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Grindstone Lake Fishing Reports


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Anyone having luck with lakers this year? We located small lakers on opener 60-75 FOW on the south cigar bar. Any depth working for you lately?

-Minner

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our biggest was 16 in. which we released a couple of weeks ago off the humps. my brother has been there twice since then and has cought 4 with all released except one 3 pounder off the adubon point in 40 ft of water off the bottom. other smaller ones were cought in the smelt hole suspended fishing for smelt. good luck.

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Has anyone fished Grindstone lately?

Was hoping to give smelt fishing a try before the season end.

Any reports/update will helps.

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i responded to your request on the cambridge thread also. if all your after is smelt they will be there when you arive. i gave a little more detail on the cambridge forum. good luck.

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ok, this might of been discussed before, but i'm new so i just have to ask. i'm looking for a boat launch on grindstone. or a acess to the lake that does not involve driving down a dip. i was up on the lake last weekend and found a acess on the NW corner next to a barn. but that has a little dip into the lake. i read in the MN DNR website that there is supposed to be a concrete boat launch around that area somewhere. but cant seem to locate it on google maps satelite images. so i'm thinking the only access is the one i took earlier this week. if there are no acess that is not so dangerous, can we park on the street next to the lake? the reason why i am asking is because i want to go again, but this time dont have a all wheel drive truck, and dont want to be stuck trying to exit the lake. any help would be appreciated. thanks.

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yes there is an access on the lake. what you drove out on was a spot where the dnr stocks trout from. most drive out from there on hard water. all you have to do is drive a little further up the road from the red barn and you will see the boat landing sign. there is a culvert with the grindstone river running under it by where you turn into the access. just drive up from the red barn keeping to your right and you will see the access sign. the access has a concrete ramp with a dnr dock. the landing is not big boat freindly during late summer if water levels drop due to the lack of rain. the landing is an extention of the river.

it is not a deep landing as far as putting your motor down and taking off. i have a 18.50 crestliner with a 115 hp and i tilt it up all the way out. you will see as you start to enter the lake itself it will still be shallow and then drop into the deep water quickly. there is also a toilet at the landing. anymore info just ask. good luck.

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ok, now i see the boat launch, it blends in with the background so you cant tell with google maps. thanks so much. i was wondering if Grindstone is open for smelt fishing still, since the season has come to an end for most species. and also, that boat ramp, since its a part of the river, is it frozen enough to drive on? or should i just take the red barn route.

thanks.

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fishing for smelt is year around. no closed season. along with panfish you can still fish for trout in grindstone until march 31. you would need a trout stamp for that. as far as driving out from the boat access i'm not sure at this time. depends a lot on snowfall. most of the time people drive out from there. i have just driven out by the red barn this year. if you dont want to drive out, you could park at the boat landing and walk out to the lake go left as you walk out into deeper water. once you get into 60 feet you should be able to see smelt on the flasher suspended. to the left of the boat landing in the bay is the smelt hole where you normaly see a few vehicles together. dont know the driving conditions at the present time. good luck.

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So tbese smelt are actully locatedon the north part of the lake only. I would assume they are just all over. Do they bite more at night or is it the same all day and night.

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smelt are all over. they bite all day. the smelt hole is simply called that for it's a place were anglers go, kind of like a mini crappie villiage. i've never seen more than 8 or 10 vehicles at a time spread out. sometimes you will be the only one. you will see a few holes drilled in one area so you will know your on the spot.

the area i spoke of [smelt hole] has depth from 60 to 80 feet mostly. you will see them suspended, much like crappies. they come in large schools and thats the time to drop a small jigging spoon with a minnow head or eurolarva on it. i have cought them in 40 ft. suspended and on the bottom. use your panfish gear, with a sensitive rod tip to watch for the light tap. good luck.

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Holy smokes!! I can't believe I didn't know about this site, and the treasure trove of information here. I too am looking for some additional information on Grindstone. Not so much interested in smelt as I am rainbows. Are they still to be had on this lake this time of the year? I was pondering heading out this weekend to give it a shot, but don't know where to start.

During the summer, I think they are in the smelt hole I keep reading about, but what about now? Deep water, shallow water? What are they willing to hit? The lakes I fish in my area, the rainbows are normally swimming right under the ice, same true here?

I fear this could be an addictive site, with fishing and hunting all rolled into one...

