Lake Ore-Be-Gone - Ice Fishing?...

[T&KK]

I spent one evening fishing on the shore of Ore-Be-Gone this summer and couldn't leave a hook in the water more than 2 seconds before a rock bass took of with it in its stomach. I have heard some stories about this flooded mine pit having some amazing fishing and also some great trout. I have never fished trout in my life but would love to try it. First off, What does this lake have to offer in the winter and if you have a good report from question one, how do you fish it? It drops off from the edge nearly 90 degrees.

Any info would be great!

[BobT]

It's been many years since I fished that lake. Before it was converted to a trout pond we used to catch walleyes. Then the walleyes were removed and it was converted to a trout pond.

I'm going from memory here but I'll try to give you some places to try.

From the boat launch head SW past the narrows until you see the old haul road on the SE (left) shore. This is where we used to find our walleyes. We'd throw out minnows on floaters and slip sinkers from shore. If it's still a designated trout lake you won't be able to use live minnows though.

During the summer I've also done well using cowbells and a small spoon to pick up rainbow trout while trolling along that eastern shore but in particular near that old haul road.

Another place we'd catch walleyes was just around the corner from the launch to your left. This was before the launch was built so we'd climb down the embankment. As you go around the corner and into that inside turn there was a ledge along the bank. Don't know if it was removed when the launch was built. The ledge wasn't quite into the inside turn but almost. We'd climb down to that ledge and throw out slip bobbers with minnnows.

That same inside corner turned out to be fairly productive for us in the winter for trout. We'd use corn for bait and place it just a few feet below the ice surface to catch rainbows.

Hope this is helpful. Remember this was back in the mid '80s so things may be different now.

[tacklejunkie]

Isn't it a "put and take" lake?

[T&KK]

tacklejunkie,

What is a "put and take" lake? Never heard of that expression?

Thanks

[tacklejunkie]

tacklejunkie,

What is a "put and take" lake? Never heard of that expression?

Thanks

It's a term I learned when I started trolling Lake Superior.

I guess it means that the fish are stocked and you can take them. Example would be salmon in Lake Superior or Kamloops. They are planted and you can go ahead and take them without any real management considerations

[T&KK]

gotcha,

Thanks for the clarification!

[BobT]

All of the abandoned mines that were stocked with trout are that way. They were stocked with stream trout like rainbows and they aren't conducive to spawning since these fish need highly oxygenated and cold water to spawn successfully.

What's really sad is that places like Lake Ore-Be-Gone actually had fair populations of walleye, northern, bluegills, and crappies before they were sterilized for the trout. It was one of then Gov. Rudy Perpich's pet projects if I recall correctly using IRRRB monies and others.

I also know that one of those pits just outside of Kinney has since been drained because USX is now within a stones throw with the west pit just to the north and are expected to consume the old pit before too long.