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mille lacs state park camping

shivermeister

By shivermeister
in Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Reports

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shivermeister Explorer

shivermeister

Posted
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I am heading up to mille lacs mid june and planning on camping at one of the state parks. Anyone have any suggestions as to which one (kathio or father hennepin). Considerations would include boat launching, nice tent sites, and proximity to good fishing spots. Never fished the lake before so any help would be excellent. Thanks!!

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GFNER Collaborator

GFNER

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Father Hennipen for sure. Kathio is a beutiful park but it's also a couple of miles from the lake itself. Father Hennipen has everything your looking for

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perchman Collaborator

perchman

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ill second that, father hen.. although its always tight to get in there... if your going up on a wed or thursday, they do have "non reservable" spots you can get.. get there early though..

they have a great beach for kids to swim too.. , hike, bike, fish.. and its by the Isle muni bar... :->

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MLS Apprentice

MLS

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Father Hennepin is great, I stay there twice every year. If you are fiishing Walleyes you will be close to lots of gravel also.

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Backwash Apprentice

Backwash

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How is the boat launch in Hennepin State Park? Will a sixteen with a forty launch ok?

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mille lacs muskie bum Community Regular

mille lacs muskie bum

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I would say father hennepin is the better of the 2. You are up close and personal with excellent walleye structure and the deer are fun to watch grin.gif. I have never landed there but I would guess it should be deep enough to land a 16. If it is not deep enough go across the bay to the isle landing. that is deep enough for sure.

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Wish-I-Were-Fishn Grand Master

Wish-I-Were-Fishn

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kathio or father hennepin? Depends on if you want to fish more, or camp more. Kathio has better (MUCH better) campsites, but is not on the lake. There is a boat launch just east of the park, but it's a drive. Drove through Father Hennepin last year to write down preferred site numbers and left with almost a blank sheet. Some disappointing sites there. The park is on the waters edge, but you can't leave the boat in the lake. I guess that might actually be good because the big lake gets huge breakers with a good wind.

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maros91 Veteran

maros91

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Father Hennepin also has the deer herd that you can almost dang near feed by hand. They also have the two albino deer in there that are worth looking for. ooo.gif

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tom fellegy Collaborator

tom fellegy

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they are not officially albino's, they are just white deer, some have brown hair mixed in and brown eyes. there are 7 of them this year. the buck should be around 10 points this year. park staff found a shed this spring and it is in the office. you can get quite close to them. feeding them is against the law in the park............tom fellegy

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maros91 Veteran

maros91

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Holy smokes! I did not know there was 7 of them in there. We parked in there in March and all we seen was 2. Thanks for the update Tom.

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MLS Apprentice

MLS

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There are two launches, both are nice. You will not have a problem with your 16/40...except for maybe having to wait for some tool to take his cover off, hook up his electronics, mount his troll, unstrap, and change a trailer light all while being next in line to launch.

good luck!

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jegerjack Community Regular

jegerjack

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I took this 4 years ago... If you go early in the spring you really get a nice show with all of them running around... My family has been hitting Father Hennepin for years and have had a great time every year... It is a great camp ground for children... I remember playing on the swings running & biking on the trails for hours... Too bad the eye's are not like they used to be on the lake fish fry for the whole family is getting harder to provide...

albinodeerix8.jpg

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RonZ Experienced

RonZ

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We are going there June 11 and 12. All the lake front camping sites are open. We are going to tent it. Me and a couple kids. Well, not kids anymore, but recent highschool graduates. Are the lakeside spots a good spot or are we better off with another spot. Site #s would be helpful. We are going on a Monday so most of the sites are open still.

