image of fishrapper logo


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" October 22, 2019 "Clusiau Bids Farewell To Readers"

image links to greg clusiau report "Well, it’s been a good ride and by that, I mean writing a weekly outdoors column for over 30 years. For that length of time, I’ve had a Monday-by-noon deadline continually hanging over my head. I wondered many times, how I was able to pull it off, especially when it was basically a hobby.

Don’t get me wrong, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun, writing about countless fishing trips and meeting some of the best anglers in the business.

I think my first ever article was for the Hibbing Tribune, when I wrote about walleye fishing wizard Tom Howell. Back in the day, Howell was releasing more big walleyes than you could shake a stick at. Many eight-pound fish found their way back in the waters of Cut Foot Sioux. I found it impressive enough to write about. We’re still friends to this day.

Then it was a couple decades of story telling for Nashwauk’s Eastern Itascan. I had a lot of fun with that one, especially when newspaper maverick Brian Oftelie was in charge.

I recall showing him a photo-shopped picture of a monstrous crappie that Pete Moran brought to my attention and thought about running it for the April Fools addition. I didn’t want to do it, but Brian insisted, and the rest is history. I should have never done that, as I had news organizations from all over the country contacting me. My goodness. But we certainly had some fun with it.

Since that time, I’ve had articles appear in Tom Zenako’s “Sportsman’s Press”, “Midwest Outdoors”, the “Ice Team Annual”, “Muskie Magazine”, “Outdoors Minnesota”, and more.

Back in the late 80’s, I was one of the founding members of the local Star of the North chapter of Muskie’s Inc. and being one to constantly document most everything, ended up being the secretary for the newly founded group.

While all other “meeting minutes” submissions to the magazine, were just that. I went a step further and told a few enlightened stories. That’s was just me. I wanted to liven things up a little.

Little did I know, I’d be invited down to the big Quad Cities awards banquet in Iowa, to be named “Chapter Editor of the Year.” That was a pleasant surprise and what made it extra-special was the fact that my longtime fishing partner, Brain Griffith, would be traveling there as well to receive an award for the largest caught musky of the year, a 42 pound monster out of Lake of the Woods. I was with him, when he boated that beautiful 52” fish.

Here’s how it all went down. Back in the day, I didn’t fish Canada, or muskies, at all, and was invited to go along on a trip to Red Wing Lodge, in Morson, with Chris Hookland and Brian. Back then, Chris was running the Twin Lakes restaurant and we’d be traveling up and spending the long weekend in Hookland’s motor home.

Fishing three, long, hard days, I don’t think we caught a musky but had a nice one going on the last day. It was toward evening and the sun was starting to drop. Being quite a distance from camp, we had to leave the big fish get back before dark.
The next morning, as we were packing up and getting ready to go home, Brian pleaded with Chris to give him a couple hours to try and catch that fish. We were hoping it was still as hungry as it was the night before. Chris finally relented, saying “okay, but I have to leave in no later than two hours”.

Using Griffith’s boat, all packed with musky rods and tackle, we headed back to the promised land, hoping to get one last crack at the big fish. I had only purchased a three-day license and couldn’t fish, but I did grab Hookland’s video camera, and wouldn’t you know it, I filmed Brian catching that fish, right at boatside.

It crushed a large purple Eagle Tail bucktail and came out of the water, almost tail-walking, until it crashed into the side of the boat. All captured on film. The footage was impressive enough to be used in one of the In-Fisherman musky videos.

You know me, I could go on-and-on, with story after story, but what would one expect, when spending my entire life in the outdoors, with most of it being on the water.

Yes, my time has come to step down and take a breath of fresh air. Someone else interested in doing such a thing is more than welcome to contact the Scenic Range News Forum. I’ve a wonderful relationship with them and have absolutely no regrets. They’re great people and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity.

Enjoy the GREAT OUTDOORS. I hope to see you on the water.


image links to wired2fish Wired2Fish October 22, 2019 "Eagle Claw Terminal Package Giveaway"

image links to product giveawayFall is a great time to fish for walleye, sauger or saugeye and Eagle Claw has you covered with a great selection of top of the line hooks perfect catching those tasty toothy creatures.

We decided together that a giveaway of their best hooks for those fish just might be a good idea.

Five winners will get a chance to win a killer package that includes:

Eagle Claw Trokar Mesh Back Hat Black/Red, LEEJ Eagle Eye Jig packs in assorted colors and weights , Trokar TK2 and Lazer Sharp L2 Octopus hook in assorted colors , TK220 ReVolve rotational shank hook in red and platinum black. Enter >> Eagle Claw Terminal Package Giveaway


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" October 14, 2019 "Minnesota’s Youth Deer Hunt to Begin This Thursday"

image of fall color“Minnesota offers mentors an ideal way to share hunting knowledge and traditions with youth ages 10-17 during the statewide youth deer season.

