TyGuy02 Open Water Blog

[TyGuy02]

To liven up the Crookston/TRF regional forum, I thought I might chronicle my open water season. Always looking to learn and grow as an angler, I thought that it would be good for others and for myself to get feedback on techniques and other various methods of our great addiction! We are in a terrific area of Minnesota and truly have a bounty at our doorsteps, or within a relatively short drive.

I am from Fosston, which allows me to be able to fish from GF/EGF to LOW/URL, to Bemidji/Cass/Winnie/Leech, to the Detroit Lakes area.

Last year was the first year for me having a "big-boy" boat and I really began to experiment with different lakes. Previous years I mostly stayed very close to Fosston; only fishing lakes like Cross, Turtle, Island, Spring, Maple. Last year I was able to get to Bemidji, Cass, Winnie, LOTW. All lakes that I had fished before when I was a child, but never as the "captain".

I plan on trying to make it to the multi-species fishing league that is trying to get started, and would chronicle my day(s) with that, my solo trips and group outings as well. I've been a little too much of a casual angler but I want to put a little more on the line to maybe make me a more successful angler. I am not sponsored by HSO, but thought that it would be a cool way to remember the season.

I just graduated with my RN and will be getting a 2nd job soon; and with a wife and child I cross my fingers when I say I hope to make it out 20+ more times this season, but I will find time. The schedule will probably be more conducive for full days of fishing which is a good thing. Less 1/2 days which I've had a lot of before.

Next estimated day of fishing will be Friday...thinking Winnie. I sent a PM to Uran but even if he can make it I will still have room for another in the boat. PM if you're interested and I'll keep you posted on how I or we did.

[CANOPY SAM]

Didn't think Jim accepted PM's?

I like it Ty. I try to do the same thing, and add just a little color as well.

Look forward to reading about your progress.

[TyGuy02]

Well, this week I made it out on thursday to further test out the hummingbird 998 SI/DI combo and went out to Spring lake near fosston, and left the rods at home. Found many interesting features to the lake that I had never known before including a sunken boat on the side imaging! Many logs that I had no clue were there and some crater looking depressions that my only guess was that they were anchor spots into the muck bottom. Only disappointment was that the side imaging screenshots were somehow unable to be read by my computer for that day.

Today (friday) I tried mightily to get out early but work set me back and didn't hit the road until 10. With the late start I decided instead of Winnie or cutfoot I would go to Cass. After the boat seat and attached bag of lifejackets flew out before I even got past the radio station I thought I would never get fishing today. Got to Cass and docked at the public landing on HWY 2. On a side note, is there a place to get bait in Cass lake, or do I have to go through bemidji? Didn't complain though since the redtail shiners were a plus from Tabers. I was very impressed by the lakemaster chip on my way across the lake, I have liked to fish Cedar bar in the past and I thought shallow would be a good place to start, so I drifted with the sock across Cedar bar with only 3 perch. Decided with the 10-15 mph winds I should try to find a spot a little more sheltered and cruised over to Andrusia, where the Armada was awaiting my arrival. Tried dragging jigs, vertical jigging with the flasher, casting and only perch would bite. Saw a few nets for small walleyes, but nothing spectacular.

Most of the fish I was able to find on the side and down imaging were in the 19-23 FOW range which was very surprising, yet maybe not if they were very negative.

I was able to test out the i-pilot link system and was rather unimpressed with the "follow the contour" feature. It was very difficult to hold to the contour at a slow pace (0.6-1.0 mph). One thing I did like about the fact that the trolling motor and sonar are in sync was that I was able to highlight a depth range (18-22 FOW for example) and use the advance autopilot to stay within that range at the speed I controlled. When you use the advance autopilot feature it displays the "intended" track on the sonar. So every time you change the trolling motor path it shows where it intends to go on the lakemaster map. It would come in handy trolling cranks on a drop off or for pulling spinners. The more speed = more accurate to the intended path depending on conditions off course. Follow the contour would work VERY well in a zero wind situation, which isn't very often!

[TyGuy02]

Made it out on sort of a spur of the moment trip to Upper Red today, FANTASTIC fishing! Got our 3 limits in about 3.5 hours and could've been 3 if we didn't start getting picky and threw back a couple of 15"ers when we were getting close to our limits. Didn't hit the road until 10 and made it home by 7:30, that is what I call a productive fishing day.

Did my good deed of the day when we brought a drifting boat into shore, the owner walking out in waders was pretty surprised! Since he didn't notice until after we got it 1/2 way to shore.

