2009 Photos & Commentary

[roughfish29]

appart from carp, i'm aslo working on getting a sucker, buffalo or redhorse on a fly.

here are some roughfish that i have caught

bigmouth buffalo:

mirror carp

golden redhorse

common carp

white sucker

snapping turtle

sorry if thats to many non-trout photos for this thread

anyway, my favorite way to fish for bottom-feeding roughfish is to take one or two pea-sized split shot and a size six hook with a big nightcrawler, cast into a deep pool, and wait.

catching big carp and suckers can be a blast on light tackle.

(Please read forum policy before posting again, thanks.)

roughfish fight HARD, they grow big, and you never really kno what your going to catch......its good fun

true, they aren't the prettiest fish in the world, but hey, if your a little open-minded, you will very rarely have a day when you get skunked.

one thing i want to make clear: roughfish ARE NOT harmful to our lakes and rivers. they have been here a lot longer than most gamefish, and don't effect gamefish or water quality at all......with the exception of the non-native carp

[Scudly]

roughfish those are cool. Hope it does not offend trout aficionados. I know many that target carp on a fly. I catch white suckers all the time. Even caught several snapping turtles. One on worm. One on chub tail. Anyway, I landed this one BEFORE I landed the 24 inch "River Pig" brown. Vermillion is filled with white sucker. Question: Ever thought about eating one? Now V is not pristine. But I've caught 20" white sucker out of the Rush and I wonder. 55 degree water. Same environment as a trout. Same forage. Could it taste that different? As for fight at least with white sucker I don't think they fight as hard per size as a trout. But that is just a white sucker. I've yet to land many other rough fish.

[tom_w]

Nice mirror carp dude. I would love to figure out carp on a fly. I had a couple large swirls on a nymph one time on the Mississippi, but no hookups.

[Scudly]

Got any nique photos from this season?

Here is a great blue heron stab. Second photo is Harvey Dent "Two Faced." This fish got too close to the MN DNR electroshock prod. That or he was hooked badly from a previous catch and release.

[roughfish29]

neat looking trout (and turtle) scudly!

i have never eaten white sucker, but i heard its pretty good.

also, i would agree that trout fight harder than white sucker. whites are the "weakest" roughfish.....carp and buffalo fight much harder

[waterbound]

I usually throw #0 or maybe #1 Mepps Comets but if I run out of them I switch to Rooster Tails. If a fish shows itself but doesn't eat I usually give it a second cast, if that doesn't work color switch will usually get one to eat. There are some deeper holes but a lot of fish hide beneath the undercut banks/grass, too. I can imagine there have been some really bad situations out there; one stretch runs through a really well maintained property, lots of trees and several low (and I mean, LOW) hanging bridges running over the stream make it easy for a confrontation to happen. You can tell that whoever owns that land really cares about it and would probably go to great lengths to protect it (even if a guy stayed in the stream...)

[roughfish29]

I've caught 20" white sucker out of the Rush .

are you talking about the rush river in wisconsin? i've caught some nice browns out of there

[Scudly]

Quote:

are you talking about the rush river in wisconsin? i've caught some nice browns out of there

Rough Fish

Yep the one and only. RUSH RIVER. That is where Tom, Richard, and Harry fish. Funny I don't fish it much anymore. Was amazed to briefly check it out last weekend of the season. I went all the way down to 385th easement and there were two cars! I did end up talking to a spin fisherman for a good half hour shooting the breeze though. The crazy thing is there were packed trails on BOTH sides of the river. Hit up Vino in the Valley and friend so I drove back dang near where I was fishing. I did fish near Lost Creek and 450th and saw two different sets of cars park at he same spot I fished earlier that morning. Maybe I must retract previous statements of fishing pressure? My theory is everyone keeps coming to the same most popular spots. Either way, Rush can handle the pressure. Ton of fish. Just remember you want big fish, harvest the small ones, not the big ones.

I just fish lesser known streams. The places I fish dang near nobody else fishes. Each time I come back the only tracks I find are my own from last time.

