Ain't no stinkin' bass

I returned to work this past Monday from a long weekend trip to Mille Lacs/Gull Lake. (The fishing wasn't all that great by the way.)

Upon my return I found this photo sitting on my desk with the title, "Ain't no stinkin' bass".

This picture of John Cross' trip to Lake Michigan salmon fishing is a reminder of the constant ribbing we give each other over my love of bass and John's love of anything but bass. Needless to say, it'd be pretty hard to not love this 20-something pound salmon and the fight it must have given on.

On a side note, isn't that a fine fishing hat John is wearing? Besides the goofy look, it sure would have helped on Mille Lacs and Gull where the sun left an impression on my neck, face and ears.

A fishing report pays off

Got a nice e-mail the other day from AJ Schulz. He and his brother-in-law, Doug Storm, read last week's fishing report and decided to try Ballantyne this past weekend.

AJ reported they got into a few bass, with much of the action coming from the weedlines in the 5 to 10 foot range near the northeast basin.

AJ caught a nice 3 1/2 pound, 18 inch bucketmouth, seen here to the right.

Doug Storm also caught a decent bass (below).

I like receiving these types of e-mails. I say why be afraid to tell someone where you are catching fish? They still have to catch fish themselves, right?

I was fortunate enough to get out this past weekend with fellow staffer Tanner Kent. We both hauled in three apiece at Little Jefferson. Here is my 3-pound, 12 ounce hawg I caught. Not bad considering we fished the day after a tourney wrapped up.

Your weekend fishing report

Sunfish action is the big draw on area lakes right now. Madison Lake continues to kick out sunfish in roughly 8 feet, and bass action remains strong along the shorelines and in weedlines under 10 feet of water.

A few walleyes are hitting crankbaits along the shorelines of Washington in low-light hours. Sunfish action remains excellent on Washington in water less than 8 feet. Small northerns are being taken on Washington as well.

The fishing pier on Little Jefferson is kicking out a consistent sunfish bite on waxworms. Bullhead action is also strong next to the pier, and some crappies are being taken on minnows.

Bass action on Little Jeff remains strong along docks and overgrown shorelines. Concentrate on weedlines in 5 feet.

Northerns are going crazy for buzzbaits on Ballantyne, and the bass action has been strong there as well. Concentrate on the weedlines in 5 to 10 feet of water. An important note here is action was stronger when those weedlines ran near deeper water, such as the deep basin on the northeast side of the lake.

Francis is giving up northerns along the weedlines, but few with good size.

River action is slow. A few anglers are starting to get back out on the river, but fast currents and deep water levels have kept the anglers at bay. Expect the catfish action to pick up in a few weeks.

Some observations from a morning of fishing

There's always a few things to observe on an early-morning trip to the lake.

Pulling up at Buckmaster Bridge at Madison Lake early Thursday morning, I noticed how calm the water was. The wildlife was the only thing giving off sound, which I found to my liking because this meant I owned that little spot by myself.

At 5:30 in the morning, life can seem very peaceful. I snapped off a few photos of this peace before wetting a line. I meant to take some video to capture the stillness, except for a few birds chirping behind me and a few fish popping bugs off the top of the water, but then again, I was wetting a line.

After an hour and a half at Buckmaster, I moved over to the German-Jefferson Lakes fishing pier on Little Jeff. A few guys were fishing there, making jokes about taking their whopper catches to The Free Press for photos.

I suppose I could have walked over and offered to take their pictures with my cell phone, but again, I was wetting a line, and when the opportunities are too far and few between, pulling up a line to take a photo of a few guys fishing is low on the list of to-dos.

I did, however, give up on the fishing for a bit after they left, only because I noticed a man and a woman, both with wonderful fishing hats, settle into the pier for some panfish/bullhead fishing.

They looked very complete, the two of them fishing on the pier, standing side-by-side, talking quietly. I admired their togetherness and thought of how I could stand all day with my wife, Mollie, fishing, talking, loving life. Of course, with our son Tyler, we'd never be able to stand side-by-side and talk, because like all children, he has plenty of energy for all of us.

I asked the two of them if I could snap a couple of photos, and needless to say, Diane Fetzer and Doyle Schneider, both of New Ulm, were happy to oblige me. Diane joked she didn't know she'd have to be in a picture when they left for their weekly outing to Little Jefferson. They did, however, get their revenge when she took a few photos of me fishing.

Turnabout is fair play, right?

The quality of the photos I took of them aren't all that great, but that's mostly because I am learning how to maximize the quality of pictures taken with my Blackberry. I think, however, you'll get the point.

Anyhow, Doyle said they catch quite a few sunnies and bullheads from the pier — Diane's favorite, he assured me — and they've seen some nice crappies come off minnows there.

"There was a fellow out here who just left that caught a big bass," Fetzer said.

Must have been the fish they were joking about taking to The Free Press. Too bad I was wetting a line.

Catfish league

Well, I told you John Cross had something up his sleeve for the Belle Plaine Cat League in Sunday's print edition of The Free Press.

He went out with a couple of the guys from the league and what he came away with was some pretty good stuff. I've never caught anything over about a 5-pound catfish, so seeing a guy hoist a 40-plus pound cat always amazes me.

Check out his audio slideshow for some images from the event.

I have a few days off this week after working the entire Fourth of July weekend. Hopefully I can get out on a few lakes and give an update. Hope your Fourth is safe and happy one.

And please, if you're going to be out on the lake or driving around, don't drink and boat/drive. It just isn't worth it.

At least it was a pike

Not much happening with me on the fishing front.

I wish it weren't true, but it is. That's life I guess. As things start to pile up, and family responsibilities get the best of us, sometimes I guess we have to give up some of the things we love.

In this case, it's unlimited time on the water.

Nonetheless, I made it out to Madison Lake on Monday with my brother-in-law. We spent a good five hours at Madison, although an hour of it was spent enjoying a fine burger and a few cold ones at The Boat Landing before heading back onto the water.

Dave, my brother-in-law, pulled in a northern, a bass and a sheepshead on our outing, and just before the day gave way to night, I pulled in a 3.6 pound pike. Not bad. Could have been better, but not bad.

I'm hearing only scattered reports on the fishing front as well. I've had several people tell me that Lura Lake south of Mapleton is difficult to fish right now because of all the weeds. I know I've fished the south bay twice in the past month, and the weeds seem to be clearing on that end, so I'd recommend concentrating my efforts toward the Lura Lake Sportsmen's Club landing on that south side.

Sunfish action is out of control on some of the area lakes, if that is your thing. Walleye reports aren't coming across at all, so if you're still hooking into the 'eyes, feel free to drop me a line.

