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Minnetonka - What to do now?


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Hi all,

Just wanted to fill you in on my first opener on Minnetonka. My buddy and I and another boat of friends were skunked by the Lake Minntonka Walleyes. In fact, between both Saturday and Sunday, neither of our boats ever saw a walleye caught.

I fished community holes, 'fishy' looking spots, points, flats, rocks, and weeds. Three feet to twenty-five feet and nothing to show for it but a bunch of Northerns. We tried places in every part of the lake.

My question is this, do I chalk it up to a terrible cold front and unstable weather or am I completely missing something here? I truthfully believe that we should have stumbled upon a walleye or two given our group of fisherman. The good news is that I am going back there this weekend...The bad news is I am going back there this weekend!

Would anyone mind sharing a few pointers on areas or something I may have missed.

Thanks for everyone's help,

Chad

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  • PJ Sparkles

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Welcome to FM,

I don't think you're missing anything. You've pretty much had the same opener as most of us. Matter of fact you did better then most. I was only able to boat one northern #3, one crappie and some sunnies. Blame it on mother nature and hopefully she'll thank us with some stable weather. Tonka boy, Mark Stanley, are some of the best Tonka anglers around and they had troubles this weekend. So if you're finding something to put a bend on the rod, then it was a good outing.

Later good luck this weekend

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I found the best bite on Saturday to be from 12:00-2:00 am. So if you weren't on the lake at this time you may have missed a prime time. The thing is, the fish are typically always biting somewhere at sometime. The key is being there when it happens. You may repeat your approach this coming weekend and catch walleyes in several of the places you hit on opening weekend. I've had spots produce 5 days in a row and then quit for a month. The key is to keep moving until you find the active fish.

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Forky,

I never saw a walleye this weekend either, nor did any of the guys I talked to at the ramp. I think Minnetonka is challenging for walleyes on a good day, so throw in the weather we had for opener and I think we had the perfect recipe for getting skunked.

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I was on top of them last night but they were just not biting. Had one decent fish on for about two seconds otherwise I was just feeding the short biters fatheads.Tonka Boy and I threw everything we could think of at 'em. I even downsized to crappie sized stuff. We saw one walleye caught by slip bobber by another boat. One of those funny looking River Pro rigs that must have got lostgrin.gif We fished from 5pm to 11pm. Noticed water temps were down to 53 degrees a drop of 5 degrees from last week so that didn't exactly help things. I expect the bite to improve massively by Wednesday. Lot of hungry fish out there. As Tonka Boy said we have never seen the fish so schooled up as they have been. Now if we could have broken out the musky gear we would have had a ball. The muskies have been very active.

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Forky, Tonka can be unforgiving for Wallys but it can also be a bonanza. Although I have caught fish in real shallow and in the deeper areas some of my best fishing has been tight to the milfoil. One area that I like to fish are places where you have a rock/milfoil mix. Yeah you can chalk it up to a cold front that you did do as well as you would have liked to but you dont know unless you go! smile.gif

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Forky, From midnight until 2:45 am on opening night. I lost 4 fatheads that I had attached to a northland mimic minnow. I came home slept for an hour and was on Buffalo Lake at 4:45. I thought things were going to change when we were pulling rap's over a point and picked up a 26 1/2 inch walleye on our first pass. Unfortunately, that was the only walleye all day. Fished there until 1:00, came home, slept and was back out on tonka at 7:00 pm.

This is when things changed. I found walleyes in 6-8 feet of water on the edge of a weedline that is starting to emerge. We just ran back and forth for three hours. Caught 3 walleyes in 3 hours and 15 minutes. 15 1/2, 17, and 17 1/4. Good eaters. We were using the electric motor and trolling really slow. About 1/2 to 1 mile an hour. Didn't get out again until Sunday night. Worked the same shoreline with the same technique. Managed 3 more walleyes. 15 3/4, 16 1/2, and a nice 21 1/2 incher. I know everybody is focusing on live bait, but small #5 rapala's in orange and chartreuse worked for us. My philosophy with the crank baits is to attempt to target the bigger walleyes. Granted you may not get as many fish, but they usually are always good eaters, and occassionally a really big one that you have to cpr.

I hope you find this information helpful. Good luck on your upcoming walleye hunting!

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I don't want to give out any hotspots, but don't be afraid to try a 4 inch pink twin tail. We had limits on Saturday in about 2 hours fishing for hairy snooters. Going back tonight.

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Okay I gotta ask what a hairy snooter is?

Any magic depth work best, going out on Friday to hopefully do some CPR.

