Diamond lake

[DLEYES]

Went out this evening and caught seven little walleyes and one 17incher. saw alot of fish on locator but couldn't get them to bite. has any one else been having any luck out there. going to try the morning bite tomarrow.

[vexalicious]

eyes,
I experienced the same thing you did on diamond when i fished it earlier this year. Very frusterating to see the fish come in on the FL18 only to see them follow it up a few feet off the bottom and then head strait back down. Threw everything after them but i guess they just were'nt in the mood that particular night. Thats the only time you want to throw the vex out the door..lol...good luck out there.

[32 degrees]

If you put an underwater camera down you would be amazed at what you see. Bullheads, northerns, alot of crappies and even sunnies... Last weekend I had a ton of crappies down there and could only get one of them to bite. They would chase and chase but no takers. I have seen bullheads everywhere I have gone, its crazy. The walleyes are thick too but more often than not they bite. When those crappies turn on its going to be nuts, some of them have to be pushing 2 pounds. Good luck.

[Bryce]

Kiss of death letting people know there's crappies in a lake. I would be all for Gullguide deleting this thread. Grew up fishing Norway. Could be having great walleye fishing and talk about it. Very little pressure. Hit some crappies and stay in the same spot a few days and everyone north(and a few south) of the Iowa border is out hogging. Look at the pressure difference between URL and LOW only an hour apart. Delete for the good of the lake.

[32 degrees]

Everyone and their brother knows Diamond has the biggest crappies in the area. The good part is they are also the hardest to catch. My buddy caught a 17 1/2 incher out there, pulling a shad rap! Most people just dont have the patience or the time to chase the crappies on Diamond. Its just to frustrating.

[goose89]

no, not everyone one knows about it, but after reading 32 degrees report, everyone in the metro knows about it. here they come! PLEASE, keep it amongst yourself. it gets out then only when it's too late.
later,
goose (yes, i'm from the metro).

[vexalicious]

I dont see how a person can criticize someone for giving information that was asked for. Anyone can look at a survey of any lake and see if there is big fish or lots of fish in a certain lake. And like he said they are tough to catch. This site if for charing info and thats what happend. just my 2 cents..no offense to anyone.

[LocalGuide]

I guarentee Diamond is not the only lake in the area with decent crappies in it. On a couple of other lakes that I wont mention I have caught a lot of "Red Lake" size crappies.
And like most of them its like being at the right place at the right time.

------------------
AKA PikeEye 300

[juddfish]

I even know about the big crappies in diamond and i have only fished the lake once. there isnt much for secrets anymore on any of the lakes in our area.

[32 degrees]

It would be different if I was giving out GPS coordinates, depths, baits, times, moon phases;etc. I talked to alot of guys last year who were fishing Diamond from St. Cloud and the surrounding area. None of them were out there to catch their limits. They were there for the chance at the big ones. If anyone goes out there expecting to catch a limit they will be very disappointed. Diamond is not Red Lake, those fish have lived that long for a reason. So, for all you guys in the metro, hop in your trucks and come on out. Just make sure you stop at the bar after your done for the night. Now the walleyes, thats a different story.....

[goose89]

didn't mean to criticize anyone. i agree that anyone can look at dnr reports and figure out where the fish are. most people dont though, they surf through these threads to find out. i agree with sharing info, but not always with the methods. i clearly remember what happened to a small lake by games/norway back in the 90s. it got fished out in one winter after the star trib reported great crappie action there. yes, this might have happened anyways, but i believe it might have taken longer, and would have been enjoyed by mostly local anglers, instead of getting fished out immediately by the entire state. anyways, didn't mean to criticize or offend. just my view. later.

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 01-30-2004).]

[goose89]

bottom bouncer, i too enjoy the share of information on this site. i'm not out to stifle anyone. but how did anyone know about fishing "hotspots" before the internet. they talked to friends who fished. they didn't send up hot - air balloons to show everyone in the county how the fish were biting (or how good a fisherman he was). that my view of alot of posts on the internet. it is a great place to share information, but i think you have to be careful of the info you share. 32, just be careful what you wish for. later.

