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Fishing smaller lakes & ponds in the Metro area


fisherman-andy

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I went out the last few nights and did real well on some nice crappie slabs and a 28inch eye. All fish released.

I have been fishing the cooler temps and the bad weather all week long but it has produced. Don't let the weather deter you from some good fishing.

My target was the smaller lakes & ponds in the metro area and surrounding cities. I noticed that the body of waters that were murky or slight green or so did not produce very well. Barely a bite even from panfish. Instead I choose ponds & small lakes that have clearer water. I found that to be the key in catching fish. I've been casting small pink head jigs w/tubes & grub, small rapalas, and berkley crappie nibbles.

Funny thing is I have been exploring every small body of water I come upon by if I had the time. You be surprise what you can catch. Earlier in the month I caught a 5lb bass in a 2 1/2 acre pond located & surrounded by town homes. Something one almost never think of trying.

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I've been catching big largemouth from small lakes and ponds in the south metro for years now. Last september I caught my biggest largemouth ever in a 7 acre pond. It went 22inches weighing 6lbs. 13oz.(released). We fish these small lakes and ponds out of my River Ridge Custom canoe or my buddies jon boat. They have gotten more use than my 14 foot fishing boat this year. We also did well earlier this week in the cold windy rain conditions on Fish lake(33 acres) in Eagan. Largemouth in the 3-4 lbs range and some pike up to 5 lbs.

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Pulled out the heavy rain gear and went out again tonight between 6pm-9pm. Targeted a different small south east metro area 5 acre pond.

Caught 4 Crappies slabs averaging 12"s. Caught 2 Walleyes, one at 21", and 26". Again all released.

I was using St Croix fast action light rod, fireline crystal 6lb test, original rapala suspending minnow.

Drenched, wet, but grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif It was well worth it.

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Was out last night in my float tube fishing a small, unpressured metro area lake. Caught 10 LM bass in 1.5 hours; most were in the 14-16" range with one going 18".

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Was out last night in my float tube fishing a small, unpressured metro area lake. Caught 10 LM bass in 1.5 hours; most were in the 14-16" range with one going 18".


Are you up for doing any tubing Sunday afternoon/evening?

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Carp,

Don't let Cyberfish get too close to you. He has a history of letting air out of occupied float tubes!

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Carp,

To answer your question...I can't get out in the afternoon/eve saturday. Maybe we could work something out for next thursday? maybe meet at the lake at around 6pm?

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Went out again tonight, Wednesday.

Decided to explore a fairly secluded south central metro 6 acre pond that receives almost no pressure. It's surrounded by mostly trees & tall grasses so there is barely any shore fishing accesible spots. You almost had to wade.

The pond was very clear and has no run offs. Suprisingly the only game fish we caught were huge Crappie slabs!!! They were plentiful and everywhere it was incredible. Lost count after a while. I haven't had this much fishing fun in a while.

We fished from 5:30pm to 8pm just using small jig heads and chartruese crappie tubes & twister tails. Unfortunately I didn't bring the digital camera for pix's. All fished were released. This is the best find i've had in years and I am not telling a soul.

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"This is the best find i've had in years and I am not telling a soul."

Thank you for not telling everyone. With all the message boards around there would not be a fish left in these little honey holes.

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Quote:

Went out again tonight, Wednesday.

Decided to explore a fairly secluded south central metro 6 acre pond that receives almost no pressure. It's surrounded by mostly trees & tall grasses so there is barely any shore fishing accesible spots. You almost had to wade.

The pond was very clear and has no run offs. Suprisingly the only game fish we caught were huge Crappie slabs!!! No sunfish, bass, or anything else. Crappies only. They were plentiful and everywhere and seemed to be the only game fish in the pond??? It was incredible. Lost count after a while. I haven't had this much fishing fun in a while.

We fished from 5:30pm to 8pm just using small jig heads and chartruese crappie tubes & twister tails. Unfortunately I didn't bring the digital camera for pix's. All fished were released. This is the best find i've had in years and I am not telling a soul.