The four-day season begins the Thursday of the third week in October and concludes Sunday. It coincides with statewide teacher workshops so many Minnesota students don’t have school during the youth season’s first two days.

Minnesota's youth deer season began in 2004 in northwestern Minnesota. Over the years, it expanded to 28 deer permit areas in parts of southeastern and northwestern Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area where deer were most abundant.

Typically, temperatures in the middle of October are warmer than those during the regular November firearm deer season, snow has yet to set in for winter and deer are moving more during the daylight hours. Those factors create an ideal opportunity for youth deer hunters.”

An adult parent/guardian/mentor 18 or older must accompany youth ages 10-13 at all times during the hunt. The adult does not need to be licensed. (Courtesy of the MN DNR).
What an excellent way to introduce youngsters to the sport of deer hunting. A great program. Good luck to all and always be safe!

I had to laugh, on one of my most recent crappie fishing trips. There’s a lot of planning that goes into it, but I never realized until taking a ride to the lake last Sunday morning, when I was making a few mental notes.

image of shoreline on lake First off, it had to be close, as the Vikes played at noon (great game by the way) and I didn’t want to miss it. This had me trying to stay within 30 minutes of the house.

It was still lightly snowing, when I was standing in the kitchen, shaking the little 10-hour hand warmers, to get them activated. Marilyn looked at me and said, “you might want to bring three or four.” I had to chuckle.

I like to get them going before I leave the house, as they last 10 hours, more than any amount of time that I’d be putting in on the lake on this day. All I needed was three hours.
Heading down the road, not really knowing where I was going, thoughts dashed through my mind, as I passed lake after lake.

The first was O’Brien Reservoir. It looked nice and calm and it was close to the house but no. I passed right on by. It had a few decent crappies in it but not the number I was looking for. That one was off the list.

Less than a mile further, I gave Blue Lake a glance and quickly ruled that one out as well. It has some dandy panfish in it but there was the case of the muddy road to get into it, especially after all the sloppy snow.

I found fall crappie there many years ago and caught them as deep at 50’, but it was slow catching and the size just wasn’t there. Nope. Another one crossed of the hit list.
I made the decision to head north, when reaching Nashwauk. There’s a bunch of lakes up in that area. All of what I had fished before at some time.

I didn’t have to stop for minnows, as once it gets cold out, I pretty much quit using them and stick to plastics. Your fingers stay a lot warmer that way. Now, if I was going walleye fishing? That’s a different story.

Before turning at the store on highway 8, I thought about going north for a second, and giving Buck Lake a shot. But that was quickly ruled out as well. I’ve tried locating the fall crappie there many times and have come up empty. I wasn’t going to get burnt again, even though I was now using a Garmin Live Scope.

Going west, Sucker Lake was a passing fancy as well. There are a few nice fish in there but not today. I had more of a sure thing lined up.

I really wanted to give Crooked Lake a try, but continued right on past, for a couple of reasons. One, it had a steep access and who knew if it was icy. After all, it was 33º at the time of my traveling. I’ve been stuck on icy boat ramps before and it’s no fun at all. It’s downright scary.

The other reason was that the last time I was there, during early fall, I struggled at catching any nice fish. They were all little guys.

Reaching the Balsam Store, I wondered a few seconds about Lawrence Lake, before turning right and heading north. I pretty much had Big Balsam or Long Lake on my mind. The closer I got to the Balsam Lake access road, the more thought I put into it, and turned in that direction.

Long Lake, although providing a lot of crappies, had another steep landing and I was concerned about skidding back into the lake. As it turned out, there wasn’t any ice at the Big Balsam access, so I would imagine all others were good as well. Better to play it safe.

Balsam Lake was looking pretty lonely, when I drove into the public access. Imagine that? Who else would be out in this God-forsaken weather?

Traveling at a moderate speed across the lake, I realized I had forgotten my goggles. The only time I use them is in the fall, cold weather period. Never-the-less, there I was, heading across the lake with tears streaming down my face.

I had all my warmest duck hunting apparel on, with a hand warmer in each pocket. Checking out past fish-catching spots, I didn’t waste too much time, as I knew exactly where they would be. Forty plus years of fishing this lake certainly helps.

Each lake is different and this one usually has fish stacked up, close to steep break lines. Yup. There they were.

It didn’t take long before a bite was felt, resulting in a miss, and a grin from me. I like them to win once-in-a-while too.

They were fussy. If only I had minnows. Hmm. Smaller plastics did the trick and pretty soon I was catching them at a pretty good clip.

The live well was empty. I never ran any water in it, which is a practice of mine during the cold weather period. I’ll either toss the fish in a separate pail, to make it easy when going home, or place them in the empty well, as it acts like a large cooler during the cold weather periods.

Fish were caught, and all were released. Nothing big. Some in the 10” plus range and many around 9”. It’s all fun.
Looking at my phone, checking the time, I figured I’d better get going. I had enough fun.

