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Monticello/Otsego Smalliie Fishing Reports


DuckBlind

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders

LOL, I sure hope i didn't hurt any smallies feelings. I am in the window business and I was in my 20's in the 70's . So it's a 4 way hit, I mean a 2 way name. lol A medic I knew while I was in the Army used to pop it in his eye! Crazy!! Anyway, glad you got into some fishies.

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Sounds like a movie.

Purple Haze!

Some of my creations on the Fly-vise look like something Post Windowpane.

I need to work on finding some bigger fish now. June was excellent for bigger fish on little black wooly buggers or Chart/white clousers. Wading was a little tricky. July taped off.

Seems last year July was excellant for big fish.

That rain put a little color in the water yesterday.

That might have been the thing I needed. They had been really spooky.

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Got out this past weekend, no luck. Good to just be out there. Sticking w/ the poppers until I can figure it out. At least for now...then we'll see about using subsurface flies.

Can a guy cast TOO much? Spook the fish this way?

I usually walk down the middle and cast towards shore. See fish every now and then but I either miss them or scare them off.

Also, when using a popper...sometimes it pops w/ ease other times it just dives or doesnt make any noise in the water? Any advice? Am I pulling it in too fast or not fast enough?

Thanks for the help...

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Seemed to be the popper that had a nice little "plop" sound to it did the best. At whatever speed. And Yes, the line scares a lot of fish. If your in a boat covering a lot of water just keep moving till you hit another active fish. Wading you don't cover enough water so, Stalk your spots and fish. I use leaders at least 9 ft long. Think about where your line's at, try and cast far enough upstream to let the popper come by without the line being over the top of the fish. Be very sneeky in the clear water. I've spooked a lot of fish rolling rocks over with my feet. I watch'm scoot from 20 yrds away. Let me know if you want to meet up some time, I'll fish anywhere from Little falls down to Coon Rapids.

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Fishface gives good advice about wading, when the fish are spooky stealth is key, I always try to position myself to what I want to cast to and stand still for a minute before I cast, I find this settles the fish down a bit, try not to turn over rocks or anything with your feet, the less junk you kick off the bottom the better. Sometimes the fish will come right up to you, other times they will spook if you get within 30 yards.... just depends on there mood

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Fishface...I might take you up on that. I wrote before that I get out mainly west of Monticello...I meant I mainly get out EAST of Monti...there is an acess I am sure most people know about just EAST of 101...I forget the name of the road it is on...if someone says it I will remember but it is not too far off the road, down a gravel road. There is an island about 1/4 of a mile to the west I usually walk to and then wade in. Next time I head out there I will post a message...maybe we could meet up!?! Always up for fishing and help w/ the river. Just love getting out there.

Best luck I have had w/ poppers are BIG yellow foam poppers, they seem to move more water and make a big POP in the water. Fish seem to pick up on the noise quick, I just need work on not ripping the lure out of their mouths!

If anybody has any places in mind to try out I would appreciate the help! I keep nothing, just looking for a place to catch a few fish, let them go and call it a day...

Good luck fishing...

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Ya, let me know. I have odd hours at work but get out whenever I can. Went south for trout today. good day!

I fish mainly the Monti area too, but roam up and down river quite a bit. I may try this coming Sun and or Mon.

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Got out tonight until dark. No luck, not even a hit. Throwing mainly a yellow blockhead popper, tried a few others but no go. Any advice?

Worked the shoreline, even tried out in the middle of the river behind rocks...nothing.

BRETT FAVRE + Vikings = SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I was out a couple nights ago same thing. This weather change makes things tough. If you absolutly have to catch a fish Plastics and live bait are probably the way to go. If it's no big deal wait till we get some consistant waether and start with the poppers and if they don't go work deeper. clousers, wooly buggers and streamers. I stuck to the surface the other night and didn't really care because my cigar tasted so good! And the water felt good.

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Plan on heading up there again...soon. Found a new popper that I am trying out "Sneaky Pete", heard good things! If that doesn't work I am going to try out some subsurface jigs.

Any advice here...heard you should use a NONtapered leader!?! Any truth to that. If so, I am guessing a 10lb regular mono line, about 9ft should do just fine!?!?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have been reading up on what to use with different jigs/poppers/et...and heard if you go to a subsurface jig you shouldn't use the tapered leaders?

Anybody?

Thanks again...good luck fishing!

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I know lots of guys just use a straight 10 lb leader. I have a 7-9' tapered leader down to about 10lb, or (1x-2x) or so then tie on 3-5' 10lb tippet. Seems to work for most stuff I throw. I have a really cheap 8' 5wt. and try and cast some baits that are too heavy, I should probably get a helmet. Works pretty good though.

