fishing reports St. Croix River-Amery-Balsam-Big Round-Wapo-Turtle Fishing Reports

[Nick Kuhn]

Well, it's been a while since I've posted one of these. The weather was nice for opener, albeit a bit windy on Saturday. Sunlight was nice and warm, and seemed to be the key fueling bites. Water temperature Saturday was 42.8 degrees on a typical lake. Sunday fished a much shallower lake that was between 51 and 53 degrees. Got all bass on Saturday. Slow and small jerkbaits along down wood and rocks was the ticket. Sunday got more pike action in the shallows near spawning grounds. Fish were trying to warm themselves and could be caught very shallow, as little as a foot of water. Pike were aggressive, hitting most anything that got close to them.

[JBMasterAngler]

Fished Wapogassett today. Caught a bunch of bass, most of them small, biggest was 17". Hooked into something really big early on, but if got off before we could get a look at it.

Highlight of the day was finding a turtle smaller than a silver dollar floating out in the middle of the lake...how he wasn't eaten by a bird or fish is a miracle! My 6 years old daughter rescued him and named him "tittles". She picked out a nice quiet hiding spot to let him go at.

First time I've fished the lake. Seems like it could be pretty good. Every other boat on the lake was fishing for crappies, so apparently there are a lot out there. Looking forward to trying this lake again someday.

[Nick Kuhn]

Yeah, Wapo I think of as a good lake for kids or friends/relatives that prefer action to size. There are some good fish in there, but you tend to sort through a lot of little guys first. The nice thing about that lake is that when blue bird skies shut down the bite on most other lakes, Wapo seems unaffected and the fish keep biting.

[JBMasterAngler]

I launched at the park, which was great for the kids, because they played on the playground while we got the boat ready. Is the access on bear trap a free access? That spot looked like it was more my speed should I ever fish the lake in my small boat. Wouldn't mind saving $5 also.

[Nick Kuhn]

I launched at the park, which was great for the kids, because they played on the playground while we got the boat ready. Is the access on bear trap a free access? That spot looked like it was more my speed should I ever fish the lake in my small boat. Wouldn't mind saving $5 also.

You know, I'm really not sure if there is a price on the 2 other launches. I was actually meaning to find that out for myself this year.

[JBMasterAngler]

I know the north launch on wapo is also a pay launch. I've visited both wapo launches before, but seeing the bear trap launch from the lake was the 1st time I've ever seen that one. I couldn't see a pay box, but that doesn't mean anything.

[Nick Kuhn]

Got out and did some muskie fishing this weekend. Not a ton to report. Didn't see a fish Saturday and covered practically the whole lake. Went elsewhere Sunday, and had one medium fish miss my jerkbait by 15 inches (on my 12" jerkbait leader of course). Luckily it was a floating jerkbait so I was able to retrieve it, leader still completely untouched with about 3 inches of line hanging off the front. Otherwise didn't see any other muskies, but did catch 3 pike, one around 30 inches. Monday went to a lake where I consistently see fish during the summer. And despite the delayed Spring we had, fish were on the same weedline they use all summer. My brother had the only catch, a short 30" fish. He had a larger one on briefly but it threw the hook. I missed one strike because I was distracted by some lightning, and apparently had my rod under my brothers when I went to set the hook. Saw the fish though, it was mid 30's is all. Had a few other follows, all of them on small bucktails.

Curly-leaf is coming in thick right now, and nearing the surface. Other types of weeds are coming in slowly but surely. Small fish seem to be segregated into 2 groups: one chasing insects right at the shoreline, and another set chasing hatching bugs off the first breakline. The bigger fish are following those 2: inside weedline is better than the outside right now, with another set of gamefish (though fewer in number) sitting off the breaklines. Water has warmed to nearly 70 degrees, and the thermocline is already starting to set-up. Note that if the mosquitoes weren't already bothering you this weekend; they will be out by next weekend. Bring the bug spray.

[Sinker]

Thanks for the report Nick. Good details. Good Luck next time out.

[snagger]

Fished the Amery and Turtle Lake area this past weekend. Overal it was great. Panfish were shallow and active and bass were also biting. Upper Turtle the bass were still pre-spawn where as on N. Twin they had already spawned. Water on both lakes was about 63 degrees. Now is the time for some of the best fishing of the year.

