Courthouse Lake

[MNcz]

So... How does this lake get a steady supply of Brown and Rainbow? It's got no survey record on MNDNR lakefind. is this lake a sort of Cenaiko? as in does it get heavy pressure at the opener so pretty much all these adults they're stocking go fast fast? I went there on about a 75 degree not too humid night recently and stayed till about 10 pm and had almost no hits. just one bluegill at around 10 and it wasn't over 5" even. (was using some real salmon eggs. i know trout though aren't exactly known to bite even on stuff they like. at lake elmo i watched a keeper and a bunch of yearlings follow and eat the stuff coming off my salmon eggs without biting for over an hour early in the day once! used a couple crawlers at both locations too but they weren't getting a bite either)

[tweedlap]

Mn,

They stock them just before opener in May and again in November.

The get hammered hard and few make it past the first few days.

Usually, ice opener can be good to ok but by the second day.....

it is basicly over.

Of course the don't get them all but all of the dummies are in the

frying pan.

It is a basic put and take fishery.

tweed

[reinhard1]

true what tweedlap said. cenaiko winter fishing can be good. but again short lived. the dnr does stock some large rainbows and brook trout at times some rainbows have been cought over 10 lbs in the past. these larger fish were used for egg production by the dnr and are stocked in a variety of trout lakes. grindstone a lake i fish near sandstone has had some stocked for example. if you want good trout action somewhat close to the cities i would suggest grindstone. they have rainbows,browns, and lake trout. a few years ago i helped the dnr put some brook trout through 8in holes through the ice. some had to be given additional help because they were so fat. good luck.

[MNcz]

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=58012300

here's Grindstone's latest survey. This 2002 survey in my Sportsman's Connection fishing guide shows WAY more lakers but no browns caught. This year has a few browns in there too. But the lake trout #'s are way down. Maybe too many people heard about this lake now Yeah it's not far from the city at all, right off 35. And 153' max + tons and tons of structure.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=82010600

Here's the latest survey for Lake Elmo, another one of the few places in the Twin Cities you can go to catch trout (deepest lake in Twin Cities at 147' max).

Wish I had some clue of what people are doing to catch those stream trout. About 13 days left to legally catch one. Went to Trimbelle Recreation Area in Wisconsin today and I didn't spot a single trout. I kept my eyes peeled too. Real nice fishable stream, almost as nice as Root River through Forestville Mystery Cave State Park in Fillmore Co. MN. Only trout I even spotted this year was a brook trout in Black Hammer Township, Houston Co. MN in mid June at like 6 am.

[reinhard1]

i have fished grindstone for over 40 years. and the lake trout are doing just fine. browns are the hardest of all to catch. they still stock them every year and a lot are cought along with the rainbows soon after opening. the previous state record came from there and another and more are in there. i have cought over the years a few 5 pounders and my brother and his friend has each cought an 8 pounder each. there is increased ice fishing activity but this lake is not fished heavily at all. additional stocking of rainbows take place in the fall along with the spring stockings. this is my favorite lake because of the trophy potential that the smelt forage feeds. the boat landing during summer is not large boat freindly and limits fishing pressure and it is not a walley lake so that further discourages other anglers. the lake is getting better in my opinion. just have to know it and accept the challenge it provides. good luck.

[MNcz]

sounds nice! maybe i can get out on the ice. good to hear lakers are fine.

[reinhard1]

i will be on the grind a lot once ice trout opens. i will be on the grindstone thread also more at that time. if you need help with that lake let me know. it's not just trout we go after at that time. for example over 80ft. i put my vexilar down the hole and nearly all the time strong signals pop up 25 to 30 ft off the bottom. they are smelt for the most part and some smelt go 11 in. mixed in with them are the predators. pike, browns, crappie, and lake trout. rainbows are right under the first 10ft of the ice. well there's more but this is just some of what you can expect. doesn't mean you get em everytime, conditions prevail on the results just like every lake. i also have the gps locations of all three cribs in the lake. so give the lake a try, and give me a post on the grindstone thread if you need info. good luck.

[batts002]

On the topic of Grindstone, I always drive over the Grindstone River going through Hinckley. Do any of these trout from the lake ever make it down to the river?

[reinhard1]

grindstone lake years ago had a pipe on the south end of the lake that was put there by the dnr too feed cold water into the river leaving the lake, making 3 miles of that river a designated trout stream and was stocked with trout. property owners over the years complained of trespassing and it was stoped. the pipe is no longer there so i would doubt there are any trout in the grindstone river itself at this time. good luck.

[JBMasterAngler]

I've seen some nice smallies taken out of the grindstone at the crossing just east of the casino. If there are any trout in the river, there are very few, it's probably far upstream from hinckley.

[lispeej]

I heard from a friend that ice openner was a hit.!! They limited out by 10am.

[Grum]

I was thinking about trying my luck on Courthouse this up coming week, has anyone been out there lately? Any suggestions on the best time of day to try? Thanks.