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Park Rapids area is very tight lipped!


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A.A. - I couldn't agree more with you. The PR thread does not get much action. I am from IA but we spend lots of time in the PR area. My username will give you one lake name if you are familiar with the area - Fish Hook. I would like to see more conversation here so maybe your attempt will pick things up. We spend lots of open water time up there and I usually get up to ice fish once or twice a year. Thanks for trying and we can only watch what happens.

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This forum is so tight lipped up there.

I fish up there quite a bit year around and I check this forum once and a while, and it is dead. There are so many lakes in this region that are excellent fishing lakes. I know probably about four lakes that I am confident I can get on fish. I want to live in this area, because there would be no reason a person could live on fish year around up here. It's a great place, and if I ever move up here, I will take this section under my wing and help you guys that need help getting on the fish, but for know the spots are limited and I want to enjoy them when get up there. If your looking for pike and panfish. I might be able to help you.

Avid

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I spend time fishing the area in the summer. Not much on the ice. I also Deer hunt in the area. Nevis to be exact. Uncle has a cabin on Deer Lake.

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yeah i don't know why this p.r. forum is always so quiet. now that bow season is over, i'll have some more time to fish. will try and have some updates. i've only been out on the ice once since new years. speared a nice pike (3-4 lbs) on wolf lake. had one other nail my decoy, but never got to throw at.

my bro was to red lake on tues/wed and the bite is on up there for sure. he and 4 other guys got 70-some all day tues, and 30-some fish wed am.

haven't heard much of anything out of straight lake. a few smallish crappie, and occasional eye. but straight is usually a pretty consistant producer for crappie/walleye.

any one been out on shell yet? i've not yet winter fished that lake. only a few summer trips. many hammerhandles.

anxious to hear any reports out there...

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Have you ever fished Island West? Just curious if anyone has heard of anything going on through the ice at that lake.

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i will do my best to give feedback all summer this year. i mainly fish Potato for bass. i will to Potato about 8 or 9 times thru this year, and will be glad to report. i will be up there in 2 weeks for some ice fishing and if i have any luck i will let you all know.

lets get this forum rockin this year!

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Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses! It sounds like most of you don't live up there, and that is who really uses this thread. I heard the crappies have been hitting on Heinz lake in the hole. The fish are suspended. There are few small lakes up in the Paul Bunyan state forest that are real good for bluegill and crappies. They are off of old logging trails, but you can get to them with a truck. Lower dead lake has been giving up some pike. The numbers are there, but your average size is around two to four pounds. That lake needs the anglers out there that want to catch pike. Way to many in there, but the action is normally fast. I am hoping to go up there in the next few weeks. I will probably try Potato, Big Man Trap, Blue and Big Sand. All good lakes, but need to find the fish.

Avid

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This would be great if we all could get something going here. My parents just got a cabin up there and it seems that I spend more time trying to find good spots fishing than I do actually fishing. Not only is this forum here tight lipped so are the bait shops up there. I haven't been able to get a word out of them and thats even after an over hundred dollar cash register bill.

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we have done well in the West arm of Potato the last 3 years that we have been up ice fishing. we go up the last weekend of January every year. mostly catching pike on tip ups with sucker minnows. generally the pike are roaming in 20 to 25 feet of water off submerged points. i added an underwater camera to my ice fishing arsenal last year. it is great to watch a pike come in and hit the minnow. in most cases the pike charges the minnow to wound it and then backs off and then comes back again to take it for a run. so i have learned that just because the flag went up doesn't mean that the fish is on yet. give 'em a minute and then wait for the spool to run.

i have had almost no success on Potato for sunnies or crappies thru the ice. so if anyone has suggestions for spots or presentations it would be greatly appreciated. we are planning on staying in the west arm, but do have mobility and a portable ice shack if there are places nearby to try.

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Sami, For crappies in Potato, I would try just off of that first point on the north side of the west bay when coming from the landing. The point has a small flat and then it dumps into about 50 feet. I have done well here in the summer. Never ice fished Potato, but that would be the first spot that I would try. Punch a bunch of holes from the point all the way out to that deep water. Jump around until you find a few. For sunnies, I would try and find any weeds that are still standing and fish those. Other than that, Potato seems to me like it would be a hard lake to fish in the winter with it being so deep and filled with structure.

