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Grindstone Lake Fishing Reports


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hey, dont be a stranger on this thread. you will probably see me out there on open water starting right off on opener. love meeting guys on HSO. i have been fishing this lake for over 40 years. you could call that addicting, others say i"m crazy. may is a good time for some big pike also before they head deep. good luck.

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Might head up tomorrow, tan RAV4. Hoping to get into a laker, rainbow or brown. Look me up if you like. First time on this lake if I can actually make it.

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thanks mike, but it looks like i have to [along with my wife] watch the grandkids and the new yellow lab pup. cant miss those moments. we have to hook up. i would love to take you on a trout journey, if not the grind maby up north. i will be up on the grind during the week [next week]. plus a few more times trout/crappies, before the ice is out. keep in mind the month of may and june. fun times on the grind. you got my email so keep in touch. good luck.

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I did opener up on grind last year and it was a very good time, is there any camp sites around the area??

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banning state park is very close to the grind. i would say 5 to 6 miles north of the sandstone exit of 35w. it has 35 campsites and is right next to the kettle river. that's about as close as you can get. opener has your best shot at shallow lakers. i have cought them trolling with a deep diver plug in twenty feet. the big pike are roaming the shorelines also. i have had my best luck on them on sucker minnows at that time.

my brother cought his biggest laker on the grind [ 15lbs ] off the south west hump in 35 feet. and of course the rainbows on the surface all over. but june seems to be better for them. good luck.

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Reinhard,

Do you do any netting for smelt in the spring on this lake, you never here of this any more, when I lived up north it was the first sign of the fishing season, and the smelt fries where fantastic:)

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there are people that use dip nets in the river comming into the grind. they are closely watched be the dnr. i have never done it myself. i talked to a guy who lives on the east side and he dips in the creek comming into the east end on audobon property. he gets permission, and gives the smelt for a local smelt fry. he told me they are thick in there at times. i'm glad they dont let anyone else smelt there for the area would be quickly trashed. i get all i need ice fishing for them and vacume pac em for frys during the year. good luck.

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was on the grind sunday at a 70 foot hump near the middle of the lake new spot for me but i like moving around got 5 lakers 2 crappies and 1 smelt between 3 of us lots of fish graphed but hard to get to bite my son finaly got his first laker the smile on his face was worth everything thanks everyone for posts they help greatly

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that hump is a good spot. like i said before there was a small perm on it for many years. it sounds like you did very well. the crappies tend to be with the smelt suspended. lakers also. did you get the lakers supspended or off the bottom? i have gotten them both ways. happy to hear your son got his first laker. he will remember that one for a while. thanks for posting your results. good luck.

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i guess sunday was a good day on the grind. my son-in law works with someone who have relatives near the grind. and that person said that her uncle and some friends were fishing the south eastern side and counght some rainbows, crappies and one brown. i will be up there this weekend to give it another shot. good luck.

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Sunday was a good day to be out there, weather and fishing. Got 3 nice crappies and 2 rainbows. Fished the East shore close to the beach in about 30 feet of water. I think I was right on the drop-off since I marked 60 feet about 10 feet further out. Crappies hit waxies on a yellow jig about 10 feet of the bottom and the rainbows hit a chub. Rainbows were 2 feet under the ice.

I walked out from the beach area, so I didn't have a chance to check out the landing to see how bad it was.

Some locals that I was chatting with said that this was one of their better years on hard water out there. They pulled up 3 lakers that I saw, and caught an accidental northern that went about 10 pounds. Don't recall their names, but if you're on here, thanks for the lunch! I may try to head back out there this weekend, if the weather allows it. My guess is that it will be quite tough to even drag something out with a bunch of water on top.

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who knows but it may have been the relatives of the gal my son in law knows. they were fishing the same area. i will be there next sunday with my son in law to spend the day. i have at least been able to walk out and take the portable if i needed it. i'm glad you had a good day. rainbows are always just under the ice or in the shallows. i have caught crappies on hard water in 100 ft of water but 30 ft down. they will be suspended this time of the year like any lake. lake trout are there also. they are predicting rain next sunday also [light] but i will be there. thanks for the report. good luck.

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the 70 foot hump we were on is straight north of that big hump really small but easy to find with gps and good map lakers were caught at 70 feet and at 35feet thats where the smelt and crappies were tried under ice for bows but never got a bite figured they were there but not interested

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ok, the hump i was speaking of is more in the center of the lake a little south of the audobon point. anyway you had some luck and that is all that matters. there are some big crappies in the grind. that 30 ft suspended deal out in the deep water is pretty much concistant all over. i see rainbows swimming by the hole inside my portable now and then. while they are out there, you have a better chance for rainbows in the shallows.

i'm going out there for the day on sunday with my son-inlaw. good luck.

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crappies were very nice size thinking about sunday also might have to stay to the shallows and fish bows cuz of the weather and not drive out in the slop ice is very thick still but will go fast without snow do u know the bottom makeup is it mainly sand or what and is there transitions to others like mud or rocks? or doesnt it matter to the fish thanks again and good luck anybody try after dark? our best luck happened mid day could of been weather related

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the deepest i have had my camera was 55 feet. after that i have to use my light and the rusults were not that good. the cable only goes 60 feet anywhay. the east side from the audobon point up is very rocky with boulders and steep cliffs of sandstone.[smallmouth] south of the point it is rocky [i crib ] with more gravel and scatered rocks. the south end is mostly sand and gravel. the south west starting from where the river goes out has weed beds and gravel and small rocks. there is a good kelp weed bed streching all the way up to the next point in 4 to 15 feet of water.

frome that point on up the west side is sand gravel and some rock with weeds on the shoreline in the shallows. the center basin as far as i have seen is all sand. the north end is a combination of shallow weeds and gravel and sand. i have never fished it after dark and that will happen this year. going to try to troll for browns for they feed at night more than any other trout species in my opinion. hopefully see you out there this sunday. good luck.

