fishing reports

[Mortenson]

That's a beast of a day 1. We fished Crooked Lake also, both times I went there. Caught a lot of nice smallmouth in the "day of the week" bays.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Do you follow the same path out again?

We dont have to, but we likely will. Doing some type of loop would be an option. I really dont enjoy moving camps. Some people like to move every day. I like to figure an area out to give me maximum time to fish.

 

[BuckSutherland]

I marinate cat fish in keifer. And removing the red meat really helps.

Can’t wait until this spring on the Crow River in Minnesota !

I'd keep my fish from the north fork instead of the south fork. 3M in Hutchinson and the Biscay landfill has the south fork polluted enough that they started putting out consumption advisories last spring. I still fish in the south fork for walleyes in the fall. Its right behind my house. Usually just catch and release. I wont eat them.

 

[Mortenson]

We dont have to, but we likely will. Doing some type of loop would be an option. I really dont enjoy moving camps. Some people like to move every day. I like to figure an area out to give me maximum time to fish.

Is that the Chainsaw Sisters entry point? Looks about the same as our entry point the first time, and it was our exit point both times.

 

[BuckSutherland]

Is that the Chainsaw Sisters entry point? Looks about the same as our entry point the first time, and it was our exit point both times.

Yes, entry point 23 Mudro lake. All 3 of my previous trips were east of Ely out of EP30. Hard to leave an area where the trips have been spectacular, but the girls wanna see some new areas. We get to cross into Canada to get around Lower Basswood Falls so my daughter will get a kick out of that.

 

[Angus 1895]

I'd keep my fish from the north fork instead of the south fork. 3M in Hutchinson and the Biscay landfill has the south fork polluted enough that they started putting out consumption advisories last spring. I still fish in the south fork for walleyes in the fall. Its right behind my house. Usually just catch and release. I wont eat them.

View attachment 88863

Thanks for the heads up.

Looks like I been fishing the other forks, I haven’t fished in the area marked south fork.

It’s funny, years ago I offered an Asian cook some fish. He refused them because they came from a lake. He said rivers had safer meat.

In Minnesota the rivers are a bad deal. There are a bunch of advisories on a bunch of rivers.

 

[sandbur]

Has anybody spears the north fork? I knew one farm family that used to do so.

 

[Bill]

Kooch’s tread on a charter suggestion reminded me I needed to book one. Everyone says swordfishing is easy once you figure out where to go and how to deploy the baits.

Got a charter where the captain said I can sit with him and he’ll explain why and how on the plotter while my crew gets lessons down below from the mate. Should be interesting.

 

[SwampCat]

Kooch’s tread on a charter suggestion reminded me I needed to book one. Everyone says swordfishing is easy once you figure out where to go and how to deploy the baits.

Got a charter where the captain said I can sit with him and he’ll explain why and how on the plotter while my crew gets lessons down below from the mate. Should be interesting.

When I went after my sword, I had this preconceived notion it was almost non sporting - like a lot of folks believe baiting for deer to be.

It was far from that. Aint gonna lie - it was boring. 20 hours on the rod and one bite at 19 hours and 55 minutes - I couldnt even tell it was a bite. I thought when a fish got on, I would just hit the button on the reel and sit back and drink a beer while the reel did all the work. Far from it. Captain and mate even had words in all the excitement.

 

[Bill]

When I went after my sword, I had this preconceived notion it was almost non sporting - like a lot of folks believe baiting for deer to be.

It was far from that. Aint gonna lie - it was boring. 20 hours on the rod and one bite at 19 hours and 55 minutes - I couldnt even tell it was a bite. I thought when a fish got on, I would just hit the button on the reel and sit back and drink a beer while the reel did all the work. Far from it. Captain and mate even had words in all the excitement.

Did they harpoon it or shoot it? I know I won't be letting a live sword on my boat.

 

[SwampCat]

Did they harpoon it or shoot it? I know I won't be letting a live sword on my boat.

Mate harpooned it. Was deep - probably ten ft down. I thought no way is he gonna hit it. Obviously, he had more experience than I did

Then if got even crazier. Capt was up on the bridge, I was on the rod, mate had the harpoon line. We needed a gaff man - that left my buddy who had never seen the ocean before this trip. Amazingly, buddy put a perfect gaff shot in the fish’s eye. Fortunately, was only about a 90 lber. Pulls fish up on stern gunwale and gaff pulls out. Fish is balancing on gunwale, half out of boat and half in boat. My buddy who is a saltwater virgin sees the potential for the fish to fall back into the water and steps up to grab fish, bare handed, by the bill. Bill is flailing around and whacks buddy, who is wearing jeans, across the shins. Bloodied and bruised both shins. Fortunately, fish falls into boat

They should have harpooned and shot the fish.