lake of the woods 10/13&14

[curt quesnell]

since nobody is updateing the fishing reports<BR>let ME tell you something that they should<BR>be telling you.<P>the fishing is just great on lake of the woods in october. you hear alot about the<BR>rainey river and, while it is a good "big<BR>fish" chance, it is also very spotty in the<BR>fall. <P>the lake bite is just wild...i have been<BR>targeting morris point gap this fall, but<BR>the lighthouse gap can be the same thing<BR>and (like i found out this weekend)if you<BR>like fishing all by yourself, fish out of<BR>warroad it works there too and there is <BR>nobody there.<P>simple, easy, tons of fun, lots of fish.<P>here's how it works...i will use morris point<BR>gap as the example. start in as shallow as<BR>you want to, work your way deeper and watch your electronics to spot either fish or clouds of baitfish or anything that may look interesting. keep going until you see fish or baitfish. forget what they tell you in the resort about how deep to fish. the fish move in and out. anchor up and start jigging with shiner minnows.<P>dont drift, dont troll, dont cast..vertical<BR>jig your shiner minnow...very slowly, even<BR>stop and let the jig sit still very close to<BR>the bottom. let the jig thump on the bottom<BR>once in awhile but keep it slow.<P>there are areas of harder bottom and gravel<BR>all over out there, you will be able to feel<BR>the jig clanking away on a hard surface as <BR>opposed to sticking in muck. you want to<BR>be on the harder surface bottom (buts thats<BR>probably where you will see the fish anyway).<BR>your boat will swing back and forth some and,<BR>if your are lucky you will get some of both<BR>types of bottom<P>be a little patient, if you dont catch fish<BR>right away or if you only catch real small<BR>fish. you may catch 10 small fish, then a<BR>6 pounder or real nice keeper or a huge<BR>sturgeon.<P>this will work nearly everytime. if the<BR>wind suddenly stops, or switches direction<BR>the fish will probably quit biting. keep<BR>looking, go shallower or deeper and watch<BR>your electronics. the store might close for<BR>the day, but the next morning it is the<BR>same deal.<P>you want some wind, north or northwest is<BR>probably the best but any direction is better<BR>than none. if you can get 5 to 15 great. <BR>if it is stronger than that, and you can get<BR>your anchor to hold, put your back to the wind, put your hood up and catch fish. <P>i fished the rainey for years in the spring<BR>and the fall, often with dissapointment. for<BR>the last 5 years or so i have worked this<BR>method and it just seems to keep getting<BR>better.<P>i want share this great method with everyone<BR>who would like to keep fishing in the fall<BR>and is unsure where to go and how to start.<BR>i dont know how this works on your lake, but<BR>it works good on lake of the woods.<P>obviously i didnt use great wisdom to figure<BR>this out. i just wasnt crazy about river<BR>fishing, but liked the idea of anchoring<BR>and vertical jigging. i saw other people <BR>fishing this way and when nobody was catchin<BR>any, i would move deeper until i saw fish<BR>or baitfish on the depth finder. the bite<BR>would begin again.<P>but where to anchor?...trust your electronics, these fish are easy to find.<BR>you will very rarely see fish on the depth<BR>finder and not catch them soon.<P>dont be afraid to move after and hour or so<BR>but, it usually doesnt take that long. go<BR>deeper or shallower until you find fish again.<P>how deep? 10 to 30 feet..<P>what if you dont see fish or baitfish?..you will.<P>will this always work? no..i have had real strong winds make me stop fishing and, like i mentioned before the wind stopping or switching can and does shut it down for a <BR>few hours (just like in the summer).<P>time of day....the fish usually start biting<BR>between 9 and 10 am...fish till youve had<BR>enough fun or you run out of shiner minnows.<P>it is as consistant a bite as i have ever<BR>seen at any time of the year. not the most<BR>fish, maybe not the biggest but you can keep<BR>fishing with ease for as long into the fall<BR>as you care to go..catchin fish all the way.<P>a good, sensitive rod is important, and the<BR>superline of your choice will help you detect<BR>every little peck. dress for the weather, its<BR>no fun being cold.<P>tourism is down all over right now, and the<BR>lake of the woods resorts are feeling the<BR>pinch now too. it isnt to late to get<BR>reservations for this fall, rates are lower<BR>after labor day anyway. call your favorite<BR>resort and plan a trip if you can. call the<BR>lake of woods chamber office in baudette if<BR>you dont have a favorite.<P>cyrus, randalls, ken mar ke, morris point<BR>or walleye retreat all have easy access to the morris point gap.<P>there are many great choices along the<BR>river also like riverbend, borderview adrians, ballards the list goes on and on.<BR>it is difficult to make a poor choice.<P>good luck fishin....<P>curt quesnell<P><BR>

[Kingfisher]

Way to go Curt! I'm not surprised at your success, but your technique was very enlightening. Just too busy to get up there lately. Thanks for the input.<P>------------------<BR>Keep a tight line,<BR>Kingfisher

[Lip RIPPER!]

Curt, good points but fish can also be caught on the reefs too.

[curt quesnell]

one of the fish we caught sunday was pulled<BR>off a rockpile between springsteel and<BR>south buffalo point. i fish there all the<BR>time and didnt know about this reef, it <BR>came from 26 feet up to 12 feet.<P>duck hunting is a big deal at lake of the<BR>woods. i think bird numbers are down, places<BR>that usually have hunters are empty this<BR>year.<P>sorry my other post was so long..but i think<BR>its just a great opportunity for close in<BR>easy good fishin on this great body of water.<P>curt quesnell

[Guest]

Thank for the update on the fishing. It sounds great. Does anyone know about the duck hunting up there. My group has being hunting either the Baudette or the Angle for the last six years, but the last two or three the fishing has been good but the ducks have been less an less each year. Thanks for you help.

[Rockroll]

I agree Curt. My experience is no casting, trolling, drifting etc. Just vertical jigging. I think of this type of fishing as ice fishing on open water. Use smaller jigs and spoons when the water is 50 degrees or colder. I also agree that you have the reefs all to yourself. There is not a lot of poeple who like to tie hooks when the temps get cold.

[Wobbler]

Hey Rockroll,<BR>What is your favorite lure in the winter time? Let me guess a GOLD Rock & Roll. You remind me of a guy who took me to LOW 3 years ago and who I get the pleasure to ice fish with often. The only thing Rockroll is what are we going to do about Lip Ripper when jr. comes and he can't go fishing with us!