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thanks... i know what spot you are talking about.. i will give it a try next time..

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What lake are you on? We have been on Fish Hook for five years and I have learned alot about that lake, Potato, Eagle, and a few others around P.R. Our hearts are up there all year long even though we can't always be. I have to agree with you about the bait shop advice given out. I have come to the conclusion they tell you what they think you want to hear and will always be very general. I don't have a problem with that but I do take issue when they act like I don't know a thing about what I am asking. That said, I really enjoy the challenge and every year I am learning more about all the lakes I try.

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Hello Folks,

As you can guess by my Alias, I am from PR. Born, raised

and reside in PR. Lived on Fishhook all my life. Have

a vast experience on many of the nation vacation land's

wonderful lakes, as Dead Elephant would put it! To

answer your question, quite frankly we don't care!

We get sick of the pressure from the cabin owners and

visitors. Don't like that answer, live with it! I am

not speaking for everyone, but I can say the vast majority

that are serious about their fishing around PR.

Reasons why, we have literally seen lakes get hammered

where selective species have never made a rebound.

Fishhook, Itasca, Big Mantrap, Emma, Crow Wings, Duck,

Two Inlets, Long, Bottles, Portage all had great pan-

fishing until the "word" got out and were slaughtered.

Unfortunately, many were "locals" that took advantage

of the circumstances, but there was also many from

outside the local zipcodes. I am personally at fault

for Fishhook and partially at fault for Itasca and

Mantrap. Best advice, do your own homework and don't

rely on the locals to give out their secrets on this

website! I am probably one of few that even knows about

this site in PR, let alone knows how to get on the

internet!

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I agree, Big Sand was fished out to the max and then the DNR stripped all of the eggs out of the walleyes. Havent fished it since

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Welcome to the forum PRWoody,

I had the same paranoid attitude as you do when I 1st registered on this forum. I have since learned that most of the people that are registered are the type of people that are concerned about the future of fishing. Most of us don't give out GPS coordinates to a spot or expect them. We are just people who love to fish and share ideas, info. and maybe lakes that we have had success with in the past. Heck, you can go to the DNR website and get fish survey info on lakes.

If someone says they caught some walleyes on Potato in 17' of water...its not like they are selling out the lake. I don't think that there is going to be a swarm of people fishing Potato as a result. Besides I have fished right next to people and they are catching fish one after another and I don't get a bite or vice versa.

As far as visitors coming to the Park Rapids area in the winter, I've got to believe that most are snowmobilers and very few are ice fishing. I bet most of the people on the lakes now are locals and they are the ones that will go out day after day until the fish are gone or stop biting, but I could be wrong.

I've had a cabin on Eagle L. for 5 years now and hopefully I will get up there this winter for the first time and try some ice fishing.

Hey, if you want to share some of your GPS coordinates, you can email me. wink.gif

Nels

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If you ever read the ODN, it is funny how the same lakes

are producing the same fish in the same depths every

time. I get the feeling ODN, gets a recorded message

from Kevin at Delaney's. What lakes are hot; Big Sand

is kicking out walleyes all over the lake. Many under

the slot limit. Good luck trying to get on the lake

unless you like to do some water hopping in front of

the boat landing! Eagle has been producing crappies,

have no clue were to go on the lake, rarely fish the

lake. To answer some other post, there are no trout

in Elk, that is a muskie only lake, with a few walleyes

that can be found from time to time. Have not heard

much about Emma, people only seem to fish for crappies

on that lake during the winter.

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NELS...

i will be up on Potato next weekend (27th to 30). if you are up that weekend you should stop by for a beer or three. we generally set out tip ups for pike and jig for wallys and panfish. nothing too exciting but a great bunch of guys, you might even be able to get into a poker game...

