Trolling Motor Only Lakes

[Nick Kuhn]

I have a small aluminum cartop boat at home right now with an electric trolling motor and the oars. Wondering what some nice lakes around the east metro would be good to try and what I can expect to catch there. It'd be nice if it had parking for a vehicle+trailer nearby. A ramp isn't necessary as it's easy enough to lift the boat off the trailer and carry or roll it to the lake.

[Grant Pearson]

Square is a great lake to try. It's nice and small at less than 300 acres and has a maximum depth of 68 feet. It's got a little of everything like Pike, Bass, pannies, trout. It's up by Marine on St. Croix. Another place to try is Powers Lake in woodbury off of C.R. 19. It's a smaller lake as well, and moist people fish from shore. The Ramp isn't the greatest, but you can get a smaller boat in there and the fishing is pretty good once you get away from shore. The eastern shore is better fishing from what I've found. I hope this helps a little.

[Nick Kuhn]

I probably should also have mentioned part of the reason for this was to avoid any rec. traffic. Had the larger boat down earlier in the year and was frustrated by discourteous boaters/jet skiers. I have no problem with them being on the lake, it's just when they cut between our boat and a patch of bullrushes we were working (no more than 30 feet away) its getting way out of hand.

[Grant Pearson]

the lakes I mentioned are great for getting away from the rec boaters/skiers. both lakes are small enough where they won't even bother. Plus, Powers is a trolling motor only lake.

[bgreen82]

battle creek has a 10hp limit so not a lot of rec. boaters out there, and the fishing can be ok. a lot of weedage right now though. also, if you can make it out to minneapolis arent all the lakes elec. only.

[HossFisher]

If you want to travel to the west metro Lake Ann in Chanhassen is a nice lake with good bass/pike numbers/size in it.

[beer batter]

Isn't Phalen an electric only lake? I grew up in that area and there's some surprisingly nice sized fish in that lake.

[Nick Kuhn]

Quote:

---

Isn't Phalen an electric only lake? I grew up in that area and there's some surprisingly nice sized fish in that lake.

---

Yeah, that was one I had already planned on visiting. Shorefished it earlier and had no problem catching hammerhandles. I figure with the boat I can get outside the milfoil where hopefully the big girls are.

[Nick Kuhn]

Hit Phalen tonight for a little while. Caught a number of small pike, smallest coming over the top of milfoil flats, larger coming from where the milfoil quickly dropped to 25-30 fow. Spoons and spinners seemed to be the ticket, particularly yellow and orange. Wouldn't touch small ones, they would hit the larger spoons, but moving up to muskie size got a lot of follows from fish too small to hit them. High visibility seemed to be the key.

My brother caught this thick 32" out there, best fish of the day.

I did manage this little guy, so they are in there. My first of the tiger variety.

[Maximum12]

Nice fish. A 32" inch northern is a big fish within the city limits & I'd take one any day on a northern lake, too!