Loopers

[traveler]

I didn't get quite to the shore today, but yup, the main sheet blew out...Lester was fishable for sure.

I throw mostly 5/8 krocodiles on 6 lb line...best casting combo I've found. Blue/silver, orange/gold, chartruse. casting distance is important...

Blow up crawlers and set them 1-2 feet off bottom is a good rule of thumb. Watch what others are doing (especially the others catching fish!)

[traveler]

banging spoons off the rocks will lose you more spoons... After you've been casting awhile (and paying attention) you'll get the hang of how much (if any) sink time you can allow. I do try to allow a little when i can, so I mostly cast from spots I know. If I'm on one of my deeper spots, I can do a 4 count after a good cast before starting a retrieve.

heres 2 tips...anytime you try a new spot, use a beater spoon (bad color, beat up, etc..) so you don't lose a new one trying to find your "range". Has to be the same weight and type though. And keep your rod pointed darn near at your spoon during the retrieve, then use a long sweeping hookset. I get a fair number of hits way out after just a turn or 2 of the reel handle, and it's hard to get a good hookset.

[andrew chadwick]

fatfinger, you would be better off with a walleye rod for the loopers with 6 lb mono.

[traveler]

Yup...and keep a full spool of fresh triline XL.

[fatfinger]

thanks a bunch guys.ill give her a go hopefully tomoro or thurs.i live just a few blocks from lester so thats where ill be.if you see a lil gold dodge truck & some fat shaggy guy there stop & say hi.ill be there around 5pm-ish.also, aboot how deep is it off of lester?if memory serves its kind shallow for a ways, rite?anyway- thanks again, you guys are a BIG help...i think.let you know how i do.

[ehskidoo]

great...had all my junk ready to go out and sit on that half inch of ice and it was gone.

[hound32]

thats how it goes out there scott. Get your shore stuff ready!

[traveler]

and.......it'll be froze up again this morning! That IS how it goes:) best to take BOTH sets of gear and be flexible!

[Lorin]

I like a 3 - 4 foot leader for floating a crawler. Get that thing up where they can really see it. Any of you who have sight fished through the ice know how they move up and down through the water column. The higher up the bait is, the more visible it is.

[Steve Foss]

I like a 3 - 4 foot leader for floating a crawler. Get that thing up where they can really see it. Any of you who have sight fished through the ice know how they move up and down through the water column. The higher up the bait is, the more visible it is.

+1

I always rigged with a 3-ft leader, both for crawlers and spawn bags.

I'm also interested in hearing from the spoonchuckers whether your success toward spring is better than in midwinter. The word I heard when I was loopering along the shore was that the fish aren't as apt to chase spoons in the colder water of mid winter than they are toward spring.

[ARNE]

Im going to Grand Marais this weekend is there any place a guy could do some casting from shore up there?

[JBMasterAngler]

As long as the wind isn't blowing in any ice chunks there's plenty of places to cast from shore in the grand marais area. You can try the mouth of the cascade river. Cutface wayside is a long stretch of sheltered beach that is good for casting.

[ARNE]

Thanks JB i will give it a shot.

[JBMasterAngler]

Try nightcrawlers under a bobber. I've seen people in the area catch some steelhead and coho's on that. We've caught plenty of coho's casting krocodile or kastmaster spoons...also give #4 blue fox vibrax spinners a try. They don't cast out as far, but anything cruising right along the shoreline can't resist it.

[Northdrifter08]

Sounds like your going to get some good weather...

As JB said... there's lots of places to cast from shore.. When your in G. Marais you can stop by Buck's and ask if they have anything about shore fishing... Maybe he'll have a tip or two..

When I used to live in Two Harbors I used to go our casting all of the time.. The farther you go up the shore the less people.. and you never know what you might catch...

Good luck..

[JoshM]

any body hitting the shore this weekend or is there still to much ice to fish?

[hound32]

as of today there was way too much ice....ill drive up around 8 tomorrow and check things out.

[JoshM]

hound were you past the french or did you just go up to the lester?

[hound32]

up past the french.....i live right by the lester so i always know what thats like. There is alot of ice out there

[traveler]

no, the french was fishable this afternoon, I was down there for a couple hours. A fair share of junk ice, but it was mostly out a ways. I got 1 coho, that was all I saw caught...

[hound32]

yeah that dosent surprise me at all, there can be ice there and then 30 minutes later it can be gone. i went to fish the lester the other day and saw open water then went back maybe 45 minutes later and it was solid ice.

[hound32]

french and lester are both wide open...was at the french i didnt have any action and didnt see any fish on the shore,

[JoshM]

good deal . Did you see any rolling this morning?

[hound32]

nope a little too wavy to see any rollin on the surface. And the sun was so bright off the water it made it hard to see.

[fatfinger]

i saw a bunch of ice huggin the shore on my way back from the river so didnt eaven bother to check out lester.dang it.is any time of day better for loopers or just the same as other fish- depends on where what & who?

hound-your in the neighborhood?i live on otsego.how was french crowd-wise?is there any luck off of the breakwater at mcquade?

[JoshM]

for me it seems the first couple of hours in the morning is the most active then it can be really hit and miss the rest of the day.I prefer cloudy days however the last couple times I have gone there was not a cloud in the sky and I caught 2 one day and 3 the other.

[Steve Foss]

Every time I thought I found a time of day pattern, it would be contradicted the next times I fished. So my advice is go fish when you can, and forget about the accepted wisdom.

[fatfinger]

a silly question:what exactly are loopers?a cross between steelhead & rainbows? a salmon hybrid?kamloops, rite?my sister asked & i thought i knew but my memory failed me.also, will i need to get 2010 license to fish for them after mar 1st?when do 2010 licenses go on sale?and when is opener this year?mothers day, before or after?ive looked on dnr site to no avail.

i really am an experienced fisherman (not for loopers tho)but highly disorganized + this is my 1st attempt at the big lake- im not just question happy.

[JBMasterAngler]

If I remember correctly a kamloop trout is a landlocked steelhead originating from kamloops lake in british columbia. My understanding is they just basically look like a fat rainbow trout.

[traveler]

Dang wind. Decent morning, took the hobie out for a float, had a looper within 10 minutes only to lose it at the net. No more hits, and after the lunch break the water was whitecapped.