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first of all, welcome to HSO. everything you want to know is right here, and every day of the week. if you haven't noticed already on this thread, there is information on this lake you wont find anywhere else. grindstone is stocked with rainbows twice a year. once a year with browns and lake trout. the season remains open till march 31. you will need a trout stamp and live bait in this lake is allowed for it is not a designated trout lake.

i'm thinking of heading out on the grind saturday myself. on the north west side of the lake is what's called the "red barn". right there you will see where people drive out on the lake. good idea to get a contour map of the lake. seems like you have fished for rainbows before, as you have said they swim just under the ice. that is true out in the deep water. although they are all over because they do roam a lot, you will have your best shot in the shallows.

i'm talking less than 10ft. fun to sight fish for them. use light gear. bring your panfish equipment and a rod with 6lb test or less. a small copper pimple with a minnow head on it works good along with waxies or eurolarva. small jigs also with eurolarva or waxies will work. of course they have to be cooperative just like anywhere you fish, and when they are they will hit your presentation hard. if the rainbows are a little finiky then use a small minnow under a bobber.

brown trout are in the shallows also along with being suspended out in the deeper water. lake trout are generaly deeper in the grind but i have cought them as shallow as 20 ft. and then there are the smelt. they are all over the lake generaly in deeper water suspended. the smelt hole is arround 80 feet where most people fish and you will see many holes there. you will see suspended smelt that will appear much like crappie on your flasher. small spoon with a minnow head will work for them. you may also catch crappies and lake trout while going after smelt. let me know if you need any other information. good luck.

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Holy smokes!! I can't believe I didn't know about this site, and the treasure trove of information here. I too am looking for some additional information on Grindstone. Not so much interested in smelt as I am rainbows. Are they still to be had on this lake this time of the year? I was pondering heading out this weekend to give it a shot, but don't know where to start.

During the summer, I think they are in the smelt hole I keep reading about, but what about now? Deep water, shallow water? What are they willing to hit? The lakes I fish in my area, the rainbows are normally swimming right under the ice, same true here?

The same thing can be true here. On the east side, at least I think it's the east side. Correct me if I'm wrong reinhard1. Right where you drive by on the tarred county road, there is a stream flowing in. I used to catch rainbow's there by fishing where there was only about a foot of water right under the ice. Use 4# test mono and a #12 fine wire hook baited with a crappie size minnow. Never did gangbuster's but always managed to get a few. A shiny gold sunfish jig baited with waxie's also worked. Be sure to use the smallest possible styrofoam bobber to barely keep it afloat. Leave the bail open on your reel. You only have to take 15 or 20 step's to the north from there to find 40 feet of water. That's where I could catch all the smelt I wanted. Not sure if it was legal but sometime's I would tie on a second hook on a dropper and catch them 2 at a time! The bottom start's to drop very sharply not very far out from where the stream enter's so I would drill hole's at various depth's and use your flasher to see if you can find where the fish are hanging out. I wish I could go down there fishing again. Really miss fishing Grindstone. Good luck! grin1DIRTBALL wink

I fear this could be an addictive site, with fishing and hunting all rolled into one...

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that would be on the north west side. there is a very small creek entering the grind just a few feet south of the red barn entry spot. the grindstone river enters the grind from the boat landing area on the north west side as well. you can get to deeper water quicker from the landing. also on the south side of the grind it is shallow for a ways and then drops off quickly to deep water as well. you can park on the south side and walk out from there. good luck.

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I fear this could be an addictive site, with fishing and hunting all rolled into one...

Oh my, you have NO idea. grin Welcome!

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I've fished this lake before in the summer, around the first part of June for rainbows (trolling over the winter smelt hole) and crappies (south beach) with great success. We usually make it down there once or twice during June. Lakes up this way don't get really good for walleye until later in June, so we need something to go after. There are big fish in Grindstone as we've pulled a 15 pound northern out of there. Must be all of the baitfish (smelt?) that's available?

Never had the inkling to head down during the winter to check it out. I live up by Cloquet and prefer heading "north" for trout during the winter, but Grind might be fun in the winter.

Thanks for the tips.

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the rainbows that you were talking about, you can get all over the lake. the smelt hole bay is one of my favorite places to troll for them. i just stay in deep water and make one big circle. june is actualy the best month for rainbows near the surface. you are right about the pike in there. good luck.

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Yea, we've found that smaller silver colored spoons work great trolling in that bay for Rainbows. Folks must spear for northern in that lake in the winter?

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yes definatly silver spoons. i somehow have a preference for gold or copper. anyway they both work. rainbows have gotten bigger over the years. i cought a 19 incher which was my biggest. in years past 14inches would be a big one. browns are the tough one to figure out. i used to get some on hard water but not this year or last. this year i'm going with a downrigger. one person on top the other on the downrigger maby 25 feet down in june.

every year you seem to have the same spear shacks on the grind. they used to be only on the north west bay but now are scattered on the east shore also. i know there are pike over 30 pounds in the grind. and not just one or two. after may the big girls head for the depth for the cold water. good luck.

