The Walleye bite is picking up pretty good now with the warmer water temps, especially on the north end. Fishermen are catching Walleyes in the harvest slot along with bigger ones also. From what pictures I’ve seen so far, the Walleyes look healthy which is a good sign. The Bass Opener was today also and there were reports of some pretty good catches too.
People around the lake are still putting in docks and in the last week, and finally people are starting to pick up their boats from winter storage. The gas prices have dropped 10 cents a gallon in the last week. I hope they keep dropping. I think this whole gas price hike just before the tourist season is a set up by the oil companies and refinery owners to take advantage of the consumer at a time when they want to get away for the holidays and summer vacations…Right now we have enough to deal with up here to have that piled on us too.
Keep a Tight Line!! Eddy

Finally things are starting to look like we might see summer. Trees are starting to bud, ice is starting to melt on the shorelines where it piled up two weeks ago, and the grass is green! Since opening weekend on May 11th, it has been pretty quiet up here compared to Openers of the past. Now with Memorial weekend approaching it feels more like the Opener, especially at my marine shop. Now finally, people are picking up their boats and getting ready. Unfortunately, somebody, ( the refinery owners?) decided that they needed to raise the price of gas in the upper Midwest while all of us are planning to travel and enjoy things after a long winter, how ironic…sounds like greed to me…. Anyways, with the imbalance of bait fish to predators the Walleyes are hungry. Guides that I’ve have talked to average about 30 Walleyes a trip and despite the narrow harvest slot they are keeping about a 10 percent ratio. Which is good. A couple 18-20 inch Walleyes make a pretty good meal.
There are some major conflicts on the horizon with Mille Lacs despite all it has went through already. Now there are fishermen out there that are starting a “Save Mille Lacs Smallmouth Alliance”. Why don’t fishermen look at a lake and see what was in it before and take care of it for what it was before any of you showed up, and “decided” to make it better for their own enjoyment? What happens to all the fishermen that didn’t go to Mille Lacs this winter after the ice fishing season to fish for Perch for a day or two in March. (because there wasn’t any here to catch) Finally…. the MN DNR has realized how important Mille Lacs is for what is for the “average” fishermen, and the economy around this lake that has been here for over a century. Times are not changing so fast that we need to forget and abandon the Walleyes and the Perch! Why doesn’t anybody get that when you mess with things you shouldn’t,and change it for your own liking, it will screw things up. Most of us that have been here for years already know that, and the proof is in the pudding… apparently greed will screw it up again….Wake up people!
Keep a tight Line!!
Eddy

Well we are finally into some normality up here at Mille Lacs with open water, people putting docks in, fishermen on the lake and the grass turning green. It has been long awaited for those of us up here. So far fishing has been pretty good even with the cold water temps. I’m hearing some pretty good reports from anglers and they are actually catching Walleyes in the 2 inch harvest slot we have this year. That is good news. It also sounds like the Walleyes are hungry but from what pictures I’ve seen so far they are not looking starved as some of us expected. We will see how it all plays out this season. One thing for sure so far, whether it is because of the reg changes, late ice-out, or high gas prices, (probably a combination of all), it is definitely a lot quieter up here than normal so far.
We had some major ice events last weekend and there is still signs of it on the shoreline despite the warm weather. It is eerie seeing ice on the shore and green grass and trees budding with leaves. Strange times I guess..
Keep a tight Line!!
Eddy