Water Bound - Yeah well those are the largest landowners in the entire Twin Cities. Money talks. Lots of studies done there. In MN if you fish legally you cannot even TOUCH land with any part of your body. In WI you can exit the stream such as barbed wire fence, weir, low bridge, I think even deep water. In MN you cannot. Personally I always like to get landowner permission. I did call the estate and was not granted access although the representative did understand MN waterway and public access laws.

[waterbound]

I've considered calling around and asking for permission for access but I haven't because I thought it might just alert the homeowners to my fishing which could lead to some unwanted harrassment so I just held off and obeyed the trespass laws.

[Scudly]

Quote:

I've considered calling around and asking for permission for access but I haven't because I thought it might just alert the homeowners to my fishing which could lead to some unwanted harrassment so I just held off and obeyed the trespass laws.

Belwins are not going to grant you access but other landowners might. This is a heavily guarded stream, a rare example. You followed your legal right to fish keeping your feet wet the whole time. For other streams though I really encourage everyone to contact landowners and ask for permission. You can find GIS county maps online databases that allow you to zoom in, view arial photos and quickly ID owners. Next find a phone number and call ahead. You will be AMAZED at what happens. This I'd the RIGHT thing to do. Landowner really appreciate the curtosy and are often flattered. When you do this you also get to fish water that is generally untouched. You will also have a more pleasant experience because you won't have to be looking over your shoulder wondering if a landowner is going to track you down, or worse yet have the sherrif or a CO cite you for trespassing. Winnebago Creek there is an owner known to fire shots in the air if he suspects a trespassers. Think it is the same guy that put up the sign.

[tom_w]

Obtaining landowner permission is great and perhaps it feels good, but obeying the law and staying in the stream is just as much the "right" thing to do.

I often carry a plastic bag and pick up garbage so that I can show the positive effects of my presence in case of confrontation.

I have never been in an argument, never confronted, no gun shots. Sometimes I get permission beforehand. Both ways are fine.

[Scudly]

I agree Tom. If you wanted to fish this metro stream, following waterway laws are probably the only way you can fish it.

For me if identify a sweet spot I'm going to want to get out of the water and determine the best approach. To be honest, I stay out of the water as much as possible. Wading if you want to sneak up, you have to walk slow like a blue heron, avoiding gravel crunching. It would take forever to approach a new hole this way.

[tom_w]

Yeah, plus it's a pain sometimes to stick in the stream. Mud and holes and downed trees.

[Scudly]

Back to the original topic:

How was the 09 season for you?

What were your goals and did you achieve them?

What changes in the fisheries have you seen over the years?

Along with your commentary, I thought it would be great if folks could share their best trout fishing photos - trout - landscapes - wildlife - flowers. Whatever photos from this season you cherish, please share here!

[#6 PM]

What changes in the fisheries have you seen over the years?

A lot more big fish.

[Driftless]

number 6 panther martin?

sweet spinner.

Have you found that bigger trout like bigger lures?

Let's see some of your big fish.

Can't beat a big trout photo.

[s t fanatic]

day 1 of the early catch and release season. 22" male brown caught on a #6 non dressed PM in black and yellow. please excuse the bank shot.

[Scudly]

It appears you got that fish rather early too. You knew exactly where to go I bet... What a great way to start the season!

[waterbound]

Some pics from a trip up to the Bois Brule over Halloween weekend

[DeathRoe]

Only 1 fish between all you? And a skippie nonetheless? That's good to see, i can't get them under legal size this year...

[waterbound]

Thats the only fish I got, my dad got some skipjacks too but his friend lost one about 28" at the net and caught some nice browns.

[Scudly]

Stupid question here. So "skippy" refers to a "skipjack" steelhead. Jack refering to male, skip referring to a fish that jumps?

[waterbound]

A skippy means skipjack, the way it was explained to me is that they are small fish that generally are released. They don't necessarily have to be males but you do see quite a few jumping.