How long left?

[ZapBranigan]

So here it is last weekend in October coming up. How long do we have till we cannot launch the boat anymore? Then for those of us who do not hunt it becomes working weekends from there on in until Ice up. And while we're at it how does "Indian Summer" work? In the past it was always defined to me as the warm up after the first really hard frost. This usually comes right in time for the World Series down here in the cities area. But we haven't really had the first hard frost. But the weather guys have already coined the phrase "Indian Summer". Fishing has been only fair like it hasn't really happened yet. What do you guys think?

[Dennis Steele]

I'll fish open water and walk on hard water all in the same weekend.

Just head to some flowing water. The Miss. and Minnesota rivers can be very hot when the lakes are freezing up.

Some of the very best walleye fishing is in mid December, and I have even fished open water in the middle of January.

I know some guys even fish the Miss in Feb.

Never put the boat away!

[CrappieJohn]

Dennis is right about the open water and winter fishing. As long as the temps stay at or above 25 degrees a guy can fish from a boat at RedWing and, Alma all the way thru December and well into January in warm winters. Alma will freeze up during January and February most years, but the warm water generated at Prairie Island above Red Wing will allow for fishing year round except for a couple brief spells during the dead of winter.

Anytime you are in a boat in open water during the middle of the winter, you are indeed amoung the hardiest of the hardy anglers. The fishing in it's own right is demanding, but the rewards by far and away exceed anything to be found on the ice in my opinion. You can hit the water with a small box of "jerk type" blade baits (sonars), a bag of assorted jigheads, and another bag of plastic and simply tear those walldogs and saughogs up. Being from Cottage grove you are too close to the action to not try this! The first Saturday of the Mn deer searson has typically signaled the beginning of this "season" at the river for me. I'll be hunting the early season just so I can have more time on the water when things really get to smoking.

[Dave B]

Pool 2 stays open for at least 1/2 the winter too. Fishing is great year round.

In high water you need to dodge trees, in the winter it is ice flows!

[Animal]

It depends on the year, but last year we were fishing Vermillion during the first two weekends of deer season. Water temps were still in the high 40's. We had great sucess jigging walleyes and added a couple of muskys trolling. The fishing was so good I never did do any hunting. By week three the landing at Frazier Bay was iced up.

The Duluth area lakes are on fire right now. We have been catching lots of walleyes and crappies. Our company bass fisherman tells me he is doing well on bass and big northerns on the smaller lakes around the area.

The temps are heading to below freezing each night so I would guess that, for the Duluth area, the end will come around Nov.10th give or take a couple of days which is about normal.