Got checked by a talkative CO, that must've taken 20 minutes to talk and chat.

[Thunderfoot]

Good stuff Ty! Looking forward to the next post!

[TyGuy02]

made it out today with Jim Uran for some pre-spawn panfish action, and did very well. I scouted the lake for an hour or so with the new electronics before I picked up Jim at the dock, the first spot I picked we were right on 'em! Water temps on lake were 60 degrees but this spot was 61, with some reeds and a hard bottom/muck transition. Picked up a half dozen crappies that were 12 to 12.75

"+ with another half dozen in the 10" range, and probably close to 50 from 6-8". Many dinky bluegills but a couple of really nice gills at 9 and a 9.5" monster gill! This thing had shoulders! The bite really shutoff once the overcast sun hit the trees so we tried some cranks and bouncing jigs in the 15-20' depths since there were a TON of fish on the hummingbird just outside of the panfish spot, but maybe they were just panfish that weren't ready to start bedding yet. the best part was everything was catch and release so I didn't have to be filleting fish for 2 hours once I got home!

[TyGuy02]

The league in TRF was on Sunday and threw everything I had at 'em! The only action I really had anything on was casting cranks which kept the snotrockets busy. At least I was able to learn that stretch of the river and found some interesting spots to try late fall before the ice.

Went out again today to a local Fosston lake and tried my hand with panfish. To my surprise the surface water temp ballooned from 61 degrees last Wednesday to 69-70 degrees today! I was able to catch some small crappies in the shallows but it was very disappointing. I think the spawning temp is 65 degrees and they're now post spawn. They were pilled up outside of the spawning areas on hard bottom off the break in 12-20 FOW. Tried anchoring and vertical jigging with the flasher but they just came up fast and furious just to put the breaks on. Tried going after the walleyes and they were deep (20-25 FOW). Many short bites on the spinner/crawler but nothing wanted it bad enough. The lake already had some Algea which made pulling cranks difficult and that means summer is here, even though it's hard to believe.

[TyGuy02]

It was a long awaited return to the water today. My father was in town for the week and after a golf trip earlier in the week we were able to make it over to Winnie for the day. It was such a great day on the water, I just wish the wind would've been able to cooperate a little bit. Dead calm wasn't the best conditions for putting walleyes into the boat. But we were able to scratch across 2 slots (17.5" and 21"), an estimated 50 perch (most dinks but some in the 10-11" range and one nice 12" jumbo). And pulled cranks for awhile and kept us busy in the mid-day sun catching a dozen or so northerns with the biggest only being a 26".

We were able to find plenty of structure that seemed like it would produce, plenty of schools of baitfish in both relatively shallow 10-14 FOW and moderately deep water (20-25 FOW) but were not able to find much for active walleyes. Just active perch deep and shallow.

Just before we were set to leave at 7 I had the fish that I was assuming was a 24-25" walleye ALL OF THE WAY TO THE BOAT! Just to see a 22" northern that faught way way way too much like a walleye! After all of the hunting and searching I guess I just wanted it too much.

We used the Winnie campground access just south of Ravens Point and spent 1/2 the time in the Ravens point area north and south, and the other half the time on the shoreline break near the resort to the south of the access we used.

Upper Red set for tomorrow and redemption will be the key word of the day tomorrow!

[TyGuy02]

Finished my 6 days of vacation with another day on the water yesterday up at Upper Red and did well. It wasn't fast and furious but we were able to get our 3 limits in about 5 hours. We were on the water plenty early for the bite 9:15 and it really started picking up as we were finishing up at 2 in the afternoon. Pulled spinner off the first break and had the most action in 6 FOW. Had a couple when we were deeper in 9 FOW and a couple of keeper but mostly smalls when we when more shallow into 3 FOW. Did well from 1.0 to 1.6 mph but there were many boats catching their limits anchored as well with both bobbers and/or jigging. In the first couple of hours we caught mostly sheephead in the rocky areas to the east of Rogers and were able to catch most of the walleyes in the weedy areas. Jim Uran even got to tangle into a nice 36" THICK northern. I had caught a 36" northern several years ago but this thing was a beast. Could tell that it was built to grow into a 50 incher! Didn't have any slot fish with the new modified slot, but did have one that we were able to keep due to the new slot (19 incher). On the way home I remembered that I forgot my father's day gift, an aerated minnow pail, in the cleaning shack so I now have an excuse to go back in a week or so!

[TyGuy02]

Thought I would throw in a couple of pics from Winnie on Friday