Mt. Normandale Lake- Bloomington

[manmountain]

Bass season is almost here, and I'm getting ready to hit Normandale hard this year. Afterall this might be my last chance to pull another hog out of there because they might drain it this fall. Anyway, no point in keeping it a secret. There are huge Bass in Normandale and I hope some one catches one while they still can. My largest was a 22" 7 lber, but I have seen Bass on the end of my line or my friends line, that would have broken the State record. You will catch more Pike than Bass but the Pike will go to nearly 20 lbs with the average going from 3-8 lbs so I'm not complaining.

June is the best month for Big Bass out there and sunrise is the best time. I've never caught a bass over 5 lb after 8:30 AM on Normandale so get out there early. Evening is OK but the fish are bigger in the morning. Big spinners with a large willow blade and a smaller colorado with a white, yellow, or a chartreuse skirt is my lure of choice. If the fishing is tough I prefer a texas rigged weedless worm in brown, green, grey, or purple. Buzzbaits and topwater mice and frogs are great when they're really biting. Fish the old creek channel all the way from the walking bridge to the falls. The Eastern shore just north of the falls can be good too, or back behind the southeast island.

Here are some links to more info...

Photo Tour

http://www.allminnesota.com/phototrips/normandale-lake/phototrip1.shtml

Aerial Picture

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=1179&Y=12415&W=1

Another thread about Normandale

http://www.lakestatefishing.com/modules/...#forumpost46759

Purchase Lake map download

http://www.sportsmansconnection.com/downloads/Minnesota/downloadinfo/26587-Mt._Normandale/

Curly Leaf Pondweed article

http://www.foresthaven.org/images/bl29weed.pdf

[CJH]

I live not far from there and have fished the creek channel and gotten a few pike. Are you just shore fishing or accessing it with a canoe or something??

[The_Lee]

How is fishing from shore?

[manmountain]

Most of the time I use a small boat and I go up and down the original creek channel in the middle of the lake. I was down there today shore fishing on the eastern shore just north of the falls. I caught 8 largemouth. The biggest on was 4&1/2 lbs and the smallest was 2. They are on their spawning beds right now so don't harrass them too much. Be careful not step on the beds if you wade out at all. Shore fishing is at it's peak right now. As the season goes on the lake will get more and more choked making shore fishing tougher.

[Carp-fisher]

I'll second the good bass and pike being in there. A friend and I kayaked and fished it late last summer. Caught some shockingly good quality fish. I wouldn't be all that surprised if the DNR relocated alot of fish before the draining of the lake.

[manmountain]

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't care. Most people take one look at the lake and think I'm telling fishy fish stories.

[Carp-fisher]

Well I do know that the DNR recently removed and relocated 10s of thousands of pounds of fish from Pelican Lake NW of the metro because of plans to lower its water levels.

[Sandmannd]

I know you had this up last year, but what is the reason for draining this lake? I think it's a pretty decent little body of water. There are some nice fish in it at that. If it's true they are going to get rid of the lake, pound away guys.

[Sonicrunch]

IBTL

[Carp-fisher]

My understanding was that it is a curly leaf pond weed issue. After fishing it once, I understand. There are some big fat beautiful fish in there though.

[manmountain]

They want to drain it for aesthetic purposes, thats what the city manager told me. They want the lake to look nice for summerfete and bandshell events. They don't even know there are any fish in there. I don't think the drawdown will work. I found a pdf on the DNR website about curly leaf pondweed that said that eradication isn't a realistic goal, so they want to drain it for nothing. They would have to drain the entire system all the way to Bryant lake in EP and it would still come back. I think that the Curly Leaf is part of the reason why the fish grow so large. It provides cover for baitfish and it limits fishing pressure. They also say that the decaying matter in the fall is contributing to sediment buildup. I've been fishing out there for 15 years with a depth finder and I have not noticed any change in depth. The Army Corp of Engineers have a say in the lakes destiny because it is manmade. They are opposed to chemical treatment and harvesting which they say leaves a drawdown as the only option left. Most Curly Leaf infestations are dealt with by early spring harvesting, (which Bloomington has not tried yet, they make a pathetic attempt in mid summer which does nothing). They could also stock Grass Carp which can help. The point though is that total eradication is impossible so why drain it and kill all those fish?

[manmountain]

Here is a couple of intersting laws I found on the USGS website. How do you think this would apply to Normandale?

