Please help plan my trip

[PDXFisher]

I feel the need to apologize to putting you nice people through this every other year, but I'm really torn. I will be heading y'all's way for the opener. I will be around for at least two weeks, though I'm pushing work for a month. I have a few options on where to stay and I'm having a hard time deciding between them. I only have a rudimentary understanding of the Muskie options in some of these places. Some places I could show up earlier for, since opener in WI and IA is late May, then hit the MN opener the next week. I would only do this if I was convinced the fishing in those places was as good as MN would be.

Watertown, MN: Metro area lakes. I worry about the traffic on these lakes and would rather be the third boat on the water instead of the 300th (I'm a late fisher rather than an early riser, rather get up at 10:00 and fish until 1AM than get up at 4AM). But if they have more catchable fish early season than other places, I can just stay at home base.

Sherburn, MN: Spirit Lake and W. Okoboji, Fox Lake. Could start my season in Iowa, but I don't know anything about these lakes other than Spirit isn't as good as it used to be. I wish I knew how it compared to say, Independence.

Shell Lake, WI: Cabin on Shell Lake and only 30 miles or so from Hayward and therefore the Chip, Namekagon and a ton of other lakes I will have to figure out and plan. Suggestions?

Northome, MN: Upper Red, Winnie. I've never been these lakes or fished that area so I know nothing about it. Suspect it would be better later in the season. Bemidji isn't all that far from here, I guess.

Verndale, MN: Alexander, Shamineau. I guess if we want to drive more the Alexnadria area lakes are also an option (Miltona, Lobster) as well as Park Rapids (Mantrap). My only trips to Sham and Alex were in the middle of an awful heat wave and we saw nothing. Wouldn't mind giving them another shot.

Bemidji, MN: Bemidji, Plant, Big, Little Wolf, Cass, Pike Bay, Elk. I loved this area last August. I can't stay free here, but am willing to pay the hotel if any of these lakes are typically good opening week.

I'm mostly torn between Bemidji area and Verndale area right now, mostly because I don't know anything about Wisconsin. How would the Hayward area be different than what I'm used to in Minnesota? I'm equally interested in numbers or size. I'm sure I'll end up fishing a bunch of metro because I always end up doing so, anyway.

Thanks guys!

Derek

[DHanson]

I would go to the Bemidgi area. The "Verndale" area you speak of gets a lot of pressure. Shamineau is a small lake and you will be sick of fishing it after one day and there will be plenty of other boats out there. Alexander is a little bigger but the fish are generally small. With the lack of forage in Alexander, the fish are noticeably skinny and this lake receives a ton of pressure as well. I would not hesitate going further north.

[Will]

i fish wi. early season ( big siss, lac courte, chip flo and a few others ) the fishing can be a little tough sometimes, but these are "big" fish lakes. tons of lakes to choose from in the area. some of these lakes are like being in canada.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: Will

i fish wi. early season ( big siss, lac courte, chip flo and a few others ) the fishing can be a little tough sometimes, but these are "big" fish lakes. tons of lakes to choose from in the area. some of these lakes are like being in canada.

Tell me about it. I just looked at Wisconsin's list of Class A1/2 Musky lakes in just Sawyer county that have a ramp...29 of 'em. And I thought Bemidji had lots of options... I'd probably start on the small ones just to see what that's like. Is it your opinion that they're tougher than Bemidji area lakes? I've never fished Muskies in Canada. I've fished plenty in MSP metro and Central MN and it's all I really know.

[Esox_Magnum]

Spirit is down, but West and East should be good again this year. I have yet to fish Fox, its hard to leave the IGL's to find fish. Theres big fish in both Spirit and West just seems tough to get Spirits fish to go. I'll be out daylight May 21 on East for Iowas opener.

[Will]

i don't know for sure. i have not fished the bemidji area for muskie's in 30 years.

[dakotakid31]

I would say Bemidji. Plus its not that far to leech.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: dakotakid31

I would say Bemidji. Plus its not that far to leech.

I've heard Leech doesn't turn on until July. Has that not been your experience? Or do you just cast into the abyss and hope for the best?

[Nick Kuhn]

Sawyer county has quite a few Muskie fisheries (not nearly as many as Onieda or Vilas county though), and they are separated quite nicely into trophy lakes and action lakes, nice mix of both. Shell Lake isn't all that close though, but then again you could actually fish Shell, it's an A1 fishery, but I don't hear of many fish coming from it. There's also Rice Lake to the south (the DNR sampled some 40+ lb fish out of there recently, surprising for an A2 fishery), the McKenzie's to the north, Yellow to the west. Plenty of options, but you need to drive a bit to hit those waters each day. Namakagon is still quite a drive from Shell Lake.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: VahnTitrio

Sawyer county has quite a few Muskie fisheries (not nearly as many as Onieda or Vilas county though), and they are separated quite nicely into trophy lakes and action lakes, nice mix of both. Shell Lake isn't all that close though, but then again you could actually fish Shell, it's an A1 fishery, but I don't hear of many fish coming from it. There's also Rice Lake to the south (the DNR sampled some 40+ lb fish out of there recently, surprising for an A2 fishery), the McKenzie's to the north, Yellow to the west. Plenty of options, but you need to drive a bit to hit those waters each day. Namakagon is still quite a drive from Shell Lake.

