Lake Rebecca Muskie

[Michaeltulkki]

I'm pretty new to the muskie game, hoping to land some out of Lake Rebecca (Rockford, MN). I know Rebecca's got a fairly decent muskie population. I have seen muskies caught off the fishing dock there also. I do both boat and dock fishing there. Anyone have any tips or advice? Much Appreciated

[Mike Wallace]

Brood stock lake.

If you choose to fish it, please have your release gear in order and get fish off and swimming away as soon and safely as possible.

[Sorgy]

Please take a quick read on the Utah tiger muskie program.

http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile3/56538749-219/muskie-tiger-utah-ponds.html.csp

The muskies in Lake Rebecca are open to fishing- However they are the primary brood stock fish for the entire state of MN.

Several facts about Rebecca

1) the lake warms the fastest of all the brood stock lakes.

2) Almost every fish in Rebecca has a pit tag and several years of valuable data attatched to each fish.

3) If Rebecca were to crash as a brood stock lake- There would be shortages for shure in the yearly stocking quotas- Other brood stock lakes are more expensive to work.

4) the fingerlings that are raised out of Rebecca stock have several weeks longer to grow before being stocked in the fall. This leads directly to better survial of the fingerlings.

May I suggest other quality lakes in the area? Indenpendance by Rockford is a solid muskie lake.

Good Luck

Steve

[Jameson]

Great tips and advice on how to catch muskies guys. Muskies handle catch and release just fine, even better than most fish. Unfortunately the one time I fished the lake I didn't get a muskie so I don't have any helpful advice, either.

[Sorgy]

My best advice is to join ANY muskie fishing group- Get involved and meet other anglers who have the same goals to catch / fish muskies.

Muskies Inc has many many great chapters of like minded anglers- Many have leagues and outhings. The monthy meetings are a great way to start building a network of muskie fishing friends.

In the Twin Cities area there are two chapters. The T.C. chapter meets in Bloomington and the North Metro meets in Coon Rapids.

The North Metro Chapter will resume its leage in August. The chapter gives points to league participants for fishing with different partners. The give bonus points for fishing with New Members.

Fising out of a boat with other experienced anglers is the best way to learn.

Hiring a guide is always sn option. Do your research on your guides though.

Otherwise get on a weedline and start casting. Baits, Reels, Rods and everything else is covered by the internet police already.

Good Luck

Steve

[RK]

Muskies handle catch and release just fine, even better than most fish.

That's, well...not very accurate. Reality is muskies are pretty wimpy when it comes to handling. This is especially true when the water is warm. Ask a biologist or fish physiologist...

That being said, if you're conscientious at all about how you handle them, they will be just fine, unless and until the water temps get into the high 70s/low 80s. Then even water releasing where you never take the fish out of the water at all gets dicey. I won't bore you with the details, but most of the muskie fisherman I know give 'em a break when water temps get that warm.

As far as catching them... Many of the local muskie guys do kind of steer clear of Rebecca, but if you're on the lake, I certainly wouldn't tell you not to fish there...

So, first of all, I'll assume you already have the tackle you need. If you don't, keep it simple when you go shopping. Get a few basic lures, and don't go overboard. Spinnerbaits work well in Rebecca since it's shallow and there's a lot of weedgrowth, and they're great for being easy to unhook fish since there's usually just a couple single hooks. Lots of good ones on the market, but it's hard to beat Rad Dogs, IMHO. Topwaters are good there too, plus they're just plain fun to catch fish on. I like single hook (one treble) bucktails too, again because they're easy to unhook fish with. If you fish alone, really consider pinching the barbs down on your hooks a little too. Will make releasing fish a lot easier/safer.

You do also need some release tools. They're 'have them or don't fish' requirements, for your safety as well as the fish. Muskie lures have big, nasty hooks, and if you get hooked to a fish, it's a bad freaking deal. Believe me. At a minimum, you need long nose pliers (I like 11" needle nose) and some kind of hook cutter. Most hardcore guys use Knipex, and they are hands down the best, but if you're just getting into it, a pair of Sears mini bolt cutters will do the job. They just don't last as long as a Knipex. Do a little homework on how to handle the things too. Lots of info on it available online if you look a little.

Actually catching the things, it really is pretty straight-forward. Muskies are predators, and they go where the food is. If you can catch bass in a lake like Rebecca, you can catch muskies there too. Look for weed edges, inside turns and points, transitions from one weed type to another, etc. The more edges you can combine in one area, the better usually. The main obstacle with muskies isn't the concepts or the mechanics, it's the math. There just aren't a lot of muskies in any given lake, and you have to keep at it and put your time in.

[tolle141]

It's a nice little lake when the traffic is too much on the others. That said, it does warm up really fast which can be hard on fish especially this time of the year. Milfoil and scum is pretty awful too. That said, I do stop by and cast off the dock for a couple hours every week from work. My bolt cutters are ready though.