Lake Tetonka Fishing Reports

[troutman72]

how did you do on horseshoe?

[Scott M]

A few perch

[troutman72]

just wondering i was also there mostly small perch.

[BehindtheHead]

there is one access that hasnt hardly been touched this year. da chise knows where im talking about.

[Scott M]

DNR floats muskie-stocking plan for Tetonka

by John Cross, Mankato Free Press

March 14, 2010

WATERVILLE — Every so often, finned lightening strikes an unsuspecting angler fishing Lake Tetonka near Waterville.

Photographs of the rare events wind up on area resort and bait shop bragger boards or the pages of the local paper as smiling anglers hefts whopper muskellunge stretching more than four feet long and weighing 30 pounds or more.

The unexpected trophies have been escapees from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fish hatchery where until 2003, the toothsome predators were hatched and then as fry placed in nearby rearing ponds to grow.

Hatchery manager Hugh Valiant said the accidental stocking probably happened as fingerlings escaped the nets and found their way into Tetonka as the ponds were drained.

But the fact that the fish have attained such trophy status, Valiant said, suggests that the lake provides good habitat for the species.

Recently, the DNR floated a plan that would make hooking a muskie in the Le Sueur County lake more frequent by implementing a stocking plan that would establish a resident population of the predator fish over the next decade.

Jack Lauer, DNR Regional Fisheries Manager in New Ulm, said the project would be keeping with the DNR’s long range plan for muskellunge and large pike management through 2020.

That plan, which was drawn up by a working group of citizens and DNR personnel, called for, among other things, creating eight new muskie fisheries.

Right now, someone hoping to hook up with a muskellunge in southern Minnesota has limited choices.

Of the 116 Minnesota waters now managed for the toothsome trophy, only three — French Lake in Rice County, Fox Lake in Martin County and Lake Zumbro in Olmsted County — are located in southern Minnesota.

The remainder are located from the Metro area northward.

“Tetonka has all the biological criteria and social considerations that would make it a good muskie lake, “Lauer said. He said a combination of habitat and forage base make it an ideal candidate for muskie management.

Understandably, groups like Muskies, Inc., a fishing group devoted to muskie angling, are enthusiastic about the plan.

However, several local groups have expressed opposition to stocking muskies in Lake Tetonka.

Erv Halstead, president of the Minnesota Darkhouse Association and a member of the Waterville Sportsmen’s Club said his groups oppose the measure for several reasons. Likewise, the Waterville Lakes Association is less than enthused.

“Lake Tetonka is on the Cannon River Chain and what is done there affects all 12 lakes,” he said. “Stock Tetonka with muskies and you stock the whole chain,” he said.

He also said his group is concerned about the effect the large predator fish might have on resident populations of other species. “The DNR says muskies mainly eat white suckers and drum, but what happens when those are gone? Our concern is what the lake will be like 20 or 30 years from now.”

The group also is concerned about boat traffic, congestion at landings, the threat of outsiders bringing in exotic invasive species, and the cost.

The proposed Tetonka plan calls for an initial stocking of 548 fall fingerlings 10-12 inches long every other year over a period of seven years using fish hatched and raised at the Waterville facility.

Lauer said that Tetonka’s good habitat should hold most of the stocked fish in the lake and that with such low stocking densities, it would be highly unlikely that the rare fish that might migrate from the lake could establish sustainable populations. What’s more, stocked muskies are unable to reproduce in southern Minnesota lakes.

Numerous studies have shown that concerns of the impact of predatory muskies on other species, especially walleye, at such low densities are largely without merit.

Valiant cited French Lake, which has been managed for muskies since 1974 where evidence suggests the fishing for other species remains very good.

“You just had to take a look at all the houses on French Lake this winter — it is Rice County’s Lake Washington,” he said, referring to the fishing crowds attracted to the popular lake east of Mankato.

The DNR has had one focus meeting with the various factions and will hold another one Tuesday. The focus will be to dispel some of the hype and myth surrounding muskie stockings with facts.