The boat was backed into the garage, 25 miles later, 10 minutes before kickoff. Go Vikings.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" October 8, 2019

image of greg clusiau Thank goodness the wind and rain finally took some time off. Now I can get back to doing a little fishing.

One of my more recent trips, found me bouncing around on Leech Lake, which used to be my most favorite body of water in Minnesota. That was before the walleye crash, for which the cormorant took blame.

I remember fishing in the Leech Lake Classic walleye tournament, held every spring/early summer, and seeing an endless string of cormorants flying overhead. It seemingly never ended and was quite a sight.

Back in those days, good walleye catches were somewhat hard to come by. I recall my last event, getting only three or four bites all day long and catching each one, which was a walleye in the 20” range. It was at this point that I figured on forgetting about entering the tournament on the following year. It was just too boring.

I didn’t mind not placing in the event but wanted to keep busy catching fish in the process, much like some tournaments Andy Walsh and I have fished over the years on Mille Lacs Lake and Lake of the Woods, where fish are big and numbers high. Always fun.

Nowadays, however, Leech Lake has rebounded in a big way. This had me thinking of making a trip there, my first of the year.

So, with that in mind, I left the house in darkness and arrived at the Battle Point public access around first light.

It was perfect, other than being a tad windy. Wouldn’t you know it? But that was okay, as I had fished this area a good many times and knew I wouldn’t have to travel very far to catch a few fish.

My first spot would be out in front of Bear Island, near a spot called “Ginser’s Rock”. This is a popular fishing hole and always has a few boats on it, oftentimes several.

Two boats, local Grand Rapids are guides, were already there. A good sign? Maybe.

Fishing turned out to be slow and no one was really cranking them in. I only spent a short time there, before moving over to the Sugar Point area, which was more of the same. It was tough fishing and not nearly as good as I expected. Slow catching gave me plenty of time to daydream of past trips to Leech Lake.

Like the time I was fishing this exact same area, many years ago, during late October. Three of us were catching some nice walleyes in 18’ of water, out in front of Ginser’s Rock. Jigs and minnow were being used and you had to be quick on the draw, whenever a bite was had, as the fish would drop it in an instant. Hooksets had to be fast and hard.

Sitting in the back, on a pedestal seat, recently installed by the boat owner, I had a bite and reared back, setting the hook. It was at this point that I felt water all around me. My first thought was that a large wave had come crashing over the back of the boat but a split-second later I realized that I had did a summersault, backwards, and landed in the lake. I had broken loose the newly installed seat (and this guy was into construction).

My fishing partners never even noticed. They were still looking ahead, enjoying the nice drift.

The middle guy turned around when I said “here, take it, it’s still on.” The look on his face was worth a million words, as I was hanging onto the side of the boat with my fishing rod held high. Not funny then but certainly is now.

Only one other boat was out there with us, three old timers, who never said a word. They just stared in disbelief. That was probably the funniest part of it all.

Well, I lost the fish and climbed back on board. It was cool out but determined not to wreck the fishing trip, I stayed out there for two more hours before giving in to the chills (I know, stupid).

Another Leech Lake trip that I’ll never forget, took place in the same spot. Three of us did very well, filling out with our six-fish each limit. Plenty of time was still available so we decided to see if we could catch a few crappies.

They were really biting well, and another limit of fish was added to the live well.

Getting back to Deer River, where one of the guys, Brian Griffith, lived, we thanked him and were ready to head home, when Brian said, “don’t forget your fish.” I told him we were too tired out to clean fish, when we got back to Nashwauk, and that he could have them, to which he very reluctantly accepted.

He had a family of four and all had a license, so he was within the law, but I never heard the end of that one. Thirty years later, he’s still complaining about the bad back, from bending over, cleaning fish (18 walleyes and 45 crappies) until 2:00 am. He said he ended up with enough fillets to fill a 5-gallon bucket.

Last weeks trip was a far cry from anything like that. I never even brought anything home. That’s what I get for fishing memories.

Good, luck, have fun, and don’t forget the old times.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" October 1, 2019

image of fall colors Fall activities abound. It’s nice to see so many out and about, enjoying the outdoors, and if I had enough time, I’d do a little small game hunting myself. That darn fishing just gets in the way.

Up early, like normal when going fishing, I’m usually heading toward the lake at the crack of dawn. This pretty much explains the number of red foxes I’ve been seeing, darting across the road in front of me, showcasing that big, fluffy tail.

Beautiful, little creatures, one doesn’t see them a lot because of them being nocturnal. An interesting fact, regarding the red fox, is that due to its presence in Australia, it is included on the list of the “world’s 100 worst invasive species.” That’s not fair. I like those little critters.

It’s cousin, the grey fox, is around too. One amazing fact, regarding the grey fox, is that it can climb trees. Interesting. I wonder how high up they go. I’ve never seen one in a tree before but have seen quite a few of them while sitting in a deer stand. Gorgeous animal.

