In late spring before our Opener - sunny calm days seem to attract and fire up some of the bigger white bass if you can locate the suspended schools. A blast to catch, pound-for-pound strongest freshwater fish IMO. 

Looking forward to Saturday when I can legally target a real game fish instead of panfish again. My intention is to fish a small unnamed lake for largemouth about an hour north for a few hours. Weather looks pretty good, mid 60’s, mostly cloudy, SE wind 5-10 mph. I briefly considered Mille Lacs for smallmouth but I don’t think I can deal with a zoo there if the winds are light. Is anyone else planning to go, and what is your plan?

I'm hoping we get someone to watch the wife sometime Tuesday-Thursday. Won't know until Friday when it'll be.

 

I've got a spot picked already - if the wind isn't too much for the canoe, otherwise it's off to the secondary spot.

detroit lakes area in minn is predicting sunny and high 60s and from what i seen from the bank from last week there are no weeds poking up or even near poking up, no pads nothing but barren looking shoreline and i didnt see any sign of spawning bass or sunnies.

 

I may just stay home on saturday and sunday, let the water warm up more and go next week when i can have the banks to myself.

On 5/6/2021 at 10:45 AM, FryDog62 said:

In late spring before our Opener - sunny calm days seem to attract and fire up some of the bigger white bass if you can locate the suspended schools. A blast to catch, pound-for-pound strongest freshwater fish IMO. 

I've never seen one outside of the river.  Been more than 20 years since I've caught one.  Never thought about it.  Where do you find them?  A generic answer is totally fine.

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

 Is anyone else planning to go, and what is your plan?

I am going to the Holcombe Flowage in WI.  Figure MN will be nuts and it is the halfway point between our houses.  Never been on it, flowages are far from my strength, but I've got a map, a boat, a bunch of food and plan on having some fun!

 

1 hour ago, Deephaven said:

I've never seen one outside of the river.  Been more than 20 years since I've caught one.  Never thought about it.  Where do you find them?  A generic answer is totally fine.

 

I am going to the Holcombe Flowage in WI.  Figure MN will be nuts and it is the halfway point between our houses.  Never been on it, flowages are far from my strength, but I've got a map, a boat, a bunch of food and plan on having some fun!

 

Prior in MN, and Waubay in SD?

19 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Prior in MN

How could I forget Prior - old friend had a house on the lake that I'd help put in/take out her dock every year back in the 90s...we'd catch whites from the dock...then have a fish-broil for dinner.

I was thinking about hitting some local water around Faribault with the little women on Sunday, Late afternoon. I think most of the "go getters" should be heading home by 4 so thats when we are shooting to get out. The ramp may be filled up with people pulling out then, but the water should be at its warmest of the weekend so hopefully the fish will not be molested to the point where we cant get bit. Really looking forward to get out and try some of the new baits that I built over winter.

17 minutes ago, BBug said:

I was thinking about hitting some local water around Faribault with the little women on Sunday

I like plural women and fishing

Just now, Deephaven said:

I like plural women

Is there something you're not telling us, pal?

It sounds great to me.  Where do I sign up.  I was happy with one, but when he made it plural... 

 

8 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

It sounds great to me.  Where do I sign up.  I was happy with one, but when he made it plural... 

I'd be happy with the one - mine doesn't even like to fish.

Nice fish Deephaven but you might want to put a little thicker carpet on the floor of the boat, helps keep the feet happy.  Happy Wife ....  well, you know the saying!

On 5/11/2021 at 10:06 PM, FryDog62 said:

Prior in MN, and Waubay in SD?

I believe Spring Lake (which is connected to Prior by a small channel) has a population of white bass as well. It might be a quieter place to go catch 'em because Prior is a magnet for every type of boater around here. Spring Lake also has some really nice bass in it

 

I've also gotten out over the past two weekends for some crappie, caught around 30 including my new PB of 11 inches (I know its small, I've only been fishing for 2 years now). Accidentally caught a 2.5 lb Largemouth on a tiny crappie minnow on my UL setup with 4 lb monofilament as well. For the opener, Im heading to a small pond in my kayak near my house where I caught a 4 pounder last year.

i am staying home for the opener because i and this is a gut decision think the water here in my part of minnesota which is the detroit lakes area is still to cold and the weed growth is far behind normal. From what i seen last weekend is helping me make this decision.

