st cloud St Cloud Fishing Reports

[mrpike1973]

had fun on horseshoe in the boat got 2 small cats bit very light

[Rick G]

had fun on horseshoe in the boat got 2 small cats bit very light

Mrpike1973 gets the honor of providing us with the first open water report of the year, well done sir .

I saw a little open water myself today. Was on a lake in the Brainerd area, walking out to the spot and my buddie all of a sudden becomes about 3ft shorter . He fell into an old hole that was enlarged by runoff and covered by a foot of snow. With no dry boots for him, it ended our day before it realy even began . Might try to get out somewhere tomorrow if it isn't raining too hard.. Then I'm done with the ice rods for the year

[mrpike1973]

glad your buddy is ok. i thank you for the honor of the first report. i will treasure my moment in the lime light thank you sir hee hee

[Rick G]

Got a few hours in this afternoon on Clearwater. Both Bob's bay and Bj's access are toast. We worked our way over to the East side of the lake and gained access by knocking on a door and asking to use the home owners yard.

Once on the lake, and at our destination, we found right around 2ft of ice yet, the top 6-8in was pretty bad, but the rest was still hard yet.

Started drilling close to a shallow bullrush flat in the 4-10ft range, didn't mark anything in the deeper holes, but the shallow ones showed some signs of life . Got a mix of sunfish and crappies, the crappies were right in the rushes while the gills prefered to stay just outside the reeds. Trick was to stay on the move, picking out the ones that wanted to bite and leaving the lookers alone. The plan was to stay till dark and see if some big crappies moved in , the rain came well before then We were off the lake and at the resturant enjoying a burger before 4pm.

I think today was my last time out for the ice season. Might try and make it to one of the local rivers this week for some open water cat action if the weather warms.

[maddowg1192000]

Rock-think the bay will be open by the weekend on horseshoe

[mrpike1973]

went out on sat with the boat. i would think by the weekend you should be able to get into horse shoe. the ice was chunking up pretty good when i was there lets hope

[Horseshoe_Don]

Rick you can put the gear away now! The main bay of shoe will not be open this weekend. But some of it will be.

Don

[Rick G]

Ice gear is getting put away sometime early this week. Waiting till the snow is gone before I bring the boat home. Hoping to get a little shore fishing in Fri or Sat somewhere, likley either the Sauk or the Elk.

[JeremyCampbell]

Trying to wake up my river fishing partners out of hibernation and get on the river this weekend for shore fishing too.

[Stick in Mud]

I'll also be out this weekend, especially if the weather is as nice as they say it's going to be. Bait stores have crawlers now, too. Hopefully the suckers'll be runnin'.

[Brad B]

I'll also be out this weekend, especially if the weather is as nice as they say it's going to be. Bait stores have crawlers now, too. Hopefully the suckers'll be runnin'.

do you think the pout will be ready to play this early in the year. I would like to meet up with you sometime and try to catch a few. to this day I have not ever caught a pout and I want to cross it off my list of fish I have yet to catch.

[JeremyCampbell]

Il tag along too if theres room,

[JeremyCampbell]

A local fisherman took me carp fishing today at a pond in the area.Caught a 2lb carp.Circle hook and crawler.

[Rick G]

do you think the pout will be ready to play this early in the year. I would like to meet up with you sometime and try to catch a few. to this day I have not ever caught a pout and I want to cross it off my list of fish I have yet to catch.

Guys, I don't think you would realy want to fish for the pout we have in the river in this area. For the most art they are much much smaller than the ones you will get out of the lakes such as Mille Lacs, Leech and Lake of the Woods.

I have gotten a few quality ones in the winter but most have been in the 10-14in range. Imo, they just aren't worth fishing for.

I have a feeling they were more of an accidental catch for carmike

[pushbutton]

Pout hater If they are biting...why not fish for them. Bring a light set up and have some fun. Looks to be at least a week till the bite really turns on for anything else more accessible.....Also saw a few ponds open up today..... glad you got to fish one Jeremy!