The professional fall sports schedule has me fishing somewhere close and making it back home in time for the game. Last Sunday, in which another fox sighting took place, I made back into the woods and was fishing at sunup.

It was cool, but I was dressed for it, and was amazed at how it warmed up. The wind, however, stayed with us all day long and made it hard to stay on fish, once they were located.

Back home, I thought I had just enough time to clean ten crappies, before settling back in the recliner to watch the Vikings game. Whoa! Big surprise here. They didn’t play until later. I was home expecting to see the normal “noon game.”

I now had plenty of time to clean fish and was in no hurry. The weather was perfect for fish cleaning outside on the patio, as it was cool and windy, the exact type of conditions that keep the flies away.

I prefer the outside cleaning station, as it gives me more room, I don’t have to be as careful in not making a mess, and the garden hose is right there. It’s so nice to be able to hose off the knives and cutting boards, along with spraying down the fillets, washing them good and clean.

Oh, there was a bit of a hitch in my fish cleaning, and that was Blackie, my befriended, little grey squirrel. I think it recognizes my voice because it seems to appear out of nowhere, most every time I’m in the backyard.

So, there I am, cutting and cleaning fish, and here comes Blackie, running around by my feet. I know that I can’t keep on taking care of crappies, when this little bugger is around so I wipe my hands off, go back in the house, and come out with a bag of peanuts.

Just to get the little pest away from me, for a minute or two, I walk to my back lots, as it follows like a little puppy dog. Once far enough away, I’ll give it a peanut, which it eats almost immediately, and then a dozen more, which will keep it busy long enough for me to finish my task.

Back inside, with fish delivered to a good friend, I sat down to watch the Vikings, and it wasn’t long before I wished I’d stayed on the lake. I couldn’t take it anymore, so it was shut off. My goodness. They look terrible.

As far as the Twins, I watched nearly every game, and even though the last game didn’t really matter much, it was pretty cool to see them beat the Yankees in the season long home run hitting contest, Twins – 307, Yankees – 306.

Now we’ll see how it all plays out, when the Twins travel to New York to take on the Yanks. On paper, the two teams are fairly even in most every category, but the Twins thrive on the road, so we’ll see. Go TWINS! (Just this one time. Please)

Water temperatures have been hovering around the 60º mark, which surprises me. One of those early morning fishing trips had the air temp at 33º. That was a cold one, but you know how much I prefer cold weather fishing.

Now is the time that I’ll bring my minnows back home, as they’re much easier to take care of. Just a little fresh water, now and then, along with a bubbler, and you’re good for the next outing. The boat is well-stocked with drinks, mostly Gatorade Zero, which stay nice and cold, and is ready to go in a moment’s notice. Now, I won’t have to wait for any bait shops to open. I already have bait and beverage.

Enjoy the GREAT OUTDOORS!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" September 24, 2019

image of fall colors "The fall colors are looking very good. It was hard not to notice, on an early morning fishing trip last Sunday.
Plans were to go early, get a little fishing in, and be back in time for the Vikings game at noon. I also didn’t want to miss the Twins, playing at 1:10. Yes. I had most of the day all mapped out.

Keeping the noon curfew in mind, I couldn’t travel to a few of my thoughts, like Leech Lake or Kabetogama. It was just too far. I had to find a local body of water to keep me entertained, and that’s certainly not hard to do in the northland.

On my way up north, I stopped at the bait shop for chub minnows, night crawlers, and wax worms. The chubs could be used for double duty, as they’re the perfect size for catching bigger crappies, and if I decided to try for walleyes, I had that covered as well.

The crawlers and waxies were brought along, in case I happened across a school of nice sunfish.

Walking to the truck, shotgun blasts were heard off in the distance. More than likely, it was a hunter doing some field hunting for geese. It put a smile on my face. I like people to enjoy the fall outdoor activities and hunting is one of them. I used to do quite a bit of small game hunting, until fishing took over. You just can’t do it all. I’ve tried.

Down the road, a young deer walked in front of me and disappeared into the woods. Further north, a large swan flew overhead, making me once again appreciate living where I do. It’s all here, for me anyway.

Shortly before reaching the lake, I had to pass by a dead skunk on the highway. Living in the North Country for most of my life, I’ll never get used to that powerful, pungent smell. What in the world. This had me thinking of various skunk happenings, throughout my life.

One was when I was young, maybe 10 years old or so. A skunk had gotten under the porch and dad was going to get rid of it. I remember hearing the loud gunshot and before I could even begin to get startled from the blast, the entire house was filled with the overpowering odor. We could hardly breathe.

I brought this up to dad, a while back, and he said he had to relocate the entire family to another residence for 3-4 days, which probably wasn’t near enough time.

image of crappieTed, an old-timer from Buck Lake, once told me that if you pick a skunk up by the tail, it can’t spray because the back feet need to brace themselves. He went on to say he picked one up near his house and carried it across a farm field, before tossing it into the woods and running away.

