This past weekend my fishing club was on Chisago/ So. Lindstrom lakes. I had not been on this body of water for quite a few years, and it was great to get back to this area. I was able to put in a couple of practice days last week, which really helped.
Jeff, who is a friend of mine from our church, just joined my club last week, and this was his first Club Outing Tournament. He and I fished on Monday with a few other boats. The weekend had some stable weather and light winds, and was very warm. I felt it would be easier to find Largemouth in the shallower shoreline weed cover and adjacent dropoffs, try and get a limit first, then upgrade during the day. The first pic is Jeff with his very first Club Point fish, which was a nice 16 incher.
We tried different presentations, but what we caught most of our Largemouth on was a Texas-rigged 7 inch Berkley Power worm. The depths that payed off for us, was having the boat over 10-12 feet of water, throwing the worms up to 5 feet, and working them slowly down the slope. The Bass were not real active, but when a fish picked up the worm, it was fish ON, and just about every one, had to go flying 2 feet out of the water. We caught about 15 Largemouth, with the largest at 17 inches. Other presentations that had some success for us were Jig/worms, senko’s, buzzbaits, and a carolina rig with a phelps floater with leeech.
One club boat on Monday had a very good late afternoon, and caught quality fish of a couple of 18’s and 2- 19 inch Bass from deeper water using a tube. They did not want to share their big fish spot.
Bluegills were just about everywhere in the lake, with an average size of about 7 1/2 inches. We used slip-bobbers, with a jig and a wax worm. The anchored in about 8 feet of water, and the BG seemed to want to sit under the boat in the shade. It took about an hour for us to catch 2 club limits of BG.
The surprize for the day was when using my carolina-rigged philps floater with a leech, and cast up on a ridge that dropped off toward us in deeper water, I had a good hit, and set the hook. The strong fish made a few good runs, and I was sure it was a Northern. I was only using 8 pound test, so used light but positive pressure to not get bitten off, and worked this fish to the net. It turned out to be a terrific 23 1/4 inch Walleye.
Thanks Jeff for sharing our fun day on the lake, and welcome to the Club.
I began fishing Chisago and South Linstrom lake two years ago. Reading I.D.A. reports and looking for a bass lake to fish in the summer I found this lake system a real gem, lot of good fish as well as the lakes offer a diversity of presentation opportunities from plastics to spinner baits.
I was out yesterday morning, caught three very nice bass with the largest coming in around 3 pounds. Like your report most fish came on a power worm off the first week break.
I do have one question, this is NOT a anti-tournament thread! With the regulation that all bass over 12 inches have to be immediately released I assume you dont have the post tounament weigh in. How do clubs conduct weigh in on lakes like these with distinct regulations? Just curious.
Nice report Jack! Haven’t had the kids out there to fish bluegills since late May…sounds like it’s time to get them back out there
Thanks,
Jim
><(((>
Paper Tournament.
All you need is a conversion chart the whole club goes by.
Catch,measure,log,release.
The weigh-ins are a little less exciting but still fun.
Later Brad G.
hi Fred,
Our club, which is the Minnesota Valley In-Fisherman Club, in Apple Valley, MN; we never have a weigh-in. We have a point scoring system for each species. We catch the fish, measure it, take a picture if you want to, and the fish is put back into the water, where it is caught. And we do that at any lake or river we go to during our 12 month club year. So there are no issues fishing a lake like Chisago with special regulations. Our members fish with other club members, usually 2 to a boat, and they each fish for their own fish. and we also can choose to have our tournament day be either sat, sun, or mon, which usually is the weekend following our club monthly meetings, which is where members signup, and I do the draw for parnters.
Like Brad G. mentioned, tournaments that normally have a “weigh-in” at the end of 8 hours or tourney day, will have a chart of inches equals so many pounds, in 1/4 inch increments to determine the weight of their catch.
See you on the water. and thanks for asking.
Jack.
Thanks for clarifying my question. One advantage is that this system minimizes the effects higher water temperatures have on fish stress. This kind of tournament would be great for people like myself who dont have multiple live wells, etc.
Thanks.
Jack. Here are some pictures from our club tournament up there in July. I took 3rd and Chuck (Fluker) took first!. We had a great day of fishing with my biggest being 19 5/8 and Chucks being 19 7/8. We caught a lot of fish and a ton of 16-18 inch fish! Caught a few on crank baits and a majority of them fell to a drop-shot rig.
#2
Thanks for the report and pic Jack. Those lakes in that area are gems. Haven’t been up there for a long time and miss it. Really like reading reports from those lakes.
Very nice fish guys.
Thanks, Bill
great BASS Tom..
thanks,
Jack.
Professor,
I fully agree, and esp during the Summer.
Jack.
Why does everyone think my first name is Tom?
I thought it was John! Where do they get Tom from? Duh!!
Tom????I though it was Richard!!!!!
I must have spelled my name wrong in my signature!
And as for you Chapstick–
Nice job Jack! I fished on Sunday and had a limit of bass with a couple of 18’s. I also got into a limit of sunnies with a very nice 9″ to boot. I look forward to fishing this lake again next year.
Sorry Tim, On my oversight.
Jack.
i posted my 3 big ones on the bass picture thingy, but here are a few from my morning out there before sharing a few spots with Jack.
shane
#2
#3
3 fish, 15 minuets, the biggest one was the one in the middle, that one was around 4 I do believe, with the warm weather, these fish where unbuttoned in the water and picked out for a picture quick and put right back in, no measurement or scale time, didn’t want to hurt them or have a dead fish a few minuets later, I pulled them on my secret spot using my secret lure.
nice report Jack
shane
Got out to Chisago Lake again this morning. I ended up with 3 pretty nice bass, the largest weighed a little over 3 and a half pounds. Got one fish one a swim jig, the others on a blue fleck Powerworm. All fish came off points in about 8 feet of water. Lots of fun.