§ 2 (16 U.S.C. 662)-Impounding, diverting, or controlling of waters

Federal agencies that propose or authorize modification of any body of water shall first consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service and with the appropriate state agency to conserve wildlife resources by preventing resource loss and damage. Recommendations of wildlife agencies on the wildlife aspects of proposed actions shall be given full consideration by the decision-making agency, which should also include means for wildlife conservation as found justifiable to obtain maximum overall project benefits to the public.

§ 3 (16 U.S.C. 663)- Impoundment or diversion of waters

The section makes a rather general statement that whenever Federal departments or agencies modify a body of water for any purpose, adequate provisions must be made for the conservation, maintenance and management of wildlife resources and habitat.

Does this mean that if a lake has a naturally reproducing population of trophy Largemouth Bass before drawdown, that they should still be there after it's refilled?

[manmountain]

This is a curly leaf pondweed fact sheet from the DNR. Scroll down to the 2nd page to see where it says that eradication isn't realistic but management is possible with available methods, which do not include draining a lake.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_res...f_factsheet.pdf

[Sandmannd]

I think it's bad to get rid of that fishery, it's fun for a metro lake. What type of boat do you use manmountain? I have a 16' alumacraft and it's a little hard to get in and out of the lake.

[manmountain]

Well after they drain it they'll fill it up again. If we want them to ensure that it remains a viable fishery then we'll have to get involved because they don't believe it has any value now. It's actually looking like they'll have to put it off until next year because they'll have to do Anderson Lakes first and I've heard that project would fill the entire window they have to get it done in one season.

[manmountain]

I use a 12 ft Wards Seaking from the 60's. No motor and a large trolling motor with a weedless prop. I have to row across the mats and then I kick in the trolling motor in open spots.

[manmountain]

I think it would be good to get a petition going or something. Not necessarily to stop them from draining it, but to let them know that it's a good fishing lake and we expect it to stay that way. If they kill all those fish and do nothing to replace the large breeders, it may never return to the trophy fishery it is today.

The thing that ticks me off the most is that draining the lake will not eradicate the curly leaf anyway. It will be no more effective than the current management strategies so what's the point. I think they should pick a different lake to run this experiment.

[JimBuck]

I've heard about this. I have fished this lake many,many times and I think it's a good little metro fishery. I agree with you manmountain about voicing some kind of opinion on the subject. There are too many good fish in that lake to drain it for aesthetic purposes is ludicrous.

[Duffman]

After the discussions on FM last year about this fishery I kept my eye on it throughout the winter. She got hammered by the icefisherman this year, and this was on weekdays when I'd see as much as a half a dozen vehicles on the ice, never saw it on the weekends, but I'm guessing there was more pressure than the weekdays. With about three feet of ice, I'm sure the fish were concentrated, making for easy tip-up targets.

So I fished it for pike on the opener, I was the only boat out there, a few guys were shore fishing. What I found both suprised me and didn't suprise me, the pike-bass catch ratio was way out of historical ratios. Usually you can catch the pike at a 5 to 1 ratio over bass, I struggled to find any pike, and the ratio was more like 1 to 1 on pike opener. I fished it last week as well, the pike were no-shows once again and all I caught were bass. The icefishermen must've had a great year, maybe too great. Hmmmm.....no need to worry about draining it and killing off the fishys, we seem to be doing a good job of doing it without the draining.

[JimBuck]

I noticed the same thing last winter. I was out there a few times and walked past a group of people who were keeping EVERYTHING they caught (even outside the slot)....this included a 15lb.+ Northern....unfortunately the cell phone was left at home and I was unable to call T.I.P. One of the main problems with this lake is the people that often fish it are uneducated and don't understand/care about the future of our waters and the sport of fishing. Fishing for a lot of these people becomes apart of survival and a cheap meal.

[Carp-fisher]

I noticed the same thing last winter. I was out there a few times and walked past a group of people who were keeping EVERYTHING they caught (even outside the slot)....this included a 15lb.+ Northern....unfortunately the cell phone was left at home and I was unable to call T.I.P. One of the main problems with this lake is the people that often fish it are uneducated and don't understand/care about the future of our waters and the sport of fishing. Fishing for a lot of these people becomes apart of survival and a cheap meal.

I wouldn't eat anything out of Normandale because it (the west basin atleast) has some of the worst looking and smelling water I've seen around here. That being said, perhaps some of the people who pounded Normandale were doing so because of the plans to drain it. Isn't that the point of this thread and previous ones: Fish it out before the fish die?