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I wouldn't mind taking another stab on the ice at the great Grindstone this weekend. However, I fear with the rain coming and the temps not getting below freezing for the next couple of days, it might be too tough, if not impossible to get out. Is anyone going out Thurs/Fri? I'd like to see what the conditions are like before making the drive down there.

Or another thought, is there a lake association or bait shop around there that would have accurate information specific to Grindstone?

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will the access's be difficult to get a vehicle out on. i would say yes if i would make a guess. this time of the year i start walking. that's the plus side of this lake. dont have to walk far to get on fish. i have walked on this lake up to the end of march. i'm not going to some of my favorite spots but on the north end the deep water is plenty close in front of the boat landing and down to the left and out. there fifty yards out and your in 80 ft of water if you want it.

the south end, about the same distance out and your in 40 ft. fish the edges for rainbows there and lakers and crappies suspended deeper. there is a chance of rain but i will have a portable along sunday. it's 80miles one way for me. maby one more time after sunday with these gas prices. good luck.

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Yea, it's about 75-80 miles for me too. Some of the other lakes I fish are further going north of me, but I like the variety and challenge of Grindstone. Plus, it's a new hard water lake for me, and I like to learn as much as possible.

I might have to wait until the last minute. Ice fishing and getting soaked boots while wearing rain-gear isn't my cup of tea. The standing water is my biggest gripe... I usually head as far north as I can to keep ice fishing, and then as soon as the water opens up south, I head down there. That way I never have to fish in a foot of water on top of the ice. smile

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yea, i hear you. hopefully the cracks will soak up excess water. i realy havent had a problem with that before but there is always a first time. i know a guy that lives on the lake. i will call him saturday to see how the surface looks and see how many people are on the grind. if he's home i will post the info saturday. good luck.

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With the warm weather this week along with the rain, I wonder if it is still ok to drive on the lake fri,sat,sun?

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i would think the access would be the problem. as i said in my previous post, when its march i quit driving on this lake. there are plenty of places to walk to or take a wheeler to good fishing areas. i plan on going sunday for the day and i plan on walking out. i will call someone on saturday that lives on the lake and ask him what going on on the lake. i will post that info if i get a hold of him. good luck.

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im thinking of going out fri. i will post what i see upon my return. im gonna prob park and walk as well.

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that sounds good. i'll be looking forward to the report. i will go sunday and report as well. i looked at a couple of lakes around here and they are wet as one can expect. the landings do not look trustworthy to me. there is still plenty of ice out there but i would caution everyone to use extreme caution if you decide to drive. the shorelines are uncertain this time of the year. i like open water with my boat, not my truck. good luck.

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reinhard1,

Where do you recommend me parking if I were to be fishing at the smelt hole? I will have kids with me. I want to be close enough so if the kids need to use the restroom or so, we don't have to take a long hike to get to the car. I'm thinking maybe the boat landing area???

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yes , definatly the boat landing area for the smelt hole. i have a bucket with a toilet seat on it when i take the grand kids. i put a plastic bag in there and take the waste home and dispose it there. i dont think the normal porta toilet will be there. you dont realy need to go to the smelt hole for smelt if you dont want to walk that far. just go out of the boat landing and when you reach the lake go left about 50 yards and then strait out from there. go out from the shore at that point and walk out about 50 yards and drill a hole. if you are at 60 feet deep at that time look for suspended fish. you could be at 80 or 100 feet and you should see that suspended line. those would be smelt.

even straight out from the boat landing once you reach 40 feet you should be able to see some smelt. at that depth they would hang around the bottom as well. the neat thing is, once you find the smelt the lake trout and crappies will be near by. you might want to put out a tip up with a small fathead just a couple of feet under the ice in the deep water for a rainbow cruising by. good luck.

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Thanks. That was quick! Great point on the toilet thing. I am definitely open to crappies and trout if they will bite.

I'm going to try to get there by mid-morning and stay as long as the kids can take it.

How's the bite for fish there day vs. night? Morning, mid-day, afternoon, evening?

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if you have a chance email me at [email protected] and i will give you my number. i tell people that realy want some information to call me because otherwise we would be posting back and forth where with one phone call i can explain it better. i want to give you the best information possible. give me a call after i give you my number prior to 8pm for i have some volunteer work i'm doing after that. i should also ad that if you cant call me tonight call me in the morning. i get up at 5am usualy. call anytime after that. good luck.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

if you have a chance email me at [email protected] and i will give you my number. i tell people that realy want some information to call me because otherwise we would be posting back and forth where with one phone call i can explain it better. i want to give you the best information possible. give me a call after i give you my number prior to 8pm for i have some volunteer work i'm doing after that. i should also ad that if you cant call me tonight call me in the morning. i get up at 5am usualy. call anytime after that. good luck.

Jeeez, Rines, you are retired. Why are you getting up at 5am. Take a break for pete's sake! crazylaugh

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • LakeofthewoodsMN
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    • gimruis
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    • 11-87
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