I was a youngster and took it all in but wondered all the same. Was he kidding? If not, how in the world could you get that close in the first place? I’d never try.

Then there was Cousin Dan. A teenager, he came across a mother and a bunch of little ones. They looked so cute that he decided to get one for his girlfriend. That didn’t work out too well.

When living in Nashwauk, my elder neighbor, Josephine, used to say she liked skunk odor because it smelled like lemon juice. Now I’ve tried sniffing out the lemon smell and can honestly say that there is a hint of it, but not enough to make me like it. Not even close.

Then, a classic story of me picking up my work boots. Back in the day, shoe repair was a common task and it was a lot cheaper to have your boots repaired than to buy new ones.

There was an old-timer in Nashwauk, Frank, who had done many repairs for me throughout the years. I figured I’d stop by his house to see if they were ready.

Knocking, I heard Frank’s unmistakable voice holler “come on in” so I opened the door and stepped into the living room. Then I froze. There was a skunk, standing over some popcorn, and it was staring right at me. I didn’t know what to do. I really needed those boots.

Frank came around the corner, saw the look on my face, and laughed, telling me “that was a pet. It choked to death on some popcorn, so I had it mounted.” All I know is whoever mounted that skunk did an excellent job of it.
I’ve never needed a skunk order remover before, thank goodness, but just in case you do, here’s a formula that is supposed to work:

Use 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 tsp. dish detergent. Sponge on and let dry. It’s supposedly safe for cats and dogs and the formula can be easily doubled or tripled. Do not use on clothes.

Back to fishing. I made it to the lake and put in. The lake I had picked out for the morning’s adventure was one that wasn’t good to me over the past couple years. It used to have a good population of larger crappies but got hammered and now it was tough to catch even one.

Again, with the Live Scope. I spotted a fish suspended and off to the side. One cast, one fish, an 11” crappie. I couldn’t find any more suspended fish so slow trolling the weed edge was in order. Only three more fish were caught, with one being nice size and the other two around 9”. All were released. I won’t be going back.

Enjoy the Great Outdoors.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" September 16, 2019 "The Great Fall Crappie Chase"

image of andy walsh with crappie The great fall crappie chase continues. I’ve been out a bunch of times, seeking deep-water crappies, and I’m finding them, but they’re not all schooled up. Instead, I’ve been finding small groups, here and there, and a lot of stragglers, that seem to be all by themselves. It’s just not cold enough yet but fishing has been productive.

A good deal of my recent success can be attributed to the Garmin “Live Scope.” By slowly trolling likely looking areas, I’ve been able to locate many fish that were positioned 25-50’ off to the side or in front of the boat.

If they’re on the move, it really makes it difficult to stay with the fish but if they’re not moving too fast, a long cast is made to them and a strike is usually the result.

Andy Walsh joined me, last Saturday morning, and we really had a blast using this new graph. We’re getting pretty good at casting distances. That’s for sure. Especially in the 30-35’ range.

image of ray jensen with big crappiesOne thing we noticed, was the size of the fish can be easily determined, when compared to the others. On this particular day, the fishing was challenging, but we still managed to catch a nice limit by casting to the obviously larger fish.

Live Scope allows one to see fish as they swim, and there’s no mistaking the undulating action on the screen, as it wiggles away. At one point, Andy said “look, there’s a fin”. Yes, it’s that good. I can hardly wait to use it when ice fishing.

Speaking of winter fishing, I always bring along my Vexilar flasher, when fall fishing for the crappies. Get over a school of fish, drop the transducer over the side of the boat, and you’re in business.

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that you always need to keep the transducer cord on a “short leash”, to make it as effective as possible. Give it too much cord and it will be floating, traveling all over the place and it makes it hard to keep your lure underneath it.

image of Keith Nelson and Lorin LeMire with big crappiesRemember to try and keep the boat as still as possible, when using the Vexilar. If you’re moving too fast, or it’s too windy, it’s almost impossible to use.

Sunday’s guest was old friend Raymond Jensen. I was telling him of the Live Scope, a couple weeks ago, so he was really curious as to how it worked. He found out it a hurry.

Getting to the spot, I let the boat drift, while I set up the transducer bracket for the Live Scope. A minute later, I told Ray “there’s one right there, about 30’ away. Now watch as I cast. You’ll see my lure falling downward to the fish.”

As it descended, the crappie spotted the bait and swam up to meet it. I told Ray “it’s on the bait. It’s got it,” and set the hook. The rod folded over and we had our first fish of the morning for the live well.

I turned to look at Ray and he was speechless, looking at me with his mouth open and eyes large. I had to laugh, as it isn’t very often this guy is at a loss for words. Obviously, he was impressed.

I couldn’t feel the fish bite but knew from past experience that it more than likely had the bait. When they swim up to grab your lure, they don’t stop on a dime. Instead, they continue upward for a bit more and that creates a little slack in your line. Just enough that one has difficulty in feeling the strike.

