Fishing on 11Th Crow Wing

[Leeoutdoors]

My Family is going fishing this weekend and next week. I was wondering how the fishing is going... I fished the lake many times and only came up with little northerns and sunnies on the north and east side of the lake. Can anyone give us the help the improve the fishing??? After the trip I will post our results. Thanks

[Kasota]

I've had a cabin on the west side of 64 since 1994. I've fished the lake on both sides of 64. My experience has been a similar one. Although, we've got lucky a few times with the bigger sunfish, and crappies. I will be up there this weekend, and over the 4th. Plan to try a few surrounding lakes, but will fish the 11th some, at least for Walleyes.

[solbes]

I was up last weekend for the third time this year. I had finally gotten our baby girl to bed at just before midnight on Thursday, so decided to try a little "new moon" trolling. Hooked into something big over on the east end. It was so dark I was thinking big walleye, but after 5 minutes or so a 36" pike came up to greet me. Nice shoulders on that fish, but unfortunately no good way of taking a picture by myself so back she went. There are bigger ones out there for sure, just haven't caught them yet.

[Kasota]

Great to hear, I've caught a few northerns on that side, but all about hammer handle size. I did get a 24" walleye on that side a couple years ago. Can't wait till Friday night, although it will be almost dark by the time I get on lake, so I'll be staying on my side of culvert.

[Bluegill1510]

Kasota, just curious how big (size wise?)are the bigger bluegills and crappies? Just curious I've driven past that lake hundreds of times going up to Bemidji for college but never driven down to the 11th to fish it.

[hawghunter001]

If your looking for panies all the way on the east end to the north side big cabbage bed out there you might be able to pull a good fish fry of keepers out of there crappie and sunnies Northern on the south side by the rushes troll big baits they want big usually walleyes at night late after dark tough lake to do that where they are at structure changes fast 25-5 ft in the length of the boat and there are more under water points than any map will show you there is a 30ft flat west end north side pulled a lot of eyes off it

[Kasota]

When I have found them, they've been in the 10"-12". But they have been hard for me to find. And only on the north side. Hawghunter is right on with the structure comment, espescially on the south side. By the time you see it on the depth finder, you can already be in 4ft.

[solbes]

My experience is the same on the larger pannies. Far east end in the cabbage. If you're new to the lake, trolling for northerns during the day (east basin, 16-20') will at least get you some action. If you have a way of dealing with the bones, the 20-24" fish are plentiful for the pan. Please throw back the larger ones though!

[Leeoutdoors]

Thanks for the Ideas and tips...

May the sun be at your face and the wind at your back...

I will reply with the results

Thanks Again..

[Bluegill1510]

Thats cool Kasota, good to hear you can get into some big bluegills there. I think fishing the lake a certain time of the year will get you the bigger ones too. But I just never thought about fishing it because of being right on 64 and having Akeley so close, that it just gets hammered. I tend to stay off of lakes that get pressured alot, and try to find honeyholes that many people don't know about or don't fish much at all. But then sometimes guys do overlook lakes too, and can think there isn't any big fish in them but on the contraire there are plenty of nice fish for a guy by himself and when he has the spot to himself (which is hard). I just gotta get back up north to live like I was last year, cuz I don't belong down here by the concrete jungle!

[Leeoutdoors]

Well here is my report...

I tried this year to stay on the west side of the lake, the sunnies were still on the small side. But my family had good luck on the north west side by the fill. The family caught 2 to 3 pound bass there off the the edge of the weed bank. The norhtern bite wasn't good at all on this side.

Thanks to everybody who gave me some tips.