Grindstone Lake Fishing Reports

[joeyquicksand*]

I'm going to try and get some lakers this weekend, but don't know where to begin. I've never been lake troutn' so, can someone give me some tips on what to use, how to do it, etc.?

[JBMasterAngler]

Was there last week and caught 1 little laker on small orange jigging spoon with waxies. You'll definitely need electronics to find the suspended fish. I'd start at 30 ft of water for jigging, and 40 to 60 ft with a tip up. I always jig off the bottom (unless I mark suspended fish) to start. With the tip up (use shiners, small sucker minnows, or frozen smelt) I suspend the bait either 10 to 15 off bottom of halfway down. I like using white and/or blue jigs. Bucktails, airplanes, swedish pimples, white power grubs also. Staying away from the crowds is more important for trout than any other fish, so you might find yourself out in the middle of the lake in over 100 ft searching for lakers. There's also rainbows in grindstone as well, waxies and eurolarvae with panfish gear will catch them. Good luck and let us know how you do.

[joeyquicksand*]

So, we ended up at grindstone around 3pm on sunday in about 35-40 ft of water. I got a brown trout that was about 7 inches, and another that was about 9inches. Caught them both on crappie minnows. My auger didn't work after that, either because i put some crappy gas in it, or it was just too darn cold to start... i think it was the gas though, so we didn't get to move out to some deeper water for the lakers. I will hopefully be back soon. Boy was it cold in the pack shack.

[JEH_FISH]

Hey guys. I haven't been to grindstone yet this year. Is anyone driving out there? How much ice did you find?

Josh

[kettlekid]

Plenty of Ice. Full size vehicles have been driving for over three weeks. Good ice too. Didn't form until after our early snows. For Lakers hit the 3 rock piles about 1/2 way down on the west side. They come up to about 35' out of 90', or try the 70' hump on the southeast corner area. There is a house on that one.

[bassphish2005]

Joey,how do you like the Pak shack? I was going to pick one up at the end of the season this year if they clearence them out.....should I or not?

[joeyquicksand*]

The pack shack is great, i have the 3 man, but really you only want two in there. It is light weight, very portable, and fairly durable. Great, especially for the price!

[matthothand]

Use any color you want as long as it's white. Jigging spoons, tubes, swim baits all work. When you graph a fish make them chase it up. When the screen is blank I prefer to start at the top and cover different portions of the water column on my way down. Then I'll work back up to the halfway point and jig aggressively there and perhaps lure a fish in to the area. Fish see up better than down and if you get them to chase it up they will often commit all the way.

[blueroof]

 Originally Posted By: matthothand

Use any color you want as long as it's white.

Wish I would have known the rule of white earlier. Me and a Buddy fished Grindstone this past Saturday and Sunday. Found a pod of nice gills in an attempt to locate some rainbows along the east shore, pretty much directly across form the old red barn. That ended up keeping us busy most of Saturday. Picked up one small laker out in 38' on a chrome blue jigging rap late in the day.

Sunday we couldn't find too much willing to bite. We fished the sunken island a bit south of the barn and got some perch off the bottom and one small laker that hit good 10' off the bottom. We had a quite a few fish that would follow actively almost to the surface, but they were not willing to bite. Maybe white would have been the key? Got one rainbow off the east shore in 10' trying to find the gills again later.

LB

[JEH_FISH]

Went out on sunday. Had a pretty good day... catching around a dozen lakers and a few crappies to boot. The strangest thing, one of the crappies came off the bottom in 63 feet of water!!! Never caught one that deep before. It swelled up like a balloon.

Waxies and minnows worked for us. Had a few fish chase bucktail jigs tipped with belly meat, but nothing would commit to it.

Whats the biggest laker anyone has caught off Grind? I've never really caught/seen a big one out there, but know they are around.

-Josh

[blueroof]

 Originally Posted By: JEH_FISH

Whats the biggest laker anyone has caught off Grind? I've never really caught/seen a big one out there, but know they are around.