Andy

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Sami,

I will find out for you the ice conditions on Potato,

can get very scary over the main bar going in the

north part of the lake. We use to ice fish off the

rock pile in front of the Pines. Some years we would

hammer the walleyes, 200+ a winter. 1/2 of those

were over 20". Alot of CPR. As I type, we are getting

snow and expect another 6 inches by Saturday. All

the lakes will probably be snowmobiles only for driving.

Plowed out a trail to the fish house last Saturday and

there are some people that are going to be in a world

or hurt after this next snow! You may want to bring

an extension.

Woody

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Woody...

what year did you go to P.R. high school? i graduated in '84. i fish Potato quite a bit in the summer. and make it up there once or twice in the winter. we have a log home on the north shore of the west arm, just in from the bar a bit.

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I graduated with you! Played TE with Craig and Tony

on the 83' football team. That should give you a clue!

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Very good grasshopper!

What is with your avatar, you look 60 years old and

bald! Life's been that tough on you the last 20 years!

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nels:

Quote:

I bet most of the people on the lakes now are locals and they are the ones that will go out day after day until the fish are gone or stop biting, but I could be wrong.


i agree that most out ice fishing are locals, but as far as us fishing until the populations are gone, that's rediculous. i'm not sure where your getting your info or opinon from, but i've never known or heard of any locals abusing the lakes. but have witnessed first hand tourists over-catching and keeping. i'm sure there's a few bad apples up here as everywhere else, but i take offense to your blanket comment of locals fishing out the lakes here.

most of the fishers i know locally seldom take fish home.

also, i agree with prwoody. of all my friends, i think only one has internet access. probably has something to do with the "tight lipped" forum here.

and i won't defend bait shop owners, but i'm sure they do get tired of all the "cities-fishermen" and their inquiries. even though their money spends the same. personally i'd rather catch one walleye in a spot i figured out than a limit in a spot that someone turned me on to.

fished boot lake near the access on tuesday. minimal catch. buddy and i caught 4 northerns and a decent bass. were going to go up to lotw, but weather reports calling for winds up to 40 mph and snow. didn't want to drive all the way up and not be able to fish.

any one been up to red or winnie yet?

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i'm not bald, receding hair line maybe. how can you tell, i have a hat on. now, i may be fat, but 60 years old? i hope not..

where were you this summer? we had our 20 year reunion.

i wasn't sure if it was you when you gave the clue, so i called Kevin Long at work to verify my answer.

you should come up to the cabin next weekend and have a few beers with me and my buddies. do a little fishing and beer drinking and card playin'

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Scruffy-

I didn't mean to offend anyone. I just know how it is around here. Someone gets on a bite and then they tell a friend or relative and next thing you know half the town is out there on that spot. Unfortunately some people get greedy and keep going out day after day and keeping there limit. Its not as big a deal with the larger lakes, but it is with smaller lakes.

Again, sorry, I'm not bashing any local people. As a matter of fact, I'm just jealous because you get to live up in what I call "Gods country".

Samii-

Thanks for the invite. If I get up there that weekend I will definately take you up on that beer or three.

Nels

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Well Nels,

I would agree you are correct when it comes to the past.

There was no internet, voice mail, gps, aqua views, etc...

I will give two examples that have hurt area lakes.

1) My fault, lake was fishhook. Last ice, since I knew

the lake and there was a hole closer to the access,

I decide to find the hole, after a few auger holes,

guess what, I hit the jackpot. Found the major

crappie school stacked in 10' of water. We had

our limit in less than 10 minutes, size between

12" to 16". Pretty soon the crowd figured out we

found the crappies and the whole town new in about

2 hours. The crappies were murdered, my estimate

in less than one week over 10,000 crappies were

caught and never released. Blame me for that one.

Let me add I only fished the spot the 1st time.

2) All winter long, Big Mantrap. A friend of a friend

knew there was large crappies somewhere on the lake.

He finally found them and let us in on the secret.

We got to fish for two years till someone stumbled

across our little secret. Those were two great

winters. Only about 6 of us knew and we kept very

tight lipped. Once the other group saw what we

were catching and releasing, it was a zoo the next

weekend and has never changed since. Bummer.

