Opening Weekend Stories - Fun

[Rick]

Let's hear your opening weekend story here.

Let's keep it to fun(ny) stories and fishing reports.

[kingkidfisher4431]

60 walleyes total that many lost, biggest 23'' average15-20'' on lake "x"

[Juice]

I caught 2 suckers!!! At Ottertail

[Skeets]

What a great opener!

I met my two fishing buddies at 5AM.

We fished two different lakes with great success!

13 walleyes 13"-25" range... Kept six
8 Northern Pike 23-25" range..Kept four
20 Largemouth Bass 13-16" All released

We ended the day by taking our 6 & 8 year old sons out for a little crappie fishing.
We found 9 keepers with many more released.

Just another great day on the lake!!

[Chad711]

Skunked! The wind was terrible, I felt like I was seasick. Huge waves for 6 hours, didnt get out till 9am. Was the wind everywhere in the state today? Woulda been great if not for the wind...

[Chad711]

To avoid sounding like a whiney litle #)$(# I'll add I will still take that over work ANY day

[Matt Breuer]

Woodman and I hit the water today at 11:30 and we were off the lake at 2:30 with our limits. It was a late start today due to fishing last night until 4, but it didn't matter, we still popped 'em! 12 between 13-17", two throw backs over 20" and one too small to keep. Great day on the lake!

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Matthew J. Breuer
Northcountry Guide Service
[email protected]
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Custom Jigs and Spins
Phelps Tackle
Today's Tackle
Stone Legacy
Ice Leaders

[1Yogi]

Was up at 4:00 or a little after. Got out on Tonka shortly after 5:00 with Baswacker. We had an excelent time. Bob caught a couple Bass, one 3 1/2 pounder, Released them both, and a Rockbass. I finally didn't get skunked, caught a keeper Northern. He took a chomp on my index finger and didn't want to let go. I blead for dang near an hour out of a dinky little finger stick. It's been awhile since one did that to me. All in All it was a Great day.

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Commom sense isn't

[Guest]

I had to work, **** Capitalists! Next week though!

[IceHawk]

It was a excellent opener for me. My partner and I hit the water at 5.00 AM and by 6.30 AM we had our limits of eyes rangeing from 14-17 1/2 inches. We caught all of our fish on jigs and minnows, all I can say is What a morning!!!

[united jigsticker]

This wasn't fun or funny yesterday, but seems pretty enthusing in hind sight.

I looked up some lakes to try, but of course, I was searching for Crappies..

First one was Long lake near Isanti. 12 feet deep, and LOADED with crappies. So I go there, because it looks promising, right until I get 10 yards from the access in the boat. I look down, and its all curled pond weed grown up to about 3 inches below the surface.

Oh...no problem I think, I'll go deeper and fish the edge of these weeds, gotta be Crappies there, right??

Nope, went to 12 feet, and it was the same thing. Everywhere...Curled pond weed. Just wrap up weeds in the motor and get stuck.

Finding Crappies amidst all these weeds would be like finding a...you know what I mean.

So I left and went to one of my other hot spots for the day, or, maybe not.

Get out there and there is 12 boats out there, trolling, fishing Crappies etc...

The water is LOW....and the water color is like if you put two scoops of mud in a pop bottle, filled it up with chocolate milk, and shook it up. Mud water....I caught one tiny northern. I left.

So I went to another lake to seek another hot spot.

New lake is 19 feet deep max, and supposed to have Walleyes and nice crappies....

So I get to the access. Nobody else there, but it's ok.

I look at the water. It looks more like split pea soup....not just a green tint....I mean, split pea soup.

OK...par for the day so far.

I back the boat into the water, and the water is barely up to the bottom of the bearing hubs on the trailer, about 10" deep.

Oh my! I managed to launch without breaking my transducer off the back of the boat, and procede onto the lake.

30 yards out from the access and it is still only 10 inches deep and I am churning muck with my prop....fun!

OK. Get out, and fish spots in the green water.

I see fish in 10 feet but no bites. 15 feet, no bites. I try shallow, no bites.

The problem is...anywhere I went, as soon as I got within 50 yards of shore, it's 10 inches deep.....BLAH!!!

Finally, I found one area where it stayed about 7 feet deep until it got closer to shore.

I fished 2 feet of water, and caught one sunfish.

AH HA!!! I know now there are Crappies in the vicinity I say to myself....

So I cast around, and the a-just-a-bubble goes down.

And in comes a 12" CRAPPIE!!!!! YAY!!!!!!

I cast back out, and get an 8" crappie...and a 7" crappie, and a 6" crappie, and a little Bass, and a 5" crappie. Then I get a 10" crappie....then a 13" Crappie...then a bunch more 7-8" crappies....then another 13" crappie....all out of about 1 foot of water.

