Lake Byllesby?

[fishkaholic]

Any info on ice thickness and action? Any info would help. Thanks.

[FishinCT]

I have a solid foot of ice where I'm at on the north side. Cars driving all over the place but please be safe as it is a reservoir and the ice varies so much, atv travel is everywhere so thats a safe option. As for action everyone I've talked to has had it real slow, been getting a few walleyes a night from what i've heard.

[Spice1]

I have been out a number of times since 1st ice, Havent caught a thing yet. Fished the Rip-Rap, Bluffs, Pines, Point, and Gerlach Bay, have had 2 bites and not a fish to show for it. I have buddys who have been out as well, they have caught a few, but nothing to brag about. I havent been out in a week, but the best I saw in any of my trips out was 8 inches of ice, not sure where on the North side Ct is. He does make a solid point. I know a number of the guys that like to be the first vechiles on the ice, I watch every year as KIDS AS WELL AS ADULTS go driving down this lake like a highway (50-60 mph). You can hear the ice start cracking from a half mile away. They dont realize the damage they are doing at that speed. SORRY...Just wanted that out there...Be safe and drive smart and catch some fish!!

[FishinCT]

I'm fishing at the pines...and i'm sure you could very well still have 8 inches of ice 100 yards away from where i'm on 12..just how the lake is.

[FISHINGURU]

i've been about everywhere and the ice is 10-13 inches...last week i was finding 8-10....since when have the cars been out there everywhere? all i've seen is 1 truck driving along shore....i'm waiting until i see some big trucks pullin there shacks before i head out driving...hopefully soon.

i've caught some crappies and a few 18-20 inch eyes so far...it's been pretty slow everywhere...i've tried pepin and a couple other spots and the eyes are slow...must of been the full moon....the best bite was probably 11-3 in the morning.

[FishinCT]

There were 2 trucks out at the pines tonight..2 different ones from the one out there yesterday. Cars at some houses on the south shore. Cars driving across to the cemetary area from the west access since at least monday when we put our perm out.

Not necessarily saying its safe....

[FISHINGURU]

yeah i seen a guy pulling out a nice size wheelhouse with a blazer type vehicle today...he went right out from the cannon launch and went towards the cliffs.

i'll be waiting a little longer before i'm out there with a vehicle...reservoirs aren't the safest places around lol

them guys are crazy driving over by the cementary

[Spice1]

I wont go near there ever, seems like every year there is a vechile they have to fish out of the lake there. It never fully freezes, between the current and the shallowness of the area and the surface weeds it only freezes a few inches even in late Jan when the rest of the lake has 15' it will only have a couple.

[Peepers]

A couple questions for you guys familiar with Byllesby. When you mention potentially unsafe ice are you talking between the West launch and the cemetery area? Since the river comes in there and its shallow I assume that's where you're talking about.

Also where is The Pines?

I'm fairly new to the area & lake and am thinking of heading out there with the kids to try and find some crappies one of these days.

Thanks!

[FishinCT]

Yes if you go on at the west access you'll notice a group of houses straight across the lake from there that people have been driving to, don't go any more west of there and you should be fine. I refer to the pines as the other group of houses on the north end about halfway between the west access and and the north access/county park...action seemed to slow down there the last week I was home before pulling my house off and going back to school. I would recommend going deeper over toward the cliffs for crappies. Make sure you have a flasher if you fish deep they like to suspend. My 2 cents..good luck!

[gill54p]

my son and his friend where out at point a crossed from west landing last night got home at 6;30 this morn got 6 eyes. good fishing all.

[Peepers]

Well I've been out a couple times now with only a few marked fish and a couple bites. Are any spots better for pike than others? I tried some tip-ups on the shallow part of the point before it dives to the channel and no takers today. Couldn't coax anything out of the deep water either. Perhaps I left too early for the crappie/eye bite, I had to get the kids home for dinner. Does Byllesby get better later in the evening or do I have to keep trying some other spots? Maybe this is why you guys call it the dead sea...

[FishinCT]

Usually I don't even go out there until about 4 pm to get set up by the time the sun hits the trees. Then you might catch a few here and there throughout the night. Haven't been out there for a while now but it REALLY slows down this time of year..I'm sure the cold weather doesn't help anything. Its not a good lake for pike, personally I've never caught one there...don't hear of many caught either

[RedDog3]

I fished this lake for the first time last weekend... Was broke off by something big - assuming it was a pike. We caught 2 small eyes around sunset.

[heiman507]

Pike are pretty scarce in the lake, but can be found in some bays closer to shore where there is some weed structure during the open water.