Another trip to the Red Lake Nation, to fish with Daris Rosebear, is in the works. Lorin LeMire, my brother Joel, and I will be leaving Keewatin at 3:30 am, in order to meet our fishing guide by 6:00 am. It’s one heck of a drive, especially for Lorin, who hails from Duluth, but when Daris is on big crappies, a man’s goatta do what a man’s gotta do. Report to follow.

Enjoy the Great Outdoors. It’s happening NOW!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" September 9, 2019

image of brian griffith with nice walleye A couple of my most recent fishing adventures have taken place on two of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, Lake of the Woods and Lake Superior.

The first was on Lake of the Woods, where I hooked up with longtime fishing buddy Brian Griffith and our mutual friend, Seth Putz.
Plans were to head up a little early on Sunday afternoon and get a little fishing in, using Brian’s boat, an old well-fished Alumacraft that Griffith has owned for many years. Together, we’ve spent countless hours in that boat, fishing in tournaments, and just plain playing around.

Back in the day, it was in superb condition, but many years of rough water and hard fishing have taken a toll on the old craft. It was starting to leak pretty bad and Brian had to have the bilge pump running constantly.

An attempt to stop it from leaking was to use the well-advertised Flex Seal tape, which actually did help some. Brian felt quite comfortable with the remedy, but I felt a slight bit uneasy. Bouncing around on Lake of the Woods, in rough water, in a boat held together with tape had me a little concerned. What if?

Therefore, when we decided to go out to dinner that evening, with Seth and his wife, Laura, instead of fishing, I was more than fine with it. Afterall, we were going to use Seth’s boat, a new Lund Impact on the next day.

image of seth putz with nice walleyeBrian had just purchased a new Ranger and this was to be the last trip with the old boat, but I was happy we put her to rest a day early.

The purpose of the trip, other than just having fun, was for me to give Brian and Seth a crash course on lead core fishing, something they’d never done before and with that in mind, we headed out of Zipple Bay, bright and early the next morning.

It was rough and almost impossible to fish in. Trying to troll, we had water coming over the bow, every once in a while, so we loaded up and headed to Wheeler’s Point, where we hoped it would be a little more calm. The wind was coming from that direction.
What a difference. It turned out to be a good move, as it was very fishable, almost calm.

However, the lead core bite wasn’t going as planned. We were getting a few fish, but it wasn’t the action that I expected. Switching over to jigs and minnows saved the day.

Larger fish were rare on this day, other than the 29” walleye that Brian caught. We added a few 22” fish but dozens of small saugers made up the bulk of our catching.

image of lorin lemire with lake trout The Lake Superior trip was taken with good friend Lorin LeMire, of Duluth. He knows the lake well and had planned the trip on a day when the weather was just right, a little overcast, with a slight breeze.

Launching out of McQuade’s small craft harbor, we went out about six miles and started trolling.

What a difference this was, when compared to my fishing on Swan Lake the day before. Swan Lake had surface water temperatures in the 63º range and Lake Superior 45º.

It was odd that there was no thermocline (colder dense water) on the big lake. This can make it hard to fish, as the fish can be just about anywhere. Most fisherman use this for an “edge” and troll some of their baits just above the thermocline.

Lorin remarked that last year, at this time, the water temp was 70º, from top-to-bottom, in 200’ of water.

Allowed two lines each, we used planer boards to get two of the lines off the side of the boat and down riggers for two other deeper lines.

Fishing was slow. However, we hung in there and kept on trolling, eventually finding an area that held a few fish.

Not a banner day, by any means, but we still went home with four nice lake trout and released one larger. Three or four other “bumps” were experienced as well.

Yes folks. Fall is here. Get out there and enjoy it!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" September 3, 2019

"Mille Lacs Lake - The Minnesota DNR has put a halt on fishing for walleye on Lake Mille Lacs. Fisheries Chief Brad Parsons said, “Because angling pressure and walleye catch rates were high, the coming closure is necessary to stay within established limits.”
Walleye fishing is set to close on Friday, Sept. 6. Anglers are still allowed to use live bait and fish for other species.

Ice fishing regulations for walleye will be announced in November, becoming effective on Sunday, Dec 1.

Winds - Strong winds of late have kept me off the water. One of the days, last Wednesday, was killing me, as it was overcast with a cool, comfortable air temperature. I wanted to get out there in the worst way but knew it would be a real challenge. I must be getting soft. Back in the day, I would have been bouncing around on Buck Lake and not catching much.

Hurricane Dorian will more-than-likely send us more winds to deal with. I’ve been keeping an eye on this stuff and it usually takes 3-4 days before we feel the aftermath winds.

Water Temps – Cool nights have water temps dropping nicely. This will get that fall bite going in a big way. My last outing had lake temperatures in the 68º range and walleyes were being caught with a jig and minnow (small chub).