Ron

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tom fellegy Collaborator

tom fellegy

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jegerjack,

why do you say that the walleye's are not like they used to be??? and it is getting harder to provide for a fish fry??? mille lacs' is putting out fish period. on the keeper side of the slot, the 16 to 18 inch fish are very plentifully right now. the throw back slot is also well represented. it is not uncommon to catch 6 to 8 fish a day that are between 25 and 27 inches. folks are catching 20 to 30 fish a day, and if you are pressed for time, it is not uncommon to catch your 4 fish keeper slot limit in a hour or less. fishing here on mille lacs is second to none right now, anywhere!!! not even erie can compete with mille lacs right now. if you are having trouble catching fish on a consistent basis, hire a guide. there are alot of guides here on mille lacs, the good ones will take you out and teach you how to fish walleye. the $300 or so dollars you spend will be well worth it when you come back up here and practice what you learned while out with the guide. good luck on your next trip up here.............tom fellegy

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jegerjack Community Regular

jegerjack

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I am saying that because it is what I have experienced... We used to be able take the kids out for a couple hours and we would have no problem catching enough fish for a fry, all we had to do was put on some slip bobbers and anchor for an hour and we would have our limit, no matter where we went.. Yes if you want to catch fish you can but the numbers are down from 20 years ago, this is not some breaking news story or an opinion... Its not a question of how and where to find fish, I can do that I just cannot bring my 2 year old out for a hour and guarantee fish like we used to be able to… Now, I do agree with you that the past couple years the fishing has picked up quite a bit… Last June we had some of the best fishing we have had in 5 years…

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      2024Mn fishing opener......

      By smurfy · Posted

      is 3 weeks away............who's going and where???? i skip the first week and i'll head up to the cabin the 2nd week.  ussually fish smaller lakes. 
    • jparrucci
      water levels

      By jparrucci · Posted

      Very low, probably 2 feet lower than last year at ice out.
    • mbeyer
      water levels

      By mbeyer · Posted

      what do they look like this spring?
    • SkunkedAgain
      Ice-Out 2024

      By SkunkedAgain · Posted

      I might have missed a guess, but here are the ones that I noted:   JerkinLips – March 27th, then April 7th Brianf. – March 28th Bobberwatcher – April…. MikeG3Boat – April 10th SkunkedAgain – early April, then April 21st   Definitely a tough year for guesses, as it seemed to be a no-brainer early ice out. Then it got cold and snowed again.
    • mbeyer
      Ice-Out 2024

      By mbeyer · Posted

      MN DNR posted April 13 as Ice out date for Vermilion
    • Brianf.
      Ice-Out 2024

      By Brianf. · Posted

      ^^^45 in the morning and 47 in the evening
    • CigarGuy
      Ice-Out 2024

      By CigarGuy · Posted

      👍. What was the water temp in Black Bay? Thanks....
    • Brianf.
      Ice-Out 2024

      By Brianf. · Posted

      No, that wasn't me.  I drive a 621 Ranger. 
    • CigarGuy
      Ice-Out 2024

      By CigarGuy · Posted

      So, that was you in the camo lund? I'm bummed, I have to head back to the cities tomorrow for a few days, then back up for at least a few weeks. Got the dock in and fired up to get out chasing some crappies till opener!
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      Sturgeon Fishing is Hot

      By LakeofthewoodsMN · Posted

      On the south end...   Lots of ice on the main basin, but it is definitely deteriorating.  Some anglers have been fishing the open water at the mouth of the Rainy River in front of the Lighthouse Gap.  The rest of the basin is still iced over. Pike enthusiasts caught some big pike earlier last week tip up fishing in pre-spawn areas adjacent to traditional spawning areas.  8 - 14' of water using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring has been the ticket.  Ice fishing for all practical purposes is done for the year. The focus for the basin moving forward will be pike transitioning into back bays to spawn,  This is open water fishing and an opportunity available as the pike season is open year round on Lake of the Woods. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. With both the ice fishing and spring fishing on the Rainy River being so good, many are looking forward to the MN Fishing Opener on Saturday, May 11th.  It should be epic. On the Rainy River...  An absolutely incredible week of walleye and sturgeon fishing on the Rain Rainy River.     Walleye anglers, as a rule, caught good numbers of fish and lots of big fish.  This spring was one for the books.   To follow that up, the sturgeon season is currently underway and although every day can be different, many boats have caught 30 - 40 sturgeon in a day!  We have heard of fish measuring into the low 70 inch range.  Lots in the 60 - 70 inch range as well.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  Open water is continuing to expand in areas with current.  The sight of open water simply is wetting the pallet of those eager for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th.   A few locals were on the ice this week, targeting pike.  Some big slimers were iced along with some muskies as well.  If you like fishing for predators, LOW is healthy!  
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