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Are we going to have a FL fish together this year or did I miss it? Last year was a good time. It would be nice to see you all again.

FLaker

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  • tunrevir

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Tonight was fun. During the late afternoon, I couldn't get my line down before a perch would hit. They were sure hitting which was a good sign.

Once the sun went down, the walleyes came in. I ended up landing two walleyes and around 3 crappies that came home with me. Had other fish on but with the downsizing of the lure it was hard to hook em. I gave up around 10pm since it seemed to slow down with the cold front moving in.

Not sure what it will be like with the cold on Saturday but maybe I'll at least give sundown a shot.

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Was out to the shack yesterday and into the early evening hours hoping for a walter or two but ended up with a small pike, one other run that hijacked my rattle reel never even felt the fish but seemed like a pike. Caught a few crappies but there were far more lookers then takers. Pretty darn slow with all of that wind. Did see a few crazy snowmobilers out and about in that maelstrom.

Tunrevir~

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Sat's wind was brutal in the portable. Especially when the the guys moved their wheel house we were using as a blocker ! Hope your trailer is ok after it fell off the ball.

4pm-8pm Managed a perch and 2 small eyes on lake 3 west of Shadyland in 25 ft. Missed a couple more. Deadstickin a fatheat on a red hook was getting the only bites. Like tunrevir said, lots of lookers no takers on the jigs. The vex was lit up along the bottom. No suspenders. If the wind keeps up, Fishaplaooza will be a circus ! Good luck if you're fising in it.

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Hey guys... that weather sure turned ugly. Tunrevir..I was out there at 0dark30 on Sat AM. No blips in 14, moved a few feet to 16 and saw some activity. Got a few small crappie a little before sunup and after. I was running 2 lines in the shack. Then kapow...my right line bobber did a deep 6, I grabbed it and set the hook. Zzzzzzzzzz....the game was on! My left line goes down, I grabbed it to get it outta the way, I feel the fish. Try reeling 2 rods at once....funnier than a one armed paper hanger. A third arm would have helped. Then tink..the left line is cut. So I drop it and get back to business on the first. Zzzzzzzz..... he takes another run. I cranked him up slowly and looked down the hole, a 5lb snake (29 inch) hooked in the side of the jaw. He came right up the hole. I grabbed him and it was over. Yep had my heart going in high gear.

Anyway, all activity ceased after that. It started snowing and blowing about 0900 and I hung it up at 1000. Back to the shanty for breakfast. Ya know its kinda fun listening to KFAN outdoors on Sat. AM being in the shack fishing instead of dreaming about it. Tun~ one of these days we will run into each other. That must have been your shack on the other side of the hole. Getting pumped about LOTW trip in one week...

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Sounds like you had a good day on the water Red! The crappies in my area have been running small as of late, the pike have been a variety of sizes and the walleyes have been 14-20" range. Funny how they bite like crazy one day and then the next they get lockjaw. Good luck on LOW.

Tunrevir

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G'morning guys...

Boy, it's been a while since I've been on the ice with the kind of wind that kicked up on Saturday afternoon. Brought the boys out and did the Wilkey tournament on 2nd. Was a great time. Nothing but sunnies and snakes, but they were biting, even after the front blew through, which suprised me. Five days til Fishapalooza, and everything's come together for it... Should be a great event.

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Last trip only produced small crappies for me on lake 3, we were in 30 fow and that was all we caught, and all that i could mark. I will be out there this afternoon chasing the crappies and eyes, i drive a black colorado with a blue voyagouer, If you got time feel free to stop by..

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Off topic a little, does anyone know if there is someone ON Forest Lake that stores fish houses? I tried Timms Marina but no answer. Thanks for the help.

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KJ,

Tims would be the only one that I'm aware of. I know he allows campers of all sorts. Not sure if he allows ice houses...

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KJ,

My dad's buddy used to store his fish house at place just up the hill from Willow Point. I'm afraid I don't have more info than that...there might be a sign advertising storage on that street however...I think it's Inman Ave N....the one just west of the willow point public launch parking lot. Sorry I'm not more help.

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Hi there everyone I am a newbie to FM. Just found this site on my quest for information on you great lake! A buddie of mine talked me into the Fishapaloosa tourney sounded like funso I said sure thing. My problem is he never fished this lake and neither have I. Due to lake of time I have not been able to make it out that way to check out the lake. I have studied the DNR website and my lake maps. but what I am looking for help with is the bottom structure, looks fairly flat in the contest area with what looks to be slight depth changes. is this a sandy bottom weeds? any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

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Mudpuppy, welcome to the FL super thread. This one just wont quit. Ive never fished in a tourny but Im sure it will be a real experience. Im guessing after the go, it will be a take what you can get affair. Anyway, page back through these pages and you will find lots of great info on FL. Look to Tunrevir's posts and there you will find the clues you are looking for. Good Luck on Saturday!! That one fish could do the trick.

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Welcome Muddpuppy. I haven't fished it either and am doing fishapalooza this Saturday. It's not going to be a shotgun start anymore. You can get out there at 9 AM if you want and scout and claim your hole. I'm taking my vex to check for water and structure. Good luck, if you see me out there I have the camo arctic armour will be with Big Wade (Can't miss him, lives up to his name) and kingfisher. Good luck, but I hope I outfish ya!!

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Thank you for the info. I went there and see some

old houses being stored there but nobody was home.

I will keep checking to see if it is still available.

Thanks again.