“We knew there’d be some differences of opinion,” Valiant said. “These focus groups are an added step to reach out to the local community ... an opportunity to talk about it in a constructive manner.”

The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the issue of stocking muskies in Tetonka when public input meetings will be scheduled this fall. If approved, the stocking plan could be implemented in 2011.

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FYI only (media story). Please direct any further discussion and debate on the subject to the Outdoor Discussions or Musky forum.

[siemers]

thinking about getting the boat out for a crusie this weekend and maybe trying for blue gills/sunfish. was wondering where to try for them? enybody know any good places to start?you dont need to give me the secret spot just maybe a place to start. thanx

[Eric_Kruger]

lagoons or the channel between the two lakes

[luckycrank]

fishing has been hit or miss on tetonka in the lagoons don't get me wrong you can catch em but it no garuantee

[Eric_Kruger]

yeah gotta agree with LC tho on the lagoons..... when you come into them off the lake head left into the first one and go all the way to the back on the right there is a little inlet that goes between the two been getting a good bite in there for the last week or so.....

ek

[siemers]

where are these lagoons on the lake? ive only bin there a hand full of times

[Zelmsdawg]

If you look at a map they're hard to miss, don't forget the channel either. I've seen shore fisherman pulling out massive sunnies, although they had to sort through some bullheads

Zelmsdawg

[Thulie]

Any preferred bait for the sunnies/crappies?

[hardwaterguy08]

waxies and crappie minnows

[luckycrank]

tough day on tetonka today. 10 crappies for two guys for a 10 hr day on the down hill slide im afraid realesed all 10

[riverrat56]

luckycrank, what were the water temps out there yesterday?

[Thulie]

waxies and crappie minnows

Thanks for the info. I am blessed to have a wife whose mother's day request is to go fishing, so I will be out on Tetonka today.

[Matt C]

Thanks for the info. I am blessed to have a wife whose mother's day request is to go fishing, so I will be out on Tetonka today.

I am hoping mine makes that decision also!

[luckycrank]

48 in the a.m had 52 mid day in the lagoons I never happened to look at main lake temps. had 62 last weekend

[riverrat56]

Brrrrrr!

Man the water temps have taken a nose dive in the past 2 weeks!

[EsaysFISHON]

Can someone tell me if I can get to both of the sakatah lakes from tetonka? If so, do I need to worry about breaking a prop? Going to try tetonka for the first time the monday after opener and just wondering if a light 16 ft boat could make it into the other lakes. Thanks for any advice!

[dewey1980]

You can and you will have no problem going from one lake to the other,good luck

[EsaysFISHON]

Thanks dewey, I appreciate your answer, looking forward to learning a new stretch of water, this will be my first opener actually fishing lakes with a river flowage. good luck to you and all who venture out this opener! -E-

[rosinjw]

Does anyone have advice for the Cannon River that runs between Tetonka and Sakatah? I recently acquired a spot right on the river entrance by Sakatah Bay. I tried fishing it this weekend without a nibble.

[Eric_Kruger]

its really hit or miss in there.....

[Livin On The X Outdoors!]

Just wondering if anybody has luck with smallies out there. I heard it could be good at times. I've had ok luck with the largemouths on tetonka, but just doesn't seem as good as it once was about 5 years ago.

[love2fish4ever]

That could be said about many lakes around here. Not enough CPR in my opinion. Lakes do go though cycles over the years though, you just gotta be there before the word is out & the pressure is on, then you find the next one.

L2f

[blue_healer_guy]

A state record lm caught a few years ago probably had something to do with it.

[sheepheadslayer]

The recent spraying for curlyleaf weeds the past few years would be my first guess. Lake Washington maybe the example there also. I too have seen far less largemouth over 4 lbs the past 3 years. There are still some nice fish in the lake however. Seen pics of a one over 7 lbs 2 years ago. Last year opener I managed to catch over a dozen smallies with a few between 3-4 lbs.

[bass-o-matic]

Anyone catch any smallies lately?

[therat]

I've caught them in Sakatah even. Not in big numbers but size is good.