[Nick Kuhn]

Well, after a month or so of not being on the water, finally made it back out there. And stable weather made for some very predictable summer muskie fishing. Fish will be fairly active just outside of their preferred weed beds, moving onto the weeds during prime time. And that is exactly what I saw all weekend. Saturday I had 8 follows, and 1 failed hit boatside. My dad had 2 fish on and lost both. Didn't seem to matter what you threw, they were interested. Sunday saw fewer fish, but with rain looming on the horizon I did get 1 small one in the boat, and had 2 other short strikes. My dad lost another one he had on, but did boat a fairly large pike.

Otherwise lots of fish to mark suspended on the first breakline. Didn't try for them, so can't tell you what they were. Water temperatures were in the mid 70's. Other fishing I talked to were seeing the same thing we were, although walleye fishermen seemed to be having a tough go of it.

[Nick Kuhn]

Cooler weather knocked water temperatures down to the low to mid 60's this weekend. A little wind and a lot of sunshine didn't seem to bother the fish. I was out targeting muskies all weekend. Fish are still hanging out on the breaklines, waiting for the right time to move in. Depending on the lake, some weeds (particularly milfoil) has already started to lose it's green-ness. Fish seem to be preferring the greenest of the weeds. What you throw doesn't seem to be all that important, just get it to where the fish are. About the only thing that I didn't see a fish with was topwaters, which is a bit odd because September is always a great topwater month. Also caught a bonus walleye, but I can't recommend to walleye fisherman to target them with a 9" jerkbait.

[DonBo]

Looks like a great day on the water Nick.

[Nick Kuhn]

Another opener in the books. 2 years ago the lake I fished opener was still 25% ice covered. Last year I had a water temp of just 42 degrees for opener. We were due for a nice opener, and the weather cooperated all day Saturday and much of the day Sunday. Water temps were a pleasant 58 to 62 degrees. Fish were also biting. I wouldn't call the action fast and furious, but the bite was fairly consistent. Weeds are just starting to come in. Fish can be found anywhere from right up in the developing weedbeds out to the base of the first break. Pike and walleyes were the most common catch. I put the new shadow rap through it's paces and it seemed to work for all of the gamefish species. Even drew some attention from panfish, as I snagged a crappie and perch with it's erratic motion. Nothing of size for me this weekend, but was nice to get out in the boat casting again.

[Nick Kuhn]

Made it out Memorial Day Weekend. Sunday was a little wet, but Saturday was nice. Decided to target muskies, which wasn't very successful. Managed a single follow over weeds, that was it. Pike were extremely active though, and could be found anywhere newly growing weeds met the first break. Crappies were also quite active. I could see quite a few in the weedbeds, and other boats were pulling them in one after another over weed beds. I also saw some mayflies, as well as marking huge schools of bluegills and crappies over what I assume were bug hatches. When it's calm, check the surface. Anywhere you see fish breaking you will find a bug hatch. And with that, large schools of panfish.

[Nick Kuhn]

Haven't been getting out much, but I did manage to sneak out Saturday for a bit. Water temp was 69 degrees. Fish position depended on the condition of the curly leaf. In healthy curly leaf, the fish were up inside the weeds near a steeper break. In areas where it was dying (look for green slime on it), fish were positioned outside the weeds on the break. Casted for muskies a bit and had 1 blow-up on a topwater over weeds, but no hookup. Otherwise no sightings. Did manage to catch quite a few gills and crappies on the edge using crawlers and minnows. Quite a few bass mixed in too. Only managed one dink walleye. Fish were anywhere from the bottom in 21 feet up into the weeds in about 5 feet. Deep weed edge was around 13 feet, several feet deeper than normal.

[Nick Kuhn]

Got out Saturday for some muskie fishing. Perfectly clear skies and a complete absence of wind made it tough. Spotted some bluegills at the launch sitting on nests. Water temp was reading 78 degrees, oddly higher than the air temperature. I think that was a combination of no wind to mix the water and some sunlight directly hitting the transducer giving the high reading. Managed 3 follows: 2 on jerkbaits and 1 on a crankbait. All fish were on the outside weed edge near the deepest water in the lake. Follows were extremely lazy: the fish wouldn't even swim off so much as just sink away. Will be out to target them again this coming weekend: hopefully the first weekend of the year where I can put in some serious effort towards catching fish.

