Tonka

[WALLEYENUTZ]

Alright boys, need the Tonka report. Good, bad or ugly. Jig'n fats or rig'n leeches?

Mark Stanely,

Got any tips for a walleye fisherman, new to this body of water.

[jerkin'm]

Was out several times over the weekend...Fairly tough bite for me. Ended up with several eyes each time out with the biggest being a fat 24" fish. My bait of choice was smaller fats/jig..Fish seemed fairly scattered from the weedlines out to the 30 foot range. Tried a little crank trolling after dark and got blanked..

[SWMuskeye]

NUTZ,

15-20 FOW during the day-rigging transitional areas.

At night, shallow and channel areas.

Its not that ugly out there.

[markkstanley]

SWMuskeye has it right. For a change of pace try a 4" or 6" swimbait like a Lunker Saty Shaker or Berkley power on your rigging line instead of a minnow or leech. Little more whomp to attract fish and remember the baitfish are big - nothing little has hatched yet so 4" to 6" is the way to go. Tonka eyes don't school up to much so you need to track down the scattered pods. That means trolling. If you get lucky and find a good school then jig. I haven't been out yet - honey dos and what not - but will be chasing pike and eyes this weekend using this game plan.

[jerkin'm]

I tend to disagree with Mr. Stanley on a couple things...One, the baitfish are hatching...I seined some beauty small shiners off big island last weekend. Couldn't buy a fish on a big minnow all weekend. Two,Tonka eyes do school up and can be pretty vulnerable if you find them. Trolling may be necessary to cover water if you aren't familiar with the lake. This is what I have found to be true in my weekend of fishing and 20 years of eye chasing out there anyway..

[Doonbuggy]

Thanks for the info guys. A couple of quick questions:

What is the rec boat traffic like on weekday evenings? Thinking of hitting some main lake spots on the east side tomorrow, but am wondering if it'll be busy out there.

I usually jig, but if I'm trolling a live bait rig what's the preferred weight assuming a depth of 18-30'.

Crappies shallow or deep? Frankly I just want to get bit til bass opener. Thanks.

DB

[schr0563]

A jig and minnow (fuzz-e-grub and fathead) fished along the weedlines will get bit. I've never not caught fish on Tonka with this approach. Crappies, northerns, walleyes, and bass (not intentionally of course) will keep you busy. Low light periods are best and you will never know what you'll catch next. If you do pick up a walleye, keep working that area because there's sure to be more around. There's plenty of points, reefs, channels, and bars to work. If you put in your time you'll start to learn the spot-on-the-spot locations and then it really starts to get fun.

[EyesOnThePrize]

This time of year you shouldn't have to worry about recreational traffic on a weeknight - my neighbors and I do this fairly often - i.e "Hey honey - mind if I go out for a few hours?"

Never had a wait at the launches. Plus the Cooks bay launch is open to parking on weeknights, of course you said east side so that isn't an issue.

I haven't done a lot of rigging since last summer but I would say it depends on the wind and your drift/speed. 3/8 oz maybe?

[markkstanley]

3/8 is right go up to 1/2 for 30ft again dependent on speed. I forgot the caveat to my approach. I target big walleyes. Looking for a 10lb class fish not a limit. You can get into a bunch of 12 to 18 inch walleyes on Tonka with a bit of searching. Can't go wrong with Schro's approach there and the east side is better for that than the west - has better walleye structure.

[schr0563]

Good to mention Mark - almost all of my experience has been on the east end of the lake. And the jig and minnow is more of a quantity over quality approach. It should provide the action you were looking for. Targeting big fish will require a few changes in your technique.

[WALLEYENUTZ]

Thanks guys!! I will be fishing it next week!!

[schr0563]

Went out with a buddy this morning for my first Tonka outing this year. 10:00am-12:00. We knew this wasn't prime time, but the wind was blowing strong and that always helps. We stuck to 1/4 oz jigs with fatheads. Instead of pounding proven spots we played more of a search game. Drifted and trolled as best we could from 13-18 feet. 13 feet was better than 18. Ended up with a couple walleyes, a couple northerns, and several unintentional bass. Nothing over 3 pounds, but steady action for 2 hours fishing.

[Aces In The Hole]

I was wondering if anyone knows where there is parking for cars without a trailer by Greys Bay. Can I park my car at the launch or would I need to park else where? Any suggestions would help. THANKS!

Happy Fishing ya'll!

[sicheneder]

theres only a couple spots right next to restrooms not very well planned out

[Doonbuggy]

I have had only sporadic success on Tonka for walleyes, but had a good outing Saturday morning. My buddy and I picked up nine eater walleyes, the biggest being a chunky 17".

We caught all of them in an area the size of a basketball court. The wind was pounding this area pretty good and we had good cloud cover. When the sun popped out for a few minutes we didn't catch any, but then picked up two more when the sun was covered up.

Jig and a minnow on the weedline, 13-20'. Catching eaters was perfect as I brought a few of them to a party that night. Maybe I'll pick up a few swimbaits and start searching for the bigger fish.

Talked w/ a guy at the landing and he did pretty well, too. Jig n minnow on a point that was exposed to wave action. He also caught a few trolling cranks.

DB

[Aces In The Hole]

Had decent success on Sunday before we got rained on. caught a couple of walleyes, a pike, and some bass. We mostly jigged with a fuzzy grub and minnow. Had some action on a lindy rigg too. Fished between 12 to 18 fow. nice little warm up before our week long fishing trip! Happy fishing all!

