Holland Reports

[JBMasterAngler]

Just wondering if anyone went out there after brownies over the weekend? I might give it a go during the week to polish up my skills before I head up north for some real streamer action

[splakeshaker]

If your coming to the arrowhead, watch out or the slush pockets. Lakes took a hit with all the warm temps and now there calling for more more snow. Going to get real messy soon. Stay on the well traveled routes.

[JBMasterAngler]

Thanks for the heads up. It'll be all foot travel, so hopefully it's not sloppy and deep, otherwise shouldn't be any problems.

As for holland...nothing at all? Nobody has given it a shot? DNR lakefinder shows they didn't stock it in '08, but I swear they stocked it in '09. Can anyone confirm that?

[Quetico]

It was stocked in January of '09. Report from sources linked to the DNR says its having O2 issues. Thus killing off some of the larger fish. Possible that none have made it thru.

[JBMasterAngler]

I stopped by there today, and having never been there before didn't realize the hill I would've had to pull all my stuff up at the end of the day. With the trout ordeal uncertain, I didn't think it was worth the work to catch a few potato chip sunnies. I did e-mail the DNR with some questions about the lake though, so we'll see what they have to say.

[Scudly]

Bummer. The lake is plagued with those little sunnies. Never caught any big ones out of there, however I've only fished off the dock. Dangle any dry fly and they slam it though, so kinda fun messing around with my kid.

Please let me know what the DNR says. I think an aerator would help the lake immensly. When a neighbor kid first told me there is trout in there I laughed at him. Only deep in certain spots, the rest is shallow.

[Quetico]

It used to be an amazing lake with huge crappies and pike. I used to be able to walk off cliff road and pick off 20-30 crappies over 12" in the middle of the day. My best pike out of it was 28" but heard reports of pike well over 30". I caught tons in the mid 20's.

[Scudly]

Quetico that is interesting. I wonder what year the DNR introduced trout because trout and pike don't mix. Meaning I wonder if they were removed. Never caught a crappie. I actually favor crappie over trout for taste. They are also a blast to catch. Quetico what do you think

happened to the lake? It certainly is nice and clean. Zero runoff. Even Cliff Road has a settling pond before hitting the lake. Supposed to be the cleanest lake in Dakota County, if not the entire metro.

[Quetico]

Trout and pike mix very well actually as far as I am concerned. The oils from trout and salmon act as a growth hormone for pike and musky allowing them to reach a large size relatively quick. Meaning tons of big pike.

There were periods when the DNR would stock rainbows and splake in there as well as browns. It used to have a much more of a mixed bag of trout. Now they've just been dumping brode stock browns in there. They dump a few in. Some get caught the rest die.

This lake used to have a few guys here and there fishing it. It was rare when there would be more then 2 or 3 groups out there on a weekend. Almost no one would ever fish it during the week. Then word got out about the huge crappies and pike. I was a zoo during the week. People would end up parking along Cliff on the weekends. The lake got fished out. Over 2 winters it went from great fishing to nothing. Now its tiny crappies and sunnies, with a few smaller pike.

Hence why the smaller metro lakes I now fish never get named. My closests friends dont know the names of the small lakes I'm catching good fish on. People I take to those tiny metro takes are sworn to secrecy. Tiny metro lakes can't handle tons of meat hogs fishing them to death.

Small metro lakes offer amazing fishing. Especially right now.

[Scudly]

Quetico thanks for the history behind the lake. I am sorry to learn it got fished out of crappies and larger pike. The last DNR report I found said it had an abundance of ~3lb pike. However there is a guy that fishes off the dock with a floating bobber and fresh sucker minnows and did not have much luck last summer. I have heard of some catching the occasional larger brown in the spring (likely released brooders)you mention. My neighbor also tells me this used to a be a party lake. Tubers with beer. I guess the reason why flotation devices are not allowed. Living close to the lake it seems like a perfect one to float tube fish, especially when those panfish rebound in a few years. Sounds like you know the history well. Any stories to share about the float tube days?

