metro area Metro Area Minnesota Fishing Reports & Ice Conditions

[Chode2235]

I fished a couple lakes for crappies this past weekend. Fishing was consistent, but a little bit off from the usual bite this time of year. I found the crappies were roaming the edges of the basins rather than right in them, as is the usual location. I did the best set up in 16-20 ft on the edge of the 35-40 ft basins.

A few of decent size, but we sorted through a lot of 6-7 inchers too.

[boilerup]

Has anyone fished Robinson Bay on Tonka? I haven't ever been out on the ice there but figured there has to be something swimming out there.

[Acemac]

I was out on Robinson bay about 3 weeks ago. there is a huge rock pile in about 20-30 FOW that i thought for sure was going to be a great place to find some fish. I spent the better part of a day on those rocks and never saw anything but perch. Depeneding on what you are looking for I think this is a great place to check out. the rock pile is great structure!

here is a bad pick of the pile with some perch

here is a map of the bay from my phone with a marker where i was

let me know what you are going after here and how you do I really think this is a great fishing spot and has a ton of potential. If i had to guess i would say this is a packed hole in the summer time.

[Chode2235]

I love that Navionics iPhone app. Thanks for the info., it is great when people aren't so up tight in sharing information.

[Acemac]

The I Phone is the greatest thing that ever happened to me! I really like the thing and navoinics is great for 9 bucks although I do find that it has a little bit of gps lag and its charts are not 100% perfect but wow compared to not having charts its a life saver.

there is also a ton of great spots on this part of the lake but i cant find any darn fish.... so i I have no problem sharing the places that i have struck out.

[schr0563]

Nothing but perch during the day is normal. Did you stay until after sunset?

[boilerup]

Acemac- thanks for the info. I didn't know they have an app for the iphone like that, it looks pretty awesome! Might have to spend some time searching out there. Are the perch any better out there or pretty standard? You think theres any crappie in that bay?

[Acemac]

ya i only stayed out there during the day so i was not really looking to catch much. I think if a guy was on that pile all night he could hook up with a few eyes.

as far as the crappies go I would say you would be better off staying in Carlson bay or heading off to the big island. I cant imagine there are many crapies in that mess of rocks but i may be wrong. that whole bay goes from really shallow at the weed line to a super steep drop right into the rocks. the small amount of looking down holes with the camera i have done there would make me think that you would be hard pressed to find a good crappie in there.

and yes the perch were the typical perch found down any hole in tonka "small"

[boilerup]

Cool thanks for the info

[TK Tack]

I was out on Black last Saturday afternoon, wow, some serious ice out there. Travel wasn't bad with 4x4. Caught a few keeper pannies but nothing great.

Did anyone see what the DNR were doing out there? There were three of them talking to a group of people for at least an hour.

[Acemac]

Ha ha breaking the law on tonka really takes lots of brains

[CatholicConis]

I hit Minnetonka the past two days. First day was with my 4 year old son. We caught lots of bluegill (mostly tiny) and one crappie and dad (me) caught his final Northern of the season.

Went the next day, caught lots of small bluegill. I spent most of the day with my head in the ice hole. I saw probably 15 northerns come by! They were sluggish, not active like two weeks ago. They would approach like a sunnie would, check out the bait and move on. One did take a waxworm(!) but he bit through that small line like buttah. I did get one to take a piece of minnow meat, but I pulled too soon and the hook came out.

The coolest thing was that I saw the biggest fish of my life. Don't know if it could have been a muskie or some other species (I'm somewhat of a newbie). It was about the size of my son, about 4 feet. I would have taken mental notes on its markings but my heart was racing too fast! He lumbered by two times, didn't sniff the bait but was checking it out.

You have all inspired me to invest in a gas auger and flasher for next year! Thanks for the great forum.

[waterbound]

Sounds like a lot of fun! That big fish you saw was probably a muskie, northerns don't get that big in the metro (often). It sounds like you have all summer to look forward to next season now!

[AndRo]

Headed to Waconia with a few buddies and our porty's this weekend. I haven't fished there much. Any pointers?

[Acemac]

catholic I got to know what area you were in. It seems like on tonka if you can find a few gills the northern are not far behind. where you up in the weeds on down in a flat?

[hookie]

AndRo

Ok I know this is going to tick a few of you off but this is a fishing forum after all. For me it’s been keeping it simple, Straight up hook (nothing fancy) and look for the biters to be running suspended 4-5 feet off the bottom (The ones on the bottom don’t seem to be biting). Medium sized crappies minnows. Your minnow needs to be active and don’t do any jigging just pull it up and inch or 2 and back down. Seems like they are starting to feed pretty well been catching a few with other minnows still in their mouth (Piggy’s). I think I might be out a bit too deep though (16’) but seem to be doing pretty well and I’m too lazy to move the house. Last night I iced about quit a few and managed my limit. Good luck and save some for the rest of us out there.

