Tuck
can hardly wait to see the video 
Them are soom nice looking ladys. 
One more day of work 
see ya Wed. Night 
Later……BB
Dustin, it was as of Sunday Night.
See you there hopefully. Your buddy is on a few fish up there. 
BB, you going to be up Friday????????
Yep.
Goin up Wed. PM as net boy with Tuck 
Staying up until Sunday. 
Work is really a distarction now 
I’ll be lookin for ya 
……BB
I’lls ee you for sure for the mid night gathering snack
Hey Ben and Zach, Here’s a little pup from last year, Oct. full moon. If I can do it, two power anglers from Nebraska should have no trouble at all!
And dress warm boys! You won’t be fishing in the deep south this weekend!
That’s a nice eye Wade
. 
Good to see someone cares enough to let you hold their fish for a picture 
.
Had to have been James, cuz I sure ain’t nice enough to let him hold my fish. Headin’ out tomorrow after work. See you on Sat Wade!
I really like Terry’s. Yep, it is $10, but it has a very nice dock, and easy in and easy out. Plus your vehicle is pretty safe there as well.
Myr Mar is in great shape too.
I got one for ya Dustin. Make sure your flash is on…
Kooty, I’ll see ya Saturday!
Chris,
Great report and pics.
Great to see some real pig fish showing up with the warmer waters.
Keep those trip reports comin””
thanks
Jack..
Jack, hopefully next week I will have one of you holding one of these with Randy for my collection! I am looking forward to it!
Man, I can hardly believe the numbers of big fish you guys catch up there while night fishing on the big pond.
Awesome fish guys!
JWB
I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous trip for moon lite madness.
Looks like I am going to miss all the fun this year. I hope to join you all next year tho
I sure am going to miss those Late night Brats let alone the great fishing and people I met last year
Take care all.
Tuck, how many open nights do you have left for guiding? If it’s not a Saturday…I’d like to stick a 29…just for the heck of it.
Great report Tuck!
If this night trolling on the pond were truly a “Moonlight Madness” sale, you would for sure have a corner on the market.
Those young men in your report certainly have a good taste in head wear
Here’s to safe and Piggy filled few weeks to all that can enjoy Mille Lacs
I can’t wait to see the reports and the pics!
dave
Heck Brian, that’s just like your typical catfish outing isn’t it? 50# cat here……29″ walleye there!
shhh! Steve!
I’m looking for cat bait…
I have been holding Saturday the 14th open for the guys putting the septic in at the cabin..turns out they don’t fish!
So the only trip opening I have is Saturday the 14th.
Last night was a little slow by our recent standards, but one thing made it a very interesting! I had this beast of a musky blast a jointed Bomber in 4 FOW, and go totally airborne many times while bringing it in. As it approached the boat, Bruce B and I flipped on our head lights, and low and behold there was another musky following this one in to the boat! And it was SIGNIFICANTLY larger than this one! I told Bruce “Get your lure in the water!!!!!” In his excitement, he buried the trebbles into his glove!
I don’t know what we would have done with two of them anyways… We should have taken a picture instead of trying to catch him! I estimate the other fish to be 50″ or gol’darn close to it!
I almost forgot about this one..a 28″ from the West side thanks to a Smithwick Rogue!
Bruce did you choke under the big pressure???
Nice fish Tuck.
I’m just itching to get back up there.
I have been away 1 day and I’m flippin out 
He is still up there, and will be until Sunday.
I look at that picture and laugh! I had just popped in WAYYY to many sunflower seeds when it hit! I had a cheek like a gopher!
Chris,
NICE BOnus fish…
I’d have paid to see two of those on at the same time.
Jack..
Figures, Saturday is the Sturgeon contest on the Croix…well, with the reports coming in and your fishy pictures that will be fill quickly I’m sure.
Those fish really stand out with the blue background of Gamehide.
I was thinking the same thing! That Gamehide gear really makes the pictures jump!
That is some really great gear! Sportsman’s Warehouse is the place to get it!
You can actually wear a hat under it without it spinning around your head! Plus the phone pocket is awesome!
The Woodbury Sportsman’s Warehouse doesn’t have it in stock…but St Cloud and Coon Rapids does.
VERY nice fish Tuck. Also VERY nice looking gear you are wearing there Tuck. Looks warm and very funtional from what I can see from the pics.
Thanks, Bill
joe’s sporting goods in St. Paul carreis it as well. or you can order online or by phone, they have an office in Burnsville and are very helpful in getting you what you need asap, except for this week as they have their sales meeting up at Izatys and are fishing out of Terry Monday night. I like using the “phone pocket for my gerber multi tool… stays put and easy access when needed.
http://www.gamehide.com
952-895-8740
I cant believe the weather this past weekend.. Sat felt like July..
Derek…you should have been there today for the fish fry! It was way good!
I fished the south side with a couple buddies on Friday night. We caught our limit and then some in 6-8 FOW trolling from 9pm-1am. I talked to a few guys on Sat that did as well as we did only they caught their fish between 9am-11am on Sat morning. I would have rather fished during the day if I knew I was going to catch just as many fish. Has anyone else been doing that good during the day?