Minnesota Vs. Wisconsin Bassin

[Jig Master]

Have fished three bass tournaments in Wisconsin this year and have a general observation from them. When it comes to bass fishing in general Minnesota is a much better state. I know this is comparing apples to oranges, but all the bodies of water I have fished in Minnesota have much more bass in them, and a larger average size of bass too. I think this could have something to do with the way the catch and release ethic has caught on in this state vs. Wisconsin. Either that or the lakes in Minnesota are just that much better.

[luv2senko]

Which Wisconsin lakes have you been fishing? Most lakes near the border get pounded pretty hard in the spring by Minnesota clubs, so it can be difficult to find quality fish. After the spring craze is over and Minnesota opens their season, the numbers seem to get better.

I'm not sure if the amount of C&R is affecting the fishery. I know the practice is growing pretty fast over here and hopefully it becomes more mainstream.

Another explanation could be the earlier season. Most years, this doesn't seem to matter because by the bass were still spawning in most of MN when they opened their season. If MN opened earlier, than that would eliviate some of the pressure on the pre-spawn and spawn fish over in WI since the first 3 weeks in WI gets double the pressure because local and out of state anglers are hitting the lakes.

It does seem odd that fish size and number of bass would vary from one side of a river to the other, but there are a lot of factors that could go into this and maybe you're onto something as to how WI manages its bass populations.

Hopefully other people have some good thoughts on this.

[Yaeger Guide]

Based on my history of fishing both states over the past ten years or so, I would not agree. It all depends on certain lakes, but WI and MN are pretty comparable in terms of bass quantity and quality. NW WI has some pretty hot bass lakes that easily compare with MN metro lakes. I am basing this on both largemouth and smallmouth lakes.

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God bless,
Judd Yaeger
Yaeger Guides
(Twin Cities Guides)
www.yaegerweb.com/guide

[MN Slick]

I have a cabin on Balsam Lake in NW Wisconsin which hosts a lot of bass touraments and according to the sign is the "Best bass lake in Wi". If it is I feel sorry for the rest of the state. 25 years ago it was great, now I struggle to catch them over 2 lbs. I'm not the greatest angler but I do well on the Metro MPLS lakes. Most of the winning bags I've seen at the weigh ins are a 2 lb average. Brutal.

P.S.- I know for a fact the muskie fishing in MN crushes Wisco.

[andy j]

MN Slick,Muskie fishing better in MN? How do you figure? Muskie are as common in WI as pike in Minnesota. Yaeger, What lakes in NW WI are good bass lakes? Any close to Duluth? thanks AJ

[Jig Master]

Muskie fishing for numbers MAY be better in Wisconsin. As far as quality of fish Minnesota has Wisconsin beat hands down. There is simply no comparison when it comes to the Giant Muskies found in Leech, Cass, Mille Lacs, Minnetonka, Vermilion, and the list goes on and on. Every lake just listed is a better Muskie lake than the best muskie lake in Wisconsin. Although the world record supposedly comes from the Chippewa flowage (there is still much dispute over this between the freshwater fishing hall of fame and the IGFA), when the flowage produced world record class fish it was in the boom stage of reservoir development which it is now long past. If you statistically look at the numbers of fish over 40 pounds coming out of Minnesota versus Wisconsin in the past 15 years there is absolutley NO COMPARISON whatsoever. Minnesota is the better state for true trophy muskies.

[MN Slick]

Andy J, I can only speak from experience but my catch ratio and size skyrocketed and I only fish the metro waters. I flat out will not fish Bone or Deer. I know there are better waters in Wiscsonsin than these but I'll stick to MN.