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Lake Minnetonka Fishing Reports


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thanks guys, i will probally hit is EARLY like 4am just to be safe.

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I will probably be hitting grays launch as well on opener ... what rigs do you guys have? We could have a cup before headin out.

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Hello,

One of my few chances with a boat this season is this monday. Even though it is not season, I dont mind the panfish at all and am looking forward to a great day on the lake, rain or shine.

My question is, I will be near Smithtown Bay where the boat is located. What areas of the left half of the lake would be some places to check out for some decent size crappies or gills? Any bays or nooks that would work pre-swawn?

Many thanks,

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You can try Seton, Black and Emerald --- they're all in that part of the lake and are good (and popular) early season spots.

I haven't been on Tonka in a couple weeks so I don't have any recent reports to give you.

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I will be probably be shore fishin but if anyone would like to have a partner let me know.

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i am still looking on the lake map and trying to find some good spots for the am.

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thinking I will be hitting the docks at sunsets at around 330am unless any one knows a better shore spot.

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I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to catching wallys so my question is what type of structure/depth range should I be looking for to try and find them this weekend? Any info would be appreciated. Also any advice on pole setups would be great too. Thanks

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Lindy rig, jig, bottom bounce with leeches or fatheads by rocks and weeds with a 6'6"+ ML/M fast action rod. Chartreuse, orange, pink has worked great for me.

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my uncle lives on tonka and offered me to go out for opener on tonka.. my question is, is there good size wallys in there or just alot of little ones?

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Tonka's got some big 'eyes.

Yes!

The biggest Minnesota walleye that's ever been in my boat came out of Tonka ......

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Same here for my boat partner and I. We have trouble catching keepers. We caught something like 25 or 26 walleyes in 5 or 6 nights of fall trolling in 09' and only one was under 20" at 17". Our average was 23.5", with the two largest at 29"x18" (approx. 11.4 lbs.) and a 28.25" x 16". We have also boated a 29" (muskie fishing) and and a couple more 28" out there, including a 28" x 18". These fish are built like tanks also.

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I want to start fishing minnetonka more but the lake is so big. I have the pan fish down, I want to start fishing more walleye, northern and bass. Is there a bay or part of the lake to concentrate on and learn that bay first.

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Get a map - it's really not that big, it's just cut up.

I started on the east and learned Gray's Bay, then Wayzata, Browns, etc until I made it to Big Island. Then I launched on the north end and learned North Arm, Maxwell, Crystal, etc until I made it to Big Island. Then went to the west end and leard Halsted's, Preist's, etc and again made it out to Big Island.

You won't learn it all in a year or heck a few years. All the bays have good fish in them, catching them is another story.

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any place anyone sugests to start looking for them on tonka? i have never fished this lake and any help would be appreciated

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What's the best bay to start and at what depths should I be? I usually fish for crappies and bass so I too have no idea how to fish Minnetonka walleyes. Thanks!

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I've seen some good ones in Wayzata Bay, but good luck catching them. I've heard that fishing deep can produce fish other than just panfish that steal your bait all day, but can't speak from experience. Diamond Reef is a good spot in general, but it can get pretty nasty out there with the wind and wakes from all the boats on the lake.

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Buddy of mine has a 31.75" hanging in his living room that came from tonka 2 years ago. He was trolling with a spinner bait and a sucker minnow.....yeah... ?!?

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thats a weird combo!! my exs dad used to troll with a huge jig head and hook a dead sucker through the mouth.. i dont know how but when fishing with him we allways laughed .....untill he allways caught the biggest fish.. sometimes werd combos work

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The spinnerbait/sucker combo is fabulous for northerns. My ex-father-in-law caught his biggest-ever walleye on that combo though so ya, it apparently works for them too.

The biggest walleyes I've ever caught were from tonka.

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Who'll be at the lake and how busy would would it be at 7am? Oh, and how's the milfoil?

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I have never fished Minnetonka eyes before, just in general is it a crankbait lake this time of year or more in fall? Or would my best bet be with live bait? I would be greatly generous if someone could spare me a mistake of possibly spending money on the wrong bait. Thanks!

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I bet you could find some at about 10pm on small cranks in the shallows. but there is lots of water out there.....

to fish walleyes effectively you got to have your bag of tricks full, so i would say there is no such thing as wasted money on tackle if your going after eyes. Sooner or later you will need it all to figure out what is working best.

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I'll definitely be on the lake.

7am Saturday morning shouldn't be TOO bad, but I can almost guarantee that by about 11am-12ish the lake's gonna be SWARMED because of Memorial Day Weekend.

Milfoil hasn't been too bad that I've noticed. I live on Grays so I tend to stick to the east side of Minnetonka but it does seem like a good amount of the milfoil didn't die during the winter? I don't know what would cause that, or if it's even possible, just sayin what I'm seein.

I've already done a good amount of trolling this season and the only times I've had issues with weeds so far have just come from me not really paying attention to the weed line and going a little too shallow. Granted, I almost always troll the weed lines when I'm pike fishing, so I haven't looked around too much else where.

Edit: We just paid for them to spray for Milfoil in Gray's bay less then a couple weeks ago. I don't know if it's been done or not yet (Haven't been out in a few days :() but usually once they do it helps quite a bit, especially in Grays bay at least.

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Gray's Bay is where I hit the bass and northerns the hardest so it's nice to know the milfoil isn't bad.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      i cant help you with the weed thing, but i just came back form out that way......Regal, New London Hawick area. i dont no how big the swat of rain was but there is water standing everywhere. my buddy told me they had over 3 inches of rain yesterday/last night 
    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
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