Itasca

[Lake Alice]

Has anyone been there this week? What is the water temp? Any walleyes moving? I plan to fish it saturday am, I will post results.

[CMWINTER]

fished it this last weekend the earlier you can get out there the beter the eyes seemed to stop biting around 7:00

[NELS-BELLS]

Lake Itasca was featured on the back of Outdoor News about a month ago. It sounds like it doesn't get a lot of pressure. I will be in Park Rapids this weekend and might see if I can get up to Lake Itasca sometime during the weekend. I bought a park permit last fall and need to get my money out of it. Hopefully it wont be terrential rains all weekend.

Good luck,
Nels

[Lake Alice]

Thanks guys. CM, any tips on depth and approach? I was going to go 1/8 oz and shiner and try anywhere from 6-16.

[Lake Alice]

Thanks--I will report next week if I make it over there.

[CMWINTER]

about 8-12 feet and we were doing just as good if not beter with fat heads

[Lake Alice]

Did not make it over, fished George instead. The weather was so bad. But we did go over to bike, hike, etc. (in the rain) and the people at the bait shop said walleyes were going good. Some guy was cleaning a mess of rock bass at the landing (???) Again thanks for the info.

Just out of curiousity, has anyone eaten a rock bass, ever?

LA

[CMWINTER]

So how did you do on george? We did fairly good on Itasca friday and saturday

[Lake Alice]

Monday morning, two pike, one bass. It was tough, raining, etc. Were you fishing the west arm?

[smartguy]

Lake ALice, there are some people who eat rock bass. They are known a Iowans. (an observaion made by a summer's work at a resort)

[Lake Alice]

I cannot really imagine eating one. Just got back tonight from up north, Itasca gills were really going. Right near the island, 6 feet, flu flus and waxies.

[bigbucks]

We used to keep them & eat them when we were kids. I also have kept them on a rare occasion ice fishing when it was slow & I was hungry for some fish. They're a pain to filet, but they seem to taste alright. I'd guess they're pretty fishy tasting like any bass if you'd keep one over 3/4 of a pound or something like that. It seems like when you clean them their skin's really tough, so when you get through it sometimes you cut right through their backbone too. Seems like the skin's tougher than the backbone.

I fished that lake a couple of times a few years ago in late August & got I think 3 eyes between 17-19", but they were hard to come by. Of course they often are that time of year about anywhere. It's not really that big & then buried in the middle of the park, plus the low speed limit I'm sure cuts down on the serious fisherman traffic.

[jasongp99]

I'm heading up there this weekend and have caught an eye & a pike in 6 trips on the lake. What's the best way for someone to have some fun out on the lake for anything?? I tried bass on year along a fallen tree and they'd strike but couldn't hook them. Tried for sunnies and that was a was of time. Trolled and spot fished and nothing. Looking for an info...lures, bait spots. Don't want to go skunked again!! Thanks

[NELS-BELLS]

First of all, I've never fished the lake yet but there are couple techniques that are usually good on any lake if your just looking for some action. For Bass and northerns I would troll a firetiger shad rap along the weedline or cast a white spinnerbait up in the reeds. Also flippin a black Berkley Power worm (Texas rigged) up in the weeds should get some bass. If none of those work I have also had good luck casting a small white jig with a white twister tail along the weedline for crappies, Bass, and Norherns. Try those techniques and let us know if you catch anything.
Good luck,
Nels

[rubber duck]

try trolling perch shad raps outside the weed line.

[labdad]

Hope this isn't too late but I did well tossing a chartreuse spinner bait (tiny term) on the weed lines that dropped into deeper water and in the shallows (i.e. the bay by Bear paw camp ground) a texas rigged or short carolina rigged(8-10") tube bait produced good #'s. And if you can find some lilly pads, throw that tube in, I **** near had the rod hanked out of my hands. Good luck.

[smoked perch]

jason:
hey. here are some SIMPLE tips to get you some bass and pike. pick up a natural looking floating rapala (5-6") and also a bright colored one. and grab a jointed rapala of natural tones, or maybe blue and white. attatch these to a swivel, or small leader. these are all you need to "have fun" on nearly ANY lake that holds bass and pike. find a weed line, or shallows with lilly pads, and cast your rap close to the pads/weeds, retrieve, and hang on. make sure you have a pliers or hook remover as well, because the 3 treble hooks won't let you down. also, you can pick up some large spinners of various colors. pike and bass love them.
good luck and have fun...
-perch.