Arvid's Fishing Report

After fishing last weekend with nothing to get excited about, I gave it a couple of days off. Then my neighbor, Jeff, and I fished the airport and Hattie’s Wednesday and Thursday mid-afternoon’s for 2-3 hours. Each day there was a bite for the first hour or so and then they just shut off. Wednesday, we caught four slot fish from 21″ to 28-1/2″ and had a camera with a dead battery. We also had four nice fish to bring home. Thursday, we caught four slot fish from 23″ to 27″ and three eaters, plus a 49″ sturgeon that was tagged. A call this morning to our DNR fisheries office got a little history of the fish. It was tagged May 6, 2005 in Four Mile Bay and was 37-1/2″ long. This was the first time that it was reportedly caught since being tagged.

I’ve heard stories the past couple of days that there is a good bite out at the lake and up river in the Birchdale area. Also, the bite seems to be better late afternoon, just before dark. This is a great time of the year to do some CPR on a big walleye or sturgeon; catch, photo, and release.

Jeff with 26″ walleye

49″ tagged Sturgeon, yellow tag is behind the fin in front of the tail

A 27″ walleye

In the last thirty minutes, it has changed from brown to white. We haven’t had large snow flakes like this all winter.

The river water level is up and it’s a little dirty. Fishing has slowed a bit. Ever since I was going to put the little boat in last Saturday the weather hasn’t been all that great. It’s suppose to be a nice weekend; maybe fishing will pick up.

What can I say; it’s March

Fishing has been good and in many cases, very good. Most everybody that has been fishing has been catching numbers of slot fish, many in the 25″ to 29″ range. Everything from now until April 15th over 19″ must be released.  There have been some big sturgeon caught, also. I took the river boat out of the garage and was going to fish a little on Saturday when it started to rain, got windy and turned cool. Being the fair weather fisherman that I’ve gotten to be, I’ll wait for a couple of days and then try it.

Bruce’s son, Chad, was up for a couple of days and fished the river near the Wheeler’s Point area. He caught a 29-1/2″ walleye and some other slot fish. He was just one of many fisherman enjoying good fishing.

Chad with a 29-1/2″ walleye

Ice fishing is done. The river has opened up and the Sheriff’s office advises that there be no travel on Lake of the Woods because of poor ice conditions. The nice weather has brought the boat fishermen up here in earnest. I’ve heard that the Big Fork River, one of the tributaries to the Rainy, opened up and that has clouded the water  a little. I was just at the airport ramp and two boats came in and they had good luck with a number of slot fish they caught and released. As I drove up I saw that Bert was out in the middle of the river and was fighting a sturgeon. I hollered out and asked how big and he said it must be 60″. There could be some good fishing for the next few weeks.

Bert fighting a big sturgeon

Diane and I just returned from a week in Phoenix with Jodi, Steve & Scott. We had great weather and played golf three or four times with grandson Scott. I mentioned during one round that the one thing better than playing golf with a grandson is fishing with your grandson. I’m sure that Scott must have thought that the one thing better than fishing with grandpa is playing golf with grandpa. For a ten-year old, he plays really well and whipped grandpa good.

When we returned home, the snow was gone and the ice was deteriorating. There are birds that have come back and trees are budding. Just a little over a week ago we were driving pickups on the river and this past Sunday afternoon, my neighbor put his 4-wheeler through the ice in 22 feet of water near Clementson. He and another guy were in for a swim and fortunately got out. Now it’s to figure out how to get the 4-wheeler out.

I’ve added a few pictures that I didn’t have from some of the last ice fishing. At the end of winter test, there were two Bosch boys here from Germany and they got to experience some ice fishing and a meal of fresh walleye. Tom set them up in one of the shanties and while he was showing them the how to do it, he caught and released a nice 23″ walleye.  Michael ended up catching a nice walleye, then as the story goes, there was this sturgeon that tangled three lines and it went back down the hole before they could take a picture. Anyway, you can tell from the smiles that they were having a good time.

The bottom two pictures are of Tom’s brother, Dan, taken when they were up for a few days fishing after the end of winter test.

Michael & Fred enjoying and evening in the shanty

Michael with his walleye

Tom showed them what they were after – a nice 23″ walleye

Playing golf with Grandpa & Grandma

Dan with a nice walleye

Dan with a sturgeon

Tuesday and Wednesday were the last two days for the group to fish before heading home. Tuesday, they went to Zippel Bay to fish pike. They had two flags and caught and released a 34″ pike. It was nice weather and they cooked a pot of chili out on the ice and had a good time. I joined them when they came back to fish the river for the evening bite. The excitement for that session was when Jim caught a 54″ sturgeon. He caught that fish not long after he had caught a 42″ sturgeon. There was not much else for fish that evening. Wednesday we all went to the lake; out of Adrian’s to the area where we had fished before. It was very windy; a bit chilly and a good thing that we had the portables along. The fish were not to aggressive and you had to work at getting them to bite. Those of us that had Vexilars had an advantage. There were nine of us and we caught about thirty, mostly saugers. We came back to town and three went down to fish the river; while the others began cleaning and packing up, getting ready for the trip home. They all had a good time while they were here.