 

I will go late monday afternoon and fish the early evening into the night and if no bass are biting i will rig up for the late night crappie bite that starts at around 8.30 pm.

 

 

Ya - my plans got changed - now it's Wednesday when I 'might' get a chance to go out.

3 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

i am staying home for the opener because i and this is a gut decision think the water here in my part of minnesota which is the detroit lakes area is still to cold and the weed growth is far behind normal

 

The forecast next week looks quite a bit warmer.  I think it will start to improve up by you soon.

I was out looking at the local lakes yesterday and I noticed 2 beds in one area that would have been the right size for a largemouth bed. These beds were around 5 ft apart and in 18" of water. I could see that the bottoms were not completely swept out but they were in very good shape. Overall diameter was close to 36" and maybe 4" deep. This was a smallish size lake with deep water. I did not have my temp gauge with me so Im not sure what it was.  The lake has largemouth and of course Pike in it. The only thing I know about a pike is that they will eat, and destroy , your most expensive topwater lure, every time. 

 I think I read, somewhere,  that Pike are one of the first fish to spawn in a lake and it can come shortly after ice out. My question is this, do pike spawn in beds like bass or could this be a bed that has been abandoned because of the drop in water temps?

11 hours ago, BBug said:

My question is this, do pike spawn in beds like bass or could this be a bed that has been abandoned because of the drop in water temps?

Pike spawn early, shortly after ice out. They are broadcast spawners in shallow weedy areas. The bed you saw was most likely as bass bed. They will leave a bed if we get a cold front during spawning temps.

I went bass fishing today for the first time this season and it was OK. I caught 5 largemouth, all prespawn between 15-17 inches. Really got into some pike. Landed 14 of those slimy things plus an ugly red eyed rock bass. The water levels are low. They are down a foot. We need a monsoon of rain.

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

Pike spawn early, shortly after ice out. They are broadcast spawners in shallow weedy areas. The bed you saw was most likely as bass bed. They will leave a bed if we get a cold front during spawning temps.

I went bass fishing today for the first time this season and it was OK. I caught 5 largemouth, all prespawn between 15-17 inches. Really got into some pike. Landed 14 of those slimy things plus an ugly red eyed rock bass. The water levels are low. They are down a foot. We need a monsoon of rain.

you didnt get bit off? Yeah here in detroit lakes region water is way down which means if we dont get a monsoon soon i will be able to wade out to where the boats are spot locked.

3 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

you didnt get bit off

Lol nope not today. I had a fluorocarbon leader on my moving lures. None of them were very big. Maybe 25 inches or so. One of them ripped the skirt off a spinner bait though.

Did some bank fishing this weekend in the cities and caught five bass over 2lbs, biggest ***.2pounds. All coming on light texas rig. Lake I was fishing was super clear and I was actually able to sight fish every bass. Also caught one 24ish inch northern in deeper water. Going back out later today to a different lake but so far season has started out great.

Just now, Primitive fisherman said:

Did some bank fishing this weekend in the cities and caught five bass over 2lbs, biggest ***.2pounds. All coming on light texas rig. Lake I was fishing was super clear and I was actually able to sight fish every bass. Also caught one 24ish inch northern in deeper water. Going back out later today to a different lake but so far season has started out great.

3.2 pounds since I can't put those letters and numbers together in that order?

4 minutes ago, Primitive fisherman said:

Did some bank fishing this weekend in the cities and caught five bass over 2lbs, biggest 3.2pounds.

What lake? I did some shore fishing by the Narrows Channel on Tonka and only caught a couple dinks plus a hammer-handle.

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

What lake?

Bush lake between eden praire and bloomington. It is heavily pressured but Most people fish the dock but it is usually just northerns there. Gotta go off the beaten path to get on this nice shallow flats.

3 minutes ago, Primitive fisherman said:

Bush lake between eden praire and bloomington.

I know it - little out of my range...oh well.