Fishing Report

[walleyedan]

I think it's time to hang things up until ice! I hate to say it, but the confidence level hasn't been this low for a long time. I fished Monday p.m. and Tuesday all day. Monday on Gull was pathetic and Tuesday on Gull, North Long and Pelican was pretty close to pathetic. We caught 2 legit keepers on Gull yesterday a.m. and a handfull of small fish. We then went to North Long and finished on Pelican.........Nothing!!!! I don't know about you guys/gals, but I can go a little on the insane side when I go that long without getting into some decent action. Let's hope that things just go "nuts" this winter season. I ordered up a new 8x16 sleeper and will be picking it up this weekend.

Dan

[Toad]

Relative to walleyes, Dan, I have to agree-- been one of the tougher falls I've seen in awhile. Though, frustratingly, it's often been a matter of obtaining the right bait, which has remained pretty scarce lately. Luckily, my friends at the Minnow Shop in Deerwood, who seine their own, kept me fairly supplied with goodies (big juicy chubs ) through most of October.

Even when we've only had a half dozen of these baits along, I knew we'd likely get at least a few shots at big walleyes. On the other hand, lately, as I've run out of good baits, fishing's turned tough. 'Eyes that I know would've eaten a good bait now turn their snout at everything else. 'Course, it's probably also somewhat of a confidence thing.

Gotta be thankful for the smallmouths and muskies, though. They've been a real blessing all fall. A select few spots have offered, at times, exceptional fishing for both species, both on rivers and in lakes. Probably been fifteen years since I last saw as many large smallmouth bass in fall. And although I've gone through a few seasons in the past when I've fallen victim to "muskie fever," I've perhaps never seen such easy muskie fishing as what transpired in late October/early November.

All in all, the fish have treated me well. Not quite over yet for me, either. Though after today and tomorrow on the water, the next week will find me chasing pheasants in Iowa, then deer around home with a little black powder. If everything goes off just right, timing should be perfect for an early December fish & game feed at the Toad ranch. Every friend brings something delicious and different to the table . . . little fresh walleye, few grouse breasts, a bit of spicy venison sausage, and if I'm lucky, a nice big elk steak seared perfectly medium rare. Man oh man. I love fishing and hunting when I'm hungry .

-a friend called Toad

[burl]

Dan,

The fishing has been not real easy but still have been able to catch some nice fish.What has been a little strange is the location of the fish.Most of the fish i have caught have been in the same weed bed areas i have been fishing all summer.I know when it comes to fall we all think deep but i have a caught them more shallow than deep for a number of years.The fish also tend to be there during the early ice season also.I fish mainly north long so i have been spoiled on the average size of fish.How long before you think they will adopt some size and slot regs. to deal

with the size of fish on Gull?See you on the water,Burl.

[JAYSUPNORTH]

hey guys i was out on gull on monday as well very nice day to be out but was slow for us as well managed 2 eyes no size though pair of 13 inchers 1 small pike all were caught in less than 10ft near dutchmans.tried cinosam for a while nothing but perch did mark a few nice looking fish on the graph though.tried a few other spots but nothing.I may get up there thursday again for one last try ill post if i do.

[Sergeant Slabber]

Hey Danny Boy! You need to come back to your old stomping grounds to get into some action. The walleye bite on Tonka and Waconia has been pretty decent this Fall. I did go a little insane this past Saturday though when I was on Waconia fishing Muskies for 7 hrs. and got flat out skunked! Maybe I'll run into this winter sometime. Take care!! Paulsen

[smartguy]

Just got off LAke Edward. The boat is winterized, so all I could do was use the canoe. Got a few northerns, one of which was a pretty decent size and girth for the lake.

What a beautiful day on the lake. Perfectly calm, only one other boat. Tomorrow looks even better!

[early007]

Hi Burl, I agree we do need some type of slot regulations implemented on our area lakes. When the DNR will put install them I'm not so sure. They have already started with Pelican Lake, my guess is that statewide slots will be in effect sometime in the future but it may be a while. As for Gull, I have been confused by the small size walleyes that have been so prevalent the last 3 years. I understand these walleyes to be from a huge stocking effort from the last 5 years. The DNR has stocked 3-4 million fry for a few years during this timeframe. My memory isn't the best but I believe thats what I've read. I think Gull is very healthy and hopefully these smaller walleyes will grow. If so we could see a truly great fishery in the next few years.

Shallow walleyes in the fall is not uncommon. Fish will congregate where the food is. After turnover in late fall and early winter walleyes and baitfish like to hang around any green weeds that are available. Once we get ice and snowcover the weeds will die off and the fish will disperse seeking oxygen again. It's true that there are deep fish too, in the fall. After turnover fish can be found scattered throughout the lake, the key is finding active groups. If you find some active fish this time of the year mark that spot they should still be there at early ice.