Moral of the story, never tell anyone! The only way

the panfish will be restored in these lakes is if they

stop fishing in the winter and close the season

during the spawn.

Woody

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great... looking forward to it if, you are up we will be on the north shore of the west arm, just in from the bar.. log boat house by the shore and a brown and green sided ice house.

Andy

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PRWoody - Thank you for the thread communications. I could tell from your first posting that you did not represent the "PR Welcome Wagon" smile.gif. I am glad you are giving us a piece of the history about the PR area. I can not speak for other visitors who come to the area but I would like the opportunity to share my comments. First, while we all live in God's country, you truely do live there. As I said in a previous post, my heart is in PR/North MN even when I am not there. Secondly, I do respect your very valuable and fragile resources in regard to the lakes, fishing and the harvest. My wife and I enjoy fresh fish while we are in PR but we do so in moderation. In the five summers we have been there, we have kept less than 10 walleye, maybe 20 crappie, and maybe 4 pike all for our personal consumption. Everything else has gone back. One of the 10 walleye was my alltime personal best 32" - 12.2 lbs. I physically spent 45 minutes in the water trying to revive that big female. I had measurements and pics and planned to have a replica made. She just would not go and so she is now on my wall. I felt very bad about the whole deal because she was a real beauty and may have lived another couple years. Thirdly, I have had four different PR natives tell me about how Fish Hook lake fed the city of PR for several winters and that the crappie fishing was excellent at one time. I suspect you are making reference to that in your post. I do not know all that the DNR is doing to try and bring things back to the good old days but I am offering to do what I can to help make it better. I have been fishing since my Dad took me to Canada at age 10 (almost 50 years ago) and he taught me well. "If you take something out - you have to put something back". I know I will never forget the excitement and jubilation my 9 year old grandson got last summer when he caught his first bass -about 2#s. He had no problem at all putting it back after we took some pics. I want PR to be around for a long time. If you, or any others, have suggestions about what we can do to help make it better, I think most FM'ers would be more than willing to do their parts. Finally (sorry this is getting long), I, and others who spend time in the PR area, do bring some significant dollars into your economy. That does not entitle me to any more or any less rights than a MN resident and I am not asking for more. Just because we are from out of town don't categorize all visitors as "rapers of the lakes". There are some who are and I will bust them down if I get the chance. We have lots of out of town folks who come to IA and hunt deer and pheasants. I do not own those resources and these folks have the same legal rights as I do to harvest them. We all have to work together or we all lose. I know I am preaching to the choir and thanks again for sharing.

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Hi Fishhook,

If you took my 1st post wrong, sorry, but I don't think

there is a concern about raping the lakes for visitors,

it is more about pressure on the lakes/boat landings in

general. I won't even fish Big Sand on the weekends

during the peak of the summer. There are more crazies

at that boat landing than the funny farm in Walker.

I was not aware that Fishhook allowed lakeshore owner's

from Iowa? Have to go back and check the bylaws! LOL!

Talking about history, should have been around when the

temporary dam let loose under the footbridge(red bridge)

back in May 1980. I was the one that found it, since

my bedroom window was on the same pond! Lost alot of

fish and habitat that day! Like I stated before, the

only way you are going to be able to correct the problem

for these lakes is stop ice fishing for certain species

and close the season during panfish spawning. They

don't stand a chance when they are on their beds. There

are still plenty of (Contact US Regarding This Word) that think it is great taking

spawning panfish! Burns me to the nth degree.

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nels:

no problem. i think we all can agree that fishing pressure is a delicate topic. and you never know who is in the house over yonder and what they are up to. can only hope that people have enough common sense to fish within the limits and practice catch n release.

i am an implant here, been here for 4 years. can't get enough of the lakes and woods. so i've done a lot of exploring for sure. just checkin out a lake map and getting out and throwin lures. been skunked more times than successful, probably. but that fun enough for me. just bein out on the water or ice.

you guys have to check out this record walleye if you haven't seen it yet:

saskatchewan walleye

my bro emailed it to me today...thought it was a fake pic at first!

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