Tonka

[Woody B]

This is my first post yet I have been checking site for the last couple of years. Let me start out by saying thank you all for the information you have passed on. This is my chance to give back.

I have fished tonka hardcore for the last few years and have only touched the surface of that great resource. During this time Ive learned many lessons some very painful ones (big fish hooked but lost), yet this lake has been very consistant over the years. In my opinion, between Fathers day weekend and a week after the 4th of july is primetime on this lake for big fish. The big girls seem to be out on the prowl, there spawned out, hungry, structure is established (milfoil) and the water temp is warming. I'm starting to see bigger fish follow in now and it's looking good for another successful season.

Milfoil on the lake is down right now but it's doesn't seem to be effecting the fishing. I tend to favor the deeper weedlines or deeper weed flats right now they seem to be holding the most fish.

Remember, the thing about tonka is if your "spot" isn't producing there is hundreds of others that may. Keep moving. My bread and butter spot hasn't even produced a follow this year. Yet this is the best year we have ever had so far.

See ya on the water....

[buzzsaw]

Now thats a good first post! Well done sir.

[Random guy]

Welcome to Hot Spot Outdoors/Fishing Minnesota Woody and thanks for the Tonka info. That is one lake that will spin your head when it comes to structure. I really should spend more time on that water.

[MuskieKen]

This lake drives me crazy. One day you can have a multiple fish day and then for the next week and a half you won't see a thing. Especially around late July/early August. The best game plan IMHO is to hit the water around 4 A.M. and fish till around 11 a.m. My best hours have always been between 8:00-10:30 in the morning. I always get off the lake around 11 a.m. or else it's open season on my little 14' duck boat, even for the sailboats .

[markkstanley]

Jon anytime you want to be schooled come on over I prefer the sunset bite myself. THis year has been difficult thus far. I see them but I don't get hooked up. Not sure what is going on. Lazy follows and seeing muskies just cruisin. Maybe I have to just start throwing something red.

[Corey Bechtold]

Or anything that looks like a Bass.

Good fishing,

Corey Bechtold

[tylerflom89]

Hey, I finally got a few musky rods, filled my first hanging tackle box up, and everything's ready to roll, but I still need a place to start! I was wondering if I could get some general pointers on the lake, from techniques to lures to locations... especially the locations!!! Lol, I'm not asking for GPS coordinates, just some bays or channels that are constant producers? I'm the kind of guy that if I go out there, catch one ski' or a few northerns, I'll come back every other day for the rest of the summer, but if I get skunked, I'll get out maybe a couple more times, so I'd appreciate any advice that would make my first big esox (I love big northern too, caught a few 40's and upper 30's, but nothing past the 42 mark yet!) hunt on Tonka a successful one!!!

If you guys can spare the time, hit me up at [email protected] All info is appreciated!!!!!!!

[TBone1]

Mark, Tonka has been chewing me up this year also, I have had a few follows but nothing has been hot. Tyler, Tonka is easy to fish, it's the catching thats been tough on me. Generally to start, what you need to do is fish the buoys, I try and stay out around 15'-20' of water and cast up shallow with spinnerbaits etc.. Points and fingers off of reefs are spots to concentrate on. Good Luck.

[tylerflom89]

The bouys, would those be the red/green channel marker bouys, or the white/black rock marking ones? Kind of a dumb question, but just want to make sure.

[TBone1]

The black and white are the most common and they mark reefs points or just shallow areas the red and green are channel markers. Fishing the channels can be an interesting experience with the careless boat traffic and is something I try to avoid this time of year.

[jda53]

My advice find 2-3 different structure areas for example: sand/rock flats and weed flats adjacent to deep h2o, or just breaks-in general if you see 1 or 2 fish on the flats fish them and every structure you know just like them, or if you fish a break and see a fish or two, fish breaks that day. In my "milk run" I fish 2 completely different areas/structures and go from there. Different days/conditions and both spots depending on the day have put fish in the boat. But in general if I see fish in one "type" of spot I do not catch or have follows on the other type of spot. I saw my trophy on Thur am, she is waiting patiently till our date tomorrow 9:30ish. Agree with previous poster a.m. bite is not always at sunrise-worth your effort to stick it out till at least 10am most days if you can handle the rec traffic. Good luck lots of H2o out there and +50" muskies