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Hike-in only, low pressure lakes?


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I'm not looking for anyone to share their secrets with the world, but I am looking for a decent lake to fish that requires some hiking to get into that keeps the fishing pressure down.

I understand this isn't a common occurrence in the metro area but I know with all the county parks there are decent little lakes with good fish around.

I fish alone/or with one dude, use a hand auger, catch and release most all of the time (unless my wife demands a fish dinner), and really do prefer a nice hard hike/ski/snowshoe into solitude.

I'm looking for a private message or email to andrew[dot]c[dot]urban@gmail[dot]com

Thanks in advance!

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Some of these "hike-in" lakes around have seen some hard times lately. Most of these lakes are usually pretty shallow and all the ones I know of suffered varying degrees of winterkill over the last two winters. I checked one two weeks ago and didn't mark a single fish--3 years ago you couldn't drop an unbaited teardrop without getting a hand sized sunnie. Good luck and if you do find one, don't post about on here...

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Yes, thanks guys. I agree, it seems most everything accessable is hit hard by people... and most everything that takes a bit of work to get into is hit hard by the winter. I've had a few solid "private message/email" leads off of this and thanks to those of you who contributed! I will definetly not be giving any secrets away, or fishing out any hidden gems.

Any other suggestions would be great but I should be set for a few weekends of hiking/sweat/and hopefully good fish. The rest of you can drive 5ft from your hotspot and have a good time too. Different strokes for different folks.

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I have one I would like to try Feb.-March. I was up in that area last year fishin' for perch.. Talked to a local fisherperson whom gave me a lead.. I did some research, sounds good.. Most common option from what I gathered, is Bluegills "9"-"12" inch. On a good day if they are biting.. There is a special limit, for good reason.. If you might want to hook up with me and two of my fishin' buddies around then, let me know and I'll give you my e-mail or phone # That is all I have for now.. Thanks. have a great day..

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I've spent hours over the years running down lakes in the DNR Lakefinder. Anything without a boat ramp, or equally obvious public access, is a candidate. Of course, this requires some stubbornness & some research, but in the end it's worth it.

Even if a few lakes were named here I suspect it would hardly affect the pressure, most folks aren't willing to portage their gear 1/4 of a mile or more onto an unknown lake. But I'm not going to tempt fate. smile

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Marshmallow- drop me an email at [email protected] I'd be game for an adventure.

From my travels in northeastern MN I have found that lakes can be well worth the effort in getting to them. You get an interesting adventure getting into the lake and all the cool stuff associated with that travel. You always leave the crowds behind. The most of the time your get great fishing. Lots of bigger fish.

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Maximum I do agree with you. Most people aren't willing to work to get to a lake. People are just to lazy. Yet if word gets out that there's an awesome bite enough people will flock to that lake to drastically impact the fishing over a few years.

If you ahve these great hike in lakes email me the info (if u want) but don't for any reason post specific lake names on here.

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Yet if word gets out that there's an awesome bite enough people will flock to that lake to drastically impact the fishing over a few years.

I totally agree, and I really don't dig into these things hoping to gain free information for easy fish (not going to lie, finding fish after a 1-3 hour hike is a nice reward). I respect every person who finds "their" spot, and doesn't tell anyone else about it. It really seems that those who like to spend as much time getting into a nice lake, are the type of enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. Another reason why it seems we poke at finding out these locations, but end up fishing on our own, or with only one other person, often catching and releasing anyways.

I'm happy to share info I have learned as long as I know your not planning on dragging in a party of people and keeping limits of every fish you catch.

Good luck to those who search! It's hard work, and often the reward is not found in trophy fish!

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I am offline till Wed. I'll get back to this.. It does get a bit muddy walking back to this spot.. But the scenery is relaxing.. Propably march.. You guy's also have nice views on this, thanks.. And have a great day..