The walleyes weren’t biting real good and I lost a few minnows to them, as they would softly hang onto the minnows tail. Set the hook too quickly and you would lose a minnow. Of course, it was a bit difficult in feeling fish, when whitecaps were constantly crashing over the back of my boat.

The fish were still deep, in that 25-27’ range, but will slowly move up a little shallower, along with the falling water temperatures.

Fire-Ball Jig – Northland Tackle’s Fire-Ball jig has been a favorite of mine, ever since it first came out, decades ago. I don’t know what it is, but this jig does very well for me. I’m thinking it’s the short, compact hook shank. The minnow can be butted up to the jig head, making everything look compact and natural. That’s what I was using on my last walleye outing.

There are times when a stinger hook is required and last Tuesday was one of them. I find it easier to use the stinger, when fishing in deeper water, where weeds aren’t present. Get too close to the weeds and those sharp, little trebles will surely find them. The stinger hook is a sure way to catch those “nibblers.”

Old school, I still find myself using many of the original Fire-Ball jig colors, like Glo Rainbow, Parrot, Bubblegum, and my all-time favorite, Watermelon.

Fire-Balls also come in many UV colors and these are deadly as well.

My fall crappie fishing also employs the use of Fire-Balls, more than other baits. I’ve caught plenty of deep crappies on jigs as large as ¼ oz. Now that may sound a bit big, but it works. The larger size jig easily fits inside the mouth of a nice slab crappie.

Minnows seem to work better with the Fire-Balls, as the hook shank is just long enough to keep it in place. Longer plastics? Not so much. When using plastics, I’ll use a longer shank hook, with a barb, for keeping it in place.

I should mention that one of my favorite presentations for fall crappie, when scattered across the bottom and not bunched up, is a plain “super glo” (white) Fire-Ball, tipped with a small crappie minnow. This combo is deadly, when things get a little tough.

Ruffed Grouse Hunting – The cooler temps have me thinking of small game hunting, as well. When a kid, probably around 15-16 years old, I can recall getting home from school and taking off on a small motor bike, in search of partridge.

Many times, we wouldn’t even reach our desired destination and would have a limit of birds, being back at the house in less than an hour.

We even bagged a bunch of spruce grouse (spruce hens) back in the day and ate them, along with the partridge. I remember that darkish, purple colored meat. It didn’t seem too bad back then but I wonder?

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day weekend."


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" August 27, 2019

image of dennis rule with crappie Fall temps, both water and air, are pretty much where I wanted them, but Mother Nature is still putting a hold on successful catches. Oh, we’ve caught fish, but haven’t had any of the stellar outings that I am accustomed to. Not yet, anyway.

I visited one of my regular “first-to-bite” fall fisheries, four times now, and have struggled each and every time. We’ve caught fish, but many of them were small in size, being too small to put in the livewell.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind catch and releasing all day long but am puzzled as to the whereabouts of the larger size fish. Maybe they’re just in a funk and didn’t feel like biting?

Lake temperatures have finally dropped into the high-60’s and by glancing through my fall fishing log, I can see that this is when I started having some tremendous outings. It’s just a matter of time.

Most of my fishing, during this time of the season, has to do with deep-water crappie fishing, trolling lead core for walleyes, or jigging a minnow for walleyes, all favorite presentations of mine. I certainly wish fall weather would last for three months or so.

image of woodcock For those in the hunting mode, early Canada goose season gets underway this Sunday, September 1, and runs through September 15.

The bag limit is 5 Canada geese per day. There are overwater hunting restrictions in the Northwest zone, and in Carlos Avery, Swan Lake, Ocheda, Roseau and Thief Lake WMAs. A special goose permit is required. For light geese (lesser and greater snow geese, including blue, and Ross’), season dates are concurrent with open Canada goose season in each zone, and bag limits are 20 light geese per day.

I’ve never shot a goose so just may take up an offer from a friend of mine to do a “cast and blast” in his neck of the woods. Living close to Wheeler’s Point on Lake of the Woods, we’d hunt geese one day and catch big walleyes the next. What fun!

Bear hunting also takes off this Saturday and runs through October 13.

Bear hunting permits are offered through a lottery drawing in bear permit areas. Hunters with licenses for permit areas are allowed to hunt for bears only in the permit area listed on their license.

Additionally, hunters can purchase permits over-the-counter to take bears in the no quota area, which is the part of the state outside of the 13 permit areas.

The youth waterfowl hunt takes place September 7-8.

New in 2019: This youth hunting opportunity has expanded to two days, the age limit increased and shooting hours end at sunset.
Youth under 18 years of age are allowed to participate when accompanied by a non-hunting adult 18 years of age or older. Youth ages 13-17 must have their firearms safety certificate

Antlerless deer and special hunt lottery deadline is September 5.

Firearms and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as lottery must purchase their license by this deadline. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with hunter choice, managed or intensive designations.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery, and also have this application deadline.