On a side note, John Cross spent some time with a few die-hard catfish anglers. He has something planned for this Sunday's print edition, and I believe he'll have an audio slideshow of the event. I'll post a link here when that is available.

Until then, chase some bass, the weather is perfect for it.

The tale of three bass

The bass action on area lakes has been excellent, to say the least. If it hasn't been excellent, then you're probably not fishing for lunkers anyhow.

I've caught my fair share of largemouths already this year, but three of the bass I've caught, from three different lakes, have boggled my mind, slightly.

The first bass, caught the Sunday of opening weekend in the rain while fishing at Buckmaster Bridge, came in at roughly 19 inches, and hoisting it up I thought that it'd catch 3 1/2 pounds on the scale — or 2 pounds, dead on. I was surprised by this, but I surmised it must have been a postspawn bass, fresh out of eggs and finally ready to feed again.

This past Saturday, while fishing the shoreline to the east of the fishing pier at West Jefferson, I pulled in another whopper of a fish. When I hoisted it out of my net, I started thinking that very few fish bass I've caught had the length of this baby (using the pliers in these pictures, I was able to give some scale; the pliers is 6 1/2 inches long). But when I threw this bucketmouth on the scale, it came in just over 3 pounds.

Seriously?

Well, Monday I took to the shores of Lura Lake, and I pulled in the best of them yet, and this one measured shorter but weighed in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce. A good fight, too. Later I caught about a 15 incher that weight just over 2 pounds. Go figure.

Everyone asks me why I'm seeing such a difference in the fish, and honestly, I don't have a good answer to that. The postspawn, empty belly scenario seems most likely, but the two bigger bass on Lura definitely had full bellies, and the 2-pounder looked as though it might still have had eggs in its belly.

Whatever the case, I'm just glad to be able to pull in quality fish from our area lakes.

Bass-opener thoughts

Well, my friends, bass opener is almost upon, which to me means summer is almost truly upon us.

I have a few places mapped out for Saturday's opener, but the place I'm most looking forward to is Lake Ballantyne, mostly because I will be fishing with a friend who has never caught a bass before, but is awfully excited to get after 'em.

He's asked me a lot of questions lately, and a lot of what he's asked, I'd already been thinking about as I rigged my poles for the morning's opener. So I snapped this crude cell phone picture before I hustled out for work (sorry about the so-so quality), and for you, I'll break down my thought process.

Before we start, I think it is important to understand the one factor I am constantly working over in my head: weeds. Many people see weeds matted along a shoreline and instantly drive off looking for more manageable weeds (because weeds, after all, hold fish, right?).

Taking this approach might make your day a little less stressful because you will spend less time picking weeds off your lures, but I think more and bigger fish will be hanging in those weeds, in pockets, waiting to strike the baitfish hiding out in those same weedbeds. The four lures I tied on for my first outing of 2010 all deal with attacking the weeds.

Scum Frog
The Scum Frog, located in the far left of this picture, is an easy choice for me after watching the feeding patterns of bass the last couple of years. The Scum From can be tossed deep into the weeds, especially those that choke out at the surface top. Often a bass will follow the movements of the frog on top the water until it finds a place to explode through the vegetation for its meal (this same approach can be transferred to fishing lily pads as well).

The general rule here is reel up slack, wait two seconds, and then set the hook.

Texas-rig
To the right of the Scum Frog is my Texas-rig setup. I haven't added the worm yet because I like to keep them fresh by leaving them in the packages until I'm ready to use them. But the Texas-rig is a must when attacking weeds. Rigged to be weedless, this little baby can go anywhere with you on the lake and will do just fine pulling in all sizes of bass.

I like to fish with ribbontail worms, but I'm not against fishing with stick worms (no tail) or even crawdads or similar plastic setups. Colors vary, but for my money, I always have something blue (preferably a blue fleck by PowerBait), something red, something in a greenish/orange blend (the crawdad look) and something with a chartreuse tail. These colors have always worked, so I tend to stay in that category.

Spinnerbait
Second from the right, the spinnerbait needs little introduction or explanation. The spinnerbait works in a lot of ways, but casting and ripping through the weeds isn't the ideal use for this lure. But I still use it when attacking the weeds because I use this lure to roam the outer edges. Since the vibration from the spinner can attract fish from long distances, this lure works well to locate fish. Once located, I can figure out which of my four setups will provide me the best chance to land a lunker.

Flat Rap
Rapala's Flat Rap (far right) may be the best lure the longtime company has put out yet. This takes the best from suspended raps, and the best from the Original Floating Minnow and combines them into a deadly little lure.

Why deadly? The Flat Rap can be worked on top as a wounded minnow (sounds like the Original Floating Minnow, huh?), but the Flat Rap can be worked down to different depths to mimic an injured minnow (kinda like a suspended rap such as a Husky Jerk). It's built to rise slowly, so in essence, a 2 to 4 foot running Flat Rap can be worked down to 4 feet deep or so with the same action it had while struggling at the top of the water.

So far, I've had a northern strike at it, caught a few bass, caught a few sunfish, and pulled in a nice crappie. So the lure is versatile if nothing else.

How does that work to the weeds: Well, in this case I use the Flat Rap to work close to choked out weeds, or above lower, sparser weeds. Both scenarios have worked real well, and I anticipate this lure having a Joe Mauer-like career.

Well, I know that was long, but I hope it helps. Good luck, all!

Fishing report

I talked with the folks out at The Bobber Shop. I'm aiming to hit up area bait shops this year and provided better fishing reports.

In some cases, this works, in some cases, I might just have to drive out to the landings of local lakes and talk with some anglers.

Anyhow, the guys at The Bobber Shop also make time for me, so here is what they gave me for you, good fishing friends:

Walleye action, overall, is slow. Small walleyes are being taken in 14-20 feet of water on Madison Lake. Lake Hanska is also giving up some walleyes; river action for 'eyes has been slow.

Crappies are still pretty active on Lake Washington, and channel cats are starting to really take off in the Blue Earth river. No northern pike action is really being reported.

Personally, I worked West Jefferson for pike near the German and Jefferson Sportsman fishing pier, and while the pike action was slow, a lot of bass and some pretty big sunfish hit my Flat Rap (this should be good news for bass fishermen looking forward to Saturday's opener). A quick move over to Lake George drummed up a nice swirl on the Flat Rap, and because the water was so clear, I saw a second strike by a pike.

As always, if you have a fishing report you'd like to share, post a comment or e-mail Tanner or myself, and we'll pass it along.

Knowing is half the battle

As a kid, I watched a lot of G.I. Joe cartoons. Yeah, I was that kid. But at the end of every episode there was a teaching moment; usually something about dealing with bullies or not cheating.

