Arvid's Fishing Report

The weather; one nice day and then several days of wind, rain, cold and even snow. Over two inches of rain during the past week has raised the water level in the river a foot or more. The current is strong and it takes about a one ounce jig to stay near the bottom . There is debris coming down the river and the water is cloudy, but not too bad, considering.

Finally, on Thursday, the weather turned a little partly cloudy and the temperature got to nearly 50 degrees. I had not fished since last weekend when Ralph and I fished opening day by the airport and caught a limit of nice fish. I picked Ralph up a little after 6:00 and we went down by the airport. Unlike what we experienced on opening day, we had what most fishermen were having and that was getting fish under the slot. We fished until the sun set and caught about 15 walleyes; 12 which were slot fish and 4 were between 25″ and 28″. We were tucked up near the shoreline in about 11 feet of water to get out of as much current as possible. A jig with a frozen shiner worked well and color didn’t seem to make much difference.

The river water temperature is in the low 40’s and some walleyes have spawned, but not in the lake; it’s still covered with ice. After the long, cold winter, it’s good to be on the water. Now we just need to have it warm up.

Ralph with a dandy 28″ walleye

The past few years, at this time of the year, there has been a flock of pelicans along with a few cormorants that stop and fish in front of the house for a day or so. I’m sure they have no license and the season is closed. They most likely have over the limit. It’s something the way they work together. The cormorants dive down and the fish come up towards the surface to the waiting mouth of a pelican.

The two week harvest season for sturgeon is on. Fishing can be either very good or poor depending on  water conditions after ice out. The ice went out of Four Mile Bay on Easter and the following Tuesday, fishing was terrific. Then, one of the Rainy’s tributaries broke loose and the river got dirty and the fishing slowed. It takes a few days to clean up before fishing improves. The DNR is in a tagging program for sturgeon and last weekend, with about 200 boats between Sportsman’s Lodge and the Lighthouse Gap, it provided ample opportunity to tag fish before releasing them. I understand that about 75% of the boats are not interested in harvesting a sturgeon; they just want to get an 80 inch one.

It’s not long until the walleye opener and with the late spring, the river could be good.

Busy Fishing

We are two days in to spring, but you’d never know it by looking outside this morning. Looks like we’ll have to put up with winter a little longer.

There has been some crappie fishing in the Nester Falls area this winter. Some of the local guys have found it like the walleye fishing around here; some days good and some days not so good. Don and I determined that we could make it up there and back before the weather turned. It was a beautiful day; sunny and it got to up forty degrees. There is lots of ice; nearly four feet and if you don’t have an extension for the ice auger, you’ll need a spud to get through the last little bit. Fishing wasn’t fast, but it was ok. We ended up with 18 crappies; two short of a limit and eight perch. It was a great day to be on the ice.

From this; Don with a crappie on a beautiful afternoon

To this; less than a day later

If it has been above zero anytime over the past three days, it hasn’t been by much and not for very long. It’s a winter that won’t end. The Bosch winter test season is about over with only a handful of guys here. I talked to Tom yesterday and he told me that they still had one of the shanties left on the river. He said that nobody was going to use it and the holes were open and the heat was on. They had caught a couple of fish the night before and since Diane had a ladies dinner at the church I thought a couple hours of staring at a couple of ice holes would be in order. It turned out to be ok. I caught three nice walleyes; 14″, 16″ and 26″. I’m not sure what the largest walleye for the Bosch winter test season is; maybe that’s the one Tom should have caught.

26″ walleye – taking a picture when alone is difficult

Access to the river by the airport

A new fishing license is required today, March 1st. That’s a change from last year when they were good through April 15th.

I guess I’m getting old or soft; probably both, but I’m not for fishing in this bitterly cold weather. I’m not talking to anybody that’s been out, either. A change of weather should be right around the corner and hopefully, the bite will pick up.

The locals are getting restless. The winter has been long with to much wind, snow and cold. Most of the comments are that we can handle the cold, but it’s the wind. We are ready for some snow to melt. I have fished very little since the middle of January. We have been gone for a couple of short trips and fishing has been spotty. Recent weather systems have made travel on the river and lake nearly impossible. The access by the airport is plugged. There are reports of pockets of slush on both the river and lake. Fishing usually picks up in March as the weather warms. We’re ready.

After working the monthly pancake breakfast at the senior center on Sunday, I was ready for some fresh air. It was a beautiful day and the temperature was in the upper 30’s; a good day to start the snowmobile for the first time this winter. There were two Bosch boys, Jeff & Mike, and Mick, a Reliable driver fishing for pike at the mouth of the Bay. I went home and got my pail and with darkness not far off, attention shifted to moving into deeper water to fish the last hour for walleyes. With no pike caught while fishing for pike we caught three small ones fishing for walleyes. Those three each caught a nice walleye and Jeff’s was a slot fish. Fishing was probably as good as if we would have been down by the airport.

Jeff with a 22″ walleye

Mick with a nice walleye

Mike with a 19″ walleye

If a person lives or works up here, you can pick or choose the days to go fishing. It’s not surprising that when I ask some of the local guys if they’ve been fishing, most answer; “not since the cold weather set in”. Being the fair weather fisherman that I’ve become the last few years, I haven’t fished in almost three weeks. With the break in the weather to above zero on Thursday, I went down and opened up the holes in the shanty and fished for a couple of hours. A 12″ sauger and a 18″ walleye was what I caught and I guess for this time of the year, that’s what I should expect. Neighbor, Jeff, has some company and six of them fished in the area and had nothing to show for their efforts. They are going to the lake on Friday. I got up and was down at the shanty by 7:00 this (Friday) morning. I fished two hours and had three bites; caught three fish; kept two nice walleyes; 17″ & 19″ and took a picture and released a 29″ walleye. It was a good morning.

She was a dandy – 29″

The second half of the Bosch winter test season has begun and there is plenty of snow and cold.  There is also enough ice on the river for the shanties and last Saturday Jeff and Mike got two of them set up. Jeff had a friend, Lisa, here for the weekend and although she’s done some fishing, she had never caught a walleye.  They caught four fish that evening and Lisa caught her first walleye; a nice 17″ fish. Jeff caught two;  18″ and a 24″ that may be the biggest for winter test so far. Mike got a 14″ eater.  Still a few fish in the river.

Lisa’s first walleye – that gets a smile

Jeff with a nice 24″ slot fish

Oh! this weather.  We were gone over the Christmas holiday and came home New Years Eve to more of the same; cold. We flew into Brrrrmidji and  it was 22 below zero. Coming across the bog between Waskish and Baudette it was 31 below for a time. Thursday morning Baudette recorded 40 below. I was told today that International Falls recorded the third coldest December on record. I was planning on fishing today; it was above zero for a change, but it was snowing and blowing and the forecast for the next several days is bitterly cold and not good. I wasn’t going to open the holes in the shanty for one afternoon  of fishing. The Minnesota governor has closed all K-12 schools next Monday because of the weather.

I talked to my neighbor Jeff  today and he’s had some company. They have fished the lake the past couple of days and have caught fish. He said there’s about 18″ of ice with about a foot of snow cover where they were. There were a lot of small fish to sort through, but you could get a limit of nice fish; mostly saugers, with a nice walleye or two mixed in. 

Wally was home for the Holidays and fished the shanty Christmas morning. He can still catch fish.

Yard Dog. It’s a new term I picked up from my son-in-law when we were gone. With the weather the way it is, I have decided that I’m going to lay around like an old yard dog and watch football.

Wally’s Christmas morning catch