Top 5 Smallmouth Fisheries

[Guest]

If you want wade fishing in rivers, our little trickles in East-Central MN are fun. The Moosehorn River, Willow River, Kettle River, and Grindstone River are just a few of my favorites.

[DARK30]

I WOULD LOVE TO EXPLORE THOSE EAST CENTRAL STREAMS! I HEAR THE KETTLE HAS SOME FANCY WALLEYE ACTION TOO.

I WENT TO THE APPLE RIVER TUBING ALONG TIME AGO. I THREW IN A WHITE MISTER TWISTER AND IT GOT SMACKED RIGHT AWAY BUT PEOPLE KINDA FROWNED ON THAT.

WHAT ABOUT THE CANNON RIVER AROUND CANNON FALLS? USED TO BE GOOD SMALLIE WATER...MUST STILL BE! THERES SOME NICE ONES IN THE ZUMBRO ALSO.

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Guest]

Dark30, I'm curious about the smallie you caught on the Blue Earth River. Where you up by the Rapidan Dam or down closer to Mankato. Back in the 80's or early 90's the DNR had done some smallie stocking in the Blue Earth River. Were you in a boat on wading? I have also recently heard that the DNR is in discussions on the elimination of the Rapidan Dam. They could have a awesome effect on smallie fishing in the future.

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Fish On!
Big Lew

[DARK30]

BIG_LEW

I PULLED THAT SMALLIE OUT JUST SOUTH OF 169 ON #33 GOING TOWARDS RAPIDAN. THERES A TREE FARM BY THE RIVER AND A NEW HIGHWAY BRIDGE JUST AFTER THE CURVE IN THE ROAD....NICE AREA!

I DID HEAR ALSO THAT SMALLMOUTH HAD BEEN STOCKED IN THE PAST BUT I HAVE FISHED PLENTY DOWN THERE AND THATS THE ONLY ONE I'VE SEEN.

RAPIDAN DAM IS IN REAL BAD SHAPE! I WAS DOWN BELOW IT LAST FALL IN MY LITTLE INFLATABLE ROW BOAT AND I GOT A CLOSE LOOK.....IF THEY DON'T TAKE IT DOWN, ITS GONNA FALL DOWN!

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Guest]

The Cannon River is a good one for smallmouths and almost any other fish you can think of. Last year, a guide told the DNR he saw a sturgeon in there, so they shocked the water to see if there were any. They didn't find any sturgeon, but they found a lot of muskies. It's loaded with smallies, trout, and tons of other species.

[Havin' Fun]

Guess I don't chase them a lot, but here are mine....

1. Mississippi (St. Cloud area.) If you live here, you should get out and fish the river!!!!!!
2. Lida
3. Big Cormorant
4. Big Lake( north of Ely)

I would love to here where I need to chase smallies on Mille Lacs.. D man any suggestions?

[fishfearme]

1 Mississippi river
2 Rum river
3 Mille Lacs
4 Deer
5 Rainy

[Kidd]

This is a test to try and link a picture of a pig small mouth my brother caught. Hope it works.
P.S.
It was released just after the picture was taken and by all accounts, it lived.

[This message has been edited by Kidd (edited 03-12-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Kidd (edited 03-12-2002).]

[rascalP]

D-man, been to Mille Lacs a half dozen times for smallies with some success but have yet to really bang em. What's the best water temp for topwater action, and are these ma les on the beds?
For what it's worth, I used to go up to Sylvania Wilderness Area in the U.P. for great smallie action. A lake called High had turquoise blue water and lot's of downed timber-- and big smallies. Beautiful campsites.

[Guest]

Here's a picture of a 22-incher that I caught last August up on Lake of the Woods. It weighed about 6lbs 3oz. I'm heading back up to Lake of the Woods this summer to try and tag another one.

Good Fishing, Matt.

[LaVoi]

nice lookin bronzeback Matt!!

[EBass]

Were do I start?

#1 Mississippi River. (even in the metro, better north and south though)
#2 St. Croix river above Taylor Falls
#3 Minnetonka (main lake, browns bay, wayzata bay)
#4 Rum river (heavy fishing pressure)
#5 I guess I need a boat to explore some more SM fisheries

[mpete54]

I'm telling you guys, you are missing out on the St. Louis River! They catch some nice smallies out of there!

[Mille Lacs Guy]

I would have to say the Mississippi River North of North of Clearwater to Brainerd is the best in the state. Mille Lacs and LOTW also in that mix. One I would disagree with is Minnetonka. I fish it a lot for smallies since I live in the Metro and it doesn't even compare with the Mississippi or Mille Lacs. I can catch 50 or more smallies a day on the Mississippi with a couple of them usually being over 20". And and 30 over 16 inches.

I'd like to know what to try on Minnetonka to catch 10 smallies in a day with good consistant weather.

