Friday, May 14, 2010

Do we cheer?

As I sit here to type out a few thoughts, the fishing opener is three minutes old. And while there is still a short-night's rest for this angler before I test out the 2010 fishing opener, I'm breathing a little easier.

Winter can be a long time to wait to chase serious game fish in Minnesota. And while the ice allows for us to still fish for walleye and northerns, nothing quite beats the feel of casting a line, watching as your lure takes flight, cuts the air and splooshes into the open water.

Tanner and I will be out early in the morning, and barring an 0-for day, one of us will post an update to you (hopefully with pictures). For any of you that'd like to brag about your opening-weekend action or send in pictures, we'd be more than willing to share it with the other anglers out here who happen by our blog.

It's pretty simple. e-mail Tanner, Doug or photos@mankatofreepress.com, and we'll take care of the rest. Just give us some information to make things complete ... who's in the picture, where you were fishing, what day, that sort of stuff.

Until then, good luck, and may the fishing gods work in your favor.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Countdown to opener: Family-friendly fishing

Few shorefishing spots in southern Minnesota can rival Bray Park, Duck Lake Park and Lake George Park in terms of family-friendliness. All are located in Blue Earth County and all feature amenities that cater to the attention-challenged.

First, and perhaps most importantly, all three lakes — and especially Lake George — boast terrific panfishing. (Bray Park on Madison Lake offers the best chance to tie into something more substantial.)

When I was in college, I strapped the waders on a few times to flip worms around the shorelines on Lake George. And every time, I spent hours doing little more than peeling palm-sized panfish off my hooks. A few crappies, and a few with some size.

For the youngsters, though, nothing is better. If you're taking the kids out for a little angling action on opener, tip a small hook with a waxworm and a bobber and they'll catch fish at all three parks, all day long.

But if the youngsters get tired, bored or run out of bait, there's plenty to do. Lake George Park and Duck Lake Park have playgrounds and more than enough room to burn up some energy. Bray Park has a nature trail and boat rentals (canoes and paddleboats) are available for $5 an hour at Bray and Duck Lake.

And for the truly adventurous, there is always the swimming beach.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Countdown to opener: West Jefferson

The fishing pier provided by the German and Jefferson Lakes Sportsmen Club at West (Little) Jefferson is a local hotspot for shore fisherman.

The panfishing next to the pier, primarily sunfish and crappies, is a big draw and a good place for an outing with the family.

Bass and northern pike can also be found along the entire south shoreline, especially to the east of the pier. To the west of the pier, extending to the opening of the culvert-like walkway that goes under Le Sueur County Road 105, the shoreline fishing is tight, with sharp rocks making standing near the water difficult with the exception of a few entry points. But fishing from the elevated position is still manageable, and the tight shoreline provides excellent casting angles to drop your lure into the 12-foot or so hole in front of the pier.

Now, back to that shoreline extending east of the pier. When the water is high, it'll take some walking along the shoreline to find a good entry point to cast. Now, if you're fishing panfish, none of this matters all that much. 

But this stretch of West Jefferson is excellent for northern, and, in the not-so-distant future, bass fishing. And 30-inch pike or 4-pound bass aren't unheard of in this stretch of the lake. So finding a spot down to the water where you can land a fish is a must.

The shoreline stretches a good ways until you come to private property, so I'd highly recommend working your way down as far as you can. There's a red, thorny bush of some sort far down that east shoreline. Work as close to it as possible and you might pull in a nice northern this weekend. 

Two things of note with this stretch of shoreline fishing: Rocks are plentiful on the lake floor, so expect a snag or two if you don't keep your bait up off the floor; plenty of locals will flock to the pier early in the spring with reports of walleyes being taken out of that deep hole in front of the pier.

Is this true, or is this a good piece of fiction? I'm going with a combination of both. Walleye exist in West Jefferson, no doubt about that. I watched Tanner pull one in while we were fishing plastic worms for bass. 

And I know a local who lives just down the road, and he assures me people are catching an occasional walleye off the pier. But if you're after walleyes Saturday or whenever you are out fishing, this hotspot probably isn't the best spot for you.

Good luck! 

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Countdown to opener: Minnesota River near Courtland

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a public access just south of Courtland off of Highway 24, which connects Highway 14 at Courtland with Highway 68.

Fishing directly on the river in this area is a little more difficult, but a series of beaten-down walking paths on the west end of the parking lot will lead you down to the river.

The better fishing, in my opinion, can be found in the back water on the east end of the parking lot. This narrow stretch of water next to the river has easy access points off to your right as you drive into the parking lot, but a hidden path, wedged between the boat landing and the clean opening to the Minnesota River backwater, provides a chance for anglers to sneak back into relative obscurity and work through excellent underwater cover (timber, rocks, weedlines) as well as overhanging trees.

Here's what you need to know about this backwater. Three years or so ago, winterkill took most of the good fish. I stopped out and talked with a local about it, and he said the variety of fish on the shoreline amazed him. We're talking sunnies, crappies, walleyes, northerns, largemouth bass, carp and bullhead.

Before the winterkill, Tanner and I caught quite a few northerns and bass from that little backwater. And since the winterkill, I've caught one northern, but stopped wasting my gas. But with the recent flooding from this past spring, I'd venture to say that the likelihood some of the fishing population has been naturally restocked is pretty good.