The eye and crappie bite has really shutdown the last few weeks. Maybe get a few around two-finger time, otherwise have been getting a couple around 8-10 and 12-3 during the overnight. Have been getting a lot of the smaller ones (12-15") with a rare 18-21" on occasion. Fishing has been slow shallow and deep.

The best news has been that they have harvested 100s of thousands are rough fish out of the lake. One of the netters has said it has been one of their best harvests for carp in his 30 years. This will bw improving the possibilities for the gamefish!!

[Spice1]

They actually spoke to you huh... Myself and a buddy stood there next to their hole for over an hour watching them, no one would give us the time of day. It was really neat watching them though. I couldn't beleive the numbers of carp that came out of 1 net. They have a boom arm attached to a trailer and a regular landing size net attached to the end of that. They scoop into the net with the boom and pull out about 10 fish each scoop. Some of these carp were HUGE. Were talking 40+ inches. They sort them and keep all the big ones that they then sell to asian and jewish fish markets to make up their costs. The rest ended up in a pile on the ice the size of a full size pickup truck. I watched them during the hour I was there scoop 23 times from the 1 net. Pulling a full landing net of fish up every time. Never once did I see a fish other than a carp. Thought for sure Id see some nice eyes or a cat or sheephead at least, never did. All common carp and quillback carp. Just think about that for a minute...in the first week they had already netted over 10000lbs, they were 2.5 weeks in when I stopped out there. Thats alot of carp. Makes me wonder why the DNR hasnt put up a carp dam so it doenst get this bad ever again. Looking forward to a non-green lake some time down the road!!!

[Peepers]

wow, that's a lot of carp. Are they doing their netting on the shallow side of the lake?

Thanks for the info guys - I'll save my northern fishing for waters with more of the toothy monsters.

[MnSportsman]

They were taking them out near the Boy scout camp land where Prairie creek enters the reservoir. They have shut down now until spring. They damaged a lot of their nets on submerged stumps, but have taken 22 Tons of rough fish out so far. Their goal is 1 Million #'s according to the Cannon Falls Beacon article yesterday.

22,000 # is a far cry from 1,000,000 #'s so they have a long way to go. But I am Very Happy that they're gonna finally clean up the lake more.. It's about time!

[Spice1]

 Originally Posted By: MnSportsman

They were taking them out near the Boy scout camp land where Prairie creek enters the reservoir. They have shut down now until spring. They damaged a lot of their nets on submerged stumps, but have taken 22 Tons of rough fish out so far. Their goal is 1 Million #'s according to the Cannon Falls Beacon article yesterday.

22,000 # is a far cry from 1,000,000 #'s so they have a long way to go. But I am Very Happy that they're gonna finally clean up the lake more.. It's about time!

Actually the 22,000# mentioned under the photo in the paper was only the big pile that was left on the ice after they were done. All of the smaller ones they could not sell. Every day that they seined they took off numorous crates of the large ones that they could sell. Paper says 250,000#s so far...BIG DIFFERNCE!! Just wanted to point that out.

[MnSportsman]

You are right about the Big DifferencE...

I looked at the Photo & figured that the info there, was the same as the article...I didn't read the article right away. Just looked at the caption under the photo, when I grabbed the paper off the Beacon desk. Since the accompanying photo "usually" contains the same info as the article...

I stand corrected.

I haven't driven over to the "Boy Scout landing since last weekend. But it would bum me out if the left 22 tons of fice on the ice. If they did that I'd be surprised that the DNR wouldn't consider that "wanton waste" of the fish. & Man o man , what a stink later on. There aren't enough critters & birds out there to make that go away before melt out.

[MnSportsman]

I was out last nite 4:30 -7:45, I was thinking the front coming in, might make for a good bite at that time, But I only had 1 bite. Sure enough, the one time I go to my truck after setting up, I hear the rattle reel spin, & by the time I made it back into the shanty, the fish was gone. Bummer.... But, I guess I'll have to try again.

On another note, Some of the GOBS(Good Ol' Boys) I fish & hunt with made the local paper.

Picture & Article

There are a few other fishermen in the Beacon, but I don't know them.

[FISHINGURU]

thats how it always goes when ur ice fishin...u stare at ur bobber or rattle reel forever and nothin...soon as u look away or go do something quick ur bobber disappears or the reels start smokin lol

[Tom7227]

So what's the pile of dead fish look like now? Where did they go? Coyote opportunity?

[Spice1]

No, they removed it when they were done. Most likely it will become fertilizer for feilds...but not sure of that. Although I know for a fact that the coyotes, foxes and crows had their way with the pile while it was there, by the half eaten carp and the numourous game trails comming from the woods.