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Fish Lake, Island Lake Boulder Lake Fishing Reports


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  • Northlander

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Good to see you got into some eyes out there Steve.

Pretty crazy stuff reading about the kid who drowned at the rope swing island this past weekend on Island Lake. I just read an article online where MN Power said they won't be removing the rope swing (it's on their property). That rope swing has been out there since before I can remember. It's the only "hangout" type of place on the entire lake and it's really sad to hear of the death of that kid because of it.

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It wasnt the swings fault. There were a few factors that lead to the death not the swings fault. Kids and adults have played on that swing since before I was around. It was just a freak accident thats it.

Even yesterday there were plenty of people playing on it.

Mn. Power will not take any responsability and I dont believe theres any to take. Its like the kid who drowned out at the deeps. Is it the cities fault? I dont think so.

Kids will be kids and take risks. Accidents will happen. They did when I was young and they always will.

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i agree, there are a lot of swings around, public and private. they are put there for the public or one's personal enjoyment on their own property. it is a tragic event non the less. accidents happen all the time and it is very unfortunate it happened to this swing. good luck.

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I agree, definitely not the swings fault. In today's age, it seems people are extremely quick to point the finger and assign blame to someone/something and usually ends up in a wrongful death lawsuit. Nontheless, very sad deal to see a kid that young die. This past week it seems like almost every day you see someone in the news drowning in MN waters. I was out on Lake Minnetonka last night and the sheriff boats were still out there doing search grids looking for the guy who drowned out there this past weekend. Everyone be careful out there!

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I agree with all that, but I won't be suprised if the family goes after MP for some money.....

And to add to JW "gotta be careful out there". One of the most dangerous lakes your gonna find around here is no other than Nebagaman out here is WI. Every weekend you will find countless water skiiers, jet skiiers, swimmers, and just stupid people going way to fast and not paying attention. I am shocked no one has been killed out on tis lake yet. This last sunday I brought some people out, and it was crazy trying to dodge the traffic. I love morning and night fishing, during the day time got to be paying strict attention!!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Fished Island over the fourth. The fish cooperated to say the least! Caught tons of fish on slip bobber and leeches. Some nice ones to boot too! All fish were in between 14-22".

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full-17935-10137-utf_8bsu1hmda1mdatmjaxm

full-17935-10138-utf_8bsu1hmda1mdutmjaxm

These were caught on Island??? The Island Lake near Duluth???

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With all the overcast skies lately I've been doing really well on Island. The walleye bite has been strong producing lots of 14 & 15 inch fish using jigs and minnows. This is also a banner year for smallmouth. We have been throwing white plastic swimming minnows riggged on a 1/8 oz tube jigs. Been throwing at bullrushes and pulling the minnow back over deeper water. The smallies can't resist. Most of them are about 1/2 pound, but I've had a couple of 18 inchers. It makes for a fun afternoon of fishing. Haven't tried of Musky yet.

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thanks for that report. island has always produced since i've been a kid. i think the smallies are a bonus. boulder still my favorite just because it's easier to fish and i feel like i'm in canada over in the otter side, plus tons and tons of memories. good luck.

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I will second Deep's report. I was up fishing Island this past Saturday and found the fish to be quite active. Any live bait either jigging or rigging seemed to work. Trolling cranks produced lots of fish too. Big ones were hiding, but lots of 14-17 in. fish. Flicker shads, shad raps, shallow shad raps, and the salmo bullhead shallow runner were the top producers for me- even over live bait. Another top producer was a bottom bouncer rigged up with a 3' snell with an aberdeen hook tied on. Put super glue on the shaft of the aberdeen hook, then put a mister twister, ringworm, or any curly-tailed plastic of your liking on the aberdeen hook (as if you were putting it on a jig). Troll anywhere from .8 to 1.8, and you will pick up some nicer fish. That's one of my all time secrets for all lakes with walleyes, not just the Duluth area reservoirs.

Yes tackle- Island near Duluth.

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So is going to Island worth it for eater walleyes??

It always seems the few times I've fished it the walleyes were small enough for bait

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i have followed fishinfey8's post over last winter and since then and you can see his results plus i bet northlander has had many good days with eaters. my brother who still lives in duluth also does well there. may not get that trophy you want, but it will certainly give you the meal. as far as the small one are concerned, the dnr in that area is encouraging folks to keep 10- to 12 inch walleys to bring the size structure up. they say the walleys grow very slow up to 16 inches and then gain quickly after that. the reason they say this is, is because because of the larger numbers of smaller walleys the small bait gets eaten quickly leaving bigger bait the larger walleys can feed on and the larger bait can not be utilized by the smaller fish. good luck.