And after the kid had learned his lesson from the Joes, he or she would say, "I never knew that," to which a Joe would reply, "Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

The nonprofit organization Conservation Minnesota has taken that approach to the mercury content in Minnesota's lakes. The organization works on many projects to help the conservation of Minnesota's broad outdoor haven, but for the purpose of this blog, I'd like to concentrate on one of its websites, checkmylake.org.

This website is designed to give Minnesota water enthusiasts a quick, easy breakdown of pollutants and water quality of any lake in Minnesota.

The information that Conservation Minnesota collects comes from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and is broken down and made easier for you and I to understand.

I was troubled when I first visited checkmylake.org, because every lake I visited seemed to have a warning not to eat the fish. This occurred because of a several factors, but Marty Broan of Conservation Minnesota assured me it wasn't to scare people off from eating fish.

"It doesn't mean people can't eat fish," he said. "We recognize eating fish is an important part of people's diet, and that fishing is an important part of Minnesota's legacy."

But still, there are quite a few lakes with fish-consumption advisories on this website.

"For every lake that is tested and unhealthy levels of mercury are found, we provide a link that has lake specific consumption guidelines," Broan said.

Broan says the information obtained by Conservation Minnesota is information that comes from the testing of lakes, which occurs every two years. The website is then updated, which happened within the last month he says. Not all lakes, however, have been tested recently for their contaminant levels, so Broan says it is important people continue to use the DNR website to check consumption guidelines.

Broan also said there was some concern from anglers about the wording of some of the advisories for eating fish on the website, which is why, within the last week or so, the website was updated again to clarify that eating fish is ok, he says, as long as you know the lakes guidelines for fish consumption.

"We want people to make the wise decision based on what the Department of Health says," he said.

For more information on mercury and how it gets into our lakes and rivers, I encourage you to see what the MPCA says on the subject.

I'm taking the side of Conservation Minnesota here, and pushing for knowledge of mercury and its effects on our lakes. And I'm glad that Minnesota has already stepped up and passed legislation to help reduce the amount of mercury in our waterways.

I encourage anyone who is concerned about our lakes and rivers or the fish they consume to use the resources available to them. The DNR puts out lake-specific consumption guidelines on its website, and used with checkmylake.org, guidelines about fishing and swimming become a lot clearer.

After all, as the Joes say, knowing is half the battle.

Madison's the opener champ

After a few quick calls Monday, it became quite clear to me that Madison Lake was the place to fish locally for the opener.

Fishing action in general was strong over the opener weekend on Madison, with plenty of people fishing Church Bay and the narrows.

Action in the shallows produced a few small northerns, plenty of largemouth bass (which aren't in season I might add) and a few small walleyes.

Late-afternoon action picked up in the shallows, but a lot of the walleye action came in deeper water.

River fishing was also strong, according to the folks out at The Bobber Shop. Unfortunately, I only was able to garner most of the action came from the Minnesota River, with no actual spots mentioned.

Action on Washington was slow. Both Washington and Madison Lakes are clear right now, with reports of water clarity reaching 5 to 7 feet on both lakes.

An early crappie tournament on Madison produced good crappie action and some walleye action in Church Bay, and the site of boats swarming the deep hole was evident on Saturday.

As for my action — slow. Skunked at Tetonka, Elysian and Madison for northerns, and only sunfish and bass (on a Rapala Flat Rap) at Lake George. Hopefully Wednesday will be better.

Do we cheer?

As I sit here to type out a few thoughts, the fishing opener is three minutes old. And while there is still a short-night's rest for this angler before I test out the 2010 fishing opener, I'm breathing a little easier.

Winter can be a long time to wait to chase serious game fish in Minnesota. And while the ice allows for us to still fish for walleye and northerns, nothing quite beats the feel of casting a line, watching as your lure takes flight, cuts the air and splooshes into the open water.

Tanner and I will be out early in the morning, and barring an 0-for day, one of us will post an update to you (hopefully with pictures). For any of you that'd like to brag about your opening-weekend action or send in pictures, we'd be more than willing to share it with the other anglers out here who happen by our blog.

It's pretty simple. e-mail Tanner, Doug or photos@mankatofreepress.com, and we'll take care of the rest. Just give us some information to make things complete ... who's in the picture, where you were fishing, what day, that sort of stuff.

Until then, good luck, and may the fishing gods work in your favor.

Countdown to opener: Family-friendly fishing

Few shorefishing spots in southern Minnesota can rival Bray Park, Duck Lake Park and Lake George Park in terms of family-friendliness. All are located in Blue Earth County and all feature amenities that cater to the attention-challenged.

First, and perhaps most importantly, all three lakes — and especially Lake George — boast terrific panfishing. (Bray Park on Madison Lake offers the best chance to tie into something more substantial.)

When I was in college, I strapped the waders on a few times to flip worms around the shorelines on Lake George. And every time, I spent hours doing little more than peeling palm-sized panfish off my hooks. A few crappies, and a few with some size.

For the youngsters, though, nothing is better. If you're taking the kids out for a little angling action on opener, tip a small hook with a waxworm and a bobber and they'll catch fish at all three parks, all day long.

But if the youngsters get tired, bored or run out of bait, there's plenty to do. Lake George Park and Duck Lake Park have playgrounds and more than enough room to burn up some energy. Bray Park has a nature trail and boat rentals (canoes and paddleboats) are available for $5 an hour at Bray and Duck Lake.

And for the truly adventurous, there is always the swimming beach.

Countdown to opener: West Jefferson

The fishing pier provided by the German and Jefferson Lakes Sportsmen Club at West (Little) Jefferson is a local hotspot for shore fisherman.

The panfishing next to the pier, primarily sunfish and crappies, is a big draw and a good place for an outing with the family.

Bass and northern pike can also be found along the entire south shoreline, especially to the east of the pier. To the west of the pier, extending to the opening of the culvert-like walkway that goes under Le Sueur County Road 105, the shoreline fishing is tight, with sharp rocks making standing near the water difficult with the exception of a few entry points. But fishing from the elevated position is still manageable, and the tight shoreline provides excellent casting angles to drop your lure into the 12-foot or so hole in front of the pier.

Now, back to that shoreline extending east of the pier. When the water is high, it'll take some walking along the shoreline to find a good entry point to cast. Now, if you're fishing panfish, none of this matters all that much. 

But this stretch of West Jefferson is excellent for northern, and, in the not-so-distant future, bass fishing. And 30-inch pike or 4-pound bass aren't unheard of in this stretch of the lake. So finding a spot down to the water where you can land a fish is a must.

The shoreline stretches a good ways until you come to private property, so I'd highly recommend working your way down as far as you can. There's a red, thorny bush of some sort far down that east shoreline. Work as close to it as possible and you might pull in a nice northern this weekend. 

