New Ulm area fishing

[dorfer86]

I am moving to the New Ulm area for work in a few weeks and would like to get as much fishing in as I can while I'm there. I'm from Central New York and grew up fishing the trout streams in the area as well as bass and walleye fishing in south eastern Ontario, Canada. I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction to get into some eyes this spring, and was wondering what, if any, the trout scene is around there. Thanks for and info!

 

Dave

[highlife4me]

Not much for trout in the area, but they do stock a few ponds by St Peter, about 45 minutes away, but thats like catching fish in a barrel and get fished out a couple weeks after being stocked.  There is some good catfishing to be had in the Mn River as well as some decent walleyes.  Not a lot of lakes by New Ulm but within a 45 minute drive in any direction can put you on some decent walleye and panfish lakes.

 

[dorfer86]

What about access? Are there a lot of places on shore? I'm not going to have a boat with me. I left my boat, canoe and kayak back in NY, as I expected to stay in West Texas until July.

[RuddyDuck]

I grew up there and you are moving into an area of MN without many lakes nearby! Luckily you will have the rivers to fish for eyes and other things like cats, sheephead and carp. Never really know what you will catch.  The two main spots by town on the MN river that offer easy shore access are Riverside park and the Minnecon boat landing. Plenty of shoreline around there to mess around with. Both spots have eyes.  There are a few other landings and spots up and down the river that you can check out also, but those will require a little more scouting. Swing into the Runnings bait shop,they might have some up to date info on bites and such.

 

You can also check out the Cottonwood river, which use to have some smallies. Not really a landing here, but there are a few spots around the bridges where you can access. Also can wade it in the summer and access thru the State park.

 

There are 3 lakes near by that also offer shore fishing: Hanska, Sleepy Eye and Clear. The first two offer the better shore options. Just go to the DNR sight for more info.These are your typically southern shallow lakes, without a lot of structure.  You will come to realize most Ulmers skip this local stuff and go up to the Lakes in the Hutch area or east of St. Peter and Mankato. This means that on some days the river isn't all that busy. But more guys are fishing it than years ago.

 

Good Luck. Oh and the most important thing, if someone offers you a Schells beer, take it easy with those, it can go right thru someone who isn't use to it!  It's a good laxative for some! Same goes for Haustein.

Edited March 7, 2017 by RuddyDuck

[delcecchi]

Good trout fishing in the area SE of Rochester.   It's a fair drive, couple of hours.  Camping is available.  

[dorfer86]

Haha Thanks for the advice RuddyDuck! I am in no way opposed to camping (I spent 18 days on an island by myself in Canada last summer fishing for smallies during the day and eyes at night). Also, I'm considering heading up north a bit for the walleye opener and maybe renting a boat. My cousin and I have been going up to Canada for their opener for years and just sleeping in the boat in a quiet bay or somewhere on shore for a few hours at a time. I'm open to a lot of possibilities and took the job so I could get some more of those types of experiences there. 

 

I'm fine with doing all of this sort of stuff alone, but if anyone is looking for some company on a trip, I'm self sufficient and easy to get along with.*hint hint

delcecchi,

 

I haven't done much exploring of the DNR sight, but that is how I've found almost all of my good spots for trout in NY. How good is the MN site in terms of helping anglers find access? I'm not into sneaking onto private property and whatnot, so I like to try to have a clear idea of where I can and cannot go before I get there. 

Edited March 7, 2017 by dorfer86

[delcecchi]

I mostly fish vermilion, but do try to get out for trout occasionally.  The dnr has a lot of info about trout fishing in se minnesota.  Whitewater and Forestville state parks have camping right in the middle of the areas.

 

I day trip for trout since I live in Rochester.  Access to streams for trout and bass is good.  I would not be helpful as a guide, since I am a novice myself.

 

[JBMasterAngler]

The DNR does stock several streams in the Minnesota River valley with trout. I don't know the area very well, but I would imagine some of them are pretty close to New Ulm. It's marginal at best, and sounds like they get fished out pretty quickly in the spring too. But hey, it's still trout fishing!

[delcecchi]

http://dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout_streams/index.html

 

http://dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout_streams/south_mn_maps.html

 

http://dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout_streams/southeastern.html