where to take my son shore fishing this weekend

[bottomfeader]

my 10 year old son and i are looking for a good lake to shore fish some crappies.

i was going to try tetonka or sakatah but have never been to the area let alone the lake. we just moved to dodge county from big lake and need a crappie fix.

any tips would be great....Thanks

[jigging-matt]

Welcome to the best website around. You will find it almost addicting. As for your fishing, not sure where you are at, but Lake Kohlmeir in Owatonna is a great spot for Crappies and Sunnies. Not a lot of size but an almost nonstop bite. Clear Lake in Waseca is also a good spot for Crappies. They have a couple of fishing piers, and you can fish off of the south end of the lake by the hwy. Good luck this weekend, am going to try to get my daughter out this weekend also.

[B.P.]

I plan on taking my boy to clear lake,where are the fishing piers located

[V-12 Merlin]

Welcome, bottomfeader! I'm from Dodge County, too. For sunnies, you might try Naylor's Pond, north of Claremont. It's not the greatest fishing, but it's easy to get to. It's an old gravel pit that the DNR stocked with Sunfish one time, and it's maintained as a wildlife management area.

I haven't been to that pond in Owatonna, but have heard quite a few people talk about places to go over there. That might be better for Crappies. If you're a little more adventurous, you might try the Waterville area - there are quite a few places to shore fish over there (Sakatah and Tetonka).

But, I digress.... To get to Naylor's Pond, I'd start on Highway 56 between West Concord and Dodge Center. About half way in between is an intersection for Cty Rd 16 - it's paved to the east, but gravel to the west. Take the gravel to the west and go one mile. There will be a 4-way intersection, and turn left to take the gravel road to the south. Go about half a mile and you'll come to a little bridge. Just south of the bridge, there will be a driveway on the right (west) - that's the parking lot for Naylor's Pond. You'll need to park and then walk back about a couple hundred feet to the pond. There are trails almost all the way around the pond, so you can try different spots.

Like I said, the fishing isn't fantastic, but there are fish in there (so long as you're not too picky about size), and it's easy to get to. I'd probably try Owatonna first, because you can probably leave Naylor's for a mid-week after-dinner destination.

[V-12 Merlin]

I did a quick search on Kohlmeier in Owatonna, and this is what I found out:

In Owatonna: Take Highway 14 to Cedar Avenue, go north one-half mile to 18th Street SW, then go about one mile to Mosher Avenue. The fishing pier is on the west shore.

Lake Area (acres): 32.00

Littoral Area (acres): 32.00

Maximum Depth (ft): 14.00

Water Clarity (ft): 13.00

Fish present:

Black Bullhead

Black Crappie

Bluegill

Green Sunfish

Hybrid Sunfish

Northern Pike

Yellow Bullhead

Yellow Perch

[V-12 Merlin]

B.P. - I don't fish Clear Lake very often, but they have shore fishing and pier fishing opportunities right along Hwy 14 as you drive by. That might be a good place to start.

Can someone else address Clear Lake? I know we have forum members who spend a lot of time over there.

[rkuster]

On Clear lake the south side along hwy 14 is usually a good spot to start. Although it was'nt much good a week ago, maybe better with the warmer weather. It gets pretty crowded some times. You can also follow the walking path and have some luck. The peer is in the south west bay by the landing. You can park there and walk to the peer. I've never caught any crappies from there but have gotten some sunnies.

[fishingboy2008]

well if ur looking for some quick hot action there is always the trout ponds in st. peter altho its not the kind of fishing u are looking for. just a sugesstion!

[bottomfeader]

wow!! thanks for all the tips, i let ya know where we ended up and how we did.

Thanks again from both of us