Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Mille Lacs Opening Week End


The Cranker

Recommended Posts

Well for starters it was dry although very cool on Opening Night Friday night at 12:01am. The walleyes are biting just about everywhere on the lake. That's a good start!,

The north end was most popular as many caught walleyes on slip bobbers and lindy rigs. (Night Crawlers and Leeches were the most popular choices. The sand and the rock sand transition areas producing fish.

The west side of the lake also had a good report as the rock and gravel transition was yielding some very nice fish. The wind and waves were a battle opening weekend though with those southwest winds. Fish were biting though.

On the south end their was some reports of allot of eaters and some very nice pike being caught in the Waukon, Isle Bay areas also in Kings Cove area.

The east side of the lake was also very good. Hennepin Island, Doe Island Reef, Big Point, 3 Mile, Flamingo, Lake Side and Agate Reef all reported a very good amount of action on walleyes. Fish the windy side of these structures and you will catch fish.

Allot of big fish being caught. I heard of a 32 incher caught on the east side. I haven't seen the fish, but heard this from a very relieable source. A VERY Nice Fish!!!

Tony Roach reported to me that his boat did very well and Tony was fishing the north end.

Steve Fellegy hasn't fished a opener on Mille Lacs in over 20 years. But Steve sent me this report yesterday;

"As predicted, I sat and observed one of the biggest opening day crowds ever, from my perch 68 ft. above the north shore.

Saturday reports from the north end varied as usual. The better fishermen did well and the rest got a handful. I think everyone got some fish...

So this morning, I looked out at the big southeast wind crashing in on the shore and recalled an early season morning such as this, when I was about ten years old.

That morning....I caught the limit for several people scheduled to fish on my dads launch....while they ate breakfast. I stood on the shore casting a bobber into the mouth of our harbor. 2 ft. of dirty of water. I sold them their limit for 50 cents per fish! Those outlaws were filled out BEFORE they left the dock!

So today I just HAD to do it. I had some leeches left from the last tourney in WI. The bobber rods were already rigged.

With spray from the waves already running off my glasses...I made my first cast into Mille Lacs for the '07 season. And a fat 22"er ate the leech immediately! Game on boys. 20 minutes later....wet shoes and all, I walked back to the house with 4 nice 16-17.5" walleyes. And released another 21"er in the process. All this while 3 boats passed through the mouth of the harbor enroute for where the walleyes were. It was funny to see the look on their faces as I hoisted a nice fish over the rocks and the crashing waves. People sitting in the Myr Mar Marina bar watched the show...as they planned their days fishing from their boat."

That's MY report!lol

SF

I thought everyone would enjoy that! Thanx Steve for sharing that with all of us.

For a great Mille Lacs fishing experience please contact Paul Waldowski at Appeldoorn's Sunset Bay Resort for a guide trip with any of our top professional guides like Steve Fellegy, Tony Roach and Tim Andersen. www.sunsetbayml.com

Look for my fishing reports here every week on Monday mornings all open water season. I will have detailed fishing reports from all around the pond.

Fish On!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a salesman, and I tend to be the most critical person in a crowd - but staying at Appeldoorn's this past weekend was one of the most enjoyable weekend outings I've ever had - even on opener!

The cabins looked very nice (especially the TV's), though we stayed in an RV. Paul went the extra mile to cart me around in the golf cart when I got there so I could check out all the RV sites before I made a decision - watch out, the guy is a NASCAR wanna-be! smile.gif

The service and friendliness from "The Cranker" and Paul Waldowski was outstanding, they were on afterburner all weekend, and still smiling Sunday, I don't know how many miles Paul logged on the tractor or what time he went to bed Friday night... speaking of which, if you haven't tried valet boat launching, do it! Talk about a painless experience! Its not just something you shouldn't let discourage you from using Appeldorns, its a reason to use them in the first place.

Rounding out the service kudos, was their eagerness to provide angling information, including walkthroughs on lake section maps and details of what to look for that you wouldn't know from generally available things, and that includes GPS maps...

Overall, I think what I like best about Appeldoorn's is that it is an angler's haven (thanks to the people who run it) but it is also a place you would proudly bring your family to. Clean & quiet with plenty of green space and shoreline, but under the calming exterior, there is a buzz of energy that you can't help but notice in the service.

Paul, Jim - please pass on "Thanks" to everyone at Appeldoorn's from Brad ("Blaze, the FM-aholic"), Greg ("Bonzai"), Jon, and Jim ("federline")!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jim,

Thank you so much for the kind words. I cannot even describe how much fun the opener was for us here at Appeldoorn's. I never got a chance to wet a line the whole weekend, but it was still my best opener ever.

The 17 groups that we had in here were so much fun to be around and to share the opener with them was a blast. We were able to give many tours of the resort and it seemed that many of them will definately be back for a second time.

It wasn't hard for Cranker and I to run all weekend long when we were having so much fun with all of the groups that we had. We look forward to seeing everone in the near future.

We will soon be posting the details of a fall tournament that we will be running out of the resort. Stay tuned!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paul:

You guy's looked busy I have a cabin down the road and I drove by the resort a couple of times every time I went by you were putting a boat in or taking one out. Don't know if you saw me I was on a White and red 4-wheeler I drove through up to the point a couple of times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright will do, is that your truck with all the stickers on it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep... Maroon Durango with all of the stickers smile.gif

Stop in anytime, as I'm always here and love to talk fishing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paul might swing by this evening depending on what time I get there. If it's much past six I will be hedding out onto the lake for the evening bite but will stop by sometime this weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
    • monstermoose78
      How is everyone doing? Holy moly it’s chilly this morning I stayed in bed and will hunt later today when it warms up.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.