Basswood Lake / Storm of '99

[Guest]

Being a former guide of Basswood lake and other surrounding lakes, I have seen the fishery change in many ways ever since the big storm of '99. I was managing a resort on Moose Lake when the big storm hit and it pretty much pounded the whole area.

In the last couple of years I have noticed a drastic change not only on Basswood, but on other smaller bodies of water in that area including Quetico. In places where walleyes could only be caught on reefs or rock piles, I am finding walleyes in areas of much shallower water where large White and Red Pines have fallen into the water and now provide excellent ambush points for walleyes, smallies, and fairly large pike. It took my quite a while to pick up on this because I am such a stubborn reliable area fisherman. Once I tood notice that the walleyes on these lakes had completely changed there feeding strategies, I found myself taking advantage of these shallow water opportunities.

Anyone else have any input on this or want to talk about the big storm of '99?

[Guest]

I like to specialize on the managed trout lakes in Lake and Cook county. Especially those that require hike-in access. The storm has been a blessing for the fishing in these lakes. Even in areas not in the direct hit area of the straight line winds the woods have become a nightmare for hike in, with one in five trees blown down. Therefor there is much less fishing pressure. DNR stocks by plane on the remote lakes so stocking programs have continued. A guy with a GPS and a stout heart can get into some great fishing. A 15 inch brookie or even bigger splake is possible and quite an experience. The fish can't reproduce so no guilt in bringing a couple back for dinner.

[Guest]

JustOneMore...I agree! Not all portages have been cleared and it will take awhile before diehard anglers end up clearing most of the deep interior portages off. Even a couple of years without fishing pressure can make an improvement, yet fishing pressure in most of these areas does not have much impact because most people utilizing these areas do not want to pack fish out. Instead they eat what they can while camping and then move on. The areas that are easily accessible can be hit hard by overfishing.
I am interested in seeing if natural reproduction on some of these lakes will increase due to less pressure, and larger fish being created because of it. Being a fish manager myself, I sometimes disagree with some of the stocking practices in the BWCA, most of these lakes would produce larger and more resistant fish if stocking was not being practiced.

[Guest]

I agree. Problem is that stream trout can't reproduce in a lake. Don't know enough about splake as to whether they can reproduce like a laker. Any lakes in MN with natural stream trout, i.e. lakes with in inlet and outlet aren't stocked fortunately. These lakes are a true rare gem to discover, and there are no secrets more protected than these. You ask someone on the northshore about brook trout and their more likely to tell you they are extinct than tell you where to find them. The dirty little secret is there is some of the greatest trout fishing anywhere right here in MN, as long as you're willing to go where no vehicle or boat can go.

No wait... all the fish in northern MN are gone... Better off staying in SE MN if you wanna catch trout...

[Guest]

Alaskander70,
We were in the "big blow" on the eastern portage of south lake when she hit. Barely made it to shore in time because the smallmouth bite was so phenomenal as the storm was approaching, It was amazing watching nearly every tree in site go down, i don't even want to talk about the portage clearing we did on the way out, what an incredible display of mother natures power. I have noticed the color differences of fish between different lakes as well, like they say in the realm of biology and ecology, exceptions are the rule.

[David Swenson]

Basswood has always had a lot of forage. It is especially noticeable in June. I believe a lot of the fry you were seeing are perch.

The fire on Sag a long time ago also provided angling for walleyes in the timber. I remember reading several articles on the subject in the 80's and did fish the timber on Sag with some success. The blow down just adds another dimension to walleye fishing on Basswood. Timber fishing may be a good option on those calm flat days.

David Swenson
http://muskieguide.homestead.com/

[Guest]

That's a good point you guys bring up about seeing so many minnows. I used to see lots of minnows in basswood before and after the storm, the lake is just a very productive system. Most of the minnows I would see would be Juvenile Lake whitefish and tullibee. These species spawn in the fall and usually use shallow water or open water the next year to rear and feed on small organisms near the surface. I have also seen lots of Yellow perch swimming around that are useing shallow, oxygen rich weedy bays to rear in.

All the timber that is in Basswood now is acting as cover for all species, except mature Lake trout and Whitefish. Once the needles fall off these trees, the protective factor will no longer be sufficient for young of the year fish and only larger species, most likely walleye, smaller pike and smallmouth will use those trees as cover.

Interesting! Makes me want to do some open water fishing. Just got done spooling up my reels and putting new dacron on my jigging sticks.

[Dr. Bob]

I was on the east end of Basswood in the early part of June. It was the first time I had been there in about 12 years and it was also the earliest in the year I have ever been there.

The fish were very shallow and around the fallen trees as you mentioned. One thing I noticed was an amazing amount of baitfish everywhere. I have never seen so much feed before in any lake. Was it like that before the storm or has all the wood in the water created that much more spawning habitat for the minnows?