[Rick G]

Pout hater If they are biting...why not fish for them. Bring a light set up and have some fun./quote]

Yep, I'm the pout hater Don't fish for the ones in the river for the same reason I don't fish for sunfish out of lake George, they are kinda small

[JeremyCampbell]

I guess il have to do some more ice fishing.I got a tip the other day that there are some pretty safe areas in st Joe for late ice fishing.Gotta go back in the shed and pull it all out again

[Rick G]

Um.... I hope your kidding...right? Ice is getting pretty iffy around here right now. I know of a few lakes in the area people are still getting on but none of them are in the St. Joe area. The lakes people are getting on yet are the large, deeper ones that had thick ice all winter. Even theese I hear are getting pretty soft.

[Stick in Mud]

LOL, those pesky pout just won't go away.

I used to live on the river just above the Sartell Dam. At night early in the year, I'd go out fishing for catfish (usually with nightcrawlers unless I had cut bait) off the dock. Invariably, I'd catch eel pout--and lots of them. They're tiny. I'm not lying about this in order to keep my honey hole all to myself. They're really tiny.

Because the cats up there don't get all that big (at least not all that often, or at least where I was fishing), I would use a light action rod and 6 lb test. They didn't even put up a fight on that set up.

So, that's the secret, guys. Maybe sharing it in this open forum will get me out of that all-inclusive guided trip I've gotta lead for whoever wins the ice-out prediction contest on Horseshoe.

[JeremyCampbell]

Well Im going with a very seasoned fisherman who fishes it often.He says its safe so il be taking his word

[Rick G]

Well just be carefull, it's going to be warm the next few days.

I thought I knew the lake I was on last Sat, buddie fell through, only upto his waist thankfully, but it could have been worse

[JeremyCampbell]

Great day fishing! In Sartell I Caught 4 catfish around five lbs and big ole carp.Then I cruised over to st Joe lake and walked out on the ice and took home a handfuls of Sunnies and crappies.Ice was a little over a foot thick.Had to get on the ice by walking down a dock and jumping down off of it.

[Rick G]

I also made it out today, hit several spots, half dozen places on the Sippi, the Elk by Palmer and ended the day at the Clearwater mill stream. Action was hit and miss on the River, elk had some big ones but few of them, and the Mill stream had lots of fish but most were small.

I did however find a decent school of crappies, but wasn't set up for them. If the wind isn't too bad tomorrow I might bring the ul rod and a handfull of jigs down.

Found water temp as low as 45 on the Miss and as high as 53 at the Mill stream.

Forgot to mention, the woodticks are starting to come out. Found a couple regular ticks and one tiny little deer, none lived long enough to feed

[JeremyCampbell]

Sounds like some ppl got out today in this great spring weather.I found a tick on me when I got home from the Carmike fishing gathering the other day.Might hit Sauk rapids after a drywall repair tomorrow.It's probeley going to be too much current most of the way.I need a calm area maybe il find a little inlet somewhere by some trees.

[Stick in Mud]

I was out yesterday, too. Found a nice mess of redhorse and brown suckers around Sartell, and a redhorse and walleye near SCSU. I still haven't caught a carp or a catfish, so I'm heading back out today before the miserable weather hits tomorrow to see if I can complete the "Grand Slam" of spring river fishing (carp, redhorse, brown sucker, and catfish). (Notice I left the eel pout off the list. )

[LPCrowRiverFisherman]

You should clue me in on what a Brown Sucker is? I think you mean White Sucker.

[Stick in Mud]

LOL. Sure looks brown to me!!

[Rick G]

I was wondering what a brown sucker was, thought maybe Carl was fishing the waste water plant discharge

[Stick in Mud]

Geez, you guys are tough on a fella. Didn't know I needed a degree in fish identification to hang out in these forums!!!!

[JeremyCampbell]

Another good afternoon in sartell.cats were alive and carp were asleep.Ended up with six catfish in a two hour time slot.Carmike,give me a jingle and il take you over to that spot..I know catfish is on your to catch list.Longest one was 31"