PS

Don’t watch the vexliar too much or you’ll have a stroke! lol

[Acemac]

lol great post.

[CatholicConis]

I was in Gray's bay next to the perms. I was outside the weeds (though a couple of weeks ago I caught two in the weeds). Sand bottom, 10 FOW. There are probably a million places like that on Tonka, but that one is easy for me to get to. Good luck!

[AndRo]

thanks for the tips hookie, I'll be doing just that and playing hookie from work tomorrow.

[hookie]

Me too. Maybe I see yah out there lol Oh and by the way everyone beware of the fish stealing Bald Eagle out there. Yes that's what I said. Tuesday night I watch a Bald Eagle drop down in Center reef and snatch a fish (Looked like a sunfish) between a few houses so if you're missing a fish from Tuesday night I might know who the culprit is. I never thought they would come that close. This is the truth; I'm not lying or telling stories.

[boilerup]

Hookie- Good stuff!!! It's not too much of a surprise that eagle did that since we got the deep snow it's definitely made it hard to hunt. It was an easy meal! I was on Parkers lake last summer, caught a small bass and tossed it back, it floundered around for a little until a bald eagle swooped down and flew off with him. I felt slightly helpless in my canoe with no clean shorts to change in to.

[mrab54]

I'm looking to get out on Tonka for the first time, thinking about heading out on Wayazata or Robinsons bay hoping for walleye but mainly whatever is biting. Is that a good place to start?

I've heard someone say you have to watch out driving on Tonka because there are spots where water flows and ice can get too thin for vehicles. Any spots I want to look out for? I'll likely stick to the beaten path first time out anyways. Thanks.

[Acemac]

you will be fine if you don't drive through the channels

I have been hearing that wayzata bay has been doing pretty good after dark on the eyes but its only fishing stories so who knows.

if you head to Robinson I would be very interested to hear how you do after dark I think that spot has a ton of potential.

[AndRo]

Went out to Waconia last night. We hit a ton of small pearch to start the day, from 130-330, then around 330 we got into some sunfish, caught a couple keepers. From 330-530 the bite was really slow, at sundown we caught a few keeper crappies and one jumbo perch. Decent day I guess. Had about 8 keepers, random species.

[JBMasterAngler]

Was at spring park bay today, fished the exact same spot where my truck was stuck last week. Caugth about 2 dozen little perch with fat bellies, a few little sunnies. In the evening the crappies moved in, but they too were small. Pretty much caught everything on either a plain hook and minnow or green forage minnow with minnow head.

[mrab54]

Went out on Minnetonka Friday. Wasn't able to get to Robinson bay at all. I wasn't expecting that much snow and the old Ford Taurus was having a hard enough time just sticking to the path. So, instead of farting around driving, I ended up on Wayazata not where I wanted to be and got skunked.

Went out on WBL Saturday 8AM, SE of the peninsula in the eastern bay in 22ft drop off and had a few small perch. I moved to just east of Bellaire city in 15ft weed bottom had a couple decent northern and a ton of tiny perch, couple 9 inchers were the biggest.

While I was scooping out one of my holes, I had a bobber shoot down faster than I've ever seen. Ended up dropping the scooper down the hole from the shock. Line snapped but luckily I was able to hook the scooper off the bottom of the lake.

Looks like one 8 inch Walleye for my first season ice fishing is all I'm going to get. Definitely need to buy a flasher next year.

[Acemac]

Hey next time check out the lake mntka lake acsess page and head out forom carlson bay the roads are great and they go all over the lake super easy driving.

Any way here is my update from this weekend.... Spent friday after work off of big island on tonka was catching crappies when the sun went down and I reilized I forgot the lantern. Well that put the stop to what I am sure would have been great... Was up early saterday and hit the st croix, it was my first time out there and I am not sure I would go back. We caught one very small eye and my partner forgot the beer!?

Well Sunday was a pretty good day I went back to the southeast bay off of big island on tonka, the crappies were hit and miss but I managed to take 3 fish home the trophy of the day being a 9 incher (not to bad). I spent a total of 11 hours on the same spot, just I thought I should try a new location the Showdown would light up and I woul pull somthing up the hole. The fish really played some bad tricks on me today, but I had the last laugh with just enough crappie to have one plate of fish and chips.

I waited all day to catch a northern bit the dead stick stayed dead. Maybe next weekend... Any one catching northerns on tonka anywhere besides greys bay?

[Tanker]

We fished the heck out of phelps for northerns.. got nothing... i caught the worlds smallest walleye. not even 4 inches long does that count??

[Go2fish]

3 small walleyes on tonka for Fri and Sat evening on the west side 18ft of water weed edge.

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

basically same report as above me. 3 walleyes, biggest at 11 inches fishing 26 feet over rocks in wayzata bay. Fished sat 3-8 and sunday 2-10.