[math teacher]

Fished Wappo yesterday and caught around 14 LM off the weedline, only 2 over 15. Released them all.   Noticed walleyes have been stocked there for many years and  is part of the new walleye initiative in the state. Anyone been real successful in the walleye hunt  here and would you mind sharing information?  Thanks.

[Nick Kuhn]

I catch them sporadically on Wapo while fishing for other fish. They are definitely in there, but not too numerous. The lake has only received a single stocking of large fingerling (last year), before that it was all small fingerling. Large fingerling stocking has been very successful on other lakes in the area, but generally it takes about 6 years to start having a substantial effect. The submerged humps will probably be your best bet for summer walleyes out there. You should catch a lot of bonus crappies while targeting the eyes, and maybe get into some white bass as well. I was only out once this year and we did manage a dink that was from last year's stocking.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Nick Kuhn

[Nick Kuhn]

Got out this weekend and tossed the large baits the whole time. Water temps were 75-76. The storms followed by clear weather really didn't do many favors for the fishing. Lots of boaters on the water hugging the West shorelines. The best bet to fish was on the East shore in the wind. My dad had a fish hit boatside that he didn't quite stick well enough and it shook the hook. That fish chased double 8's. I caught a 34" pike on a large dive and rise jerkbait, but didn't see another fish. Both of these fish came off some steep breaklines. As we move past the warmest part of summer and as the baitfish grow up a bit, expect the fishing along weedbeds to improve.

[Nick Kuhn]

Was out chasing muskies again this weekend. Water temps were 76-77 and water was somewhat algae stained, but not too bad for this time of year. Stable weather and a full moon looks like it brought the muskies in shallower. I did not see any fish following off deep water. Fish were up in the weeds, and would follow most presentations (a big glide bait got the most attention). Late Sunday I switched over to an erratic jerkbait to try entice would be followers, and managed a new first for me. I put 2 muskies in the boat on consecutive casts. Both fish were small (36" and 34"), but that appeared to be the ticket. The downsize in lure may have been a factor in the smaller fish. I had been throwing larger baits and getting larger fish to follow somewhat regularly throughout the weekend.

[Nick Kuhn]

Hit the water again this weekend. Hot weather and approaching storms did no favors. Gave the muskie rods a shot and had absolutely nothing to show for it. Lakes were pretty green and water temps were pushing 80 degrees. Fished similar areas to where they were 2 weeks ago, trolled deep, topwaters over weeds, deep weed edges, midlake humps, all of that was unproductive. Saturday nearing sunset I put the big rod down and casted a small jerkbait looking for just any sign of a fish. Quickly put 2 walleye in the boat off a deep weed edge near some fish cribs. Both fish were in the slot though. Also picked up a few white bass doing that.

 

Cooler weather this week should change things up. Rainfall should knock the water temps down into the mid or even lower 70's.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Nick Kuhn

[Sinker]

 Thanks for the report Nick. Good Luck out there.

[Nick Kuhn]

Hot weather and storms Sunday made for some tough fishing this weekend. Targeted a little bit of everything, but only bass and pike were cooperating. Both of those could be found in the deeper weed beds. Not many marks at all in deeper water this weekend. Normally in running around so much I pass over quite a few fish deeper, but that wasn't the case. Cooler weather kicks in this week, so I anticipate fish will be on the move to shallower water if they weren't already there. Weed edges and points will be your friends. Slow moving easy targets is what it took to trigger fish last weekend, I would continue to use such presentations until water temperatures stabilize.

[Nick Kuhn]

Got out again this weekend. Managed to mark some fish in deeper water this weekend. They were located off the break and into the flats a little ways. Managed a few small walleyes on jig and minnows out there, but action was fairly slow in that regard. Sunday battled the wind a bit and went after the muskies. Action was consistent with seeing fish well into the weed flats near the thick stuff. Fish would follow just about anything. Only taker was the smallest of the 4 we saw, this 36" on a topwater. Water temps were back down into the upper 60's, which shouldn't change much in the coming weeks. Expect fishing to improve up until turnover, at least on days not affected by inclement weather.

 

 

 

 

[JBMasterAngler]

You ever fish bass lake? I was out there for a few minutes the other day, but my 19 month old didn't take to her 1st boat ride too well, so I didn't get to actually fish. But it sure looks like a darn good bass lake, in which case, it would be very appropriately named.