Upper vs Lower Lake Minnetonka

[Havin' Fun]

I was sure that I saw a post regarding this in the past but can't find it...so. What are the major differences? Water clarity, bottom? Weeds? Obviously...the fishing. Opinions may vary, but what can you share.

[Havin' Fun]

Nobody?

[EBass]

The west side has green water but the coon tail still grows in about 14'.

East side has clear water and a weed line that's a bit deeper.

I would imagine that the east side has a harder bottom, but obviously this depends on the area you're at. There are still hard bottom areas on the west end. It would be nice to have a camera to be certain.

Milfiol is all over the lake in the shallows and the coontail out deeper.

I've caught nice fish on both ends, and what works on one section of the lake doesn't mean it will work in a different section.

[Tonka Boy]

Personally I really don't see many differences. I know the upper portion gets a great deal more pressure (both rec and fisherman).

The lake is similar in structure. I try to concentrate on one bay at a time. If you can nail down what works, you can bet it will hold true in other portions.

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Tonka Boy

[Minnetonka]

I have fished on, lived on, and SCUBA dove all over Minnetonka for the last 12 years. The lake runs from SW to NE. The bays farthest to the east are defiantly clearer. There is rock structure in most of the bays with the more northern and western bays tending to have more areas with soft bottom. I have caught and seen walleyes in most of the areas that I have dove. The weed line can be a shallow as 6 feet or less in Hallstead's to the west and as deep as 18 feet in Wayzata and Robinson bays. I have dove some areas in Browns and Robinson that has rocks as big a pianos. Most rocky areas in Minnetonka have rocks from the size of soft balls to basketballs. By the way, on one dive in Wayzata bay, I came up with 5 ice scoops. I also found 5-6 car jack on the same dive.

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"I'd rather be fishing"

Mike

[This message has been edited by Minnetonka (edited 01-16-2004).]

[Icebreaker]

The west side seems to have the shallower bays and greener water. I like them for bright days. The east side has deeper bays with clearer water. I go to them on cloudy days. Harrison bay is dirtier than when I was a kid. And Halstead is a toal mess. I used to drift over the sandbar and see the bottom and fish. Otherwise I treat each bay like a seperate lake.