Two things of note with this stretch of shoreline fishing: Rocks are plentiful on the lake floor, so expect a snag or two if you don't keep your bait up off the floor; plenty of locals will flock to the pier early in the spring with reports of walleyes being taken out of that deep hole in front of the pier.

Is this true, or is this a good piece of fiction? I'm going with a combination of both. Walleye exist in West Jefferson, no doubt about that. I watched Tanner pull one in while we were fishing plastic worms for bass. 

And I know a local who lives just down the road, and he assures me people are catching an occasional walleye off the pier. But if you're after walleyes Saturday or whenever you are out fishing, this hotspot probably isn't the best spot for you.

Good luck! 

Countdown to opener: Minnesota River near Courtland

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a public access just south of Courtland off of Highway 24, which connects Highway 14 at Courtland with Highway 68.

Fishing directly on the river in this area is a little more difficult, but a series of beaten-down walking paths on the west end of the parking lot will lead you down to the river.

The better fishing, in my opinion, can be found in the back water on the east end of the parking lot. This narrow stretch of water next to the river has easy access points off to your right as you drive into the parking lot, but a hidden path, wedged between the boat landing and the clean opening to the Minnesota River backwater, provides a chance for anglers to sneak back into relative obscurity and work through excellent underwater cover (timber, rocks, weedlines) as well as overhanging trees.

Here's what you need to know about this backwater. Three years or so ago, winterkill took most of the good fish. I stopped out and talked with a local about it, and he said the variety of fish on the shoreline amazed him. We're talking sunnies, crappies, walleyes, northerns, largemouth bass, carp and bullhead.

Before the winterkill, Tanner and I caught quite a few northerns and bass from that little backwater. And since the winterkill, I've caught one northern, but stopped wasting my gas. But with the recent flooding from this past spring, I'd venture to say that the likelihood some of the fishing population has been naturally restocked is pretty good.

And since there wide, relatively flat opening to the backwater, the area is a good place to take a child river fishing without actually fishing next to the dangerous, spring currents. If you do decide to venture through some of the thick trees to get to a more inaccessible fishing points, be prepared to a) check for ticks, b) check for ticks.

One final thing about this backwater: Spring fishing before the winterkill was pretty decent, but as soon as summer took hold and the water levels dropped, carp and bullhead occupied the shallows while the game fish moved into the deeper waters on the south end (which are accessible, but again you'll have to force your way through tight-knit trees to make it to the water).

In the past, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps drummed up a lot of our catches (I can remember being bit off a half dozen times or so by big fish, too), for both northern and bass, but we also had a lot of luck fishing plastics, which oddly enough, brought in a few small northerns. But will the backwater being turned over from that winterkill, all bets are off on what might attract them now.

It's a jaunt from Mankato, but sometimes a trip to a good fishing hole can be worth it. Good luck.

Countdown to opener: East Jefferson and German Lakes

One of my favorite area shore-fishing haunts is Beaver Dam Road, which runs betwixt East Jefferson and German Lakes.

There's an access to East Jefferson with plenty of space to fish, and the shorelines are accessible on both sides of the road. Both lakes feature fine populations of panfish, bass, walleye and northern ... but, unless you visit on a weekday afternoon, you're likely to find a gaggle of folks chasing them from the bank.

A pair of waders, however, can get you into a much different - and I think, more successful - fishing scenario.

On the German side, a little distance from the shore is a large patch of tall reeds. In May and June, I've had a lot of luck catching northern pike by chucking buzzbaits -- I prefer double-bladed models like these for their added stability and buoyancy -- through the middle of the stick-ups for explosive strikes. Waders come in handy because you'll be able to move around to the outside edge where the fish are more likely to hold.

(Always be careful handling northern pike in waders. If I hook up a fish, I usually start slowly backing toward shallower water in order to handle the fish a little easier. If that's not possible, keep the rod tip very high so the fish won't wrap around your legs, and use a gill hold to grip the fish while removing the hook.)

Another good tactic for fishing northern in the stick-ups is to use a jerkbait. There are a variety of sizes and models, but I prefer 3'' to 5'' floating or suspending baits (as opposed to sinking). Throw them near the windblown edges of the stickups, or on edges near deeper water, and give them a wide, sweeping jerk with your rod. Let the bait sit for a few moments (longer in colder water) and repeat.

On the East Jefferson side, a pair of waders will lead you toward a series of progressively deeper shelves that lead to about 12-16 feet of water. Cast your favorite walleye setup -- as a walleye minimalist, I usually use just a simple jig with a leech -- out past the shelf and work slowly back. I landed my biggest shoreline walleye (about 25'') doing just the same.

Be advised, however, that wader-wandering in waters unfamiliar often leads to miserable - and soggy - rides home. Be careful where you step, and be sure to pack a reel that offers a good casting distance.

Feel free to leave a comment on your own shore-fishing haunt - we'd love to hear from you!
Fish on!

Countdown to opener: Madison Lake

Today, John Cross wrote a column and interviewed Minnesota Department of Natural Resource Waterville Fish Hatchery manager Hugh Valiant about the upcoming walleye opener.

John's column and Hugh's Top 10 list of area lakes were good information for people venturing out, presumably, in a boat. But what about those people who either don't own a boat, or have a boat with a motor on the fritz (that last one I threw in to describe me!)?

So as our anticipation rises, Dear Reader, for the 2010 inland water fishing opener, we'll take time in this blog to preview area lakes and rivers with great shore-fishing spots. Feel free to chime in with a comment or two if at anytime you feel there is a great shore-fishing spot we've missed.

Today's lake: Madison Lake
Is there anyone who enjoys fishing that doesn't enjoy stopping out to Buckmaster Bridge of Blue Earth County Road 48 for a morning or afternoon of fishing?

Buckmaster, as stated here numerous times in this blog, is a great spot to fish from shore, especially if fishing with a family. Sidewalks, concrete fishing stations and ample shoreline make this a great destination.

Buckmaster also offers a natural current that runs under the bridge, between the much larger lake and the subsequent bay. Weedlines run along the shoreline on the main lake, providing cover for a large variety of fish, including the ever-so popular walleye and the feisty northern pike.

The one pitfall with Buckmaster is that everyone knows it is a GREAT fishing spot. So traffic, especially on weekends and nights, can be pretty heavy, which means learning to share the shoreline with others (in the coming weeks, Tanner and I will take a closer looks at shore-fishing etiquette, but for now let's concentrate on the lakes).

Farther down the road, just past the entrance to Bray Park, is another lesser-known fishing spot. It can best be explained as the section of 48 that is squeezed by Madison Lake, and a small pond on the opposite side of the road (the DNR website just calls it unnamed lake).

