RICE LAKE

[Big Mo']

Just wondering what everyone's plan is for opener on Rice??? I was going to start off in the east bay with a lindy rig and leech. With the weather looking like it could be nasty this week could they be deeper?

[Big Mo']

Hmmm- I guess everyone is going to Koronis.

[borchawk1]

was out on Rice for about 9 hours yesterday, it was cold, wet and miserable. We caught 2 decent eyes fishing the deep weed edges (15-19ft) and several pike, none worth bragging about. Nothing up shallow, waters still too clear. Shiners on short lindy rigs seemed to be the ticket (if 2 walleyes is any indication of a trend!) My guess is it will be at least another
2-3 weeks before the lake will turn on.

[Borch]

Well I finally made it out to make sure that everything in the boat works and do a little fishing to boot.

Ended up catching 6 walleyes between 13-16 inches. Also three smallies between 18-21 inches. I caught fish from 5 - 15 ft of water on leeches and also crankbaits.

Weather was really crappy. But fishing is better than sitting at home wishing you were.

Borch

[Big Mo']

I was on Saturday and got a couple. 2 eyes 1 14" and other was 17". Got quite a few northerns and a couple of decent size. Shiners have been the bait of choice since opener for to reasons: 1 their biting on them and 2. Keeps bullheads off for the most part.
Thanks for the info, hope to here more about rice in the future.

[Indhole]

I've been out on Rice several times so far this season, including opener night.Did very well on opener, caught alot of walleyes, kept 11 between 14 and 21 inches. Using leeches in about 15-20 ft of water. Been out since, brought 4 home 1 night, caought a few another night, with a 26 incher which I released. Caught her in 6 ft of water in the big bay.
Good Luck

[TheJoster]

Hey Rice Lakers;

I have been looking for cabins in the St. Cloud area - exclusively Horseshoe. Seems there are only second homes for sale there. I see a couple of cabins on Rice Lake.

How is the fishing there? I grew up in St. Cloud and never really thought of Rice as a good fishing lake. Looks like that may have changed from the discussion here. How is the walleye fishing? What about water quality? I would appreciate any input.

Thanks

TheJoster

[Borch]

It's my primary walleye lake in the St. Cloud area. Also a very good smallmouth and crappie lake.

As far as water quality goes, it does bloom every summer. Doesn't hurt the fishing any though. Most years you also have access to Koronis through the river.

Borch

[Borch]

Well my son and I went out on Rice last night after work. It's been a week and a half since I've been there.

Man has the lake level gone up. It has to be close to two feet higher in the past week and a half. The dock at the public landing is now under half a foot of water with only the support poles visable. There's is also a a major bloom going on with all the nutrients washed in. Although there is clear water still around if you move around. Also there are more weeds this spring than I can remember in the past 10 years. Large thick weedbeds growing nearly to the surface.

With that we still kept a couple of 18" walleyes for dinner. Threw back several smaller ones. Didn't catch any pike or smallies this trip.

Borch

[This message has been edited by Borch (edited 06-04-2004).]

[Big Mo']

It has been a while for myself as well. I am hoping to get out there tonight and see if i can find some eyez'. From what I have heard lately is there are still a little deeper, but with the last couple days been the way they have been, maybe they will come into the shallows tonight. I did catch (and release) a nice smallie a couple of weeks ago. Of course it wasnt open yet and I couldn't weigh it. It was a nice 21" and if I were to guess low 7# fish. But only a guess...
Best of luck to everybody this weekend!!!

[str8shooter]

Big Mo we know how your guessing works. That fish actually only weighed 2 pounds then.

[This message has been edited by str8shooter (edited 06-04-2004).]

[Big Mo']

YEAH, YEAH
IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME, CHECK THIS OUT
http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?Photo_Gallery/index.mv+Special

[Borch]

Based on your approximate measurements of length and girth the smallie would weigh around 5.79 lbs based on the coversion tables. Or course it might weight a little bit more but that's what the table says. Very nice smallmouth whatever it weighed.

I caught one a couple of years again on Mille Lacs that was 21.5" with a 19 inch girth. According to the tables that one when 6.21 lbs.

Rice has some real nice smallies. My biggest to date from there were a couple of 21 inchers. Caught one of them there on 05/23/04.

Good Luck when you get out.

By the way we pulled all our walleyes out of 5 ft or less of water. We couldn't get anything to go any deeper.

Borch

[This message has been edited by Borch (edited 06-04-2004).]

[Guest]

we caught a bunch of nice eyes deeper....16 feet....funny thing is that we couldn't graph a single one.....we hit two doubles in our last trip....that green water must mess with the the sonar! Plenty of pike action as well.

[Borch]

The water on Rice is still going up. I went Saturday moring and the water had cleared up with little to no aglae bloom. I did well on eyes and pike. The pike ran nice with my biggest pike going a bit more than 10 lbs. He's still there along with 10 or so of his buddies between 3 and 7 lbs.

Walleyes ran decent(15-20"). All caught in 10 ft or less of water on spinners or shad raps.

My son and I went again on Sunday afternoon. The bite was a bit tougher. They must have been hit with a lot of rain Saturday night as the water was up another 4" from Saturday morning and the water was green with globs of aglae. We ended up taking home 5 eyes 15 -20". Only one pike caught. Got the fish on spinner rigs, shad raps and livebait rigs in 8-14 ft of water.

Looks like the crappies are spawning. I saw sveral boats targeting them. Although it looked like with limited success. Hope they don't get hit too hard. I did pick up one 8" male on a shadrap Sunday.

Good Luck!

[Big Mo']

HOW HAS THE FISHING BEEN ON RICE THIS WEEK? I AM HOPING THAT I CAN GET OUT FRIDAY AND/OR SAT. ARE THEY STILL PRETTY ACTIVE ON WORMS OR HAS IT CHANGED. IT SEEMS EVERYONE THAT I TALK TO HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW ON WHAT THEY ARE HITTING ON. I KNOW LAST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS THEY HAVE BEEN HITTING CRAWLERS BUT WONDERING IF IT HAS WARMED ENOUGH FOR LEECHES?
I MAY BE BRINGING A FRIEND OF MINE OUT AND JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THE EYES ARE STILL BITING. I KNOW IN THE PAST IT GETS PRETTY TOUGH WITH THE ALGEA. I HAVE BEEN TELLING HIM ABOUT THIS LAKE FOR YEARS AND I DO NOT WANT TO DISSAPOINT...
ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT!!! THANKS

[Borch]

I haven't been ouot since Sunday but the crawlers were working pretty well then. Did also catch fish on leeches as well. I'm guessing that things will be stirred up again as we got quite a bite of rain again last night. Be prepared for the algae and floating weeds. You'll likely find fish both on the edge and also burried in the weeds.

Good Luck!

[only-eyes]

we have pulled a few better sized eyes ripping jigs through the weed edges lately during the day, and riggs on the edges after dark

[The Chemist]

Was out on the lake form Wed night through yesterday. Fishing was great, because I had the kids along I ws able to find them some excellent sunfish holes. I have never seen them this big in such large numbers. Along with that there was the mixed in bass every so often. Got a 3lb smallie and a 2 1/2 lb large mouth. Eye's were caught mainly off the dock. We ended up keeping 20 sunfish and 6 eyes. Throwing back twice as many.

The bullheads are in the shallows spawning.