Jim with a 54″ sturgeon caught on his first trip to Baudette

Earl with a 34″ pike

Now that winter test is over, we won’t see much activity around the Bosch facility until next November. Tom and Earl are the last to leave, but they have each taken a few days of vacation to do a little fishing. One of the Reliable drivers, Mick, and a friend of his, Jim, along with Tom’s brother, Danny and a friend of his, Brad, have joined them for a few days of fishing. They have been fishing the Lake each day, mostly out of Adrian’s, about 12 miles out in about 34′ of water. They also have fished the river a couple of evenings. They had a good day on the Lake Friday. They were close to a limit; mostly saugers and they caught and released three walleyes in the slot. I went with them Saturday; it was cold and we didn’t take the portables. We put in less than a half day and had about a dozen fish. Sunday, we took the portable, but wouldn’t have needed to; it was nice out. Fishing was a little better than Saturday and we ended up with about twenty; mostly saugers. Monday, I couldn’t go, and they went out of Morris Point and didn’t do well. They came back and fished the river in the evening. They caught a couple of sturgeon, two walleyes and a sauger to keep, and three slot fish to release, including one that was 28″. The are having fish frys each day and having a good time.

Mick & Jim with some nice saugers

Brad with a jumbo perch

Tom with a 26″ walleye

Last Friday a potential new state record Burbot was caught in Lake of the Woods near Long Point. Aaron from Bemidji caught a 19.54 lb Burbot in 34 feet of water. The previous record was 19 lb. 3 oz., also caught in Lake of the Wood eleven years ago. The certification process is underway to make Aaron’s catch the new record. Burbot, or ‘Pout’, as they are sometimes referred to, are a fresh water cod and are really quite good to eat if you can get past their looks and feel.

Here are a couple of tidbits about the Burbot.  The Burbot has a large liver (it’s in that big belly) that makes up almost ten percent of the weight of the fish. In the early 1900’s, commercial fishermen sold burbot to a number of mink ranchers in the area. That oily fish was excellent mink food and made the fur shine. In the 1930’s Ted Rowell, Sr.  started Rowell Laboratories in Baudette by extracting the oil from the liver of the Burbot and it was marketed as Burbot liver oil, similar to cod liver oil.

Anyway, that ugly fish has served this area well. It has taken a hit the past few years, I think, because of a couple warm summers. I’ve heard that they are making a bit of a comeback and that will please some folks.

Aaron with his potential state record – a 19.54 lb. Burbot

I’m not trying to confuse anyone, but Mick & Nick, Tom & Tom are four different people. Here are several fishing reports from the last few days; none of them are particularly good.

Sunday was a beautiful day and Tom, Mick and I fished the river by the airport for the evening bite. Topper, Faye and two friends were close by. Mick caught a nice walleye to keep, Topper caught an eater and I caught a 23″ walleye. A couple little ones to release and that was it.

Tom and I fished the river Monday morning and caught three nice walleyes. Mid morning we headed to the Lake; out of Morris Point and fished two spots; 32 & 37 feet. For the time we put in, it wasn’t good. We kept 6 saugers and 1 walleye. The only thing of interest to take a picture of was a unique sleeper. We should have stayed and fished the river as Topper and Faye found a spot by the airport that evening with good action. Topper said that they caught two nice walleyes to keep; a couple that were too big and some that got off right at the ice.

Monday night we got a 6″ to 7″ snow; our biggest snow of the winter and Tuesday was a light snow all day. Tom, Earl and I fished the airport late afternoon and Earl caught a nice 22″ walleye.  I caught three keepers & Tom was along for moral support. Nick & Topper were close by and they had one keeper.

Nick fished the mouth of the Bay over the weekend for pike and found it to be slow. It seemed like the only time he got any flags was when I came down to check on him. He caught a couple picklers, but nothing of any size. On Monday, He, Tom and Martin went to Crow for Lake Trout and caught three.

It’s late February, this kind of fishing is pretty much normal.

Faye with a nice walleye

Earl with a 22″ walleye 

Nick with a Crow Lake Lake Trout

A  nice 23″ walleye 

A unique sleeper – looks like the Crestliner Hilton

We have had a frequent group of visitors to the front yard this winter. Several Cedar Wax Wings have been feeding on the flowering crab apple trees as they make their rounds in the area. We have enjoyed watching them.

The fishing reports for this weekend are not very good. I understand that Friday was pretty good in some areas of the Lake, but Saturday was poor. I fished the river on Saturday, late afternoon, and caught slot walleyes of 21″ & 23″, but nothing to bring home. Sunday morning I caught two nice walleyes to keep and two slot fish of 24″ & 25 to release. That’s a good morning any day.

A Cedar Wax Wing in the flowering crab

After a apple that dropped to the ground