Once the weeds and algae swallow the small bay, shore fishing can be difficult here, but until then, anglers will hook into panfish with an occasional walleye, northern and bass. (But remember, the bass opener isn't until May 29, so throw them back.)

Down right windy

Wow. Windy spring days are expected each year. You could say it's a right of passage most anywhere in the country.

Five years or so ago, I spent my winter into spring studying and researching everything I could about Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. And what I came to find out about the early spring crappies down there was that a guy could catch upwards of 100 of them in just a few hours, if the spring winds quieted long enough for him to get on the lake.

Weather.com pegs the winds today at 3o mph with gusting winds reaching 41 mph. That's the type of wind that becomes dangerous on the lake.

Now, while I'm not crazy enough to head out onto a lake with these types of winds unless I can launch and fish in a wind-protected bay, I've never been one to let the wind, even gusting wind, drive me off of a good shore-fishing spot.

A few years back I caught a 5.5 pound walleye out at Buckmaster Bridge with a stiff wind in my face. I also watched my buddy catch a 3-pounder and another kid catch a 9-pounder. Wind can have huge advantages, especially strong winds that force baitfish along the shoreline.

Fortunately for the fish, I have little desire to try those same techniques on crappies and sunfish. But two weeks from now, well that's a different story.

License renewal approaching

Well, it's that time of year again.

The angling license you bought for the 2009 season will expire on Friday. While it's hard to imagine many anglers will forget abbout the April 30 expiration — this is only the second year since the angling license expiration moved from February to April — stranger things have happened.

I really like the extended season and compliment the decision to move back the expiration date. I'll be the first to admit that panfish rarely drew me in for a license renewal in March under the old guidelines.

But in the past two years I've fished the shores come ice-out religiously, and after Friday, I will purchase a new license for my wife and I.

So don't forget. Buying a license and fishing legally is one of the more noble ways to support your environment. Think of it like the newspaper honor system — you can drop 75 cents into a newspaper box, but once you open that door, you could clean out that newspaper stand.

Like that newspaper stand, a person can easily disappear along a river shoreline or some other remote spot and likely fish without a license. And that same person could likely take fish, within the limit or over the limit, illegally.

So, avoid a fine and any possible interruption in your ability to own a license and fish legally by ponying up and buying a license.

You can renew online or find a list of licensed agents on the DNR's website.

Most invasive species of all? The careless.

This little nugget about two northern Minnesota minnow-farmers breaking the golden rules of invasive-species management got me thinking.

In this case (which was widely reported in the media) a pair of licensed minnow-farmers used equipment from Lake of the Woods - which had possibly been infected by the lake's invasive species, such as the spiny waterflea - to harvest minnows in Upper Red Lake. As punishment, their commercial minnow licenses were revoked for three years.

I say: Take their fishing licenses, too.

I've become entirely fed up with anglers who don't take preservation seriously. Those who don't care enough about the water to preserve it, don't deserve to fish it either.

I'm ashamed when I travel to my favorite shore-fishing haunts only to find the shoreline strewn with empty cans of Natural Ice (funny that it's never something like Sam Adams or Stella Artois), various bait containers and cigarette butts.

I'm a smoker myself. And I use beer and bait regularly, often at the same time but only rarely for the same purpose. However, I have never - now allow me a moment to mount my high horse - NEVER thrown those things on the ground.

Those who do act so carelessly deserve to be treated the same as those who transport invasive species, an issue that has long troubled Minnesota anglers and DNR officials: Take their licenses, confiscate their equipment and tell them not to bother fishing for awhile.

As outdoors folk, we make habit of proclaiming loudly our value of preservation. I say: Prove it.

- For those interested, you can view a list of Minnesota waters that are infested with invasive species here.

For what it's worth ...

The family and I got out for a bit on Friday night. Went to the public boat landing on West Jefferson and I missed a few on a yellow jig and wax worm while I was chasing the boy around. The fellas down the way were catching a few, though.

As a sidenote, we stopped first at Buckmaster Bridge on Madison Lake and there must have been 100 people fishing from shore. Looked like some had been camped out for some time. 

Although it can get a bit crowded, I love fishing at Buckmaster. It's as good as there is when it comes to shore-fishing. Plenty of flat shore space, additional cement walk-outs and, of course, the good fishing structure.

Guess that's why it's no secret.

As far as public fishing docks go, the only other that I fish often is the one on West Jefferson (which features an under-road tunnel connecting the dock to the parking area for the safety-conscious). That, too, is an excellent place to catch fish all year-round and has enough room for plenty of anglers to spread out beyond the dock. I grew up fishing on West Jeff and the rock wall along that shoreline has always been a nice spot for spring crappie, too.

I'm no expert, but I'm guessing water temps this weekend were in the 45-50 degree range - probably a few degrees below spawning temperature for panfish. Fishing should be picking up on most area lakes.

Feel free to chime in with a good place to get 'em.

 — For what it's worth, motorists can pick up this semi-taunting and location-free fishing report on a roadside marquee outside a gas station in Madison Lake: 

"The crappies are biting" ... 

Passing the torch

Tanner and I made it back out to the saw mill on East Jefferson, this time accompanied by our sons, Tyler and Noah.

Tanner wanted Noah to get a feel for his old-but-new Snoopy pole, and Tyler had been bugging me to get back out and catch some fish.

"Ten of them, Daddy," he said on the drive out.

There was a time when Tanner I and could do everything we needed to do while moving toward the lake. Stop at a gas station? No problem. Run in for bait? You betcha. Grab some beverages? Done and done.

Now, things are bit more complicated. And fishing, too, has changed dramatically.

On Friday, my goal was to let Tyler fish while I helped. Tanner's plan was the opposite — he would fish and let Noah help by reeling from time to time.

Our boys, I might add, are a year a part. Last spring, Tyler was in the same position as Noah, eager to catch fish but not really sure how to go about it.

We started out pretty strong, with Tyler casting his Spider-Man pole with ease, and Noah working the reel of his Snoopy pole while Daddy fished. We maybe got in a good five minutes of fishing.

But five minutes is a long time in a child's world (especially without a bite), and soon Tyler and Noah were off in a field of grass, ripping and pulling at the dead, withered blades and throwing them into the water.

As you can imagine, soon sticks followed the grass, and soon after, rocks. Now, since we were fishing away from others, we let this behavior go on, but had it been more than just Tanner and I affected by the noisy boys, there would have been a stern talking to that would have followed (that sounds worse than it really is).

Nonetheless, I'd estimate that Tanner and I got in 15 casts each, if we were lucky. But our boys bonded, in much the same we have, and the afternoon was successful enough that I'd venture to say there will be a few more fishing outings with the boys in the future.

— Doug Monson

Mothers love walleye opener, too

Moms are terrific. I'm a big fan. Love several of them, in fact. And dearly, I might add.

