On Monday I took the boat to the lake and just backed the trailer in to see if the engine would run after the long winter hibernation.....thankfully it cranked up (it is still cold-blooded and still does not like to idle)....docks were not in so I didn't attempt to take the boat for a ride...Yesterday (Saturday) I dunked the boat in, she cranked up, so I did take her out on the lake...water is cold (45 degrees) ...the DNR lot was full and I filled the last spot in the overflow lot (a number of ramps in the area are being worked on/fixed so more people than usual went to the DNR ramp), there were quite a few boats out in the shallow bay areas searching for pan fish...I cruised around and put the boat thru the paces, ran the trolling motor (runs much better with a fresh new AGM battery), did a full loop around the lake (22 plus miles of shoreline)...I then tossed in a line, I have a 7'6" Ultra-light Okuma Celio and a JDM Shimano Miravel (which I purchase on the recommendation of @MN Fisher, a nice set-up !!) and floated around for about an hour, no luck but it was good to be back on the water !...the wind really picked up and it was extremely choppy around the DNR area so I (along with a line of other boats) decided to end the day a bit early...it is supposed to be high winds (and some rain) today so I will not go out, but already looking forward to next weekend (and hopefully some good weather !)

I fished in a crappie contest on Lake Minnetonka today with my son and Father.  We caught about 15 crappies.  It was pretty tough but we each caught a different size one and weighed in at 10:15am to get our entries in the drawings.  I was the clubhouse leader with a 0.88 pounds/11.75 incher lol.  My son won a 6'6" medium action Diawa combo.  He also caught an 18 inch largemouth and we thought he had the next state record crappie on.  Stunning day out there, about 60 degrees and bright sun.  Water temp was 56 degrees.

 

I'm done panfishing for 2025 with bass/walleye/pike season starting in a week.

2 hours ago, gim said:

I fished in a crappie contest on Lake Minnetonka today with my son and Father.

Sounds like a fun time. I took the eldest adoptive granddaughter (15yo) out yesterday after she got off school. It was chilly on the shore, but was a fun two hours for us both. Only one fish, a 13" largemouth, but she got all excited about it.

 

We're planning another trip this coming Friday - when it'll be warmer,

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

when it'll be warmer

 

I'll bet if a guy went crappie fishing in about 4-5 days it would be gangbusters in the shallows.  With a string of 75 degree days coming, the stage is set for it.

Who has plans to fish on opener?

 

Weather looks lovely, which means a tough bite, and lots of people. Next week looks down right HOT for May.

 

I’m gonna fish locally for a few hours in the morning. I rigged up a jerk bait, spinner bait, and a couple of various plastics. Later next week I hope to fish Mille Lacs for brown bass if the wind cooperates.

49 minutes ago, gim said:

Who has plans to fish on opener?

I may try some shore fishing Sunday...rest of the week is busy - Round 2 of my Chemo.

I hope to hit a couple smaller lakes on the weekend and a bigger lake sometime during the week when there’s less traffic. It seems like we’re getting our July weather in mid may. 
The ice just came out a few weeks ago so I was hoping to get in on some early prespawn but with the weather like it is I bet we missed out on most if not all of that. 

I am heading to Mille Lac on Saturday.  I am hoping the 2 walleye limit and slot limit keeps the crowds away.  

3 hours ago, BassinBrett said:

I am heading to Mille Lac on Saturday.  I am hoping the 2 walleye limit and slot limit keeps the crowds away.  

 

I believe its going to have the exact opposite effect - since there hasn't been a 2 fish limit in nearly 15 years, and its going to be a nice day with relatively calm winds...it'll be a zoo.  I personally know of about a dozen people going there tomorrow (all targeting walters).

 

The keeper slot is kinda strange too.  One fish 17-20 and 1 over 20.  I hope that doesn't open the floodgates on massive harvest of 25 inch females that are the primary spawning biomass in the lake otherwise this is going to back fire.