[fisherman-andy]

I don't fish Tonka too often and am reluctant to say so but about less than week or so ago we went out to Grey's Bay and slaughtered the Walleyes. I've always only targeted Crappies and never anything else at Tonka.

We boated multiple 25+ with largest being 31. Lotsa of 14-16 inchers. We used mainly jigs and leeches fishing deeper water.

Whether you believe me or not it is true. Unbelievable I thought myself. We boated over 30 eyes between the 4 of us that day and kept 12 total fish. Certainly changed my mind about what I thought of Tonka. I always knew it was great lake to fish, but I didn't think we would've done so well. I am not sure if we can duplicate that trips success again. Made me felt like we were on Mille Lacs.

[cupper]

"Whether you believe me or not it is true"

Anybody else starting to wonder why so many of fisherman Andy's posts contain this line? I guess part of being a good fisherman is being able to tell good stories.

[stop'emfromfloppin]

Im with your thinking Cupper. Fisherman Andy has never been on a lake when he hasnt caught 50 times more fish than anyone else on the lake. I think that if he went fishing in my pool he would pull out a nice limit of walleyes.

[fisherman-andy]

Quote:

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"Whether you believe me or not it is true"

Anybody else starting to wonder why so many of fisherman Andy's posts contain this line? I guess part of being a good fisherman is being able to tell good stories.

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Find me these many post I so made that you claim with this line and I will award you with a shining star!

Keep in mind that there was 4 of us fishing. About 34 fish total I think as I remember. So that puts up at about 8.5 Walleye caught per person given or take. It may sound like alot but in reality its not. It was good outing and like I said I don't know if I can duplicate such a trip with that sorta success on Tonka given that fact that I don't fish it alot. But I guess my mistake for sharing as next time I will keep my stories to myself since it's only a "whether you believe it or not" story.

You guys in here crack me up. All so good at blowing things all out of proportions without realizing it's nothing more than a good day of fishing story. Remind you I occasionally will put in an average as much as 40+hours of fishing per week.

[weeds]

Quote:

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Find me these many post I so made that you claim with this line and I will award you with a shining star!

-yoda

I haven't been a member for very long and this is the second

report of this sort I've seen from FishAndy. Oh well...keep slayin'em I guess.

[fisherman-andy]

Quote:

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Quote:

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Find me these many post I so made that you claim with this line and I will award you with a shining star!

-yoda

I haven't been a member for very long and this is the second

report of this sort I've seen from FishAndy. Oh well...keep slayin'em I guess.

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You guys really need to re-read my posts and threads properly. Seems it's being mis-interpreted as me being a fishing God. Although I welcome the flattery I am no such being. And if ya'll had payed attention properly you'd know what Im talking about. But if you still feel the need to troll on then so be it. More power to you.

[schr0563]

I had several double digit fish days last fall. If you hit the right spot at the right time then anything can happen, especially on Tonka. It's no secret that it's loaded with walleyes. Most fish are small but a mixture of mid twenties up to 30 inch fish aren't uncommon either.

[cupper]

Andy, It's all good bud. I obviously can't prove right or wrong, and to be honest, it doesn't matter. I just couldn't resist a little sarcasm. For all I know you're Al Linder. I wish I could get out 40 hrs a week. More power to you. Continued good luck to you. I look forward to reading your posts in the future.

[markkstanley]

I've had a few nights in the fall with well over a 2 man limit of 8 to 10lb eyes on Tonka. The possibility is there for a Mille Lacs experience if the stars line up for you. The trouble is duplicating it. The typical outing is scratching out a few good fish. Why? Walleyes are weed oriented on Tonka. The lake just doesn't have the "typical" walleye structure and milfoil is tough to fish. The other problem is the massive amount of baitfish. You can easily catch a hundred 4inch perch in a lot of places on Tonka. Perfect walleye food. The walleyes are there and if you fish them enough you will hit the jackpot. Now has anyone heard from PJ Sparkles lately?? Was wondering if the pink twister tail was still working.....

[Reef Runner]

So what is everyone using these days?

Just some fatheads under a bobber?

Is it too early for leaches?

Last week I tried Waconia with some fat heads and could only catch Sheephead.

I plan on heading out to Tonka tonight. I will let you know how it is going.

[jerkin'm]

That's funny Mark, I was thinking the same thing about "pinkie" PJ Sparkles...The miracle walleye outing is possible anywhere obviously...We have been averaging around 9 eyes per outing the last few times out for two guys...A limit of 8-10's? Speaking of Mr. Sparkles.. I have still been jigging w/fatheads for my fish...

[fisherman-andy]

Quote:

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So what is everyone using these days?

Just some fatheads under a bobber?

Is it too early for leaches?

Last week I tried Waconia with some fat heads and could only catch Sheephead.

I plan on heading out to Tonka tonight. I will let you know how it is going.

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Cupper a little sarcasm is good for everyone. I know you guys were just pulling my leg.

Anyhow we did well using Jumbo leeches & Walleye jigs on my outing. Waconia has Sheepheads? I wasn't aware of that.

[markkstanley]

"A limit of 8-10's? Speaking of Mr. Sparkles.. "

I did that once out of probably 100 fall trolling nights. And I doubt I'll ever pull it off again on Tonka. Just one 27" to 29" wally after another all from about a 100 yds of water and all on a glass perch husky jerk. We were just freaked out. I've done that a few times on Mille Lacs but only once on Tonka. But I'll keep trying.

And I would switch from minnows to jumbo leeches. Water temps are high enough. If slip bobbering try some big shiners.

[jerkin'm]

When it's time to switch to leeches it's time for me to chase panfish and green carp...