[JBMasterAngler]

The DNR got back to me and they have not stocked trout since last january when they put in 662 adult brown trout. The goal in '09 was to stock 1500 rainbow trout yearlings. But there were no surplus trout to spare this year. They are also working on funding to aerate the lake in both winter and summer to provide more oxygen to the trout. My guess though is with the proposed state wide cut in trout stocking that's been announced, this lake won't be seeing any trout anytime soon

[Quetico]

Man I was like 5 or 6 when the float tube days ended out there. That's really going back. Maybe 20 years?

[Duffman]

Quote:

Man I was like 5 or 6 when the float tube days ended out there. That's really going back. Maybe 20 years?

You're starting to make me feel old Quetico.

One day I counted over two hundred people floating out there, plus 14 canoes. My folks lived on the lake from '86-'06, coming back from college and having a floatilla of bikinis out the back door was a double thumbs up.

I wasn't much into fishing back then, but I'd take out the canoe for daily sight seeing tours. Hubba,hubba

Cars were parked on Cliff, both sides for a half mile in either direction from the lake. That led to both the bannation of floating devises and parking on Cliff.

I'm trying to remember when they first started stocking trout, maybe around '95?? The trout have had trouble living in the lake from day one. That first summer after stocking I observed dozens of dead 4-5lb browns floating around.

Holland is a classic example of too much pressure on the resource.

[icephisher4587]

Quetico-

sounds like you have some knowledge of the south metro lakes. i recently got the metro lakes map book and have been trying them out. i live in apple valley, just off pilot knob.

Where do you suggest starting? I understand/respect your not wanting to send millions of people out to a particular spot. Would you mind emailing me? I would appreciate some direction if possible.

email: [email protected]

Thanks Quetico, I look forward to hearing from you.

[Quetico]

Someone's been out there trying something. I skied out there today. The lake around the dock looked like swiss cheese.

[JBMasterAngler]

When I checked the lake out last wednesday, 2 guys pulled in at the same time and started setting up, so it could've been them. Otherwise there wasn't anyone else out there, and the ice didn't look like it had seen too much activity either.

[RiverDewey]

So are canoes allowed on Holland in the summer or not?

[Duffman]

Canoes are allowed, you have to park in the park's parking lot and carry the canoe down a somewhat long and somewhat steep hill. You'll notice the length and steepness on the way up.

[st.crioxfishin]

haha @ Duffman! I can relate to noticing the length and steepness on the way up!

[bobbymalone]

Why was Holland the cool place to hang out?

I am surprised the ban has lasted for 20 some odd years. I don't think it would be such a problem today.

Not that worried about it though, there are lots of little lakes I can bring the float tube out on that are equal or better. The "trout" in there are really intriguing, but unless people are really good at keeping their mouths shut and spreading disinformation it doesn't sound worth it unless you go shortly after a stocking.

[Duffman]

Why was Holland the cool place to hang out?

Just like some bars become popular for a spell, word gets out that it's the place to be. Holland is small, clear, motorboatless, and sorta tucked out of the wind somewhat. Perfect for being young and having some fun in the sun.

The biggest reason they put a stop to it was the danger to pedestrians and cars parked on the side of Cliff Rd. That's a dangerous curve for that combination.

[borg0196]

Hows it going Duff? A cart for your canoe helps a lot going up and down that hill. There still are some great sized pike in there, but they are hard to catch, some pretty good sized largies as well. I attended a meeting at the lake last aug. about an aerator on Holland, the DNR had acquired two and would have liked to get them out there for this winter, but the Parks had some issues with powering the aerators, and that was the last I have heard. The DNR used to put more than brood stock in there but eventually figured it would be best to put in brood stock until the aerator situation was figured out.

It is one of the cleanest lakes in Dakota County, and it shows when you are out there. There are some potential great fishing lakes in that park, I wish more would be done with them. I know that the DNR would like to get in there and make some improvements, but the County lacks any real idea of what would be needed.