Friday night, I got a chance to fish Mille Lacs lake with James Holst and absolutely had a ball. After finally getting his boat re-rigged (new GPS and depth finder for the trolling motor), we headed out at around 8pm. Finally arrived at Garrison around 10pm, just in time to see the beginning of the northern lights.
The fishing was absolutely awesome. Conditions were dead calm, around 40 degrees for a low. We fished until 5am and wound up with around 30 incredible walleyes for the night. Of course, James out caught me. I allow that when fishing with a guide. Miraculously, no sheepies made it to the boat. We fished 7 1/2 foot rods rigged with Husky Jerks and I was absolutely amazed at the size and energy of the fish we caught. James had some pretty good pulls, watched the line run away from him a few times. Of course, I got a couple of good ones. I let him hold them for pics, though. It’s always nice to be nice.
We went to the north end of the lake first, and had one. Then headed southwest to hit a couple of bays where the fish seem to be wearing night vision. Most of our fish that night were caught after the moon went down. We made seven passes in one bay in weedy/rocky water at depths of 6 to 11 feet. Our trolling speeds were very low, below 1.5mph in many cases and the fish would absolutely inhale the lures on the inside of each turn.
I am truly amazed by the size and girth of the fish we caught. It is truly amazing. We figured that our biggest, a 28" piggie, was around 8 pounds. Even the smallest we caught had a girth about as big around as my arm. Truly a wonder. And great fun. The bigger fish were real boat-stoppers, tearing off line as hard as a good northern or a salmon. I can’t wait to get back up there.