Arvid's Fishing Report

I haven’t fished since the last day of sturgeon season in September; patiently waiting for some kind; any kind, of a walleye bite to start on the river. Reports have not been good. We are well into October and it hasn’t happened yet. It seems like everyone has their own theory why there’s not any fish coming into the river. I’ll share a few; put into a multiple choice format.

a)  There is no current in the river

b)  They’ve got to much to eat; shiners are in the river

c)  To much fishing pressure year around

d) To many sturgeon

e) To many big (slot) fish

f) All of the above

Part of the definition in the dictionary of theory is: “An assumption or guess based on limited information or knowledge.”

It’s been a great Fall , weather wise, for walking a few trails, looking for ruffed grouse. Don and I have been out twice and this past weekend, Terry was here for a couple days. We did some work on a deer stand on Saturday morning and then went looking for a bird in the afternoon; didn’t get any. We went again early Sunday morning and got two. It was a lot of walking over two days for two birds, but it was nice walking; a great time of the year.

Terry with two ruffed grouse

The birds worked over that tree

The sturgeon harvest season for this year has come and gone. I gave it a try for a couple hours on Wednesday, the last day, and caught two nice sturgeon; one was 40″; to small and the other was 55″; to big. It put up quite a fight. It went all around the boat and somehow went over the top of the anchor rope without getting tangled in it. I also caught a 14″ walleye; a white sucker and a mooneye. Looking forward to the walleye bite picking up.

A 55″ sturgeon. 

A frost took the garden on Tuesday morning, but by early afternoon it was sweatshirt weather. With only two days left in the sturgeon harvest season, I felt the need to at least try to put a tag on one. I fished the late afternoon for a couple of hours; starting out by the airport for 45 minutes without a bite. There is very little current in the river and it didn’t take much of a breeze to move the boat around so I pulled anchor and moved up river by Hattie’s.  I hadn’t fished five minutes before the first bite; a 31 inch sturgeon. Over the next hour, I caught three more; one little guy and two that were right at 45″. I measured each one several times and was not comfortable that they were in the 45″ – 50″ slot that would make them eligible to keep. I caught no other fish; just those four sturgeon. There has been a shiner run, but I haven’t gotten any reports of a good walleye bite. Hopefully that will come soon.

A 45″ sturgeon; just to close to call to keep

At this time of the year, it’s fishing & football. We are patiently waiting for fall fishing to get going, but football is in full swing.

Last Monday afternoon, Jonathan can up with three friends for a couple days of fishing. We spent two hours before dark on the river looking for a sturgeon. We caught four little guys; nothing over two feet and three small saugers. Tuesday morning, we were invited to fish the Lake with Mark. He has his boat at Morris Point and we met him there at 8:30. We started out jig fishing in about 31 feet. After about an hour and with only one sauger, we pulled anchor and put out two downriggers. Over about the next three hours we caught 18 walleye and saugers. We caught no slot fish and the fish seemed to be scattered. We went back to town for a nice late afternoon fish fry and then did the river thing again for the evening. Again, we caught four sturgeon, this time a little larger; 33″, 37″, 41″,  and a little guy and three or four small sauger and a red horse. We fished the river Wednesday morning for a couple hours before they headed home and caught one small sturgeon, a nice 15″ walleye and a couple of small sauger. Jonathan had two nice smallmouth up to the boat, but yours truly managed to knock them off with the net. We were hoping one of the guys would get a sturgeon to qualify for the fifty inch club. That didn’t happen, but we had a good time.

We left Thursday for Julie’s and a couple of grandson Matt’s football games. We’ve never got to watch him play and with him being a senior; as busy as this fall has been, it was do it now or not get it done. Friday was their homecoming game and weather wise; a perfect evening for football. Matt’s first two years on varsity he was a free safety on defense. This year he’s playing both ways and Friday he had two receptions; both for touchdowns, as they won 33-10. They were his first varsity TD’s and I think he was saving those for grandpa and grandma.

Scott with a 41″ sturgeon

Bo with a 37″ Sturgeon

Tim with a 33″ sturgeon

Jon with one of the little guys

Grandson Matt after their homecoming game

Topper had some company here not long ago and they did some sturgeon fishing on the river east of town. If I remember the report correctly, they caught three sturgeon; a little guy, one in the fifty inch range and the one in the picture below. The fish was 72 inches and would weigh in at about 96 lbs., which would be a state record were they allowed to keep it. To keep one, it has to be 75 inches. It may not be to long before someone catches one, in harvest season, and will have purchased a tag and a new record will be set. That’ll be something.

I’m getting reports that people are picking up an occasional walleye and some nice saugers, along with suckers, red horse and mooneyes while fishing for sturgeon. The sturgeon are not real active yet, but the water is cooling down and the bite should improve with Fall coming.

A 72″ sturgeon, estimated weight 96 lbs. 

It had to be difficult fishing the past couple of days the way the wind blew. There were even a couple of charter boats fishing by the bridge in an effort to find some protection from the wind.

Diane and I went for a ride down the river to the lake last Sunday. There were hardly any boats fishing this side of the lake and reports I’ve heard were that the bite was slow. Lots of fish being marked, but none were interested in biting. The sturgeon bite on the river has also been slow.

Something that I’ve not done in all the years we’ve lived here is pick Chanterelle mushrooms. It’s not every year that they are found; some years are better than others. If there are going to be some, it’s generally mid to late summer; unlike the morel that’s a late spring mushroom up here in the north country. Jeff & I have been out a couple of times and have found a few. sautéed in butter, they have a mild, delicate taste and are a little rubbery in texture, but very good. The best spots are where the deer flies are abundant; and they bite!

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Jeff and I have fished the river three or four times this past month for a couple of hours before dark. River fishing is generally slow this time of the year, but we’ve managed to catch something each time out. The first time he bested me, the next time I got him. Wednesday evening, I mentioned something about a tie-breaker and it didn’t take Jeff long to settle that. He promptly caught a nice 24″ walleye and for good measure, two more to take home. I had one bite.

As we were leaving the dock that evening, we noticed a Loon close by. We don’t see them very often on this end of the lake; sometimes in the spring as they are moving through, but not at this time of the year. We were able to get close and it didn’t seem to mind. Later, it was out in the middle of the river and made a couple of their familiar calls. It was nice to see.

Jeff with a pretty 24″ river walleye

A Loon by the house

I went to Bemidji on Saturday and fished bluegills with Terry for a few hours on Gull lake. It was really breezy and the more the day wore on the stronger the wind got. Fishing wasn’t what you’d expect for bluegill fishing and we moved several times. We’d catch two or three and move again. Gull is a five fish lake and we kept our ten; in the 8″-9″ range and released about that many. All the weather fronts that have been going through the area have probably affected the bite.

It looks like blueberries are a bust this year with some late frost taking its toll. Jeff and I were out last week looking and found nothing worth going back for. The past two years were excellent crops so it’s no surprise to have an off-year.

We’ve had some rain and warm weather lately and the gardens are looking really good. The peas are ready the variety we have usually has eight or nine peas in a pod; once in a while ten. The other day there was one with eleven; a first. That helps fill the dish.

Terry with a nice bluegill

Peas in the pod