where can I fish bass before the 28th

[mww24]

Hi. I was wondering if there are any rivers or anything that are open all year on bass? I don't know if I can quite make the wait till memorial day. I'm jonesin for some boat fishing.

[Ray Esboldt]

The Mississippi from the "top" of Pool 2 on down (as in to Louisiana) is open year round for bass. Pool 2 is catch and release only year round on bass. The rest of the river down from pool 2 is open season year round. The river might be a tough one this spring as the water will be high and quite possibly very fast (dangerous fast).

Wisconsin's bass season opens with their walleye/pike opener. That is May 7th this year.

And, lakes north and east of HWY 53 in Minnesota open at the same time as the walleye/pike opener.

[LOTWSvirgin]

Iowa

[mww24]

Ya I figure the river will be scary by then. even if its not fast. the debris I'm sure will be nasty. Why would the more northern lakes open sooner than the southern lakes? I wish we could fish them year round. I only CPR so I'd be all for it. Looks like a may have to go after some of them darn walleyes .

[bassfshin24]

Yeah the river I think will be pretty crazy this spring. I started fishing pool 2 last year around the middle of April. I think I might have to wait until May to get the boat out there. I'm actually heading back to South Dakota in 2 or 3 weeks to do some open water fishing. There is usually one lake that opens up way before the rest of them. CAN'T WAIT!

[Jig Master]

Pool 7, Lake Onalaska just north of LaCrosse

[delmuts]

"Yeah the river I think will be pretty crazy this spring."

Ya! Be warned, since they are predicting very high river levels here in Iowa!The "normal level" at Harpers in about 8 ft. The corps is saying it could get as high as 30 ft the 11 of April. I guess with all the snow melting from the north, and they are starting to close dams in the southern states trying to control the flooding there, it is starting to back up!

[Wayne Ek]

Both the Dakotas

[Raider4ever]

Why don't we have it year-round? Because we have idiots that would fish them year round and keep them year round. Yes, most bass fisherman are strict CPR, but there are enough knuckleheads out there that would fish them on their beds and keep them. So, we have a closed season to protect us from ourselves (once in a while, it's a good thing). As for the NE MN early bass season, we get it because we live in God's Country My W.A.G. is that because that area has the vast majority of fishing resorts, the state legislature, along with the DNR, just threw them a bone. I think it may change as bass fishing increases in popularity up there. Before, very few fished bass up there, so who cared. Also, all the vast majority of resorts up there either despised or still despise SMB (don't make me go into my falsetto, whiny "They eat nothing but Walleye eggs all year round!" Walleye-guy voice). So I'm sure there was a bunch of mitching and boaning to eradicate "these scourges from the face of the earth".

[bassfshin24]

+1

[shiltsy]

I'm a strict CPR angler for bass and don't have an issue with the closed season. That said, is the theory that bass are simply more vulnerable in northern states with a shorter season? Just curious because there are also "idiots" in other states that have year round seasons and they have some of the best bass fishing in the country.

[Jig Master]

We don't have a year round season because the MN DNR is ignorant and close-minded.

[Larson15]

+1

[Superduty]

Too many of our hunting and fishing regulations are based on tradition instead of sound science. Then you have to account for the politicians...

[Burchoid]

We don't have a year round season because the MN DNR is ignorant and close-minded.

This.

[KickNBass]

A catch and release pre-season would be nice, maybe just on a few lakes to test at first. Wisconsin has a few lakes they open to fishing early or year round...

[mww24]

My thoughts exactly on the dnr. I would almost bet money that you will be able to find bedding fish opening weekend. I have no problem with the closed season. I just was wondering why they did it. Oh well. Looks like I'll just be the crazy guy sitting in the boat in his driveway. Or like I said, go after some of them walleye things. good luck this season.

[Jig Master]

And you can fish for northerns beginning on the 14th. If you have an incidental catch of a largemouth or smallmouth bass, simply throw him back in the lake!

[BassNut33]

It makes no sense to me why the bass opens later. It is not an issue of destroying beds, or not. Research has shown that Bass populations are not affected by the bed fishing when the fish are released in a timely manner. It is almost worse that they open the season when they do and allow people to keep fish. I bet that many of this fish caught and kept opening weekend are taken off of beds. Now that beds does not even have a chance. If they opened the bass season with the Wally's and Pike, but kept Bass as catch and release for several weeks. This would make much more sense to me. Bass is not a priority in this state, all the DNR's efforts involve Bass and Muskie programs. Bass are an afterthought, there are very few Bass stocking programs if any at all. We have great Bass fishing the it is, imagine if the DNR gave a hoot and did something.

Someone else can now take their postion on the soap box

[mww24]

I think you about summed it up bassnut. I know on opener I'll probably find bedding bass. I'll always return them as close to the bed as possible.

[BassNut33]

It makes no sense to me why the bass opens later. It is not an issue of destroying beds, or not. Research has shown that Bass populations are not affected by the bed fishing when the fish are released in a timely manner. It is almost worse that they open the season when they do and allow people to keep fish. I bet that many of this fish caught and kept opening weekend are taken off of beds. Now that beds does not even have a chance. If they opened the bass season with the Wally's and Pike, but kept Bass as catch and release for several weeks. This would make much more sense to me. Bass is not a priority in this state, all the DNR's efforts involve Bass and Muskie programs. Bass are an afterthought, there are very few Bass stocking programs if any at all. We have great Bass fishing the it is, imagine if the DNR gave a hoot and did something.

Someone else can now take their postion on the soap box

`I meant to say Walleye and Muskie

[KickNBass]

What we need to do is gather up some support here and try to get the rules cahnged, at least temporarily. Maybe a few experimental regulations/lakes to start.

I'm willing organize an effort but to get things changed we need tons of support. We would need to come up with a few well laid out plans, some back up evidence (like an article I found from a University of Florida study) and again, a ton of support...

[BassNut33]

I beleive there a quit a few studies out there, I like your idea!

[SluggoMaster]

same here, great idea, but an up hill battle.