But let's have no more of this fishing-opener-interfering-with-Mother's Day business.

This year's walleye opener is not until May 15, about one week later than usual. The delay is due to a state law requiring that opener be two Saturdays prior to Memorial Day weekend (which is the last weekend of the month this year).

In the wake of such a cruel blow to anxious anglers, moms and other maternal types are rejoicing that they will not have to share their special day.

Let's stop kidding ourselves.

Everyone knows the best gift for mom is a quiet house. And fishing opener has played an essential role in making mothers' dreams come true each and every year.

And for those brave enough to actually take their favorite matriarch fishing on Mother's Day weekend, the opener has traditionally allowed many water-ward men to give the gift that keeps giving: a trip to a soggy southern Minnesota lake for a tutorial on removing bullheads with cold hands.

But without fishing opener coinciding with Mother's Day this year, many of us will be left to scramble for a gift that conveys our love and affection as powerfully as a red wriggler on a size 4 hook or a 5:30 a.m. departure. Many of us will now have to wait an extra 7 days - or exactly 10,080 minutes - to really show our love.

But who's counting?

- Tanner Kent

A wet line and a big zero

As with every Minnesota spring since I can remember, the angler's itch has set in early for me.

By January, it's a mild bother. By February, it's a nagging one. And by March, I want to thumb my reels so badly I have to content myself with a tired batch of Babe Winkelman VHS videos I snatched from dad's garage. 

So, when Friday's near-tropical temps rolled around, I couldn't help myself.

Fishing buddy extraordinaire Doug Monson and I — as well as my wife, whose southern upbringing leaves her a bit incredulous as to why anyone wants to cast 4-pound monofilament into a 25 mph wind — packed up our gear and hit the shorelines.

We stopped at Geldner's Sawmill (west end of East Jefferson), which is a well-known April hotspot for crappie, and at Roemhildt's Lake (just south of German Lake). We fished wax worms and minnows along the bottom on small jigheads — and we didn't catch a thing. So, take that for what it's worth. If past returns are any indication of future gains, then my summer will likely be filled with plenty such outings.

But it was sure nice to be fishing. 

— Tanner Kent

As a sidenote: I'm thoroughly excited to be teaming up with Doug on a fishing blog. We've got lots of ideas, but our general mission is to offer a local resource guide and "one-stop-shop" of sorts on fishing in southern Minnesota. 

Feel free to contact us with ideas, suggestions and fishing reports that we can use to inform readers.

Looking forward to a great season, and Fish On! 

 

Changes coming

Well, it's spring, and with that, it's time to go through the gear, take stock and restock.

And just as it's time to go through all the gear, it is also time to re-examine the blog and what it offers to you, the reader, and see if more can be done.

With that in mind, I'd like to point out the first of many changes coming to this fishing site. In the upper right corner you'll notice a tab that says "The Tackle Box." Feel free to click on this tab and scroll through the list of area bait and tackle shops (addresses and phone numbers are available for all the stores, and Web links are available for those shops that offer a Web site.

Another change you'll notice is the radar at the top left. Pairing this with the weather, you should be able to get a read on the area weather (although serious anglers probably already have this little detail under control).

The biggest change that will be coming in the next week or so is the addition of Free Press Staff Writer Tanner Kent to the Bass Connection (don't get too attached to that name either, cause it'll probably change too).

Tanner and I have fished together since 2003, and I trust his knowledge of fishing more than most people. We also have the same desire to make this blog site more interactive so that it serves you, the fisherman.

So please be patient and check back regularly — you're bound to see something that has changed.

Muskie stocking, good or bad?

John Cross recently wrote an article about the possibility of a muskellunge stocking program in Lake Tetonka near Waterville.

This issue is bound to get more and more attention, and people on both sides of the issue will have plenty to say.

I've given this situation some thought, and I'm split on the possible stocking. On one hand, I like having another lake closer to me where I might catch a muskie — a feat that is on my list of fishing-to dos.

On the other hand, how will this predator fish affect the overall habitat of the fish already in the lake? A lot of people worry about the walleye populations in lakes, but if you do a simple Google search on what muskie eat, you'll come to learn that walleye aren't tops on a muskie's list of food (this doesn't mean walleyes won't be eaten, however).

Actually, muskies tend to like fish without sharp spines, so Lake Tetonka's abundance of white suckers seems ideal. But rather than worry about walleyes, those opposed to the toothsome predator should be more worried about the perch population in Tetonka, because even though perch have sharp spines, its bones are soft enough to make for a good muskie meal.

I honestly haven't fished Tetonka in a few years, and I rarely fish it for pan fish, so I'm not sure exactly what the population of perch in the lake is. According to the DNR fish sample survey for 2004 (yeah, unfortunately this is a bit outdated), the gill net for yellow perch was 6.5 and the trap net was .3.

Those numbers might not mean much, but when you consider that only rough fish have equal or higher numbers for gill nets, you come to realize perch have to be somewhat plentiful in the lake.

Anyhow, this is all just me digesting the information and puking it out in thought. I've done some research, and I suggest anyone with feelings about the potential stocking, one way or another, do some hardcore research.

I'll leave you with this last thought about the muskies impact on walleyes. In 1984, muskies were stocked into Lake Vermilion in St. Louis County. Today, trophy walleyes and muskies can be found in that lake. And the walleye population is ridiculous — 12.95 gill net/1.89 trap net, average weight 1.01 lbs.

Obviously the habitat is much different than a southern-Minnesota lake, but people with ties to Vermilion engaged in the same arguments that will arise at Tetonka, and along the Cannon River chain of lakes for that matter.

Spring's a coming, so are new products

If you're still interested in getting out on the lake all the way until iceout, this blog probably isn't for you.

But if you're like me (miserable, depressed and in need of a seasonal change), you're probably looking for things to do to pass the time until open water is upon us.

Well, I've been sifting through some of the new products on the market. And when I say sifting, I mean wading through new products across the fishing spectrum that often feel a lot like last year's products, or the year before's product.

This is inevitable, I suppose, since few revolutionary breakthroughs are left in the world of fishing.

Rapala is coming out with a new rap, the Flat Rap. It's a lot like the Original Floating Minnow, except the user is better adapt to manipulate the little wounded bait fish, and the action produced from the two flat sides is supposed to give it more action.

I see Berkley is coming out with a series of flippin jigs, one for well-known bass pros JayYellas and Mike Iaconelli and another for Hank Parker (or at least that is who I believe they are talking about, although he is listed as a line expert under Berkley's pro roster).

I've looked over the three different jigs, and not much looks new. I guess the jigs are supposed to produced better action when standing on head, and the double-barb is supposed to secure bait better. We'll see.