Congrats on finding the pond. Its been my observation that there are many small and shallow bodies of water in and around the Twin Cities that are holding excellent populations of fish. These lakes and ponds freeze out in normal winters but the last 5 years or so have been mild. The result are bodies of water that are written off as bullhead winterkill lakes that are in reality filled with 11 to 14 inch crappies, 8 to 10 inch sunfish, and bass well past 6 pounds. They may freeze out this winter, they may not. All part of the fun of exploring.

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Oh and by the way, be sure not to tell Outdoor News about your pond. Last winter, I got the inside skinny on a 30 acre pond in the west metro. I went out there are caught 8 to 9 inch 'gills one after the other and releasing the vast majority. Other than the person who told me about the pond, my footprints were the only ones out there. The next month, I read in the Outdoor News that the hot bite was on that pond! Can you believe they published a 30 acre pond in their fishing report? Anyways, it turned into a minnie winter festival and at late ice I couldn't catch one bluegill.

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Advice well noted. The thing about these smaller lakes and ponds is the scare of a freeze over or winter kill. Most aren't deeper than 6ft~9ft. The pond I was fishing is at least 15ft deep as noted by my depth finder. That gives it some cushion but still a complete fish kill can occur in a very bad winter. I have seen it many times and watch a nice pond with fish go to a complete shutdown.

I can say the very least that all the smaller bodies of water currently around the whole surrounding metro area do hold nice crappies & pannies. I'll probably take my little nephew out this week if the weather is nice and get him into some good old fashion fishing...

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Fisherman Andy.... I KNOW YOUR SPOT!!! I fish their and there are Pike in that drink as well. If It by chance isn't the same spot, well then I have my secret lake as well. These types of lakes are not hard to find, you just need to take the time to fish them... Eagan also has a small lake full of very large Sunfish.... thats all I can say, I can't say no more. grin.gif

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Fisherman Andy.... I KNOW YOUR SPOT!!! I fish their and there are Pike in that drink as well. If It by chance isn't the same spot, well then I have my secret lake as well. These types of lakes are not hard to find, you just need to take the time to fish them... Eagan also has a small lake full of very large Sunfish.... thats all I can say, I can't say no more.
grin.gif


Looks like someone's been doing their homework. wink.gif

Anyhow there are so many nice small bodies of water holding nice pannies & crappies. All surrounding cities within the metro area have them. That I guarantee! You just have to take the time to find them. Please practice CPR, these small lakes need it. smirk.gif

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I have found a few small honey holes as well. One in paticular can not really be fished during the summer due to the week growth but the spring and ice can be excellent for crappie and pike.

This pond has some incoming streams but not that would support 12 inch crappie and 7-10lb pike

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Fisherman Andy,

You let me know when you plan on going to that little south lake honeyhole and I'll meet you there. If for some reason we don't meet up, then we have our own secret spots. Or I could just give you my e-mail address and we could go nail alot of 24-33 inch Pike and crappies at dusk. Me and my friend caught and released 23 pike in two hours the last time we were out there!!

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You guys are killing me here. I have lived here for about 6 years now and I just recently started fishing around the metro again. I can't seem to find a good pike lake or a one with some descent size crappies or sunnies. Any change you could give a fellow fisherman a south metro secret spot or two? I will trade you for all my secrets about fishing North Dakota's Laka Sakakawea. cool.gif

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Buzzsaw,

Does your spot require some walking distance to get to? My spot doesn't really have any pike, at least not that I know off. I've had thrown just about all kinds of bait and lures and no large predatory fish yet. I think I might know what the spot your talking about. The pike use to be a lot bigger back in the days.

I went out tonight at a west metro pond and caught 4 eyes, 13" ,15", 16", 20". Right now nothing beats a jighead tipped with a gulp minnow or a rapala husky jerk for me. The eyes were especially active tonight and my hands were cold & sorta numb from handling them back to the water for release.

This weekend im heading to a north metro area location loaded with slabs & bass. The bite is really heating up for crappies & walleyes. Then it's onward down far south MN for more slab action with some buddies. grin.gif

The thing with me is when I have the time, especially weekends, I will devote them days to just driving around in the metro and surrounding cities looking for that new hot spot. I can put out as much as 500 miles driving. I know not everyone has the time to do so. I myself will usually do this only in the spring or fall. In the summer I spent most of my time on the rivers or that special fishing trip.

