Don't take it for granted....

[Kevin Turner]

I fished 6 hard fought 8-12 hour days on the Missouri river below Yankden SD. Total Smallmouth for the entire week: 19!!!
Sunday tourney: 58 boats / 5 limits of 7 fish / winning wt: 14+ lbs / 2nd - 5th place: @ 11 lbs / My partner and I finished 3rd last year with just 5 fish, 11th this year with 4 fish (6.8lbs) /

Here is my point: Don't take for granted the marvelous fishing you have right out your back door. When I spoke about the Upper Miss to some of the MO River locals, they looked at my like I was crazy.

[HawgTide]

Kevin, sounds like you need a good dose of Monti fishing! Come on up this Saturday and join us. The fishing is really hot now.

[Royce Aardahl]

Good point Kevin! This is an awesome place to be a bronzebackaholic! I was able to get out 5 times last week and released so many nice smallies it blows me away.

[BigMike]

Yeah Kevin, come up and join us in Monti on Saturday!

I often times take it for granted that we have such an amazing fishery here in MN - not just on the mississippi either! I get worried about it not being there in the years to come due to harvesting and but I also think about the fact that when I go out on the upper 'sippi, I'm shocked if I see 5 other anglers out on any given stretch from Monti to Elk River. The places that are deep enough for boats get more pressure, but 3/4 of the upper 'sippi is dangerous for anything larger than a 14ft. small horse boat or a jet. Compare that to Mille Lacs - a body of water that get pounded regularly, and it still has a healthy population of smallies. Don't take that the wrong way, use descretion when sharing info... but I'm not complaining that no one else takes the time to fish the mighty 'sippi .

[Kevin Turner]

Wish I could make it!
I've been on the road for four weeks, so I've some things I must do. I just spoke with Pete Mlinar and he tells me it's the lowest he's seen it.
I fished Monti in the low water of '88. My rig was a 200 EFI OB Jet on a alumaweld 1856 Mod V. Now that was a "tense" ride, but the fishing made it worth while. I'm looking forward to Sept-Oct smallie action.

[Royce Aardahl]

walked an area after work to day and the water is as low as it was on saturday if not lower. the fish are still hungry.

[wheelierida]

One good thing about the river is that it is so shallow most people are scared to take ther boat out on it! also people think the river is too poluted and gross to even think about fishing it. I talked to some guy that caught 6 nice walleyes out of an inflatable, He told me he would never eat anything out of the river. I release all the smallies I catch! but when I hook into a nice eye it's dinner time.

[BigMike]

KT - that would be a "tense ride"! Did that thing have ejector seats! LOL!

We know you would make it if you could. Maybe next time/year

I can't believe how low it has gotten! I remember after bass opener I waded the monti section and thought I was going to be washed down river - the river was REALLY high and REALLY fast in June and 2.5 months later it's trickling. I wonder why. I drive across the I-94/'sippi bridge by U of M everyday and it doesn't look like it's come down more than 2-4 feet since June. Maybe they are letting the draw out for the navigation/barges downriver...?

[smallie_hawgin]

BM
The river is low all the way up the line. Besides drwdowns downstream would not effect this area at all. Basically the extent of drwdowns can only be observed in the reservoir portions directly. IE near Anoka where the "ponding" occurs. If you check the USGS website and look to Brainerd and so on you will notice that all sections are far lower than normal. But dang the fishin is good.
Tom, I appreciate your concern for the river fishery. Thankfully, most of the anglers I have run in to are all C & R for smallies. That is not to say that some are taken. We will be doing a creel (angler interview) survey on the Miss from Coon Rapids to St. Cloud in 2007... Should be interesting to see how much the pressure has increased and the differences in values, reg compliance, harvest etc.

KT: It is always good for us to step back and realize just how good we have it here. Sometimes I truly think Minnesotans are knid of ... well, spoiled. We have great fishing in our back yards and across the state, yet, the DNR is repeatedly criticized for not doing enough (in some cases).

Ok, Off my soap box. Thanks for all the great posts.

[Mark Christianson]

SH

We are spoiled???

I WANT MORE NOW!!!!!

[CaptainMusky]

People actually EAT bass? ****, must be hard up! Yuck!
I would be really careful to call people out like was done here. How do you know the increase in traffic was due to BM? Did you ask each of the 30 people on "your" spot how they found out about it? Not likely! So how are you sure he is the reason people are there?
Fish in rivers are very nomadic. The fish there one day can be MILES away the next. I wouldn't be too concerned about pressuring the fish, they get smart and move to other areas. I really doubt people are keeping these fish as meat hogs!
I don't know if I would eat anything out of that river regardless.

[Dan Wood]

Good point Kevin, it really makes you stop and think how lucky we are. I lived in KS/MO for a couple years and was so happy to return to this great state. So many lakes/rivers, so little time!

Slot limits are in place to protect the future fishery. Fishing pressure you can bet will keep growing, but with a good CPR program in place, it can be good for everyone! The future fishery can actually improve along with the increase in fishing pressure. The fish may get smarter and thus more difficult to catch with the increase in fishing pressure, but the fishery can remain very strong and even improve with smart regulations in place.

BigMike definitely didn't have any intentions of giving away your spot. I've had the pleasure of fishing with Mike a number of times. He is a great guy and a great fisherman too, he is just trying to help people out.

If everyone does their best to support C&R, the fishery will only get better.

