minnesota trip

[bruk72]

hey, im part of a group that goes to canada walleye fishing every summer. this is our last year, and we are looking for places to go in minnesota. we will bring our own boats, but we mainly like fishing for walleye. can anyone give me some suggestions on some good lakes, with perhaps cabins available for lodging? thanks in advance!

[jimlovestrout]

Lake of the woods is a great bet, but one over 19.5 for walleyes and a slot on northerns 30-40in C&R only also up in that part of the state is upper red lake It was closed for walleyes the last ten years butt will be open 2006 but only two walleyes red also has big big crappies and northerns too (northerns 30-40in also C&R) hope this helps you jim

ps were are you coming from

[bruk72]

coming from illinois, near quad cities. the only one walleye over 19.5 at lake of the woods wouldnt bother us, cuz we have been fishing on a non-trophy fish lake in canada. ill just be happy about being able to bring home more that 4 eyes from a fishing trip.

[pikerliker]

There is also Mille lacs which can be an awesome fishery for walleyes if you hit it right. I was there a week ago with a pro fisherman Perry Good and we caught 5 walleye's between 21 and 24 inches, 4 walleye's 18 & 1/2 to 19&1/2 and had a real big one break my sons line right under the boat! We also caught a few smaller ones. There is a slot on the lake. You can keep anything up to 20 inches and 1 over 28. Everything between 20 and 28 inches has to be returned to the water. There are also huge 40+inch pike and 50+inch musky in this lake if your into that.

~piker

[kevfish]

The next best thing to canada would be south dakota on or around Waubay. It will be worth the extra drive

[eyepatrol]

Personally speaking, if I were not going to Canada, I'd be hitting northern Minnesota before I'd head to South Dakota. Better scenery, much more wildlife, cooler more comfortable temps in the summer, and so on. In my opinion, you'd have some very nice waters (pristine waters) to fish in central and northern MN. First off would be Rainy Lake on the MN side...this lake is such a great fishery, it would be nearly the same as fishing in Canada. Other lakes that offer great fishing opportunity, wildlife, and hiking/biking trail among many other outdoor opportunities would be lakes such as Kabetogama, Namakan, Vermillion, Winnibigoshish, Leach, and Mille Lacs, just to name a few. Nearly all of these lakes are first class walleye fisheries with great opportunities for pike, bass, crappie, muskie and jumbo perch. Not only are these excellent fishing lakes, but there are many, many other lakes within minutes of these lakes which you could access too, almost all of which offer the same fish species oppotunities. You will also find excellent lodging/resorts, camping, tenting, or whatever your preference is. Plus, there are some nice communities on or within minutes of these lakes that offer some great restaurants and other shopping opportunities if that's your thing.

Better throw in Lake of the Woods and Cass Lake too, these are both great fishing lakes. Lake of the Woods offers some excellent muskie oppotunities with 50"+ fish being taken, if you know where to find them. I for one don't, but I've been there when guys have caught 48" - 52.5" 'skis. My younger brother caught a 43"er while fishing for walleye on a crawler harness and 8lb test line...that was fun...a shame we didn't have a camera along though!

Just my $.02 worth.

[kevfish]

yep, I forgot about those minnesota lakes you mentioned- I would definately go to any one of them before going to the Waubay area

[echotrail]

I will second Basscatcher's opinion regarding Kabetogama and Namakin. Also add Sandpoint and Crane Lakes as all four are a chain. Plenty of resorts and lots of island camping. They are in the Voyageur National Park, but there are no entry fees. The scenary is worth the trip alone. Vermillion is an excellant fishing lake also however Vermillion resorts tend to be more upscale and priced higher. You can get plenty of info for these areas on web sites.

[Dave B]

Stay home, no fish left in MN.

[FOOT]

bruk72, depending upon how long you are coming up to fish, don't be afraid to check out some of the smaller lakes as well.

I've fished Winnie for over 30 years and have had a great time everytime I've gone. However, I've also explored some of the smaller lakes around Cass, Winnie, Mille Lacs, etc. and have found excellent walleye fishing. Most of the smaller lakes aren't constricted by a slot limit and don't have much traffic on them even on the weekends.

Don't get me wrong, I impose my own slot size on my boat, anything from 18" thru 30" goes back.

It might take some time finding a good small lake but they are there. One that has produced extremely well for us is by Cass. It's a shallow bowl with hardly any main lake structure. From year to year this lake has produced over 100 walleye on a daily basis. With 2 or 3 people in the boat it is an absolute ball to catch and release that many walleye.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Another spot you may want to try is any lake around the Alexandria area. Not as famous as a Lake of the Woods, but highly productive for eyes. In this area you have your small, your medium, and your big lakes. Take your pick.

[bigbucks]

If you go to Lake of the Woods or any SD lake you can't bring home more than 4 walleyes from there either. I believe Waubay is actually only 2. From what I've been told by people I know I can believe, the fishing on many SD lakes is better than many of the MN lakes. Many of the Lakes in the Alex area are very good, but I wouldn't say they compare to LOW or a lot of other more well known lakes, they really see a lot of pressure. I've caught plenty of walleyes on them & they can be fantastic at times, but it's still not the same.

[Kab Dreamin]

Kabetogama, Namakan, Sandpoint and Crane are God's country. I've been going up there for 34 years and never tire of it. In fact, we leave on 7/30 for our annual family trip. There are resorts, campgrounds, campsites on the islands and houseboat operators. A little something for everybody. Since it is national park, there are few cabins left on the islands and it truly is wilderness. The scenery is fantastic and the fishing is typically great. I grew up about 70 miles west of the Quad Cities and every summer my folks would load us into the Buick and we would drive 13 hours (not as many four lane highways back then) to Kabetogama. I might be biased, but I have been to LOW, Mille Lacs, Rainy and a variety of other lakes around Brainerd and Bemidji, but we always make the trip to Kabetogama and when we get there wonder why we ever go anywhere else.

[Hookmaster]

Kab Dreamin,

My family is doing the houseboat trip on those 4 lakes in mid-August. I have never been on those lakes and would really like to pick your brain on what works up there. If you're willing, please email me: jbranson at beckman dot com. Thanks! Anybody else is welcome to provide info too?

[Jason Boser]

I would look at the winnibigosh are also. we have winnie ,sand, bowstring, jessi alot of good walleye lakes in a 1/2 hour drive from any one area.also good northern, perch and panfish in alot of these lakes

Jason

[james_walleye]

I would 2nd Winnie, i think its about 2nd too now right now.