Sloughs

[20lbSloughShark]

A few weeks ago I was bass fishing on a slough on a family farm. It gets to just over 10' deep maybe 15' at its deepest. Its called Skoglund and it is in Alexandria and a large creek connects it to a lake far north of it called mill lake (almost a mile away). Just across a road is the other connection, lake Mary. We have duck hunted here for years, and is known for carp in the creek, and bass in a clearing near a bridge on the farm (kind of like a mini slough) and bass are also in the "Mouth" where creek meets the slough. I was fishing the mouth and due to the past 2 years rain the water level is almost 5 feet higher than normal. I casted over a spot I had stood on dry land last year and ended up snagging a small 8" pike. As far as I know I am the only person to ever catch a northern in the slough in the 50 years it has been fished by our family. This not only suggests that pike are there to feed on the spawning bass, but they spawn themselves. I know years ago I could walk across most sections of the slough. How shallow is too shallow? I am heading there this weekend, and am considering targeting pike. With literally zero fishing pressure and a ton of food, and now deep enough to swim around; I don't see why there are not pike in here (at least not a lot). It is the perfect pike habitat, food, shelter, weeds galore, and a nice drop off (3'-10' fairly quickly). I know of a lake around here, Granite, that is such a perfect bass habitat, they must eat the baby northern's, I have spent many hours on this lake and never caught a northern; but I did end up with a 6.5 lb large mouth. Is this a Slough for the Slough Shark or just a hatchery?

P.S. With the moving water, how safe would ice fishing be. I know there is always open water at one end where it is funneled under the road going to lake Mary.

Google Maps Lake Mary Alexandria, MN to get a visual picture. Skoglund is to the west of mid lake Mary (it looks like a whale)

[20lbSloughShark]

I went out there Sunday, but the rowboat was missing oars. So I pulled it by the weeds to the mouth. I destroyed the large mouth bass, plenty over 5 pounds, but no northern's. I expect the northern's to be further out though, around the drop off, where I know suckers and perch hang out.

[popriveter]

Occasionally, I ice fish a slough that is only about 2.5 feet deep in the winter. I only go out when it has been consistently very, very cold, because the ice gets about 6 inches thick in the dead of winter. That leaves a water column of 2 feet. It is full of pike. One of the strangest places I know to catch pike, but they are there! If you have ten feet, you absolutely have enough water and in a slough, you have perfect spawning habitat. It would seem to me you need to try post-spawn. It's possible most pike spawn in this slough and leave.

[Gordie]

Thats basically how the infamous Wright countys Pelican Lake started as a duck hunting slough now it a first class fishery that is going to be turned back into a slough for duck hunting.

Good luck fishin

[20lbSloughShark]

So if I find big fish, I caught them in lake mary.

[Gordie]

[Acemac]

I fish a lake like this way up north. and in some of these places I think the fish are able to swim under what looks like the ground but is acually floating bog.

good chance at some point the northerns will be the only thing left in the lake.

[20lbSloughShark]

I was just duck hunting here, and I found a dead northern. It was about 18" long and definitely starved to death. I also heard a story of someone who spends a lot of time there. He had been fishing, and had a small fish on when a pretty big pike stole it. He estimated 5-7 pounds. It eventually cut his 6 pound line. All fish I have caught there have happened in a 20' wide bay in a creek. If I could get into the slough itself, I think there is treasure to be found.