Where is a good place to start

[Irv]

We're coming up to Minnesota for the summer and need some advice on where to fish for Walleye, Crappie and Bluegill. I'd like to try near the Twin Cities where we will be living and then go up north. I'd sure appreciate any and all info you guys are willing to share.

I'll be bringing our boat - any of these up there . . .

He's coming too.

[walleyeseeker]

I've some of picture three up here!

[caseymcq]

 Originally Posted By: Irv

I have seen a few of these up here from time to time.

 Originally Posted By: Irv

I have seen a lot of these up here.

[Sandmannd]

Check out the metro and east central forums. That's a good place to start. Lots of good places to fish around the metro or close to it. Where abouts are you staying? That would help getting you a few areas to fish.

[stinkweed129]

For your "Up North" portion - you should check out the Grand Rapids area. There are tons of lakes all within a short distance. There are also a lot of great resorts to stay at as well.

[TrophyEyes]

Irv, I will trade you some information. I am heading down to Bonita Springs in a week to go fishing. When are you coming to MN? I you want some good Crappie action I would hit up Minnetonka in the spring. If you are looking for Walleyes or Muskie fishing, Minnetonka is also not a bad spot to start. If you want walleye fishing you obviously have to head up to Mille Lacs. You can also get some monster small mouth bass and Muskies as well. I would also suggest that you check out the Brainerd lakes area as well, Gull Lake has been producing the last few years. The other forums have more targeted information, but at least you have a little information to start looking. If you have more details on how you like to fish or when you will be here I can give you a bit more information.

[tunrevir]

Irv, where in the metro will you be living? This will give us a better idea and direction to point you in as far as your target species. I will be in Estero starting Weds for 10 days and have fished alot of the inland waterways, some of the fishing piers and some of the areas out in the gulf. I am looking foreward to getting into some fish down there. Any info on the sugar trout ie sea trout? We have targeted pompano and spanish mackerel and snook, as well as sheepshead, snapper, redfish and drum. Haven't had much luck for cobia. Did get a couple triple tails last time down as well.

Trophy eyes, there are some decent areas to fish not far from the Bonita City dock look to the passes and where the channel gets deeper for a variety of fish. We fished 1/4 to 3/8th hair jigs in chartruese with a small piece of shrimp, cast out and let it sink and then work it slowly just above the bottom back to the boat. You will catch a variety of fish like this. The key is to get to the pass areas as the tide is going out or coming in as the fish feed more heavialy at these times. Don't overlook some of the tips of the mangrove islands as they can concentrate fish as well. There are some decent charters out of Bonita city dock and they can put you on fish. Let them know your target species in advance to see what they typically target. The pompano and spanish mackerel are very good eating. I can't think of the name of the charter I fished but we left from the city dock. Half day for 4-6 people is pretty reasonable and can teach you alot about the areas to fish. Simple slider rigs with a hook, 16-20" steel or heavy mono leader 25-30lb with an egg sinker in the 3/8-1/2 oz range is real effective for snapper, snook redfish, drum and sheeps head. Cast it out, let it sit and watch for the line to twitch and set the hook. I typically fish with a seven foot medium action rod and spinning reel and use 12-20 lb mono for this setup. The steel leads I use I make myself with berkley leader material. Thread the leader material through the hook eye twist 8 times and heat the nylon coating and it will seal to itself, do the same with the other end but ad a barrel swivel, thread your sinker on your mono and attach the leader. We use fiddler crabs, sand fleas and whole live shrimp on this setup and catch all kinds of different fish. You can also work topwaters along the mangroves for snook and redfish with the occassional sea trout thrown in, plastic swimbaits can be effective as well but get tore up pretty quick so I tend to toss the bucktail jigs instead. I don't know how much you've fished down there so I thought I'd give you some basic rigs that have put fish in the boat for me. There are alot of fishing piers and they can be productive but do get crowded and in those areas, I'd fish the slip sinker rig versus casting the jigs and cranks. Just a side note, I see they have the gulp alive in shrimp and sand crab now and that might be worth a try, I haven't tried it but plan to on Thursday when I go out. Hope this helps. Oh, yeah, check the local paper as they have fishing reports for the various areas and the baitshops can give you some decent info as well.

Tunrevir~

[fishguyd]

I've got a ton of areas that would be up you alley and fishing that feels up north, can handle your boat, and closer to the twin cities than a 3 to 4 hour commute. let me know, good luck

[LanceJ]

What's up with the VW bug in the garage?

[Nick Kuhn]

Depends which part of the metro you live in. The Mississippi is a walleye factory, there's lots of fish and they have some great size to them, but many parts are catch and release only (who'd want to eat those fish anyway?). If you live in the eastern suburbs the St. Croix is a good bet, lots of beautiful water, good walleye fishery, with an opportunity to catch just about everything the north offers. Hitting up the backwaters where some streams/rivers run in will also give you a good shot at the pannies, as well as the rare but often large pike (at least for the Croix). On the west side of town Minnetonka is the water to hit. Offers good fishing in a variety of species, but bluegill tend to run small (especially compared to those you see in the south). Don't be surprised if you're the smallest boat on the lake with that though...

And yes the side of town makes a difference, the Twin Cities metropolitan area is huge, according to wikipedia it covers more square miles than the states of Delaware, Rhode Island, or Connecticut. Driving across town means your in for a bit of a drive.