Jason Erlandson

[Toad]

Sounds like the proposed slot regulation on Pelican failed to pass this year-- the lakeshore association, apparently, thought it was too restrictive. Glad to hear, though, that the regulation on Lake Hubert-- something along the lines of "all bass over 14-inches must be released"-- will go into effect next season. Believe, too, that a few other panfish-related regulations will become law next season. Good to hear.

On Gull-- and this is purely an unsolicited opinion -- I'm not so sure a slot regulation is warranted. Still think plenty of medium-large fish swim in the lake, although presently, two to five year old fish hugely outnumber all other combined year classes by a wide margin. For going on five plus years now, as Early007 said, the lake's been stocked with 2.5 to 4 million walleye fry annually. Pelican's been supplemented with 3.9 million fry per year since 1999. (These are unbelievable numbers of fish.)

Really, to me the real question isn't so much about protecting older year classes (although this is certainly important), as it is to worry about whether enough food exists in these lakes to support and grow such a vast number of juveniles into healthy adults. Bigger fish may be hard to catch in coming years, due in part, to the fact that they'll be well fed on baby walleyes. Certainly this will be the case if adult walleyes exhaust yellow perch supplies in these lakes.

The other part, again, relates to population dynamics. Huge numbers of juvenile walleyes completely overshadow a relatively small (though not actually small) population of 6 to 10 year old fish. It may be necessary to sort through two dozen small fish in order to scratch out an 18+ incher. Or switch to a different approach that tends to yield larger walleyes, though not always more walleyes.

In the end, stocking often remains a guessing game, and one that's not always wise-- either scientifically, or economically. If you ask many fisheries scientists, they'll tell you that stocking such huge numbers of walleyes in some lakes acts like a "shock to the system," yielding lots of unknown effects. Although computer models are utilized relative to lake carrying-capacities, we really still don't know what effect these drastic efforts will have on the overall dynamics of any given lake. The DNR often simply must respond to public and legislative pressure regarding certain fisheries, scientifically good or bad.

To me, it seems as if the fishery scientists should be making the call, not some legislator, neither a lakeshore association. Obviously, the issue gets complicated at this point. But I sometimes wish we'd put more faith in and support for trained scientists. Too often, their valuable input gets vetoed by well-meaning, though ultimately uneducated groups. My hat's off to our fisheries folks. As a relatively tiny workforce, they do the work of giants for our resources.

[Paul S]

Right on Cory - I couldn't agree with you more!!!

Sorry I missed your last E mail - school school school

Can't wait for christmas break - 3 weeks off!!!

Paul S

[rms]

Toad,

I fished Gull quite a bit this fall and didn't catch nearly as many 6"-9" perch as I had in the past few years. Caught quite a few 11"-12" eyes and saw some bait clouds on my graphs, but not like you see on other lakes in the area. I think some of what you said is already happening in respect to the perch/walleye relationship. Those small eyes are some real eating machines.

[walleyedan]

Hi guys,

Slabber, glad to hear you are catching some of those skipper walleyes. Do they like to bite on the really fancy stuff down there, like the glitter-tail chubs or could a guy from the north country come down and catch some on redtails or stuff like that? Glad to hear you are getting out Jeffy!! I was down rooster hunting near my Dad's hometown in southwestern Mn. last week at we had a blast (litterally). Say hi to Ron and the rest of the E.P. crew and come up this winter and fish. I just pulled home my new 8x16 sleeper, it's nice. Burl, I have heard the same kind of report from a buddy of mine. Shallow walleyes all season. It's tricky to do this with novice anglers. Hopefully the winter bite will be exceptional. Time to go eat!!

Later,

Walleyedan

[Sportland_Bait]

Dan is your new house the white one in front of the store. It looks pretty sharp. Are you selling those houses too? If so I'll let people know.

Jason Erlandson

[walleyedan]

Jason,

Yes, those are the houses I'll be selling and renting. I have bought just one so far for my rental business but they can put them out in a hurry so if I need more I can get them. They seem to be well built. The thing with a unit like those is that you can use it for many things (hot dog stand, hunting shack, camper, motel, u-haul, and even a fish house).

Happy Thanksgiving and wish your Dad and family the same,

Dan

[Sportland_Bait]

Well Dan if I go into the Hot Dog business I'll definately get a hold of you. Just joking! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I'll work my best to get you some house rentals. Lets hope for some good clear ice!

Jason Erlandson