[Decoyer]

Well this goes out to the few bass guys from MN out there:
The opener was slow, but steady for me. The fish were consistantly in muddy bottomed flats ajacent to points that are used for spawning. The only thing I could get them on pitching a jig n pig right into the heaviest cover I could find. A buddy of mine got them on soft jerkbaits and letting them sit in open pockets for long amounts of time. Either way, the pattern seemed to be moving the lure as slow as possible. I only got to go out Saturday, so I can't say whether or not the fishing picked up.

 

[prairie hunter]

Top water - fantastic in the shallows. Cranks worked well over several drop-offs. Live bait - son's minnow and bobber nailed them more often than my artificials.

We boated many, many bass. Most were 16 inches to 22 inches long. Released them all.

Northerns up to 4 pounds added to the fun.

 

[Decoyer]

What lake were you on that the bass were already on offshore structure. In west central MN almost all the bass had just finished the spawn and were still where in very shallow water.

 

[browningboy]

my friend riley lealos cought a 6.89 pound bass

 

[prairie hunter]

Yes most bass were very shallow - say under three feet.

We caught about a dozen bass over a couple days in about 10 - 15 feet of water.

We were actually simply casting cranks off the dock. Dock is in 4 feet of water. Drops off sharply to about 10 feet, plateaus, and then to 25 feet on a second drop-off.

All of these bass were 18 inches or better. Why they were there .. not so sure.

East central MN lake. Lake size relatively small.

 

[mallard]

Decoyer,I fished smallies in a Becker county lake and had a blast!Lots of fish in the 2 1/2-3 1/2 lb range with a few 4lb+ fish to boot.Rock piles with gravel were the key in abot 3-5 feet of water.Man do I love fishing smallmouth,just when you think they have tired out they jump,run,and seem to never give up.All of the fish were released of course as I have a long standing agreement with a friend from that area ,that showed me the spots, never to keep any smallmouth.

 

[Bagman]

Whats with all the SECRECY involving where you are catching Bass in Minn. MOST people are looking for Walleye and most who catch Bass are catching and releasing. Last time I checked there were about 400 lakes in the DL area alone. Like giving out some lake name on THIS site is gonna cause 100 people to race to a lake and KEEP every fish they catch? A dozen bass over a couple days? Wow...I went out 2 nights ago and caught 8 or 10 in an HOUR...along with many bonus pike. That was at Leaf Lake near Cormorant.
Feel free to go there any time. I thought the point of this forum was to SHARE INFO...not come on here and give out VAGUE LOCATIONS to tempt and tease people. That said...what LAKE are you getting those Smallies on Mr. Mallard? :beer:

 

[dosch]

whats in your bag?

 

[mallard]

I am sorry for not posting which lake it is.A friend that lives on the lake showed me where to catch the smallies and out of respect for him I wont post it on a website or spread the word around.Same goes for if Chris ,Doug or Tyler let me in on a good hunting area.Maybe I shouldnt have posted about the bass fishing.Sorry mallard

 

[djleye]

You will find there are lots of tight lipped people on these pages, especially as far as fishing goes.

 

[CityHunter]

Bagman,I'm sure if you sent one of the guys you're interested in a private message they would respond with what you need.The best info doesn't always come from a public report,but rather an extra minute of your time to find out more.

Just thought Id help,considering how much help Ive gotten from this board.

 

[bigblackfoot]

Just wondering if anybody fishes stump lake by lake park. Usually fish it quit a bit but have only made it there once this year and that was on opener. I only caught one but it 4' 12' .

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

I'm not quite sure if I've heard of it? Which side of HW 10?

 

[mallard]

Stump lake is south of 10 a few miles between Lake Park &Hawley.I havnt fished it in years.Friends of mine told me the lake is flooded big time and you need a small boat or canoe to get on to the lake.