Thanks

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They are northerns. You know, hair lip snootervilles? Gotta love em....Tight lines, heading out soon. Hopefully the pinky tuscederos pull through again. If you see a yellow tri-hull with a force on the back gimme a tute. We can share tips.

I wood rather be squrrel hunting.

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Pikeguy-

I'm heading to Tonka this weekend and I was thinking of trolling raps along the weedlines too, I was guessing a little deeper (10-12) feet though.

Could you help me out with any general locations? Doesn't have to be very specific...anything would help!

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Big Marbles, I don't know which end of the lake you are planning to be on. But I really like Halstead's, Priest's and Cook's Bays. There are a lot of emerging weeds starting to come up in the shallows. Depending on the time of day is how I would start my approach. If you are going to get out there while it is still light, I would start deep and work my way shallower until you pick up your first fish. At that point you can keep working the same area by making passes over and over again, or you could stop and put on the jigs and possibly clean up. I just came off the lake. I only was out for about an hour and a half, but I did pick up one 17 incher. I don't think I will be able to get out tomorrow, but I am planning on going out Friday night. Maybe see you out there. Good luck!

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Has anyone been having any luck using leeches on Tonka yet? I'm heading out there tomorrow.

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Fished from 6-9 last night in the rain. Tried bottom bouncers with worms and leeches. Nothing. Caught a bass and a northern trolling cranks in 8-12 fow. The last few times we have been out the crawlers have worked better than the leeches. Minnows have produced the least. Talked to quite a few people at the ramp that were skunked.

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Forky, Yes they were limits of walleyes. We cannot catch any hair lip snooters on the pink twin tails. I must say, that they are still going as we caught 2 more limits last night. I won't be back out until Friday, so give it a try and post how you do.

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Pink tails, hair lip snooters, and multiple limits while I've got one walleye to my name. Hmmm. I would not go so far as to cast doubt on a brother angler's statements...it's either that or my self-esteem's going to take a serious hit. I will admit to hunting up some pink twin-tails the other night. Dang.

ice

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ok PJ Sparkles, without giving any hotspots, are you going to let us in on depth, trolling, casting??? I don't have any pink tails and don't plan to buy any, but am more curious than anything. I'm still at zero for the year and maybe can snag an eye tomorrow morning.

Take care

"I'd rather be jiggin"

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I can buy it. I know the fish are pretty well concentrated right now so when you're on them, you're on them. I've been in PJ's shoes plenty of times before and there will be always be doubters...although not recently. frown.gif

Thanks for sharing.

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I can buy it too. I appreciate you sharing what you are finding with us. I have yet to figure them out so my ego is taking a hit as well but congratulations on your early success PJ.

Forky

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For those of you who do not believe, please check the stomachs of any walleyes you catch in the next couple of days. I promise you they are filled with blood worms. Keep fishing your lindy rigs, in the mean time me and guys like tonka boy will have hay day with the pink twin tails. I will say it one more time, you are foolish if you don't have them with you on Minnetonka.

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PJ, I'm not casting any doubt at all..I'm truly wanting to learn a new technique. Shall I be casting into 6 ft in the morning or trolling these tails in 15ft. I'm a believer..especially on Tonka where everything is a bit different than most walleye lakes...

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Mr Sparkles,

Please give us some info on your technique. I am fishing a tournament up there this weekend and need all the help I can get. I was served up a heaping spoonful of skunky pudding opening weekend.

I went out and bought all the pink twintails I could find. Are you using 2" or 4"? How heavy a leadhead?

Much appreciated,

BassPirate

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You guys aren't casting any doubt? Come on, look at the things he said. First they were northerns, now they are walleyes. Tri hull boat w/force outboard? PJ Sparkles? I sense some desperation in wanting to believe. I have caught plenty of Tonka limits. And no pink anything has been involved. I am getting a kick out of people taking the bait though. grin.gif

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I have to admit i was a little confused also, by the switching from northerns to walleye... confused.gif

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Hey- I caught my limit in bass today! smile.gif

(= didn't even fish)

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Thanks Pikeguy-

Good to see some are having success out there! I'll be out there all day Saturday and Sunday, I'll let you know how I do.

Thanks again!

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Hey jerkhim,

You don't have to believe me. If you read carefully, I said we were fishing for hair lipped snooters and when came upon limits of walleye doing so. I am not claiming to be a good fisherman with a big secret. Just letting you know what worked for us.

Basspirate. What tournament are you in? WHat is your email address, I will send you some information. After tonight, I probably won't get back out there for a long time so somebody might as well have em if they are still there. By the way, we had 10 walleyes for 2 guys last night. Not limits, but we did have one that went 26.5 inches...Biggest fish so far this year.

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