And since there wide, relatively flat opening to the backwater, the area is a good place to take a child river fishing without actually fishing next to the dangerous, spring currents. If you do decide to venture through some of the thick trees to get to a more inaccessible fishing points, be prepared to a) check for ticks, b) check for ticks.

One final thing about this backwater: Spring fishing before the winterkill was pretty decent, but as soon as summer took hold and the water levels dropped, carp and bullhead occupied the shallows while the game fish moved into the deeper waters on the south end (which are accessible, but again you'll have to force your way through tight-knit trees to make it to the water).

In the past, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps drummed up a lot of our catches (I can remember being bit off a half dozen times or so by big fish, too), for both northern and bass, but we also had a lot of luck fishing plastics, which oddly enough, brought in a few small northerns. But will the backwater being turned over from that winterkill, all bets are off on what might attract them now.

It's a jaunt from Mankato, but sometimes a trip to a good fishing hole can be worth it. Good luck.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Countdown to opener: East Jefferson and German Lakes

One of my favorite area shore-fishing haunts is Beaver Dam Road, which runs betwixt East Jefferson and German Lakes.

There's an access to East Jefferson with plenty of space to fish, and the shorelines are accessible on both sides of the road. Both lakes feature fine populations of panfish, bass, walleye and northern ... but, unless you visit on a weekday afternoon, you're likely to find a gaggle of folks chasing them from the bank.

A pair of waders, however, can get you into a much different - and I think, more successful - fishing scenario.

On the German side, a little distance from the shore is a large patch of tall reeds. In May and June, I've had a lot of luck catching northern pike by chucking buzzbaits -- I prefer double-bladed models like these for their added stability and buoyancy -- through the middle of the stick-ups for explosive strikes. Waders come in handy because you'll be able to move around to the outside edge where the fish are more likely to hold.

(Always be careful handling northern pike in waders. If I hook up a fish, I usually start slowly backing toward shallower water in order to handle the fish a little easier. If that's not possible, keep the rod tip very high so the fish won't wrap around your legs, and use a gill hold to grip the fish while removing the hook.)

Another good tactic for fishing northern in the stick-ups is to use a jerkbait. There are a variety of sizes and models, but I prefer 3'' to 5'' floating or suspending baits (as opposed to sinking). Throw them near the windblown edges of the stickups, or on edges near deeper water, and give them a wide, sweeping jerk with your rod. Let the bait sit for a few moments (longer in colder water) and repeat.

On the East Jefferson side, a pair of waders will lead you toward a series of progressively deeper shelves that lead to about 12-16 feet of water. Cast your favorite walleye setup -- as a walleye minimalist, I usually use just a simple jig with a leech -- out past the shelf and work slowly back. I landed my biggest shoreline walleye (about 25'') doing just the same.

Be advised, however, that wader-wandering in waters unfamiliar often leads to miserable - and soggy - rides home. Be careful where you step, and be sure to pack a reel that offers a good casting distance.

Feel free to leave a comment on your own shore-fishing haunt - we'd love to hear from you!
Fish on!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Countdown to opener: Madison Lake

Today, John Cross wrote a column and interviewed Minnesota Department of Natural Resource Waterville Fish Hatchery manager Hugh Valiant about the upcoming walleye opener.

John's column
and Hugh's Top 10 list of area lakes were good information for people venturing out, presumably, in a boat. But what about those people who either don't own a boat, or have a boat with a motor on the fritz (that last one I threw in to describe me!)?

So as our anticipation rises, Dear Reader, for the 2010 inland water fishing opener, we'll take time in this blog to preview area lakes and rivers with great shore-fishing spots. Feel free to chime in with a comment or two if at anytime you feel there is a great shore-fishing spot we've missed.

Today's lake: Madison Lake
Is there anyone who enjoys fishing that doesn't enjoy stopping out to Buckmaster Bridge of Blue Earth County Road 48 for a morning or afternoon of fishing?

Buckmaster, as stated here numerous times in this blog, is a great spot to fish from shore, especially if fishing with a family. Sidewalks, concrete fishing stations and ample shoreline make this a great destination.

Buckmaster also offers a natural current that runs under the bridge, between the much larger lake and the subsequent bay. Weedlines run along the shoreline on the main lake, providing cover for a large variety of fish, including the ever-so popular walleye and the feisty northern pike.

The one pitfall with Buckmaster is that everyone knows it is a GREAT fishing spot. So traffic, especially on weekends and nights, can be pretty heavy, which means learning to share the shoreline with others (in the coming weeks, Tanner and I will take a closer looks at shore-fishing etiquette, but for now let's concentrate on the lakes).

Farther down the road, just past the entrance to Bray Park, is another lesser-known fishing spot. It can best be explained as the section of 48 that is squeezed by Madison Lake, and a small pond on the opposite side of the road (the DNR website just calls it unnamed lake).

Once the weeds and algae swallow the small bay, shore fishing can be difficult here, but until then, anglers will hook into panfish with an occasional walleye, northern and bass. (But remember, the bass opener isn't until May 29, so throw them back.)