Kevin - if you happen to read this, I'll try giving you a call next week sometime assuming your back in the office.. I have had too much going on lately to think about it anymore... I'd like to hear more though

[panolo]

The Monti stretch is going to keep getting more popular as the crowds move out this way. No way to stop that. The fishery has improved so much in the last few years. With the slots that are in taht area the fishing should stay good for a long while. It has very little to do with the info that is given out on this site. BM keep posting bud. I rarely reply to your posts but I read everyone of them and appreciate the stories and the info!!

[Royce Aardahl]

Just got back from the river, too much thunder and lightning to stay. got 6 in 30 minutes and it was tempting to stay. I was between st cloud and Clearwater. blue and black stick and I am trying the little rubber bands that kids use with braces. I picked up 300 for free today at a local orthodontist shop. Seemed to help.

[Aquaman01]

Wow, here I thought I had a tame forum to watch.

Keep it clean, too. Profanity is the dead end of a limited vocabulary.

Ebass is right on, gentlemen - forum Policy Numero Uno - no personal attacks. If someone has an issue with someone else, call 'em out via e-mail...not on Mr. Turner's thread.

'nuff said?

Now, back to the fishery. The DNR did a tagging study on the slottef portion of the river to see what the migratory habits of our beloved smallies is, and the results are kind of surprising. I'll paraphrase the best I can recall....

Smallmouth bass as a species tend to migrate far and wide between their summer feeding grounds, fall upriver migrations, winter chill holes and spring spawn areas. Most in other waterways will migrate up to 100 miles in a season. Not ours.

The 100 tagged smallies (all adults of breeding age) that were accounted for (most) stayed within the slot limit boundaries. This leads me to believe one of two things..
1) The habitat is primo for them in all seasons, or
2) They know they're safe and will go on a diet at 19.5"

I'm leaning towards deduction #1 and so is the DNR. Smallies in this stretch are living, loving and thriving so well that they stay.

The River will always be a challenge for boaters. If the water is high enough for navigation, it's swift enough to kill.

Knowledge and experience plays a role, as well. I have been on a pier with 1/2 a dozen other anglers and been the only one catching fish. Al Lindner's 3-legged stool is a golden rule on the river, as anywhere else - species, location, presentation. Ya gotta have all 3 legs or it won't stand. Giving a location is only part of the formula for success.

Best Fishes,
Rob

[Royce Aardahl]

SH, I made A command decision today. If I ever hook into the 20 plus she's going back in.

[BigMike]

Eyeguy - take LOTS of pictures before you do though (well "lots" within reason) in case you ever want to get a replica. Replicas are just as good as the real deal now-a-days. Plus you'll want a nice pic to hang with it...

[West County Joe]

Hey blame it on the meds or the high humidity. Big Mike I deleted the message and after a good nights sleep , I figured there are a lot of other things and people a guy can get upset with. It occurs to me that a lot of you guys care just as much as me about the river system. It was unfair of me to pin everything I perceived as wrong on Big Mike. I now believe Big Mike may be like having an extra DNR on the water. I do think that if your not carefull you can over hype a spot and draw way to much attention to it. Not everyone practices good sportsmanship or has the ethics. I fished the river for 20 years and 10 of them by myself. Some parts of the river systems are better today (Minnesota and Crow) then they were 20 years ago. I guess I'm afraid that I will see what I have seen on the ice in the past 4 years. Out west when there is a hot bite they come from all directions and basically destroy the lake for a number of years. If your fimilar with the lakes around Waconia you know what I'm talking about. So Big Mike ,I apologize for my personal attack and hope the party this weekend goes great. I will be fishing a small river down south for SmaLLIES. Big Lake Bass , I think you need a hug. I use live bait all year on the river for Smallies and have never gut hooked a fish. Mr. Tim H. and The Smallmouth Alliance used to drill into our heads in the 80's that it was a sin to use live bait. I will put my live bait rig up against a Rapala any day. Have you ever tried to get the hooks out of a overly aggressive fish. You just need to set the hook as soon as you feel the tap. Maybe I can show you how's it's done someday in Monti. My best Monti bait is a black 3 inch Pwer Twister on a light jig. Let the current move it and don't be afraid to fish 1 foot of fast moving water all year. Theres a tip for you. Good Fishing. WEST

[BigMike]

West, thank you for your last post. You noted a number things that I was planning to write already. I have met and converse regularly with a number of posting FM'ers and we all share the same passion - fishing. There can always be one rotten egg in a bunch, but from my experience, that hasn't been the case. All the guys I have met I consider to be great guys, good fishermen, fishing buddies and friends. We all love the river more than the next FM'er and it's out of that same passion for fishing that I think most care more about teaching others conservation and how to respect a fishery (which I've observed to be the case from most posting FM'ers). Keep up the good work guys (and gals) .

As we both have said already we all need to be careful how much detail you go into when you post - because there are those who don't post who often times are the culprits in damaging a spot or fishery. However, at the same time feel free to enjoy the company of other fishermen.

I love this site, it's awesome! Like I've said already, I've met some great guys from this site and have enjoyed their company and I look forward to meeting all of them again (in addition to meeting other FM'ers).

Speaking of meeting other FM'ers, WEST I saw in the Monti gathering post that you may join us on Saturday... Even before your post this morning I was going to say, come on down. Somehow, meeting people in person always puts a face with a name and once we meet we realize that we all have the same common bond. We are all going to be there to have a fun day (with some fun competition) fishing the river we all love.

I feel a group hug coming on. LOL! Ok maybe I won't go that far! LOL

[West County Joe]

Well said Big Mike!! West will stick to helping and not hurting. WEST