Then, it got colder then heck and the wind started blowing like a son of a sailor right into the spot.

Not another bite. I shivered...and decided...I'll go home...

Get over to the access and there are HUGE rollers going right into the access...and it's 10 inches deep for 30 yards.

Wave comes in and the boat goes up, then comes down with the wave and bottoms out.

Now I am thinking....I am by myself...How the (not nice words) am I going to load this son of a sailor up??????

I had to half drive it to the trailer and then get it up enough with the motor to winch it the rest of the way before the wind blew it crooked into shore.

Somehow I managed to not ruin my transducer or ding up my prop. I don't know how....But in the process I did fill the back of the boat with water as the boat was at a 45 on the end of the trailer.

So I went home.

Get home and I unhooked the boat like I usually do...but did it one foot too soon...somehow. (I left my brain at the lake, maybe???)

So the boat rolls forward, through my license plate and holder on the back of the truck.

I had to block the wheels, pull forward, rehook, back it all the way in

Nice...Par for the day I suppose....fished 3 lakes, with sub par water color, that were barely navigable on all 3.

Seemed to be a trend.....

But I did get some slab Crappies at least on a lake that I thought I'd never get a bite.

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 05-16-2004).]

[2dalake]

That's a painful story. Sort of puts the "worst day fishing" adage to the test.

I got shut out on walleyes. What a disappontment, after the early ice out and anticipation. I slept until about eight because I had one of the kids with me, and he was up sick the night before. I waited for the wife to get there and watch him and then hit the water.

It was really crowded on the lake and some guys I know told me they got some nice fish right away but then as the crowds showed up they shut off.

The wind made it tough to control the boat and fish, but my other boy and I did manage more northerns and bass than I bothered to count. There are a lot of nice bass on the deep weedlines already. We didn't keep anything, biggest northern was 24" and biggest bass was 18". My boy is looking forward to the bass opener.

I didn't have any mishaps, except smacking the dock a little harder than I wanted once in that *&%$#@ wind.

There's alot of green gunk in the water right now, it looks like tree pollen maybe? Our lake doesn't usually look like that until mid July.

[Fisher Dave]

I made it out with blacksportsman and his fiance for a few hours and snuck away to a little lake for an afternoon slimer(northern) bite.. we couldnt get any fish worth bragging about, but we managed to put roughly 30 in the boat(stopped counting at 25).

Fun day on the water when you can get consistant action.

NOTE TO SELF .. DO NOT FORGET NEEDLE NOSE WHEN FISHING SLIMERS!!

[Death from Above]

I had to build a deck with my brother Sat and Sun, we just built his house on a golf course(found 14 balls, almost hit by two!). I was able to sneak away in the evening for a few hours of fishing both days....Man the fishing was fast and furious!!! I caught around 75 walleye both days for a about 150 total, most fish were 12-18"s, but did manage a 27"er, 25"er, and a couple of fish in the low 20's. Besides walleye, I caught several other species as well. Maybe tomorrow I'll get out for some serious fishing! Working on the weekend....What a drag!

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If you see me....It's to late!

[Cyberfish]

Gem fishing took a bunch of youth out on the St Louis River. Fishin was slow for some of our boats, but our boat got all the walleyes we needed and some, one of the kids got a big bass, and right before we left another kid got a bird! One of the white ones that look like a mini gull. If you were fishing up there you know what I mean, they were everywhere diving for baitfish!

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simul iustus et peccator

><}}}}("< ---><!>

[Tour. Pro 175]

Fished Mille Lacs caught 23 walleyes in 11 hours. Not great, but we had a great time! Our fish ranged from 16"-27" Today we fished 4 hours and had 11 walleyes 18"- 26" These fish are some real fighters. This year looks promising up here.

[shortfatguy]

left thursday afternoon to go to echo lake. almost all the way there and the tire on the boat trailer blows out. no spare and no place around to get another tire. we borrowed a tire from a resort but it was bigger than the one we had so the trailer leaned to one side. we must have looked like a couple of idiots. anyway we got to the campsite and set up the tent and went to bed. next day went to find some wood and got stuck in a clear cut. we had to walk over a mile to the campground and ask some one to come and pull us out. went fishing fri and caught one small mouth and some hammerhandle northerns. friday night was very cold. the eggs in our cooler froze. went out saturday and caught one nice walleye and some more northerns. had a nice fish fry saturday night. sunday went out and caught one walleye and some northerns and a largemouth bass. the wind blew constantly while we were at the lake and the water was to cold for the crappies to be in shallow and also had the walleyes with a case of lock jaw. but we were camping and that was awesome. it would take alot to make me not enjoy sitting around the campfire eating fresh walleye!!