[goose89]

amen bryce. didn't read your post earlier. my thoughts exactly. later.

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 01-30-2004).]

[goose89]

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 01-31-2004).]

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 01-31-2004).]

[goose89]

don't remember gps coordinates, moon phases, depths or anything than the name of the lake in the star trib. i live in the metro, but grew up out there, and actually do most of my fishing out there. i like the fact that i can go out there and catch fish without someone casting lures to withing feet of my boat, or having someone 10' from my shack. this is commonplace in the metro. your right, business would probably be better with all visitors. later.

[bottombouncer]

I lived on Diamond for 7 years and saw the rapid decline of walleyes in the mid to late 90's because everyone and their brother was out there keeping 4 to 6 a night. I would hate to see that happen with the crappies. That being said, the last thing I want to do is stifle info sharing. That is what this site is all about. I also know those crappies are nearly impossible to catch unless you really know your stuff or are just lucky. I guess my only request is that if people do get into them, not to keep a limit of hawgs. Bring a camera and take some nice pictures, then keep a meal if you want. I don't want to offend anyone because I love eating fish, but I also realize that if these small lakes get pounded they may not be any good the next year. Good luck everyone and stay warm.

[JHansel7]

We have owned a cabin on Diamond for 35+ years, I'm only sixteen and I can honestly tell people that if they come to Diamond to find the walleyes or crappie its definately a different kind of fishing. Fishing on diamond seems to be at all different times, depths, moon phases, lures, on diamond its different than any other lake. Sure I like to see all the fish in there, but hey if you want to come out and fish it, then come and fish it, but honestly if you dont know the lake like a guy who fishes it every other week, its not worth going to, and if you want 'eyes go to green its better there anyway right guys? Truth is, you better know the lake like the back of your hand or else your not going to come out and catch much and your truthfully just wasteing your time,fish definately bite alot different even though you are right on top of them. As far as other locals I dont know if you agree with me on this but I think I tryed to best explain what it is like. And I'll just keep laughing when guys from the cities drive two hours for 2 crappies or small walleyes....ha Best of luck.

JHansel7

[This message has been edited by JHansel7 (edited 01-31-2004).]

[walleyewacker]

....amen to that.

[JHansel7]

just speaking the truth.ha ha

[goose89]

eric, amen to that. ha, ha.

[32 degrees]

Lets not start a metro vs. outstate battle here. Its just different when a lake is one of your "home" lakes. We see the fishing when its bad, and when its good. You have the benefit of hearing when they are biting and driving over. I have no problem with that at all. I think its great that people all over like to fish the lake I call home. Just do not act so concerned about the fishery. Trust me, we care alot more about its well-being. Good luck to all.

[goose89]

32, well said. i agree with that. just don't want to see another west central lake get fished down to the state of many of the lakes around the metro. there's alot of good fishing here in the metro, but not many "sleeper" lakes like out there. i still enjoy coming "home" to some good fishing. i'll always be concerned with the fishery though. later,

goose

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 02-05-2004).]

[erikwells]

It's still fishing, I don't care if it's Diamond lake or Loch Ness. Fish relate to structure,baitfish,water temp and barometric pressure. That being said there are only so many techniques that an angler can use. I would venture to say anyone driving two hours to fish a lake is going to have reasonable knowledge about the lake before making the drive. I have fished many lakes with nothing more than a lake map and a Hudson directory. As a matter of fact I have fished Diamond only a handful of times and done very well with walleyes, northerns and I have found those 12-14 inch crappies. It's completely understandable to frustrated by increased fishing pressure and anglers that setup within 15 feet of you or punch holes all around you at prime time. Please sell your red herring somwhere else because the majority of the folks that visit this sight know a lot more than I do. The majority of people that know how to fish well will catch fish; and the majority of those folks are educated enough to put back the fish that make the fishery what it is.