Have you ever stopped to think about products like line spoolers and strippers? I have to confess, these are two items on my short list of equipment needs. You can really get your bang for your buck if you think about the ease of a nice taught line, or stripping down an old spool.

Berkley puts out a hand-held stripper that rips 140 yards of line in less than a minute (just under 47 feet). It sells for $19.99 on the Berkley Web site.

Rapala has a new line stripper on the market that sells at a suggested retail price of 14.99, and strips 5 feet of line per second. This works out to 100 yards a minute.

So both are fast, both are reasonably priced, and both will probably do the job just fine.

Berkley also has a stripper/spooler field kit that sells for $39.99. Or you can go with a portable spooling kit or a permanent spooling kit for $34.99.

As winter melts to spring, I will continue to look over the new products, and from time to time I'm sure I'll report on what I find. Till then, pray for sun.

Remove the houses, remove the trash — it's simple

As many of you already know, Monday is the deadline to get your permanent fish houses off the lake.

This doesn't mean you can't be out fishing in a permanent come Monday, but who wants to haul it on and off the lake each day.

Monday's deadline is also the day that justifies the once-a-year column from John Cross on lazy, littering anglers. As one of the designers and editors of the Outdoors page in the print edition of The Free Press, I'd like to personally ask you to heed his advice.

No, seriously, I'm tired of reading about something so obvious as cleaning up after yourself. I probably suffer the same angst as John each summer.

Take for instance Buckmaster's Bridge. The work done to restore the bridge and creating fishing piers was amazing. It's a great place to sneak off to in the early morning when time is short, and it is a great place to bring a family.

But year after year, I see thousands of cigarette butts littered about the cement fishing slabs — add in soda cans, bottles, line, fishing-lure and candy wrappers, and the place just looks like hell.

Trash cans are provided, so there is no excuse.

If you are a litterer, I think the question to ask yourself as you pull your permanent off the lake this year, or as you head out when winter breaks way to spring, is this: Would you treat your yard or house the same as you treat the area you call home to fishing?

If the answer is yes, than you're probably an idiot.

A big fantasy fishing bust

I've been holding off on discussing the 2010 FLW Fantasy Fishing season because I think the organizers dropped the ball, even if they said the economy forced the changes.

A quick refresher: This is the third season FLW has held its Fantasy Fishing challenge. The first two awarded the winners of each regular season tournament $100,000, with excellent prizes a couple hundred deep for each tournament. The person with the most points at the end of the season won $1 million, and the prizes thereafter included boats and trucks and about anything an angler might want to add to his or her collection.

Best part, it was free to play.

Fast forward to the the third installment of fantasy fishing, and you quickly realize that handing out millions in prizes maybe isn't the best idea in these economic times. Tournament winners still can pull in $5,000, and payouts run through 15th place ($25).

The overall winner takes home $50,000, a big difference from the first two seasons. Second place wins $25,000. And the prizes payout through 15th place as well ($500).

Still, I can't help but wonder what will happen to the overall field. It's clear to me that handing out millions in prizes was the real draw to the bass fishing tournament. And I loved it because I thought it might help give the FLW Tour some credibility.

But let's be honest. It is pretty hard to attract fringe fans with a $50,000 cash prize, especially when those fans can't even turn on the television, plop down on the couch and watch live action of their fantasy players.

Plenty of lesser sports understand the importance of live viewing. And I think golf is a good example of a sport where switching from golfer to golfer doesn't always provide great drama, but it moves the broadcast along. Seems like a logical approach for bass tournaments. Maybe delay it a minute or two to make switching from pro to pro more efficient.

As it stands now, watching weeks-old tournaments isn't cutting it for the Tour. Just my two cents.

While I'm disappointed with the new structure, I still intend to play. I even lucked out on the first tournament, because once you sign up, you are given a random team. I forgot to pick a team for the first tournament, which would have started Thursday, Feb. 11, and was forced to use the random team. Thankfully, weather forced the tournament to be canceled.

So, after all that rambling, if you're like me and still interested in playing, then I guess you too are in luck, because the field of fantasy players is still at zero.

Besides, thinking bass fishing can help you fight off the winter blues.

Last thoughts on the Big Bobber

The Humminbird Big Bobber Ice Fishing Contest Saturday at Lake Washington turned out to be more interesting than I had expected.

Maybe credit a Japanese film crew for that.

With the exception of a lot of small fish, I'd say the tournament was a success. Now, that doesn't mean some things could have run smoother — the wait after the end of the tournament to the start of the drawings was a bit long and groups of people left who might have otherwise stuck around.

Parking, too, concerned me. Yes, I'm a little bit of a chicken when it comes to vehicles driving on ice, but a mass parking lot on ice should be reason for concern.

With that said, the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza didn't start out as smooth as it runs now.

Only time will teach the Big Bobber organizers what parts of their tournament will need to tweaked. And in their defense, Minnesota State officials realized they were losing people from the crowd and hurried into the drawing.

Perhaps next year, they will change that format. Perhaps next year, the contest will continue to grow and parking on the lake will be a greater concern.

Of more importance is how great the prizes were at the contest. Sixty nine fish were caught, and there were 100 prizes. So prizes 70 through 100, including the $1,000 prize for 100th place, were raffled away.

Basically, people paid $35 to help a good cause with a chance to win some good prizes. Oh, and a 1/2 pound sunfish was worth $2,500.

I posted photos from my Twitter account throughout the tournament, and I even posted a few videos. You can view what I posted on my Twitter account.

Here is a little video montage I put together from those cell phone video clips I took on the lake. You can tell in some of the clips the filming is a little shaky — my hands hurt and I was cold by the end of the day.

Countdown to the Big Bobber

Lake Washington should be a pretty exciting and busy lake this weekend with the Big Bobber Ice Fishing contest.

Registration and hole selection begins at 10 a.m. The contest runs from noon to 3 p.m. I plan on being out there for the kickoff of the contest, and I plan on providing pictures and updates via my Twitter account. Those same posts should appear on our home page on the right-hand side. We've periodically been posting staffer's tweats on the home page, so you can follow the contest action there.

With good temperatures forecast for this weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing how this Minnesota State Athletic Scholarship Fund fundraiser goes.

Washington fishing report
Lenny Sweet of Sweet Living Pool and Spa is an avid Lake Washington ice fisherman. He's pretty busy in the summer, so he says he finds the winter to be a good time to get on the lake and fish.

Sweet's report for the upcoming fishing contest, which he will participate in on Saturday, isn't a good report. Up until January, Sweet said the fishing at Washington had been at the top of its game.

Now?
"The fish are down there," Sweet says. "They're just tough pickins."