Guys your alot closer to catching alot of these nice fish. You don't have to go looking for them. Most of the time there in a nearby body of water in the same neighborhood your living in. Just open your eyes and look down the road...

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Andy, nope, it's right off a road, and better yet less than ten minutes from my house. Thats a clue as I live in Lakeville!

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buzzsaw, can you leave your address on the board? I have some free time this weekend & would like to stake out your house & follow you on the off chance you go to this small lake. grin.gif

Seriously, I moved to Eagan this winter & have just started fishing the little ponds around here - I haven't hit the jackpot yet, but have found some decent sunnies. But it's only a matter of time! These posts give me the motivation to keep bushwacking in to some of these places.

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Andy, nope, it's right off a road, and better yet less than ten minutes from my house. Thats a clue as I live in Lakeville!


I know the lake that you speak of and I hope that it isn't ruined because of its exposure on this website. There are others like us out there who are inept enough and persistant enough to find these spots. However, all those years of searching are often wasted over somebodies urge to "brag".

I have some advice--keep it to yourself or maybe your number 1 fiishing buddy. Then again, by now half of Lakeville knows where you will be if you get the urge for a little head inflation

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Quote:

Quote:

Andy, nope, it's right off a road, and better yet less than ten minutes from my house. Thats a clue as I live in Lakeville!


I know the lake that you speak of and I hope that it isn't ruined because of its exposure on this website. There are others like us out there who are inept enough and persistant enough to find these spots. However, all those years of searching are often wasted over somebodies urge to "brag".

I have some advice--keep it to yourself or maybe your number 1 fiishing buddy. Then again, by now half of Lakeville knows where you will be if you get the urge for a little head inflation


Buzzsaw's comment is really general. 10 minutes from Lakeville can be anywhere in the Dakota or Rice county areas. There a litterly tons of small lakes and ponds as well as larger ones that hold nice fish.

I wouldn't really worry. Winterkill is probably a higher factor of scare...

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Bdiddy, settle down tonto! There are 100 ponds within ten miles/ten minutes of Lakeville... don't work yourself up so much... go be self righteous with some other group of people... maybe your church friends will listen to you!

Thanks Andy and NO KIDDING!! That poor guy must have gotten the beat down alot growing up.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I took a rest and a week off from fishing but got out yesterday(Sunday)cause of the nice weather fishing a few of my favorite small ponds & lakes.

I noticed the active bite has slow down significantly due to the colder weather and water temps. I did not catch any Walleyes or Sunfish. The Crappies however were still biting but they weren't as active. Live bait seems to be working better, especially crappie minnows & fatheads on slow retrieves. Most shoreline weeds is starting to die off or has completely dissapeared. Just last week the sunnies were still shallow, not a single sunfish I saw near the shore as I think they have moved in deeper water.

I saw that Sunday's nice weather brought a bunch of people out trying to get in some good fishing before the winter. Now is the time to hit the larger lakes and rivers.

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A fishin buddy and I caught 10 largemouth this evening in about 2 hours on a Dakota county pond close to my ma's house. 4 came off a jig n pig fished really slow. 5 came off a DT 4 crank and one on a plastic worm. Nothing over 3lbs today.

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I know the lake your talking about my brother lived there and leased the land for hunting until they put that road in there are alot of nothern in there and the crappies we put in there about 8 years ago the pond use to have a large population of big bass in there also along with sunnies I don't fish it anymore in the open water do to large amount of tournaments but still ice fish it. shoot me your email and I would meet you out there for some fun fishing it's a great little lake or pond.

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A pond by my house is full of very large bullheads and they are good eat'in! Most are over 12 inches and have bueatiful yellow bellies. if any one wants directions let me know i will gladly share this valuable resource if you are brave enough to fish in the ghetto. laugh.gif

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
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    • SkunkedAgain
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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • CigarGuy
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    • PSU
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    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
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    • SkunkedAgain
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