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a bad day at the lake is better than a good day at work

[woodman]

Matt- It was fun showing you my hot spot for opener. Great to be in your nice new boat. I think I have my place already marked for the summer. Hopefully we can do this again this comming weekend.

Great time!

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Keep the lines wet!

Woodman

Today's Tackle
Air Plugs

[Dennis Steele]

It was a slow opener for eyes on the MN RIver,but I still had a great time.We didn't have to fight any traffic and there were no crowds to be seen.I think I only saw 4 boats out each time I fished this weekend.The fish were biting...just not the eyes.We caught cats,and plenty of nice white bass,and very few eyes while pitching jigs to fast water and current edges.Tried jigging for eyes in the holes but there were no fish to be had.Most of the fish were caught on JR's Tackle rattle jigs with Catch-n Tackle Ring-n Grubs.
Here a pic of a nice 27.5" eye I picked up early saturday moring.

[This message has been edited by Dennis Steele (edited 05-16-2004).]

[Mykal]

I caught plenty of 'eyes but for some reason they were either 10-12" or 21" and over. Must have been the big Shiners I was pulling. Plus a nice Pike and Cat. All went back. Icehawk sorry I missed you. I have a feeling you were in your spots from last year. I found some real sows out in 19-23 feet and the little guys up shallower.
Anyone else have a major fog bank in the early am? Great time as always.

[Slim Pickens]

I couldn't have been bore o a cluts this weekend. Couldn't get the anchor to hold in sat. wind so I threw out a marker and trolled until my hook caught the buoy, fixed that problem until a few passes later the prop caught the string. I thought "who does this s**t?" so I went on tho other things,like getting to close to a rock reef with the wind blowing at my back. 1 perch many mishaps, time on the lake= priceless... GOOD LUCK!

[little buddy]

hi there. wrecked the trolling motor when it flopped in trying to get off cass. had a fabulous fish fry. never tasted better. 3 eyes 3 pike and 1 jumbo perch made my day. today 1 eye on a smaller lake, much more relaxed. wish i could fish all week. good luck all

[LocalGuide]

I also caught 60+ eyes. Right in the eater size too, 15"-17". Didnt catch a one over 20" and one under 12" which isnt that much of a problem when your catching that kind of numbers.

kingkidfisher4431, we must be on the same lakes. Lake "x"

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[Guest]

My Saturday opener was on Lake Tetonka in Southern Mn.
6:30am to 9am we spent looking for walleyes shallow... No go! So... then went to deep water in the main water basin. We drifted there.
Great numbers of fish were in the 26 to 30 foot range where we found the magic depth to be 27' for the best sizes. None of the fish were big.... getting good sized keepers were tough taking.

My clients were Robert and Dorine Smith from New Richland, Mn. They took home a limit of good eaters each and had the pleasure of releasing at least that many more.

It was a live bait bite with fish coming off minnows the best, however the eyes would take crawlers too... they were slower on the leeches.

The Smiths left about 4pm and I stayed out to 8pm on the same bite.
This time I double-anchored. It was a much faster bite. I waved over a coulpe of boats, one of which anchored and the other used their trolling motor to work the fish. The anchored boat and the moving boat did not do very well. I saw this as they werer keeping their baits "moving", both in the boat moving and the constant jigging of rods. All my fish came by dragging right on the bottom or hovering within an inch off the bottom.... moving the bait VERY slow!

I caught about 60+ fish on Tetonka... none were over two lbs.

Sunday, I spent with Jon Navratil on the Mississippi. We fished about four hours and took many fine walleye, bass, and catfish. What a nice day to be on the river!

Jon fished firetiger "cranks" and a Pumpkinseed/Chartreuse Tail Catch-N Tackle Ring-N Worm... all day. Both were effective!

I fished Ring-N Tubes (pumpkin/chart and black shad) mostly tipped with Bio-Bait Pro-Strength LEECH.

The cats were eating the Bio-Bait and would hit it on a plain jig. I love catch'n cats!!! I had several nice smallmouth on the tubes. The action was thrilling and we had the fish going all day from the first cast!

It was a bonus to catch some huge rock-bass on Ring-N Grubs... great fighters for the size!

I learned much fishin with Jon, who is an excellent river guide. Jon Navratil will be my featured guest on the Fish-N Line Radio show for the May 27th show.
Catch'n
Dave Hoggard

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Fishermen are catch-n on
Catch'n Tackle
For Bass, Walleye, Pike, Lakers, Trout, Panfish
Used by FishingMN Family

[This message has been edited by Catch'n (edited 05-17-2004).]

[CRAPPIEBAIT]

20" was the big fish 16" small for 3 guy's,just enough to bring home for the family fish fry.One heck of a "chop" this weekend out west.Got the sea legs back FAST !!!