My buddies father lives on Grindstone, he said his cousin caught a 12.5 lb laker early last week. LB

[BRULEWADER]

i caught one last summer just a hair shy of 16 lbs and have had bigger ones right to the boat. this winter my biggest so far was 25". does anyone know if there is a bait store within an hour of sandstone that has fresh hering?

[joeyquicksand*]

i'm heading up this weekend. Its going to be nice!

[joeyquicksand*]

I was up there this weekend, 45 ft by the rock mounds, got 2 small browns, and one bigger 14-15inch rainbow. It was fun, but we couldn't find the lakers. Most success came from hook and minnow... maybe i'll go back this weekend and give it another whirl.

[big time fisher]

Ya im going up there for opener i been fishing up there for the past three year catching rainbows but i have no luck catching lakers i caught one my second year out there but i was not trying... when i go out there what is a good depth to catch them at....well if anybody could help it would be really great.... thank u.

[pipestonestraw]

Does anyone have any pointers on where to find the trout on this lake? Going up opener weekend for the first time, Would love to catch some lakers. But if any one has any pointer on were to find the rainbow and or the brown trout that would be great.....Thanks

[pipestonestraw]

Also has anyone been on this lake this year yet ? how thick is the ice, are people driving on it? Its a pretty deep lake I was just wondering what quality the ice was... Thanks for the info if anyone has it

Brad Straw

[mattkimk]

you do know opener is not until next thursday right? Figure with new law change CO's will havea field day this weekend

[BRULEWADER]

ill be out there tomorrow. ill post what the ice conditions are like.

[pipestonestraw]

Yes, the 15th I know, I will be up there the 17th the saturday of opener. But none the less thanks for the warning....

Brulewader--Thanks that would be great, that will greatly change my game plan for that weekend if I know what the ice is like.. Thanks again

[BRULEWADER]

No one is driving out yet. There was about 4 inches of slush and 4 inches of snow on top of the ice on the west side about 100 yards out, right around there is 6 inches of good clear ice and the same amount of bad cloudy ice. further out in the middle around 115fow there was 3 inches of good ice and 3 inches of bad covered in 3-4 inches of snow(no slush). i doubt there will be anyone driving by opener but sleds will be fine for sure, 4 wheelers might have a hard time in the snow and slush unless we get some really cold weather to freeze it.

[KG243]

BRULEWADER thanks for the ice report, looks like we will be getting the cold weather we need. I was looking and should have a pretty good freeze up for a good 4 or 5 days. Also I didnt see a temp above freezing in the 10 day forcast so hopefully things will stiffen up for us guys that have too walk out! I am stoked for my first year fishing trout through the ice!!!

[pipestonestraw]

BRULEWADER--Thanks for the update on the ice. I live in the south west tip of the state, so knowing what I'm walking into up there will really help me pack... Thanks again....oh and by the way did you catch anything while you were up there?

Straw

[MuntzAngling]

Hey pipestone, I'll have a group of 5 fishing as Team Surebite over the weekend. Look for me starting later on friday. I may be able to help with the lakers.

Andy Muntz

Blue Genz shack with letters (MUNTZ) on the front!

[mwodziak]

Does anyone have current ice conditions? Hoping the cold spell will help the ice up there.

[KG243]

mwodziak i think the above ice conditions are as good of a report as you are going to get until after this weekend.

I will be up on friday sun up to sun down in qwest for my first laker and of course some rainbow for the grill!

[pipestonestraw]

SSminner---Some pointers would be great, I will be up there with about eight guys-- a black frabil house cabin style---two flip over houses, and a homemade house.....

Good luck, see ya up there

[Jari Razskazoff]

Its gonna be as crowded as bald eagle this weekend it sounds like... should be a great time.. i'll be with the ssminner...

[KG243]

I will be where the fish are!!!

[Neiko]

Is it safe to park at the access and take the snowmobile out from there where the creek goes into the lake? Planning on heading out Sunday.