Lake O'Dowd Fishing Reports

[superiorfishguy]

ice out enough yet to get out and try O Dowd?? or any area lakes yet??

[Wookiee]

Ice is gone on O'dowd and some of the other lakes as well. Might be early yet but have at it.

[TiNK3R]

Would be nice to see someone slingin them in

[PanFisherman14]

I live on lake O'dowd and have my permanent fish out there every year as well as right now. I have no problems catching any type of fish I want to catch but the only species I struggle with is the size of the walleyes. Quantity is not a problem but I can never find walleyes over 12 inches. Any input on what everyones been catchin? If you need any help on where to find fish let me know id be more than happy to help ya out.

[shakojdub1425]

I havent heard of any size eyes being cought or even that many in that case. Everything i have cought this year has been pretty small. I would like to know of some good eye/pike spots are on that lake if you wouldent mind shooting me a email it would be much appriciated.

[PanFisherman14]

Yea definately shoot me an email at [email protected] i can def. help with some pike spots and panfish. shoot me and email.

[Thunder]

Are there any pannies of decent size in Odowd? I've caught some nice bass out of there, but no panfish of any decent size except a few 9" crappies is about it.

[PanFisherman14]

Go out by the rope swing which is on the island just south east of the fishing pier where the fishhouses are. about 16 to 19 feet of water is prime. my permanent is out there. been catchin about 20 crappies a night on wax worms or crappie minnows. from 6 to 8 oclock at night they bite. about 10 of the 20 crappies are 9 plus inches. give it a try mines the gray 8 by 10 out there. let me know how it goes, been goin good for me.

[kitchy]

PF14, I want to take my nephew out to O'Dowd for his first time ice fishing. He's 6yo. Can I pretty much catch sunnies anywhere I go or should I target a specific area? Looking for quantity no necessarily size.

[PanFisherman14]

I would def. say go by the rope swing by my gray 8x10 permanent. if you park at the public fishing pier access not by the boat landing it will be a shorter walk. Starting at around 2 in the afternoon you will reel up sunnie after sunnie some of decent size. As you get into the night the crappies start biting. It's a fun time and definately keeps you occupied. U should be in about 16 to 20 feet of water. Let me know if you need anymore help.

[PanFisherman14]

Anyone been catchin any decent eyes out there. just keep reelin up the 6 to 12 inchers..... been a struggle. May head back down to Cedar lake, had some luck there

[Thunder]

Are they driving on Odowd yet?

[kitchy]

Thanks PF14. I was going to head out today but the wind started up. Maybe I'll try tomorrow.

[PanFisherman14]

No problem Kichy, glad to help ya out, let me know if ya need anymore help. Thunder- People have been drivin out there for almost 2 weeks now. cars are fine and smaller trucks, some people in large truckls have ventured out but alot park at the landing. there is about 10 or 11 in ches of ice out there.

[Geppy]

im going out there in about half hour out by the rope swing. it will be my first tim eout there this year so hopefully i will have some good reports.

[kitchy]

44.97345N

93.25749W

I'll be there Sunday.

[work sucks]

Catch & Release!!! It's no wonder all of the fish in the metro are 5" long. If you want fish to eat go to Cub, they are cheaper there anyway. That is how we can sustain a fishing future for our kids! A hot bite "broadcasted" can kill a lake quick...we don't need to keep everything we catch. Just my $0.02.

[work sucks]

Kitchy...NICE

[ENMIFDAD]

I'd give you my $0.02, but I just spent it and another $39.98 for lures for my trip to Red Lake. I don't think people realize how many people read this site but don't ever post anything.

[kitchy]

I was hoping somebody would appreciate my attempt at humor.

[work sucks]

ENMIFDAD, We are going to got catch and releas some nice fish tomorrow at the spot we went last weekend...then try the lake to the west of us about 10 miles and try that. See ya at about 6:30 or before. Sorry no GPS for you!

[ENMIFDAD]

That's cool. I think the fish there are a year bigger than they were last year...

[work sucks]

Yeah...It was a year ago today!

[catflisher]

My only problem with keeping any fish out of O'Dowd is they may be contaminated with poison after that big spill of poison they had 2 years ago....it won't affect the fish under 8 inches....but the ones that grew larger got all full of that poison!...And, it makes them taste like late august bullheads...just my two scents....

[jesse larson]

Kitchy might need luck even with those coordinates (j/k) had to check it out I don't have gps but google maps helped me out I like it

Jesse

[Sandmannd]

Catch & Release!!! It's no wonder all of the fish in the metro are 5" long. If you want fish to eat go to Cub, they are cheaper there anyway. That is how we can sustain a fishing future for our kids! A hot bite "broadcasted" can kill a lake quick...we don't need to keep everything we catch. Just my $0.02.

I agree catch and release will help mantain the lakes better. But if you want to keep some fish for a fry do so. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are within the law.

[ABreuer]

ive always called odowds the cookie bowl. What a lake woooooo!! ive fished every inch of that lake. and ill tell ya what, its about as worthless as teets on a bull. ya you get an ok crappie ,bass ,eye,pike whatever but im not a fan of keeping dinks

[PanFisherman14]

Lemme get one thing straight here on this forum, I have lived on this lake my whole life and there was no poison spill on this lake two years ago so thats cleared up. Alex Breuer-my two cents for you is that's unfortunate that lake hasnt treated you well. Not even a tough lake to fish and I have taken plenty of big walleyes, northerns, and bass out of O'Dowd. Just outlast week and me and few buddies brought home 22 Crappies all 9 plus inches. It's not an amazing fishing lake but you can definately catch good fish.

[ABreuer]

ahhhhhh thats funny three of my buddys fishhouses are right next to yours of the rope swing and i caught crappies and sunnies all day and night for three nights and i caught seriously 2 that i would even consider keeping and they were practically see through translucent. I think your looking at the wrong side of your ruler flip it over and read the inches, not the centimeters. the lake is way over fished and people keep way to small of fish. and to speak for the walleyes and pike i have caught countless numbers of them in the lake over the last decade and ill tell ya the bigger ones are few and far between. When theres people of the dock keeping cigar sized models they tend not to have a chance. they need to regulate the lake and have a minimum inch range for fish.

[DTro]

I've fished O'Dowds for the past 12 years. Over that time period I've have caught some very respectable fish, and yes even a few trophies. I've seen plenty of nice eye's including a nice 29"er.

A few weeks ago we were catching quite a few 8-9" Crappies with a few 10"ers mixed in.

This lake falls into the same category of most high pressured Metro lakes and could stand a good dose of Selective Harvest during the hard water season.