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There is a pretty good lake in Washington County that you would like. It is Little Carnelian. Although the DNR lake map says there is no public access. It is wrong. There is a small parking lot on the South end of the lake. You can find it by driving down Stonebridge Trail and then going north on Penfield. You will see the parking lot on your right side just after you pass Pawnee st. I suppose it's less than a quarter mile walk. It's down hill on your way in so save some energy to get back out! There are a few homes on the lake so there will be some locals out fishing, but it's fairly quiet and undisturbed. I grew up near this lake and always did pretty well fishing down there. It holds some really nice crappies, but there is a lot of underwater structure for them to hide in so they are fairly spread out throughout the lake egdes.

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I've spent hours over the years running down lakes in the DNR Lakefinder. Anything without a boat ramp, or equally obvious public access, is a candidate. Of course, this requires some stubbornness & some research, but in the end it's worth it.

I do this all the time, too. Urban, Id rather not give out lake names but if you havnt checked out the DNRs lakefinder website do so it will probably be the most useful tool in your search for lakes. Usually before each ice season Ill find a few new ones I want to try and Ill check back on a few old ones.

It really sucks when you do a bunch of research and work to only end up on a mudhole but when you do find a good one its worth it.

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Yeah I'm a Lakefinder junkie too. Although I will say that the best lakes I've been on either didn't have a survey or the survey looked really discouraging.

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Im one of those "blaze my own trail" type of anglers too. There are lots of good little lakes in the Chaska area that see pretty much zero pressure. This ice season I've caught 13" inch crappies, 10 inch sunfish, and a six pound bass on three separate lakes in the area that anybody passing by would just head to tonka. Carp-fisher, if you still want to compare notes on some of these area lakes let me know.

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The recreational compass is fantastic, I use it a lot. Funny though, I never thought of just choosing the lakes w/o public access (a good filter for the lazy ones ;), I always used size/depth/report as a deciding factor.

The only issue with me is my own time... I don't have enough of it.

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Time is always an issue!

I have twenty lakes I'd like to toss the canoe on or drag the shelter onto, but the reality is my time is limited like most anglers. I'd like to think I'll take every second or third time out to explore, but it doesn't seem to work that way. But now that you've got me thinking, I'm going to make more of an effort until the end of the season.

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Hey Marshmallow,

Can you send me an email? [email protected]

I've got a buddy that has an unnatural fetish for bulls that would be tickled pink to go. I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it, but if you don't mind us tagging along and let me know just general location and times later on things might fall together.

Thanks

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URBAN.. Is the name Andrew included in your E-Mail adress?? I got one for you to try south of metro.. You can check it out on d.n.r lake finder also..

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URBAN.. Is the name Andrew included in your E-Mail adress?? I got one for you to try south of metro.. You can check it out on d.n.r lake finder also..

yeah thats correct.... andrew.c.urban at gmail.com

thanks! I'll be waiting!

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i found a nice little lake where the DNR did a sample deal and there are 45 crappies sampled from 11-14 inches and 300 8-10 inch ones

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Man, now you guys got me thinking I need to scower the lakefinder site more I live in the SW metro near Chaska, so I might have ot hunt these little holes down a little. I really don't like fishing the crowds of Waconia or the like...though I typically don't get out enough to warrant spending a day on a body of water that no one else is on (I'm a follower I guess).

Best day of fishing I've ever had was on a little body of water up by Leech Lake my bro in law found. We pounded BIG gills all day. Kept a few to eat, and jumped from hole to hole and had a blast. Best part, we were the there was only one other group of guys on the ice, and no houses on the shoreline. So serene and a memory I'll never forget.

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hey Thunder,

do you have a cabin up near leech/longville area or possibly on Thundder lake?

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Thunder, i live in chaska and if i were you i would start scowering the lake finder because there are lots of small lakes that have awesome fisheries around here.

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Jordyn, What lake are you on by Longville? I'm on Hunter 4 mi. s. of Longville.

I'm almost exclusivly a C/R fisherman.Especially on lakes that can't take the kind of pounding that occurs when the message gets out, like Buffalo is getting right now for Crappies.

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my cabin is on Upper Trelipe.

My grandpa, Vern Stefan bought an old girl scout camp with his brothers.

and my Uncle Don Stfean ownes the Trading Post Bait Shop in Remer

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