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St Cloud Area Opening Weekend Fishing Reports


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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Let's hear how you're doing this weekend and what's working to get them to bite.

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I'm  doing fine, a little tired, sitting here wondering if I should go out this afternoon?

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Went out around 2 until 6.  Found good numbers in 14-16 FOW.  They slowly move shallower later in the day.  Caught 26 and big fish was 20".  Leeches and crawlers with spinners were the ticket.  Was a bit breezy at times.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

not many 20 inch gills around these parts. ;) 

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8 hours ago, sartellangler05 said:

26 what, panfish? 

 

Eyes.  Updated the electronics this year and side scan paid off.  All caught on one anchor spot casting with slow retrieve.  Fish were stacked up on a drop. 

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Plans for Sat just didn't work out for me....Ended up fishing the river sat evening from shore. Got a few walleyes, nothing to brag about.

today hit the river again in the kayak. Got into a few respectable smallies

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I skipped the weather on Opener (like a wuss) but got out today for about 7 hours. Caught about 6 bass, kinda disappointing, biggest was 2.5 lbs. I never really established a clear pattern.

The pike were VERY active. Caught about 25 of those, and the biggest was 7 lbs caught on a Spook with an explosive strike, which was quite the sight.

I was fishing typical bass lures, mostly fast stuff, anywhere between 2-12 feet of water. Running and gunning. Saw very few beds. Kicked up about a 5 lb bass that I believe was a female about to begin a bed. However, few bass were shallow after the cold snap. 

One of my buddies was on Mille Lacs on Opener, braving the gale force winds for 5 hours. He caught a terrific crop of smallies and walleyes in the rocky break between 8-18 feet of water. They were all caught on tube jigs, believe it or not.

He also HEARD that one of the Mille Lacs launches boated two 'eyes over 30", but I don't consider that credible info, for a variety of reasons.

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My one eye for the day from the Horseshoe chain. Other than that just northerns on spinner rigs in about 6 feet of water. 

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Got out yesterday and caught a limit from 6-8pm.  Fish were scattered from 7-22ft.  Normally I release all of my walleyes, but every one of the keepers were gut hooked on a Lindy rig, didn't even wait to set the hook.... they were super aggressive 

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Hit julia for just a short time today. Found a few Crappies suspended out in the basin area. Got most of the fish 3-4 ft down over 10ft of water. Most were on the small side, did get a few to break the 10in mark

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Fishing for smallmouths was quite good on the Mississippi both above and below the Little Falls dam. We ended with about 40 bass.

However, the lower section of the Zebulon Pike Resevoir above Blanchard Dam was a Dead Sea. I didnt graph a single fish, much less hook one. I saw only one other boat out there. 

Most of the fish came on Lucky Craft Pointer 78 jerkbaits, 1/4 oz tubes, and Ned Rigs with 1/15oz heads. Topwaters and lipless cranks didn't get a single hit. 

The fish were highly clustered, and we went long stretches without bites and then caught numerous bass in minutes before this cycle repeated.

Gonna go back tomorrow and build upon our pattern.

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