Well, another almost-skunk night. Not only the granddaughter, but the 13yo grandson tonight. I caught a 8.5" black crappie and a 5" pumpkinseed sunny....that was all she wrote for 3 hours of all three of us trying.

 

Next Friday is questionable as it depends on how I feel after my Mon-Thurs Chemo.

14 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Well, another almost-skunk night. Not only the granddaughter, but the 13yo grandson tonight. I caught a 8.5" black crappie and a 5" pumpkinseed sunny....that was all she wrote for 3 hours of all three of us trying.

 

Next Friday is questionable as it depends on how I feel after my Mon-Thurs Chemo.

Hope you get back out if you can 👍

 

I’m in MN the week after opener by Hackensack - hoping for some pre-spawn chubbies! 

I went this morning for a few hours with a friend and we caught 13 largemouth. No particular pattern seemed to be better than another. Biggest fish was a decent prespawn 3.5 pounder. Water temp was 63 degrees. I have a feeling the spawn cycle will begin this week with warm temps coming.

 

 

I went out for 10 hours and caught a 20” prespawn female that weighed 5.2lbs as well as some 4lb fish in the 18” range and lots of smaller ones. Great day on the water. Water temps 55-60 degrees. 

24 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I went out for 10 hours

Dang dude, 10 hours?  That's raw.

 

A prespawn 20 incher is a tank tho

8 minutes ago, gim said:

Dang dude, 10 hours?  That's raw. 

Ive been waiting for it for over six months! 😃

When to Mille Lacs today.  The parking lot was not full that was good.  The smallmouth are up shallow on rock reefs and there were a few beds being made.  The males were not guarding yet so bed fishing has not started.  The water temperature started out at 53 at 8:00 AM and got up 55 at 6:00 pm when I left. I end up catch almost all of my fish on jerkbaits.  I caught one on a Ned rig and one on a tube.  Shortest was 14 inches and the biggest was 19 inches.

Good report Brett, I hope to go later this week. I’ll be sure to arm myself with the jerk baits.

27 minutes ago, gim said:

Good report Brett, I hope to go later this week. I’ll be sure to arm myself with the jerk baits.

Let us know how it treats you! 

I got out for another long day today on a different lake. Biggest went 18.5” and just shy of 4.5lbs. Also got a 31” pike that gave a good fight. 

Looks like a couple more unseasonably warm days and then a pattern shift starting on Thursday.  We could use some rain and cooler temps.  There are red flag fire warnings across the entire state and a couple wild fires burning.

90 degree heat is crazy in MN, its only 70's here in SC... of course when I'm heading to Northern MN in a week to fish they are forecasting a high of 48 where I'm going... drat

31 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I'm heading to Northern MN in a week to fish

 

What lake/river will you be fishing and for what species?

 

13 hours ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

Biggest went 18.5” and just shy of 4.5lbs.

 

Your bass are so thick! I'd love to see a photo. I'd estimate a Maine 18.5-incher at 3.5 pounds. 

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I'd estimate a Maine 18.5-incher at 3.5 pounds.

 

Right now our fish are prespawn.  They are pretty thick.  The biggest one I caught on opener was just over 18 inches and it was a solid 3.5 pounds.  Even the smaller males were noticeably plump.

 

That will be changing in the next few weeks as they get skinnier for a while and recover.  Then they gain that weight back throughout the season.

We're prespawn too, Gim, and you've seen the bass I've been catching. They're thick, but not Minnesota thick. 

 

FWIW, I miss Minnesota. I lived in Eau Claire and spent a lot of time in the Twin Cities and the North Shore.

8 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

What lake/river will you be fishing and for what species?

We'll probably target smb first day and lmb the second. Not entirely set on which lakes yet, but likely the smaller/mid-sized we have fished before given the weather forecast. Don't really want to be on Leech or Mille Lacs if it's cold/blowing. The good thing there about 300 lakes to choose from in Cass County alone!