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me and my brother did well there on sunday, kept 12 eyes between 12-15 inches and all caught on minnows grin

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So is going to Island worth it for eater walleyes??

As you know we have been having weather front after front moving through. The bite has been good on the day the front approaches and there are high clouds or overcast. The day after the storm when there are bluebird skys you gan pretty much bet the bite will be off. At least that is what I've found. I rarely fish Island in July or August, but I've been encouraged with the results I've had this year. Anybody fishing for musky? Reports?

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I think walleye are a consistant catch on island. Never been skunked on my adventures going out there. Granted, I only make is 2-3 times a year these days cause of guideing, and maybe I just end up there on good bite days, but I always seem to find fish! As said before, not a lot of big ones, but a lot of that 13"-15", and the ocassional 16 & 17"s. Hope to get up there at least one more outing this year, if I can find some free time! Gdluck

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It's a great lake to go to if you want a meal. Like others have said, there are plenty of 12-15in. fish to be had. There are some dandy perch in the lake that are excellent table fare as well. Most are around 9-11 in. and will usually hit on crawlers. During low light don't be afraid to go shallow. Weed edges or the top of humps are great, especially if the wind has been blowing into it for multiple days in a row.

Hey Deep- Was that you that had good luck using mimic minnows on Island? I have been trying plastics out there more and more, and I was just curious to see if they might work.

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Wasn't using mimics. I was catching smallmouth with white plastic paddle tails rigged on a 1/8 oz tube jig.

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Ya I can usually round up some Island Lake Trophies (12-16"ers) to take home and eat. The bite has been good up there lately with many approaches working. I like trolling cranks in late July and August up there and this year the crankin has been good. Lots of nice eater fish with a fish over 20" every so often. Im hoping for a few over 25" so I can win the Hawg Walleyes $1000 1st place prize. I need a new Trollmaster for my boat. wink

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There are definitely good sized walleyes to be caught out on Island right now. I fished for a couple hrs this past weekend from a dock and caught a couple for dinner with hardly any effort. Nothing to raise any eyebrows about (size wise), but that is how Island Lake always is. It is what it is. Take what you can get and be thankful your along for the ride.

I am moving back up to Duluth after a 6 year hiatus and am very excited to be able to fish these lakes regularly again, as well as the STL river. If I had to pick anywhere to live in the midwest, it would be Duluth hands down. Duluthians are truly blessed for outdoor opportunities with the big Lake Superior, STL River and several inland lakes all within a 15 mile radius.

Fishinfey-glad to hear you got into them this past weekend

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Fall fishing is usually good and my perferred time to fish Island. A big plus is that the lake is virtually abandoned in late Sept to freeze up.

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I'm mainly a live bait fisherman and it is definitely a minnow bite. I like cranks, but I like to throw them not drag them.

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For crying out loud - do you want someone to come and hold your hand? Can't you figure anything out for yourself?! crazy

That was your first post?? A troll posting??? Gee, how juvenile crazy Mom and dad finally let you go on the computer and that's the best you can do??

This is a fishing site and sometimes we give tips and tricks to help other members out. The only thing I've been able to offer DD in return for his tips is my gratitude. I don't want gps cords, just some tips and he has been gracious enough to provide so far

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What's wrong with asking???? Nobody asks, nobody teaches. Figuring it out for your self is one thing but not necessarily the end all. I ask people all the time and I live on the lake and fish it regularly. If someone at Jim's bait never answered my questions, I wonder where I'd be today???? Same with coaching.. Asking the questions made a helluva lot of sense to me.. Herb Brooks, Bob Johnson etc.,etc...

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why didn't you ask me, i know everything. i haven't fished island this year but in the fall i fish it like i do boulder. i try to keep it simple with slip bobber and minnow. mostly fatheads [cheaper] but i think shiners would probably work better at times. but when they are on the bite it doesn't matter in my opinion. i basicly hang around the shorelines and the shorelines of bays. in the fall i dont go deeper than 15 feet and usualy shallower. another thing i like doing more than anything is jigging with a white lindy fuzzy grup with a pink head and a fathead through the lips and working the shorlines and the breaks. for some reason that color combo works in that stained water. also i use a orange or red hook. just works for me. good luck and hit that lake, it's a good one.

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