Albert Lea-Austin-Faribault-Mankato-Northfield-Waseca, Fishing Reports

[Chad Peterson]

The rivers are on fire right now!

You can say that again!

Sniffer

[harvey lee]

6 northern and 4 eyes this am early on a river from shore.

Fish came in an area with rocks and 3ft of water on a pink & white jig with a fathead. All fiash released and going back this aft for the late aft and evening bite.

Gotta get my fishing in as I have a surgery Tuesday that will slow me down for a week or better. Gotta love the fall bite for any specie.

[harvey lee]

Not the evening I was looking for today.

9 pike and only 4 eyes. I was hoping for much better but, it beats nothing for sure.

[Old School]

[Note from admin: Please read forum policy before posting again]

[wtp]

"Note from Admin: Please read forum {photo} policy before posting again"

Where might i find this section so I know what I did wrong?

[harvey lee]

Here you go wtp.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/boardrules/v/1

It's at the upper right of the page. States Forum Policy.

[wtp]

Thank you, I'll take a look

[therat]

Found a load of em on the river today. Nothing giant but plenty of fish. Swimming a jig or some other minnow looking soft plastics was best. Where rocks stop and sand or mud starts. A lot of them were really close to shore.

[therat]

Still goin on the river. Got a nice Smallmouth this time!!!

[harvey lee]

Yes I was out on the river yesterday fishing from shore for a little over an hour. Got 6 nice keepers and caught another 15 or so. Might go out this aft depending on how I feel.

Going to try plastic's today instead of fatheads.

[Comit 2]

The bite is still on. Jig and fatheads for nice Saugers and Walleye. It is hard to fish the river in the AM without catching a few.

Good job DNR.

[Scott M]

Good job DNR.

Good job, naturally reproducing saugers and walleyes

[therat]

Seems like everyone is done talkin about fishin on here? I found a bunch again today on the river. Seem to be hitting large baits even the smaller eyes were getting big baits to the back of their mouths...even with braided line! Sandbar drop off into deep mud and rocks is where I found em.

[thore]

Same here Therat I was using 6" plastics, no big girls just eaters if you choose to. I am fishing the river north of Mankato, even ran into Dark30 stomping around these parts not to long ago. Hey Dark 30 if your reading this the bite is 2 miles south of where we ran into each other at. I believe a jig and anything will work right now the key is to find the bait fish surfacing, on days I have bait fish around me i do good and when they are not around I dont catch a fish. Sunlight sure brings the baitfish in shallow

[Matt C]

Its good to read some of ya are still fishing! I am 100% jealous of you guys!

My work schedule has been killin me.

Anyone been on some lakes? I know the rivers are HOT HOT HOT right now.

[JosMN]

Havent had my boat out for a couple weeks, probably wont get it out again unless I get lucky this wkend. Otherwise, she will be winterized and put away for the year. Wonder if the big girls are biting on the lakes? Was thinking of dropping the boat in cannon and hitting the bridge between wells. What do you think Bunt2k? I havent really heard any reports for out there this fall, and haven't been by there to see if its packed with people fishing off shore.

[Comit 2]

Yes, the Mn river is hot, hot, hot.

I've been throwing white curly tail jigs (nice Saugers on white), 1/8-1/4 oz jigs tipped with a fatheads and cralwer rigs with yellow beads. All work just keep it moving and work the area. Most of my hits happen within 2-3 turns of the reel.

My number one rig last Saturday (two 19.5" Walleyes) was a Cabelas preditor rod 11' long with 1.5 oz of lead and a Cralwer rig. I could fish just about to the other side of the river! The fish were 3/4 the way across the river. Who needs a boat? Just bomb it in, let it hit bottom and slow reel it in.

[AndyM]

Fished a local rice county lake yesterday. Found some crappies in 9' of water. Shrimpo was the ticket, pink and white.

[Matt C]

Sweet! How thick was the ice?

[morepower02]

Just fished a local lake. 5-6 in inches of ice and like mentioned above I also had great luck with a Shrimpo.

[Matt C]

Fished Mazaska again yesterday. Marked fish right on the bottom. Perch, perch perch, and more perch. Ran anywhere from 10 FOW up to 25 FOW, all the same result.

Zero snow on the ice, so it was like an ice skating rink. I am almost to the conclusion as this is my second time out there in a week that too much light is getting through the ice and spooking the fish.

Hopefully with this recent light snow, that will 'darkin' the lake up.

Next time out will be Monday and Tuesday.

I am itching to get my Clam set up on the ice over a school of hungry crappies, but right now its all running and gunnin.

[TruthWalleyes]

4-6" on Reeds.

Beyond 20' deep its 4" or less.

Pulled about 50 crappies/sunfish in 2 hours saturday afternoon. 24fow.

Flasher's lit up like a christmas tree. Didn't even have to bait the hook.

Kinda fun watching them swim away through the ice.

Be Careful. None of these fish were very big.

[Matt C]

Nice report TW! Thanks!

[TruthWalleyes]

I guess i could add to the reports. Madison has a large heave running through the narrows. I fished fairly close to it yesterday morning. About 4-5" ice. I just spent an hour fishing in a early ice walleye spot with no luck.

Tetonka swimming beach - Nothing goin on there. Nice 4-6" of ice. Didn't mark anything but a few dinky perch from 5fow to 17.

[Jaspernuts]

I have only been out once tip up fishing for pike and caught 3. Normally early ice we get them in 3-6 feet, but they were deeper in 9-10 feet. I also think this is due to the clear water and ice this year.

[Matt C]

A sick wife and son = letting my daughter skip school and head out on the ice with me.

We fished Mazaska for a few hours this morning, and found the usual, lots of little perch.

Nothing worth going in the pail for dinner. But always priceless getting Daddy/Daughter time just fishin....

My daughter staying warm in our Clam Base Camp.

I will be heading back out in a few hours to French to try the evening bite.

[HOBBSTER]

I'll be heading out to the lakes near Mankato tomorrow and/ or Thursday. I haven't been out yet but the ice reports sound a bit more assuring than last week. If anyone is going out, wants to meet up and cover some ground together, send me a pm. Thanks, Hobbs.

[griffdus]

Went out early this morning got set up at 8 me and a buddy pulled 12 crappies over ten inches 15 perch 9-11 inches all in 12 to 16 ft of water black plastic and bugs, stayed out all day got 4 pikes running flags off suckers. Then moved shallow on edge of a point set up some dead sticks with fat heads managed three eyes before dark , ice was 5 -7 inches everywhere that We were. Fun day on the ice

[no bait nate]

Got out for the first time this year today and fished from 4-6 pm. Caught over 20 crappies, mostly in the 10" range with a few being a shade smaller. They were very hungry when I was over them in 8 FOW. Also got a couple bass, one with a ratfinkee in it's mouth! And a small pike after dark, which was strange for me. Fun night on the ice. Ice was 5-6 inches, very clear, very solid, and making more. It was crazy how loud it was cracking and the amount it was shifting the whole time I was out there.

[skip across]

Tried cannon the other day, fishing the west end from bauers creek to putrah's point. Caught 3 small perch and 1 7" crappie. Ice was about 5 inches thick. It was perfectly smooth so a buddy and I used ice skates to get out there with the fish house! What an unreal Idea. We made it out there in about a 5th of the time and I used them to punch holes all over the lake. You could see where the geese were trying to keep the water open by cook's point as the ice was thinner there and there where 2 had eaten geese on the ice, assuming the eagles got a nice treat!