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I've only caught one brown on Grindstone, but plenty of rainbows. Seems pretty easy to get a limit once June rolls around. I have yet to see one bigger than 15 out of there, most common seems to be around 12 inches.

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my biggest came through the ice. i remember one time [ in the early 70's] long before they put the cement ramp in we used to come back to the boat landing for lunch and a couple of beers. the river was pretty high at the time and it was in may. my dad threw out a nightcrawler and a small splitshot and just let it lay out there in the landing area. well he ended up getting a nice rainbow about 2 pounds.

there are some bows that escape the angler and the jaws of the big pike in the grind. once in a while the dnr stocks breeder rainbows and browns, some up to 5 pounds. the rainbows life span is not that long, but the browns do get big. as you probably know the state record came out of the grind at one time. so far the big browns have been smarter than me. i have seen them cought over the years up to 8 pounds. my biggest is five [ on hard water]. truly a challenging lake. good luck.

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trying to get up fishing this weekend heard red barn access getting bad is that true? hows the ice and snow conditions not from the area and we got different weather here reinhard1 (or anybody) ever fished the southern 60-70foot hump next to the deepest water? interested in the spot bringing my son that has never caught a laker or smelt so thats my goal will post results if weather permits us to get there not keeping any fish so no worries on us fishin it out ha ha

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that entry point by the barn does get bad when the weather warms up. not much different with a lot of access's this time of the year. if its the case of not feeling comfortable to drive out you could park on the south end of the lake and be close to deep water withing 50 yards. locals swim there, for it is relatively shallow there but will drop off quickly.

the hump you speak of is a great place for lakers. there is a local who usualy puts his small perm there but i didn't see it this year. you could also park at the boat landing and be close to deep water as well. i have cought lake trout there as well. this time of year i start to get a little leary of driving on the grind. lots of springs near and on the shorelines. the east side gets murky from the run off from the springs and melting snow.

so there are still rainbows to be cought in the shallows. panfish at the crib by the barn. and of course smelt. good luck.

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Has anyone tried using the smaller Sutton spoon's on Grindstone? I've caught many rainbow's on those bad boy's! grin 1DIRTBALL wink

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the subject of sutton spoons came up last year. at the time i never thought of using suttons mainly because you need weight to get them down to be effective. this year they are on the agenda for my downrigger. they should be awesome. good luck.

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Is anyone headed up tomorrow or Saturday? I'd like to head down before the access gets too bad, but don't want to make the drive if I can't get my truck out on the ice.

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i'm thinking of saturday myself. not being able to drive on the lake will not make a difference. you can get to fishable water easy as i stated above. i will post tommorow if i'm going for sure. i may get the grandkids to take care of along with the new yellow lab pup. if not i will be there. season dont close till march 31 for trout on the grind so you have some time. good luck.

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Going to grind next weekend in hopes of getting some lake trout, looking for some good suggestions on what to use for bait, I am planning on setting a tip up with either a sucker, shiner, or what ever else might work. What is the best thing to use for jigging, airplane, tube, buck tail??? I fished grind for the first time last summer and really liked it, I figured i would like to try hard water before the season ends for trout. Any and all help would be appreciated, thanks.

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actualy all those lures you mentioned would work. as always the lakers have to be in the mood as well. when i fish for lakers i usualy have 8lb test for jigging and 10lb on my tip ups. i generaly use pimples and slender spoons tiped with minnow heads. one guy i fish with uses pretty much white tubes tipped with half a minnow with the stomach sliced open.

that 60-70 foot hump on the south east end is a good spot. the point off the audobon property on the east end is good where it drops to about 40ft. there is also a hump of that point just a little north of the point that tops off at 25 ft. the humps on the north west side are also where i have gotton some. if they dont cooperate try for rainbows just under the ice in deep water or on the shorelines in 10ft or less. small spoon and minnow head or tipped with a waxie or eurolarva. and if they dont bite well i would go in 80ft or water and look for the smelt. they are usualy suspended. the thing is where the smelt are crappies, lakers, and some browns are also.

i was hopping to be there tommorow and still might be. depends on the grandkids. otherwise i will be there during the week. good luck.

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Thanks Reinhard,

No matter if they cooperate or not, at least I will be fishing and not at work. All I am hoping for is a little action, and if I am lucky, a fish or two. I got some lakers last summer up there and really enjoy fishing them, it does get addicting. I am anxiously awaiting for the ice to leave so I can get the boat in:)

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    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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