Monthly Archives: June 2013

June 12th, 2013

It’s been awhile since I last posted. It’s been busy at the shop and now with the warmer weather and the grass growing so fast I can’t keep up at home in the evening I’ve neglected the blog…Sorry…What I have been hearing from guides, launch captains an customers is that the bite has really improved over the last ten days as the water is warming. Reports of Walleyes released under the 18-20 harvest slot, (12″-17″) are showing up in the catch which is good. Before this last week or so almost no one caught any in that range. Looking at it in a fishermen’s perspective at least we know they are still there where up until that I was wondering if anything of that size Walleyes were even still out there. Biggest things talked about at the marine shop was talked about the last two weeks were extreme water clarity and the abundance of smallmouth and largemouth bass on the shallow rocks. Good for the bass fishermen but scary for us Walleye guys.
It is my hope that the MN DNR’s ideas to regulate this lake for Walleyes like Mille Lacs always should have been works over time. One thing that almost everyone hasn’t considered, including the MN DNR is how many people came to Mille Lacs in the winter for Perch fishing and now there isn’t any to catch and hasn’t been the last couple years or so. They are being consumed by all the “big” fish in the lake as a forage fish. With Zebra Mussels in the mix now and all the changes I’ve seen just in the last 5 years I’m wondering what will happen. I think the MN DNR has been too busy trying to appease “everyone’s needs” instead of focusing on what Mille Lacs was always about…when groups that fish for only 4 months a summer for “their” species of fish influence the MN DNR, it’s time for a change!!! Get it??
Keep a tight line!!
Eddy

June 1st, 2013

Since the last post on the 25th of May, the water is starting to warm up on the south end and the Walleye bite is definitely improving. This past week our renters at our lake home have been having some pretty good luck with the Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass in the bays, and even a few Walleyes in there too. I’m thinking it was the warmer water. Out on the rock reefs in front of us the water clarity is so clear you can see 15 to 20 feet down depending on the wind and the waves. Last week I drove a customer’s 32 foot boat over to Izaty’s harbor from Twin bay and driving the boat from the bridge 10 feet off the water I was amazed how much of the bottom I could see. I have lived here all my life and honestly can say I have never seen the water so clear. The Zebra Mussels are really changing the scenery out there and it makes me wonder what is in store for us here at Mille Lacs. Lots of changes I’m thinking…. My hope is that even though fishing patterns change and baitfish survival will be tougher along with all the species, it will be offset by all the mud that is on the bottom of Mille Lacs where Zebra Mussels can’t survive. In a lot of ways Mille Lacs is is a smaller version of Lake Erie topographically, which has still maintained despite mussels, and is a great fishery for Walleyes and Perch. Let all of us hope so…but I think it will take some time to recover. I’m glad the MN DNR has taken steps to help it recover and them finally managing this lake as a Walleye lake and making all the regulation changes to help that. It has sure made it tough on all of us trying to make a living up here, but we will keep at it!
Keep a Tight Line!
Eddy