[ludy]

Jim

Vermillion
Basswood
Upper Iowa-bet you know that one
St Louis-could be a sleeper never fished it guys I have worked with excellent reports

Cedar-my all time fav not far from you Osage to Cedar Falls canoe with lots of wadeable sections try by bridges south and west of Osage

[GullGuide]

Well,
I only based my Minnetonka rating on two days worth of fishing, but those two days were VERY GOOD.
Our top producer was working shad raps on the outside edges of breaks, humps and of course milfoil. I could not believe the quality size of the fish caught and those we saw. It is definetly worth fishing. Of course nothing compares with the rivers mentioned as well as Mille Lacs, Green and Deer (Can't speak for Vermilion since I have not fished it...YET), but do not discout Minnetonka for size and quality.

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>"////=<
Gull Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/gullguide
Brainerd-Mille Lacs-Willmar
Bemidji-Ottertail

[JAR JAR]

mpete54 is right. ST.Louis river is great!
released over 20 fish 19+inches last season

[slotfish]

1. Rainy Lake
2. Rainy Lake
3. Rainy Lake
4. Rainy Lake
5. Rainy Lake

[Guest]

Thanks for all the replies. These all sound like good lakes. I am going to have to try some this summer. I booked a trip at Lake of the Woods near Souix Narrows from July 6-13. Hopefully I can tag another pig smally. Keep the responses coming.
Good Fishing, Matt Johnson

[Guest]

DARK30-

Saw your post on Orwell, love that area, I'm in Fargo so its a bit of a drive, but I usually get down there a couple times a month during the summer. Had great luck a couple of times. If you see someone down there this summer with a big red softside tackle box and either a Cubs hat or Red Sox hat, come on and say HI. I'd love some pointers, I seem to be hit or miss down there. Did pull a 6+ lbr out last summer and a couple at 5 lbs. I used to just wade in with shorts on but I caught a 30" dogfish, man are they ugly, seen a few very large snapping turtles, and have seen some big one-just-like-silly-me fish brush against me, its probably stupid but I'm just uncomfortable with bare legs in there now. By the way, have you fished for cats down there before, I've never tried for them but have seen some nice fish in the water.

[DARK30]

HEY ON2STIX! WHERE YA BEEN BUDDY!?

I WAS GONNA BE UP THERE THIS WEEK LOOKING FOR CRAPPIES, BUT DECIDED TO STAY HOME. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE WARM WEATHER SEASON BELOW THE DAM THIS YEAR...WE NEED TO HOOK UP...MAYBE TEAM UP IN THAT OTHER SPOT I TOLD YOU ABOUT....I'LL MAIL YA WHEN I HEAD THAT WAY.

YA, THERES PLENTY OF CHANNEL CATS IN THERE TOO... I USUALLY NAIL A FEW ON THE RAPALA BUT THOSE SMALLIES TAKE THE CAKE!

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Guest]

I know I'm a little slow but here's my two cents. 1 Where ever I am going to be fishing next. 2 Lake of the Woods 3. Mille Lacs 4. BWCA 5. Rum River

My rating of Lake of the woods is based upon one day in paticular. 5 years ago a friend and I went fishing out of the Northwest angle for walleyes in early July. We had been fishing since 6am and had not even gotten a bite. So we decided to cruise over to Canada and try our luck. After checking in with the mounties and fishing for an hour or two with one walleye between us we decided to try somthing different. We cruised into Monument Bay about noon. I started throwing a big bucktail spinnerbait looking for pike and muskies and my friend used a 3 inch white plastic grub trying for smallies and walleyes. He caught a couple of good 16-17in smallies in a matter of 15 minutes so I decided to switch and do the same thing. Then we caught the pattern, the only time we caught anything is when the jig almost hit shore or in my case bounced off of a rock on shore. Every two ta three casts after that we would see huge female smallmouths engulf our little jigs in 6in to 2ft of water from every boulder or rocky flat we threw to. These fish were monsters. We then started throwing mirror finish top water chuggers and the water just expoloded over the next 4 - 5 hours. These fish were huge most ran from 18 to 24in <-- yes one 24 inch absolute Pig (my partner caught). We caught (& released) somwhere between 60-80 fish during that span with at least 10 of them over 20 inches. the only reason we left is because this huge electrical storm rolled up on the lake in a matter of minutes. If that had not happened I just might have not stopped fishing ever. I have never caught the quantity and quality of fish that I did that day and probably never will again. I will always remember those fish and how we had never even planned on fishing that way on that day. We did not bring one fish home during that weekend trip. What once was one of my worst days fishing quickly became my best. I guess that is why I go out, for the hope of what could happen and the reality that it somtimes does.

May everybody on the forum have a day like that this year.
Jim

[fleeced]

Pound for pound the toughest freshwater fish in North America.

1.)Mississippi River (North of the cities)
2.)Rainy
3.)Crooked
4.)Lac La Croix
5.)Basswood

I would love to give Mille Lacs a shot, but I can't pull myself away from the eyes on the big puddle.

[Guest]

Can't wait till season gets going, Red is starting to open up here, so that should keep me busy for a while. My job in the summer is pretty leniant so let me know when you're heading that way and I might have to join ya.

[AaronM]

My favorite is lake of the woods by the northwest angle. Its beautiful and there is no better fishing anywhere.

frenzy