Lake Minnewaska Fishing Reports - Ice Conditions

[crothmeier]

Stop in at the bait shop south of the stoplights in glenwood, left side of the road. Landdr can hook you up with a map and bait.

[LandDr]

Bottle Bay is kinda in the NE part of the lake off Hwy 29.

Stop in if you need a map...got some free ones on the counter to help you out with getting around the lake.

Fish On!

[jb_bobber]

Thanks Landdr. Do you have larve? We'll stop in tomorrow morning. Looking forward to getting on some fish

[LandDr]

Red and white.

What a great day and still 36 F right now. Had some pretty good reports in from today.

Had fresh sunfish tonight...cooked them up for Grandma at her assisted living place. She loves sunnies! Need to get some more now.

Fish On!

[jb_bobber]

Thanks crothmeier for directions to the bait shop. Thanks also to Landdr for pointing us in the right direction to bottle bay. We had a decent outting, 1 limit of sunnies with a lot of them a half pound. Also threw a lot back, all in all a good day

[hamrej23]

Just wondering if there is a somewhat crappie spot that might be worth trying next Monday night. Thanks

[BLACKJACK]

Anybody having any luck on sunfish going out of the south/Starbuck side?? I know that I've had luck there in the summer but when I went around Minnewaska a couple weeks ago there were very few houses on the south, they were all grouped up on the north side. Was thinking of making a run up there this weekend and driving on by Starbuck. How many feet of water would you start in?

[LandDr]

Crappies are still an unknown. Waska traditionally has such a great crappie but but it never developed this year...yet. The crappies have to move through Crappie Town to stage up in Torgy's Bay...then to move through the culvert to spawn in Shallow Pond. There are a few spots to try...if you stop in I can point some out to you. I know last year they had an excellent late ice crappie bite...have to see if that develops again for this year.

Thanks for the good posts and reports.

Fish On!

[chris35]

i am going to try to make it up for my very first time fishing waska this saturday, was just curious as to how much snow you guys got today, looks like it is pretty much done up there, do you think i will be able to get around good with a 4 wheel drive and wheel house. also any ideas on the fastest way to get there from the annandale area, thanks guys

[DHanson]

94 to Sauk Centre, then get on 28, it will take you straight there. Easy drive.

[chris35]

alright thanks hanson. just wasnt sure if it would have been faster heading straight up 55.

[DHanson]

You could do that. I'm actually not sure which one is faster, but I know traffic on 55 can get a little nerve racking at times from my experience. Either way you will get there. That's the way I go from St. Cloud anyway. Good luck!

[goose89]

Chris, I drive both routes fairly often.

Hwy55 will be about 15 miles shorter, but take around 1/2hr longer. Both my experience and googlemaps info.

Depends what you're comfortable pulling your house on. 94 to 28 is easy. 55 is more slowing down /stop and go through towns, but much more scenic.

I like the 55 drive more than 94, but honestly, I take 94 more often because of the time factor. Good luck.

[LandDr]

There was a lot of drifting on the lake last night. We went out since it was pretty slow at the store due to the weather. Got out about 5 or so and fished sunnies for an hour or so. Caught pretty close to 20 and only threw back a couple small ones...otherwise all others were REALLY nice gills. Sure is fun catching those rod benders. Going to try to cook them up tonight for a little fish fry and probably try to get out to add a few more to the supper.

We got a little lost on the way back in to shore...very limited visability! We finally lined up with one of the roads going to Sheriff's Landing and heading home with some tired kids.

The snow is soft and you can blow through it so I think travel will be pretty easy for 4WD this weekend. Lots of snow for banking houses now. 2WD should be fine on the trails that will be made.

Really a lot of gills down there and great size...but they are still not very agressive. Certainly can get your limit in a couple of hours but you would think that they would love that easy food! That's fish'n.

Fish On!

[chris35]

alright. thanks for all the information guys, really looking forward to getting up there tommorrow for the first time. do they bite pretty much all day with the best time peaking at around 5 or is it just that last couple hours.

also were looking for a resort to go to this summer for a few days, anybody have any recomendations of a good resort on waska, thanks

[LandDr]

Gills are more aggressive in the morning and in the evening (4 to 6), especially the bigger ones...but you can catch them all day as well. Maybe more picking through them during the day. But as many have posted, if you keep moving and checking other spots, you can get into some new fish and big fish that are aggressive.

I went out to School Bar last night for about an hour...only about a dozen gills but they were all huge! I had to hold them sideways instead of in my palm to unhook. Less quantity but better quality!

Hunts, Waskawood, Woodlawn...they are all good and will take good care of you. When you are up this weekend, drive by each of them and tak a look. All of them are along Co Rd 54 going from Glenwood along the lake out west to Hwy 29.

Fish On!

[chris35]

thanks landdr. thats quite a fishery you guys have up there. we ended up doing very well. lots of nice gills, we had action all day. we had to do some sorting but ended up getting a 2 man limit fairly easy. what a blast! look forward to coming up there this summer.

[ASMOLEY]

Was out yesterday from 12-5 we managed to catch 4 limits. Had to do some sorting but it was a good day on the ice!

[Shearer]

I am going to Waska for the first June 20-27 2009. Could anyone give me any ideas where to start? I am looking to get into some decent sunfish for my kids, Walleye, pike and musky for myself and brother. I have heard about "crappie town" where is that located? I wouldn't mind getting into that?

[fisho44]

How's the snow depth out there right now? I'd like to stay mobile on the wheeler tomorrow if I can get around without getting stuck.

[eyehead]

you should be good to go with the wheeler.....There were trucks and wheelers driving pretty much everywhere out there today.

[basssmasher*]

Went Saturday and what a blast!! Access was gettin a bit soft but people were still pulling perms out to fish. Plenty of fish some sorting but for the mostpart all the sunnies were about 9 in.

[EyeGuide]

Plenty of fish some sorting but for the mostpart all the sunnies were about 9 in.

9" average?? I haven't heard of too many limits like that, good work.

[The Donk]

Anyone know what happened to Landdr?

Kyle, you out of town or what???

[Bob Schroden]

When I tried to buy bait there last week, the sign on the door said "closed" on vacation.

[crothmeier]

i was just gonna ask the same thing. usually he has a post every day!

[walleyeman1]

I hope they are not taking limits of 9 inch sunfish. There is plenty of 71/2 to 8 inchers for eating. Throw the big ones back and eat the smaller ones.

[eyehead]

I dont think many are taking limits of 9"ers.....We were up there three days last week and caught maybe two or three that were 9" or bigger. I put a ruler to almost all of them. Lots of 7" to 8.5" though.

[goose89]

I hope they are not taking limits of 9 inch sunfish. There is plenty of 71/2 to 8 inchers for eating. Throw the big ones back and eat the smaller ones.

I agree. There's a great thread ("good eating sized keepers....") in the "Crappie-Sunfish" forum that speaks to this. It made me rethink some of my panfish harvest practices and actually made my time on (fishing) and off the water (eating) more rewarding knowing that those "breeders" are still doing their thing. Hopefully making more pictures of the youngsters (young and old) releasing the handsized "muckadoozers" and keeping pails of "eaters" possible for us years to come.

Would be nice to see this winters bite continue for years to come, both for the fun factor and small businesses in the area.

[basssmasher*]

i kept 3 9 in ers. 2 of which bit so light they swallowed my little hook and had to keep em. all the rest I kept were about 7.5 It was fun catchin the bigger gills though, don't worry they are still there cuz i let the rest go lol