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Grindstone Lake Fishing Reports


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My 4 year old daughter also fishes with me too. Unfortunately we don't always catch fish up there. But, when we do, it's awesome to see their face light up.....with a big smile!

It takes a special person to be able to take the kids with them.

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too bad you only got one smelt. sure was a nice day though. amazing sometimes how fast the ice melts at times. i was by the red barn once in march and it was 20 degrees when we got there. still some snow cover and the creek by the red barn had a slow flow. by the time we left late in the afternoon all the snow was gone on the lake and that small creek was overflowing onto the ice. it warmed up to 55 degrees that day.

it looks like a big system of rain,snow, and freezing rain heading that way and the cities today. probably more sleet and some snow up there with more rain here. so i will stay home with the grandkids today. good luck.

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Grindstone get hit hard on the may opener? I'm pretty booked up for fishing the rest of that month, otherwise I'll probably wait until right before the laker season closes in the fall.

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that's when you see the landing busy. it's best to fish during the week if you can for a couple of weeks. i have always had a place to park my rig at the landing but it does get busy. this is when you have the best shot at shallow lakers. rainbows and browns are on the surface and close to shore also. i like to drift the shorelines and cast mepps and small spoons. a buddy of mine caught o 6 pound laker one time doing this with a deep diving crankbait in 20 feet of water. good luck.

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I am looking at hitting Grind on opening day, hoping to get a laker or two:) Is there any decent walleye lakes close by that have a decent evening bite? I'm thinking trout in the morning walleye in the evening. I am getting the boat out of storage in two weeks and am starting to get amped up a little bit, hope we don't have to wait for the opener for the ice to be out.

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i guess it depends on how close by. south big pine and north big pine have some good walley in them with south big pine the better of the two. crappies also. lake eleven is the closest but is known more for the crappies and sunnies. oak lake off 23 is a good walley lake for opener but is probably 45 min drive from the grind. good luck.

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Can't go wrong with the snake river between pokegama and cross lakes either. Also good pike and crappie fishing.

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Reinhard, have you pulled many walleyes out of oak lake? I have tried a few times and have still not found even one. I have mostly ice fished it though. Never around opener. It's hard to get me away from the St. Louis River in the spring with the landing being 1 min from my house. Oak is one of my favorite lakes. I used to fish it with my dad when I was pretty young. He still gives me pointers but he was never really a walleye guy when he lived in MN.

I've still never made it to Grindstone. It's been on my list for a while now. I've been watching this topic for a while though and it seems pretty helpful.

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Very green lake in the summer and pretty easy to find eyes on the weedline, I like to crank em' nice pike too. I used to reside in Willow River and made my way there often. GO REBELS

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here is the thing about oak lake. this is just my take on it since i have fished it more years ago than at the present time. i have always done well on it for walleys in may and through the first couple of weeks in june. early in the year and late fall in my opinion is the best time. it's not a big lake but i would be willing to give you some key spots to fish if you pm me.

good crappie fishing also at times. i have cought a largemouth over 6 pounds in that lake. largemouth are increasing in population. i see it was recently spotlighted in an outdoor news back page lake of the week. i'll be fishing grindstone periodicly in may and june. hard to leave a great fishery like the st. louis and all the local lakes up there. good luck.

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Thanks for the responses guys. I will have to try it out earlier this year than I have in the past. I will definitely send you a PM Reinhard. It would be interesting to hear what you have to say about the lake and I would be glad to tell you what I have learned so far. My dad will be impressed to hear about a bass like that coming out of there.

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good, looking forward to hearing from you. when i first started fishing oak, there were no bass in there as far as i knew at the time. i dont generaly fish for them and that large one i caught fishing for walleys in may out of season. so it was returned quickly. i was fishing with my brother at the time. good luck.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'd be interested to see what the water clarity is this spring, last summer it was clear like norm, but did some spearing on the lake by the red barn and was in 8' and couldn't see the bottom, I'm new to the area and was told the clarity for spearing was suppose to be good but it was murkey

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first of all Welcome to HSO!! i have heard this murky thing but only on the east side accross from the red barn. there are springs and in some cases you have melting going on and along with that and springs being close to the shoreline it is common on the east side during ice fishing in shallow watter. i have never seen the lake murky at any time in open water in over 40 years. good luck.

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anyone fish grindstone this weekend? i wont make it till this week. reports appreciatied. thanks good luck.

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I'm hoping for a mid week expedition out there, bout 6 miles from home, if I get lucky and catch anything, I'll let you know...

Matt

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thanks kettle, maby we will meet up there someday soon. if you need some ideas on the lake let me know. good luck.

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Yea definetally, I fish weekdays normally, stay away from the crowds. I fish a 14' camo boat with the ol johnson 9.9, I will post reports hopefully soon.

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i'm usualy out on weekdays also. you have a perfect boat fot that lake. good luck.

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Hello again, cold wet and windy for opener on grindstone, only got out on sat night, one other boat on the lake, we did not catch anything but talked to a cabin owner who said they all got there limit on rainbow trolling spoons.Anybody else have luck trolling for rainbows ? Good luck fishing!!

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sorry you didn't have much luck. how is the boat landings water level this year? i have to take my mother in law to a few doctor appointments this week and i'm ready to go after that. i think fishing should pick up and be good for rainbows through june on the surface. thanks for the report. good luck.