Sweet has been mixing it up, switching between minnows, maggots and spikes (colored maggots for those who don't know what the heck a spike is). He prefers red spikes, not that any of them have provided much action. He says his best action has been on a whole minnnow with a green forage minnow, but he says he's done OK with a Swedish Pimple and a minnow head.


Let's hope participants in this weekends contest fare better than that fishing report suggests.

Last word on Brainerd ice fishing contest

You may have caught John Cross' column in Sunday's print edition of the newspaper or online. If you missed it, he had a chance to talk with Curt Yess of Waseca. 

Yess won this year's top prize (a GMC truck) at the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza.

But other area anglers also fared well at the annual contest. I think it is important to note that some of these catches, like the .68 pound rock bass caught by Roxanne Weingartz of Mankato, produced some pretty quality prizes.

Area anglers who placed and the prizes they won:

1. Winners Choice-2010 Ford or GMC truck
Curtis Yess/Waseca
6.26 walleye

8. $250 Mills Fleet Farm Gift Card
Nicholas Borgnann /Arlington
2.37 walleye

19. Strikemaster Auger
Mike Wolf/Mankato
1.86 walleye

26. Clam Fish Trap Kodiak
Lisa, Schultz/St. Peter,
1.30 rock bass

62. Strikemaster Auger
David, Armstrong/New Ulm
0.78 rock bass

68. Humminbird 385ci Portable
Kristi  Johnson/Montgomery
0.77 Perch

83. $250 Mills Fleet Farm Gift Card
Kristi Myers/Owatonna
0.74 walleye

108. $250 Mills Fleet Farm Gift Card
Wyman Forbrook/Lake Crystal
0.69 walleye

113. Humminbird 385ci Portable
Roxanne Weingartz/Mankato
0.68 rock bass

114. Clam Fish Trap Kenai
Dean Rowe/New Richland
0.68 Perch

147. $250 Lindy Shopping Spree
Jeffrey Strand/Mankato
0.64 Perch

Kato group gets wet, gets skunked

So my hopes for photos from the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza went south quick.

No fish from the Dave Kammerer group, but plenty of fun, he said.

Kammerer says that the rain fell until 10:30 a.m., and then it snowed on them. Twice their group had bites, but nothing came of the nibbles.

As you can see from The Associated Press photo above, it was one wet situation for contest participants.

Above photo: April and Sean Wilkus (back left), Doug Holbrook and David Mausak slogged through the water that had collected on the ice overnight on Hole-in-the-Day Saturday on Gull lake in Nisswa. The anglers were heading for their spot at the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza. AP Photo via Steve Kohls, Brainerd Dispatch.

Purple pride in Brainerd

I read yesterday on the official site for the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza that contest officials were encouraging participants to wear purple to support the Vikings.

Dave Kammerer of rural Lake Crystal sent in this nice little photo via his cell phone. Hopefully Dave or others from his fishing party will be able to send pictures of fish, but this photo certainly does bring a smile to my face on an otherwise wet, dreary day.

On the eve of the big contest

It's hardly a secret to anyone living in the Midwest, but the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza is one serious fishing contest.

Well, somewhat serious. The prizes alone make this tournament well worth the $35 buy-in, even if catching a fish can be somewhat of a task, and often the commraderie is as important as the line in the water.

The weather this year is a complete turnaround from last year's contest, held a day later in January (that's the 24th for those of you unable to do the math at home!).

According to Weather Underground, the high for Jan. 24, 2009, was 2.6 degrees; the low was -12.7 degrees. Of course, having spoken with several people who went last year, this doesn't factor in the windchill, and with nearly 20 mph winds last year, the temperature was sure to feel much colder than 12.7 below.

This year, however, contestants are looking at a wintry mix of snow and rain, with temperatures expected in the low to mid 30s. Now that's more like it.

I hope to be able to share with you a few of the catches and/or stories from some local participants. I will be posting photos here on my blog, and you can also follow DMI026 on Twitter.

If you'd like more information on the Brainerd Jaycees contest, or if you'd like to see the prize list, winner's list and more, check out their official site.

A fishing potluck

There's plenty going on in the world of fishing over the next few weeks, and there has been a steady stream of good weather lately to get out on the lakes.

This Saturday marks the 20th year of the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza. I know a few people who make the trek every year, so hopefully we'll get some pictures and or stories to put up here on the blog.

Saturday, Feb. 6, marks the fourth Big Bobber ice fishing contest. As a Minnesota State University alum, I'm inclined to urge people to take part. Not only are the prizes worth it, the money goes to help out the MSU Athletics Scholarship Fund.

Come February, FLW's Fantasy Fishing returns. I'll go into this more as I feel out the 2010 field of anglers, but I do urge participation, mostly because the payouts are huge and you really don't need to know that much about bass fishing. Think of it as a free lottery.

On a more serious note, John Cross interviewed Hugh Valiant, manager of the Waterville Fish Hatchery, and the concern for winterkill is growing. John and I have openly fretted about this in the office, and now it looks like another possible winter storm could cause even more issues. We'll have to wait and see.

I tend to worry about this a lot, because I'm more dedicated to open-water fishing. But whether you're an ice fisherman, or you enjoy the open water, dead fish are never a good thing.

This is not a hoax

One word: Wow!

This photo released by International Game Fish Association shows Manabu Kurita of Aichi, Japan, holding his July 2, 2009, record catch, a largemouth bass caught on Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake. The record-tying bass weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces.
(AP Photo/International Game Fish Association)

I saw this photo while designing the Outdoors page for Sunday's print edition of the newspaper, and I knew I had to work it into the paper.

That's a big fish. My largest largemouth, a 7 pound, 4 ouncer out of Little (or West if you'd like) Jefferson, pales in comparison. The one thing I have in common with Kurita, though, is the strain on my face. He handled it much better. As you can see by my expression to the right, I look like I am constipated or something.

Regardless of the type of fish you're after, catching a trophy of your desired species, such as Kurita did, is something that doesn't happen very often.

Roger, the man who lets fellow staffer Tanner Kent and I launch from his property on Little Jeff, was one of the first people to see that picture of my 22 1/4 inch bass. He's an avid walleye and northern angler who absolutely hates bass (perhaps more than Free Presser John Cross).

He asks me if I kept that green carp, to which I tell him no (I did what I thought was the noble thing by weighing and measuring the beast before tossing it back in after a few quick pictures).

"Then you're an idiot," the old fisherman says, "cause that's a trophy fish."

Perhaps. I'm a catch-and-release guy at heart.

I know if I caught a world-record bass, though, it'd be going on my wall. Heck, even a state-record bass would end up on my wall.

At this point, I'd be happy to hoist up a 7 pounder if I ever catch one out of Minnesota waters again. A trophy's a trophy.