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See you there ! I was planning on getting out there about 8-830 to register and be one of the first out there. I will be dressed in all black Carhart's and a bucket. I alread kinda know where i am going depending on where they setup boundries. So good luck to you guys and better luck to me \:D and to change the subject a little...

Are the ice suits worth the $$? I have never been cold in the carharts but a bit bulky at times. I was looking into the ice suits this year but just don't know that they are all that. I have never seen anyone wearing one.

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If you are talking the Arctic Armour, yes, they are well worth it. You can search the threads and find more info. Very light weight and very warm. I use mine for hunting as well. Would spend the money again in a heartbeat if something happened to mine.

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muddpuppy,

I've got the same opinion about the Carhardts. I bought the super arctic thick ones, and while I practically have to get dressed in the garage (cuz they're so warm), I definitely feel a bit robotic moving around in them. It is nice fishing in shorts and a tee-shirt underneath them though...

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Fished last evening as the snow was moving in, 2 runs right around 6 p.m. 1- 17" walter and just air on the other one. Crappies were cooperative but undersized. Fuzzbient, nice walter on the eye thread. Flake does have some nice plump fish.

Tunrevir~

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There are some meaty critters in the lake. Last Friday I caught the fattest yellow perch I've ever seen. It had a droopy belly like a largemouth.

Got out Tonight and had a bit of luck. This 22 inch walleye hit on a dead stick fathead. A few crappies came through as well.

20080217-22inchwalleye-3-thumb.jpg

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Anyone get out this weekend? I fished for a couple hours Sunday night and got one walleye and some small crappies. The wind came up and it started sleeting so we called it an evening.

Tunrevir~

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I got out sunday a little bit. Caught one small walleye and had some other lookers but that was it. the wind was throwing my portable around so i called it quits early.

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With less than a week to go in the walleye season, anybody

going give up the hot walleye spot? I am on 3 around 16 ft with no walleyes for the season. Looking to end out the year with at least 1. Good luck all.

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Go hit up clear or something, i got a buddy that has done pretty well on walleye this winter, or head up 8 and hit one the lakes there

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One weekend left and it looks like it will be a warm one. Think I'll pull the shack off on Sunday, so Saturday will be the last harvest of the big fillets for the winter.

This has been my first winter really focusing on ice fishing for walleyes. In the past I've usually put the shack where the pike are migrating through. It's really been fun and a challenge fishing eyes, and I've learned so much. It's amazing how you can fish hours and not catch anything even though you see them on the vex, but you change up what you do and wham! Without the Vexilar I wouldn't have even known they were down there to coax.

Earlier in the winter I was hitting the walleyes jigging with a large glow jig and a rainbow chub. Then as January progressed they wouldn't hit that at all. I downsized to a very small crappie jig and crappie minnow and they would sometimes take that, but often were turned off by a jigging motion. I've finally switched to a dead stick with a fathead on a number six hook with a splitshot about 6 inches or less up to hold it in place. I keep it right off bottom and they now show interest in that.

This forum has been a huge help to me in understanding techniques and patterns of what is going on. I really have to thank all of you for steering me in the right direction and for some really great ideas on things to try! Good luck to you all next weekend.

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KJ, you probably won't get much response to your quest here on the forum. Fuzzbient seems to be on a pretty decent bite over your way and if he wants to share that's up to him. The three things you want to look for right now are: deep water with access to shallow water nearby(staging areas), Shallow water nearby needs to be a potential spawning site(gravel rocky area) and access to a flat that may be weedy either in between or nearby that will hold baitfish(feeding area). Find all of these things and you are in the money. The bite right now is short, maybe 45 minutes with an op at 1-3 fish as the sun sets. Start deep and put down setlines like tipups shallower and follow the fish in as the sunsets. 15' isn't a bad option if you have the right areas nearby. A side note, there are some shallower areas that hold fish year round that aren't getting any pressure right now that can hold some real hogs but you gotta be willing to put your time in and explore a bit. If you look at the three things I mentioned earlier that should get you close and or into fish. I have caught them this time of year as shallow as 6' but know the bottom content and the area and if it has access to the other 2 things I mentioned. Hope this steers you into the right direction. Half the fun of fishing is finding your own fish!

Tunrevir~

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One low tech but simple method is probe the bottom with a steel measuring tape. This will give you the depth and the substrate. If it is at all gravel based you'll feel and hear it with the tape. The other method is to look to the "rocky" areas outlined on some of the maps and use that to locate some of these gravel type bottoms. Lastly, in most waters where there are pencil reeds/bulrushes will usually be a sand and gravel type substrate. These areas will often hold multiple types of cover that will converge forming pivot points that fish will use. Find an area that has deep water acces a larger shallow gravel flat and some weeds and or a nearby breakline and that should put you near some fish. Lastly, Flake has a large population of weed walleyes meaning they spend most of the summer and winter in or around the edges of weedlines. Sometimes they hold as shallow as 3' and sometimes as deep as 15' on the edges. Hope this helps.

Tunrevir~

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Just to add to Tunrevir's great advice, if you go to the MN DNR website and hit the Lake Finder, you can pull up a PDF map of the lake with structures shown. This will show you the reeds on the edges as dotted lines, and the deep holes or submerged islands. You can look at the closest deep holes or interesting structures in relation to those reed points. Look between these two at depths from 9 to 18 feet and target the tighter curved structures. A good hint is if you can find the large schools of perch on a decent depth transition during the day, you may hit gold around sundown.

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