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the average size are 10 to 14 inches as a rule. in the last few years i have cought some bigger ones, my largest 19 inches [ice fishing]. they are stocked twice a year now instead of once a few years back. increased ice fishing popularity is the reason for this. i believe a lot of the rainbows carry over to other years now and some are getting bigger because of that.

when you get a 12 to 14 incher you will notice the flesh will get orange instead of the white flesh when they are planted. eating more of the natural foods over time. good luck.

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The water level at boat landing was good, the river coming in there was full, Could you tell me how you fish for rainbows on the surface? Or what spoons to troll with ? Any info on rainbows would be great. Good luck fishing next week, and thanks for all the good grindstone info you have posted on here.

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rainbows can be caught all over the lake trolling. i tend to stay in deeper water but have caught them on the surface close in as well [20 feet of water]. by surface i mean within 10 feet of the surface.

here is what you need. spinning rod with no heavier line than 6lb test. spinners work but twist your line up bad, and i have tried ball bearing swivels and all that but over time twists will come. small spoons such as cleos, krockodile, and mepps cyclops in silver or bronze work the best for me. small floating rappalas work good also in silver black and gold black.

when your ready to troll cast the spoon behind you as far as you can and begin to troll. simple as that. troll fast enough to give the spoon action, not any faster. as far as the rapalas, i usualy put a small split shot a couple of feet in front for a little weight. i dont cast the rapala out, i put it in the water and let line out until it is back far enough as if you cast it out and start trolling. thanks for the reports and good luck.

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I was out today, I did not catch anything, kind of a test run for me. I ran into one guy who caught two, let em go, they were under 10''. Although I did see a small school (6 fish or so) all around the 10-12'' range. I did see an enormous one swimming in the shallows, prob in the 20'' range. I didn't have the right baits really though, cyclops spoons but too large. I will try it again soon on a less windy day with some new baits, I sure got blown around. I'm in search of walleye's tomorrow, depends if work is quite tonight and I get some sleep.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The focus for many this week is the ongoing deer hunting season which is a big tradition in these parts, even for avid walleye anglers.  There were some that either already harvested their deer or are more into catching fall walleyes than hunting.     Those that are fishing are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and excellent walleye and sauger bite that is happening across the lake.  Cold weather is in the forecast in the upcoming days and weeks so that is also getting many excited. The best depths on the south end of LOW are 22-28 feet of water.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners is catching most of the walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch.  Depending upon where on the lake you are fishing, some slots and big trophies are in the mix as well, but most reports are talking about good numbers of eaters.    Jumbo perch are coming in good numbers this fall which will serve ice anglers well.  Watch out for an occasional pike or even lake sturgeon mixed in with the walleyes.      There are good numbers of walleyes and saugers across the south shore which is setting up nicely for early ice.   On the Rainy River...  There continues to be good numbers of shiners in the river, and consequently, there are good walleyes in the river as well.     Walleyes along with saugers, pike and some sturgeon are coming in up and down the river.  Most walleyes are being caught in 10-25 feet of water in various stretches of the river.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners is the key. Some anglers are also still slow trolling crankbaits upstream to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing remains strong.  The catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is open into the spring when it changes to the "keep season" on April 24th. Up at the NW Angle...  As temps are getting colder, most are in the woods hunting and not fall fishing, however, for those who bundle up, fishing continues to be excellent.     A nice mixed bag with walleyes, saugers, perch, pike and crappies being caught. Very good muskie fishing with the colder water temps and shorter days.  Some big fish and some good numbers are being caught amongst the islands.  Both casting and trolling is getting it done.  
    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
      That’s almost exactly what I was thinking.  Have slug barrels for both   One for turkey and one for deer.      I have a 20ga mosseberg as well. (Combo came with the scope but never used.   I always liked the 12 better
    • leech~~
      Wanderer is right on the money and covered it well.  I was wondering too if you had a slug barrel for one of your guns?  If so you could make that your slug gun with a scope, and the other your turkey gun with the Red dot.  As you can afford it. 
    • Wanderer
      Kinda depends on if you want magnification or quick target acquisition.   More magnification options and better accuracy with a scope.  You get what you pay for too so get comfortable with a budget for one.  Tasco and Bushnell work but I find they lose their zero easier, have low contrast and don’t gather light well in low light conditions.  That said, I’m still using one I haven’t replaced yet.  Vortex has been the hot brand for the past several years for bang for the buck.  Good products.  Nothing beats Swarovski though.  Huge dough for those.  Burris is another decent option.   There are some specific models for shotgun/slug hunting in the economy brands and bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticles.  Based on experience I’d recommend not falling for that marketing ploy.   Red dots are usually lower magnification and easier to get on target.  Reasonably accurate but don’t do well with definition, like searching the brush for your target.  I put a HAWKE red dot on a .22 for squirrels and it’s been good.  For turkey, that’s probably the route I’d go.     If your slug shots are normally not too far and too brushy, I’d think a red dot could work there too if you’re only buying 1 scope.  You’ll be better off dimming the reticle to the lowest setting you can easily use to not over shine the target and get a finer aim point.   If you don’t have a slug barrel, you might appreciate one of those.  I had a browning with a smoothbore slug barrel that shot Brenneke 2-3/4 inch well.  The 11-87 would well fitted with a cantelever rifled barrel. 
    • 11-87
      Looking for recommendations on scope or red dot    I basically hunt turkey and whitetail, live in southern MN. So it’s all deer/ shotgun    looking to add a scope/ red dot as my eyes don’t work like they used to to with the open sights.    my gun options are 11/87 12. Browning BPS 12    not looking for the most expensive or the cheapest    pros and cons of one over the other
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