You Minnesotans and Wisconsinites are so spoiled! If it's over an hour it's "quite a drive"? I've got no problem driving an hour-plus each way every day for fishing water. We drive three hours for our best fly fishing rivers in Oregon. I could fish a different A1/A2 lake in Sawyer county every day and not be done in a month. I'm too scared to look at those other counties you mentioned. My head spins considering the possibilities. I mean, pick a couple:

Name, type, acres, reproduction (natural/stocked)

Barker Lake, numbers, 238, both

Black (or Birch) Lake, numbers, 129, natural

Burns lake, numbers, 37, natural

Callahan, numbers, 106, natural

Lower Clam Lake, 229, natural

Ghost Lake, numbers, 372, both

Grimh Flowage, numbers 86, both

Grindstone Lake, size, 3111, stocked

Hayward Lake, numbers, 247, both

Lac Court Oreilles, size, 5039, stocked

Chippewa Flowage, size, 15300, both

Lake of the Pines (Pickerel lake), numbers, 273, both

Loretta Lake (U Brunet Flowage), numbers, 12, both

Lost Land Lake, numbers, 1304, both

McClaine Lake, numbers, 49, natural

Moose Lake, numbers, 1670, natural

North Lake, numbers, 129, natural

Placid Lake (Bass Lake), numbers, 160, natural

Radisson Flowage, size, 255, stocked

Round Lake (Big Round), size, 3054, stocked

Sand Lake, numbers, 928, both

Sissabagama Lake, numbers, 719, both

Spider Lake, numbers, 1454, natural

Teal Lake, numbers, 1049, both

Teal River Flowage, numbers, 75, natural

Tiger Cat Flowage (Twin, Lower and Upper Twin), numbers, 247 and 299, natural

Two Boys Lake, numbers, 102, both

Whitefish Lake, size, 786, stocked

Winter Lake (Price Flowage), size, 676, both

Of course, I fear the reality would be I would get on them and not even see a fish. That only locals know which and how to fish and aren't going to tell an out-of-stater

[mrklean]

I would say stick to the Bemidji area, i live down by the Sherburn area and have fished around there on opener its nuts and the fishing isnt as good. Stick to a bigger area at least you will have some more room to fish

[Nick Kuhn]

http://infotrek.er.usgs.gov/traverse/f?p=204:1:0::NO:1:P1_COUNTY_NAME:SAWYER

Odd that they call Winter Lake a size lake and Teal Lake a numbers lake as winter has twice as many fish per acre. Lost Land is probably the best bet at getting a fish. Moose is pretty good too, though I hear more lures end up in stumps than in fish mouths there.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: mrklean

I would say stick to the Bemidji area, i live down by the Sherburn area and have fished around there on opener its nuts and the fishing isnt as good. Stick to a bigger area at least you will have some more room to fish

Hah, I know your game, bub! I'll take that as a vote for Sherburn

Next thing you know I'll have some peeps from Bemidji on here tell me to go to Wisconsin!

[Will]

pretty cynical pdx

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: Will

pretty cynical pdx

Well, I grew up with a father who would tell people he didn't catch anything even when a Chinook tail was poking out of a hefty bag. I was just kidding anyway. I will probably end up starting out in Wisconsin and drive straight to Bemidji from there. Though now I just got word that someone in the GF's family has a cabin near LOTW. Is opener simply too early for LOTW?

[Will]

with how late we are going to have ice this year ......maybe

[PDXFisher]

I just read the regs...didn't realize opener on LOTW is 6/21. I could maybe hit *all* the openers. But then that seems to be a pattern for me, hitting so many lakes without really learning any of them. But then familiarity breeds contempt...I've probably spent more days on Tonka than any place else and I wouldn't mind never going back at all.

[Will]

if it were me, i would concentrate on one main area, then do a ton of research on it. in my experience, it usually takes more than one or two trips to any given lake to properly learn it. i would find an area with many lake choices and stick to it. any of the places that you have mentioned will make for a memorable muskie hunt!.........IMHO.

[mrklean]

I live up by st cloud i dont fish down there anymore, havent in probably 2 years but my dad still does a little. We fished over by jackson on loon lake if you can get through the crowd it can be good. The spirt lakes are good have done well there also but again its very busy, plus its a resort town and people do more flying around on jet skies then fish so its tough to fish at times. Bemidji has better lakes around that area as well, i wasnt trying to get you away from my "spot" or anything

[propster]

I would try Little Wolf in June, near Cass.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: mrklean

Bemidji has better lakes around that area as well, i wasnt trying to get you away from my "spot" or anything

I was just kidding!!

It isn't so much Bemidji or Iowa, it's if I should bother showing up two weeks earlier to fish Iowa's opener, or if it's better to spend all month or so in Minnesota. Because, as I said earlier, I could conceivably hit the Iowa opener, Wisconsin opener and Minnesota opener (and, apparently, the LOTW opener) in the same trip. Or I could just stay in Minnesota if the fishing would be better there. If I do that, I will definitely end up in Bemidji at some point.

[PDXFisher]

 Originally Posted By: propster

I would try Little Wolf in June, near Cass.

That was actually already in my top four

I will definitely hit that.

[eyehead]

With the ridiculous number of big fish in Minnesota. I think I would spend my month fishing the fine waters we have here