Where should I go?

[Alan]

I have this Friday off, I live in Cottage Grove and want to do some fishing. So, some shore fishing for a few hours on Friday morning that's not to far away, where should I go?

Pike, Bass, Sunnies, Crappies...don't matter to me...just want to get into some good fishing..

[UncleKes]

Alan! My advice is to fish the Mississippi River from shore. It is close, it is available and it has HUGE Fish in it! You might also consider the St. Croix as well. There are excellent Bass, Walleye, Pike, Musky, Catfish, Crappie, White Bass in the rivers or just about anything you can imagine and some you probably don't want to???

Don't let the hight water scare you! High water just means the fish will be pushed out of the deeper water where the fast current is into the areas along the banks.

I live in Fridley and I often just take a lawn chair and a good book and sit and relax with my rod in a forked stick along the banks. I rarely come away without fish.

You need a 3 way swivel with 30 inches of line tied to one end and 18 inches tied to the other. To the 18 inch tie your sinker. To the 30 inch tie a plain hook. I prefer a # 4 circle hook but any hook will work. Tie a slip bobber on the line and flip the set up (DON'T CAST it) out near the shore. Kick back in a lawn chair with a cup of coffee or your favorite libation and a good book or the headphones and life is good and about to get better!

The area around Prescott or Hastings is excellent!

If you need anything else contact me at: [email protected]

Tight Lines;

Uncle Kes

[UdeLakeTom]

Good answer...down by Precott is great. I've done it many times. Also if you are just looking to fish, and don't care what you catch, the Ol' Miss is good too.

[rtwills]

If you dont care about catchin fish, save the gas and fill a kiddie pool in the backyard no hook needed, just attach a bobber,grab the hammoc some tunes and mabe a cooler of your fav. beverage and enjoy.

[JBMasterAngler]

Mississippi/St. Croix is good, but you might also want to consider the vermillion river right outside of hastings. It'll mostly be sheephead and carp, but you'll have good chances of catfish, silver bass, crappie, dogfish, pike, and possibly even a shovelnose sturgeon. Nightcrawlers on the bottom work best, but fatheads are pretty good too. As far as lures to cast, my favorite is a #4 blue fox silver spinner.

[dufek]

On the vermillion is there a park or something to fish, or are you talking below the dam?

[UdeLakeTom]

I have seen people shore fishing on 54 like when you are taking the back roads to TI Casino. There is a bridge that goes over the river. Also there is a spot about a mile out of Hastings on the right hand side that I have fished and also seen people there. There is a small parking lot and you can walk back a little ways.

[JBMasterAngler]

I just fish at the boat launches. There's plenty of shoreline to explore...wear boats though, it's usually pretty muddy.