Fishing for them when they want to eat seems to be the best advice I've heard. Other wise if they have to be force fed, plastic, live bait is a much more productive way to go.

I've had fair luck with white, black and chart, wooly buggers and clousers. but nothing really consistant. Doesn't even seem to have anything to do with water clarity. Orange hasn't been to good for me...? Haven't done so good with mid depth streamers either. Seems they either hit the bottom or the top. I do need to try a better selection of streamers though.

Sure is fun figuring it out. like just starting to fish again! And you never really know what's on the other end untill you actually see it.

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D.B.,

Have you been out at all?

Made it out Tues night just a couple hrs.

3 little ones on a black bugger. fished pretty fast. I think they woud have hit a popper.

The may flies sure came off better last year! It was like a blizzerd all though Aug. Not this year.

Not much surface activety. What I saw I caught.

Have you been trying anything differant with your fly rod?

I think I'm going out for a while during the day tomorrow.

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Not since my last post...

Might head out there on Sat or Sun morning. Hoping to get out early, figure I will try a couple of new spots east of Monti. Usually wade down to a few islands, never been on the back side before. More than likely stick to poppers...I will let you know if I go. Anybody else having any luck on the Miss around Monti???

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Been out a couple of time. a few small ones is about it. up to 13 " or so. Some on buggers, some on top. Can't find any big girls though. Maybe tomorrow night, and more on Mon.

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Been fishing between monti and ER. Fishing has been ok. Managed a few on Raps. Ive been finding them in deeper water for whatever thats worth. None of my fishing on the river has been fast and furious except for some catfish bites here and there.

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Lots of pretty good wading spots. About two hours prior to sunset has been good. Not much for size though since early July.(16" and over)

I think plastics would do MUCH more productive. But I kind of stick to the fly. Just my thing at the moment. Going south for trout for the next couple days. Maybe be back on the Miss. towards the end of the week, Conditions are prime for wading right now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got out again last Sat night, wading in a little east of Monti. Missed more than I can count, had a nice smallie snap my line.

Anybody know of a place where you can put in along the stretch from Monti to Otsego Park??? There are so many turns, dead ends...just trying to find a few places where I can park and get to the river without having to sneak through someones backyard.

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fly leaders for smallie fishing are actually simple. Slightly stained water like the north miss and a popper, go with straight mono 8-10 lb with 6-9 foot is what I go with. Fish dont seem to mind a 6 foot leader unless your in shallow clear water.

For subsurface fishing...fluorolcarbon all the way. It is a thinner diam and almost invisible. Gets the fly down quick. I go 10 lb 9 foot most of the time.

Hope that helps.

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I'd like to know the same thing. I know I use google earth a lot to look at roads along the river to see if I might get access but with a 4 year old who wants to fish all the time I dont get much wading in the area. He loves the popper fishing though!

try google earth to see if you can find anything.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Google Earth has helped me find a few places to put in...did anybody get out this past weekend? Wondering if it is still warm enough to wade in without having to put on waders.

Can you hunt on the river along the Monti to Otsego stretch? Would be good to know, I would hate to walk up on someone setting up dekes!!! Plus I wouldn't mind setting up out there...

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Hunting may get you in a fix, lot of houses in that stretch. Wear waders, probly in the 60's by now with the temps we've had.

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A few hunt it, mainly for flying carp... I mean geese. I waded a bit north of there on Sunday before the big front came through and was fine, but I am guessing that from here on out its gonna be a shrinking experience if you go without a good pair of waders

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thinking about heading out Sunday morning...fly fishing for smallies about 3 miles East of Monticello. Wondering if it is still worth the trip up there. Anybody been out lately?

Might be a bit chilly but it could be a good time!

Guessing nobody will be out there...which isn't all bad, I worry about someone busting into my truck sitting at the small access.

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I been out a fair amount.

Numbers very good, size so so.

Wooly buggers have been the best lighter colors better than dark. Slower water areas better than fast. Very fun! Try the park in Otsego it has a little more traffic, maybe safer.

Good luck.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Putting the fly rod away for the year...fighting the cold and frozen line is a bit tough. Waiting for the lakes to freeze over now! Can't wait...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well duck hunting ended today...not sure WHEN we will get out ice fishing???

Wondering if anybody is still fly fishing the Miss for smallies this time of year?

When it gets this cold do the fish still hit a popper???

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Well the cold weather and a new fish house project has officially ended my fly fishing for the year...

Maybe see some of you fellers on the river next spring!

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  • 2 months later...

Never had a chance to try out the Mississippi this winter, a couple of buddies went out there last weekend near Monti...they caught 2 smallies on a fly.

Wondering what the river will be like this spring, guessing with all the snow it will be higher than normal...

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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