[erikwells]

32 degrees I am outstate before metro. I actually live in a township as opposed to a town or city. Which also gives me some perspective on this issue being I have watched the suburbs sprawl out towards my home, not much different than watching more and more fisherman flock to your favorite lake. The new fisherman are harvesting fish and the new residents are invading my privacy. Watching this sprawl is disappointing however I am a part of that issue being that I moved out to the sticks myself. It's very easy to demonstrate all ranges of hypocrisy when you are emotionally vested into an issue (I am guilty of this often). The bottom line is that there are many more fisherman than there was twenty years ago. This being said the outstate lakes are going to see more pressure from all areas. Many metro anglers will travel to get away from the crowds. Here is the $64,000 question 'Why do some anglers keep the bigger fish (breeders)'? I personally admire the angler that keeps 10 eight inch crappies and releases the larger fish. Everone should know by now which fish are most important to sustaining our fisheries. Do some people keep these fish to show to their friends and family? Do we need to buy them cameras? I wish it was just an issue with education but I believe people have as many reasons for keeping the larger fish as there is reasons we enjoy fishing.

I am certain other anglers have better luck than I do with fishing reports. Everytime I have heard the fish are really biting somewhere I miss it and there is always someone saying 'shoulda been here last week'.

Goose, I agree with you on the hidden gems. When I lived in the Willmar area I actually had a few myself. I live close to the Twin Cities now and there is little chance of discovering a hidden gem.

Great place to throw out some thoughts and a great place to learn from some real skilled anglers. Thanks

[32 degrees]

Nicely said.... Your point on cameras is a great one. I cannot even express how excited I get when I bring a roll of film in. There is nothing like seeing those fish on the pictures and knowing that they are still swimming. Maybe we should start a campaign, we could call it,"Catch, photo, and release...." Oh, wait, there already is. It sucks that some people just dont get it. Maybe we should change it to,"Catch, photo, release, get the picture???" I have been fishing with guys that actually get mad when I put fish back...unbelievable. I guess we could call it,"Save a lake, buy a camera." Haha The thing that surprises me is how walleye fisherman look down upon bass and muskie fisherman. I have alot of respect for a group of fisherman that is strictly catch and release and targets bigger fish. I would have no problem with regulations similar to the ones in NE South Dakota. 2 fish, one over 20". You guys from the metro have impressed me with your thoughts. Anytime you guys want to go out and catch some fish just tell me. Its fun sharing information with guys who, "Get the picture."

[muskiehunter911]

I agrre with you completely "32 degrees", I have been trying to push my point of view onto people but seem to keep banging my head against the wall. The problem is these people that always are saying where are all fish but yet they continue to keep everything that they catch. I also get grief all the time for throwing fish back, last summer I caught a 32 1/2 eye and took a couple pictures and let her swim again. I can't believe how nuts my buddy went when she swam away, now she is there for another day. Well anyway I hope people continue to speak their minds and try to convert people to catch, photo and release. I am convinced if more people fishing this way our fisheries would dramatically change for the benefit of everyone!

[erikwells]

Do you think the future will hold certain bodies of water that are specifically for those that want to harvest fish to eat and one that are specifically for catch and release?

[goose89]

erik, i've agreed with your posts on this topic so far and i think we're on the same page. i'm not sure where you're going with the CPR vs. keep 'em lakes. i'm not sure i'm interpretting your message the way you intended. please clarify and expand it.
later,

goose

[This message has been edited by goose89 (edited 02-11-2004).]

[LocalGuide]

erikwells, I bet your right about having certain bodies of water that are specifically for those that want to harvest fish to eat and ones that are specifically for catch and release. But I would say that would be in the far future. I would bet that either the limits will have to change or there will be a size limit; like for ex 1 over 20". But id say this is way far away only if something doesnt improve in the near future.
Just my .02

------------------
AKA PikeEye 300

[erikwells]

Localguide, I think your right. The DNR choses to regulate the harvest by using the same methods they have used for 50 years. As you and I are well aware the tecnology and the pure numbers of anglers have advanced and increased. I would like to see the DNR change their focus from limits to concentrating on the individual lakes. I have no problem with the limits and thought the changes could have come much sooner. However I think the DNR needs to move into the present tense and realize that limits will not make Minnesota fishing better. Just my thoughts, maybe I don't understand the whole issue and I am over-simplifying the issue. Thoughts?