[Duffman]

Quote:

I was out there a few times and walked past a group of people who were keeping EVERYTHING they caught (even outside the slot)....this included a 15lb.+

Quote:

Isn't that the point of this thread and previous ones: Fish it out before the fish die?

Manmountain....

You may be thinking that you are helping preserve a fishery, but you are probably doing more harm than good by talking up this issue online. The above quotes just might help point that out.

I've driven by this lake every weekday for the last seven years. It saw so much more pressure this winter than in years past. Probably due to the boasting of large fish last year on FM. And icefisherman tend to keep most of what they catch, this was even pointed out by someone last summer;"Wait till ice season" they said. And they were right. About 600 views on this thread already, I'm willing to bet that some folks who have read it are willing to put forth the effort to fill the buckets with some fresh bass off the beds. Not everybody practices catch and release, not by a long shot.

[JimBuck]

I wouldn't eat anything out of Normandale because it (the west basin atleast) has some of the worst looking and smelling water I've seen around here. That being said, perhaps some of the people who pounded Normandale were doing so because of the plans to drain it. Isn't that the point of this thread and previous ones: Fish it out before the fish die?

The possibility of draining a lake isn't justification for illegal fishing....rules are rules. The thread is a general discussion about Normandale Lake and the effects of draining on the current population. I don't think anyone is suggesting or recommending fishing the lake out. I hope that didn't come off as a brash comment. As a fisherman I feel like it's our responsibility to stay informed and have a voice when it comes to topics such as this. We can make a difference by getting involved and tuning in.

[92python]

Normandale lake used to be a swamp with 9 mile creek running through it. Back in the 80s they tore up the swamp, dredged it out a little and put in the poor word usage (yea...that is silly that they censor the word for the thing that stops water flowage also known as poor word usage on this site. Just what DO you want everyone to call it? DOI!!!!) you see off Normandale Rd.

Weeds have been a problem ever since the built "fake lake" as we all called it. Do we know if they are going to make it any deeper?

[Carp-fisher]

Originally Posted By: Carp-fisher

I wouldn't eat anything out of Normandale because it (the west basin atleast) has some of the worst looking and smelling water I've seen around here. That being said, perhaps some of the people who pounded Normandale were doing so because of the plans to drain it. Isn't that the point of this thread and previous ones: Fish it out before the fish die?

The possibility of draining a lake isn't justification for illegal fishing....rules are rules. The thread is a general discussion about Normandale Lake and the effects of draining on the current population. I don't think anyone is suggesting or recommending fishing the lake out. I hope that didn't come off as a brash comment. As a fisherman I feel like it's our responsibility to stay informed and have a voice when it comes to topics such as this. We can make a difference by getting involved and tuning in.

JimBuck, I agree with what you said; as taxpayers and license buying fisherman, we need to have a voice about our fisheries. However, continually talking about a very small metro lake that has exceptional fishing opportunities on this forum will only result in one thing: it will get fished out. Case in point: three years ago, Holy Name lake just NW of the cities was a little known old walleye rearing pond. I drove by it all the time on the way to Sarah; nobody fished it (except one little blue Clam). Some guy got on this forum and talked about all the walleye in there. Two days later I drove by and there were alteast 150 guys on the ice; a week later the report is that it was already fished out. The only reason that I chimed it on this thread is because, like manmountain in his original post, I think people should go out enjoy this fishery (while obeying the law) before its gone.

[JimBuck]

Gotcha Carp-fisher. Thanks for clearing up your intentions, I completely agree with getting out and enjoying the lake before it's gone (while obeying the law )

Cheers,

-B

[SkunkedAgain]

Bloomington loves to drain things down. They've drained down the pond in front of city hall at least twice now. I believe that the latest time was to put in some non-native plants.

[Abrams]

Your quite little lake is about to get assaulted by the masses. I drive by Normandale every day, this winter I noticed more guys icefishing it than ever before.

First Normandale is a man-made lake. I think it was built as a flood control benefits for 9-mile creek. If they drain it and make it better good.

[Justin Dog]

I would be surprised if they actually make it better by draining it. I think that it will make everything worse while accomplishing nothing. Plus, Normandale Blvd and the surrounding buildings are going to stink like dead fish. That will be fun.

[MrSplash]

So what is the word on the quality of the fish as far as eating them goes? I have heard of some pretty sizeable crappies in their also. Any feedback will be appreciated!