Ruffed and spruces grouse, and Hungarian partridge begins September 14.

Not counting a sturdy pair of boots, a blaze orange hat and vest and a shotgun, all you need to hunt grouse in Minnesota is a valid small game license. Hunters seeking woodcock must be HIP-certified (done when you purchase your Minnesota license) but do not need state or federal migratory bird stamps. Shotguns may not hold more than three shells unless a plug is used.

Archery deer season starts September 14.

Archery hunters can hunt permit areas statewide except in Itasca State Park.
Sandhill Crane hunting (northwest goose zone) begins September 14.

These things intrigue me. I’ve seen them standing in fields and at first glance they look like a small deer. Big birds for sure. Some call them the “rib eye of the sky”, as they’re supposed to be very good eating.

Sharptail grouse hunting begins September 14.

Minnesota has two zones for sharptailed grouse hunting, each with a different start date for the season. Outside these zones, there is no hunting for sharptailed grouse except for licensed prairie chicken hunters within their selected zone.

Woodcock hunting begins September 21.

Hunters seeking woodcock must be HIP-certified (done when you purchase your Minnesota license) but do not need state or federal migratory bird stamps. Shotguns may not hold more than three shells unless a plug is used. Find complete details in the hunting regulations.

Take a Kid Hunting Weekend is September 21-22.

Getting outdoors in pursuit of squirrels, rabbits and other small game is the focus of Take a Kid Hunting Weekend.

During the weekend, adult Minnesota residents accompanied by a youth younger than age 16 can hunt small game without a license, but must comply with open seasons, limits and other regulations found in the Minnesota hunting and trapping regulations.

Duck and Canada goose season starts September 21.

Minnesota’s north duck zone is located north of Highway 210.

Now tell me you can’t find anything to do. I used to do a lot of grouse and waterfowl hunting but ended up finding fall fishing, until my fingers froze, to be of more fun.

Have fun, be safe, and enjoy the Great Outdoors.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" August 20, 2019

Fall is definitely in the air, as it was 38º last Monday morning, when I sat down to write another article. I thought “I’d sure like to be on the lake this morning” but a Monday morning deadline looms, each-and- every week. I’m used to it and will have all fall to catch crappies, as well as a fair amount of walleyes (I really need to get back up to Lake of the Woods).

The cool morning had me digging out my little notebook, a documentation of all fall crappie fishing, over the past several seasons. A definite pattern is shown here, with certain lakes starting to produce long ahead of the others. As a matter of fact, Joel and I have made two trips already this season and we’re just getting warmed up.

Our trips were successful, in that we caught several fish, but larger, “keeper” fish were at a premium, with dozens of smaller fish being caught.

Earlier in the season, I purchased a Garmin “Live Scope” graph, which allows me to see fish that are within 200’ of the boat, all the way around. A good graph is basically a good graph but it’s the transducer ($1,500 for the transducer alone) that makes it what it is.

Andy Walsh and I used it all season and had a blast. Andy, my “tech guy”, got into it more than I did, so I left it on his boat all spring and summer, constantly reminding him “when the fall crappies start biting, it’s coming home with me.” I rigged it up to be portable, so we could easily switch it from boat to boat.

Fishing with him on Mille Lacs, Walsh was always at the controls, turning the makeshift handle (we could scan 360º around the boat), in order to see where the fish were.

There were times when he wasn’t even fishing at all, and this was during a tournament or two. He would say “nice fish 35’ that direction”, to which I’d make a cast that was estimated to be 35’. Andy would say “let it fall, let it fall. Hold it! It’s looking at it. Pull it ahead a little bit. Slowly. Set the hook!”

There were times when I never felt the bite, but Andy could see it happening. Unreal.

Then there was the time that the Mille Lacs walleyes were as spooky as all get out. Andy would locate a fish (in 35’ of water) and tell me to cast. As the lure fell, becoming closer to the fish, it would take off, spooked. I never thought about the lure, a jig and minnow, scaring fish that bad. Needless-to-say, we learned a lot about fish behavior this summer.

The graph shows fish as “fish”, meaning one can tell the size and often the species, and when swimming, you can see the back-and-forth motion. It’s totally “real time.”

In Garmin’s words – “See highly detailed, easy-to-interpret live scanning sonar images of structure, bait and fish swimming below and around your boat in real time, even when your boat is stationary.

Easily adjust the transducer to fit your fishing techniques; point forward to see around your boat or point down to see directly below your boat.

See incredibly sharp real-time scanning sonar images up to 200’ down and away.”

Andy and I found that the best setting for us was seeing fish no further than 60’ or so, which was more than enough.

Getting back to the crappie fishing, I brought along the Live Scope on our last outing. It definitely helped in locating fish but would have been much easier if they were bunched up in a large school, like they do each fall. The first two trips found them scattered, here and there.

I can’t wait until they group together, as they will be easier to find and they bite very well when in a large school, almost competing for something to eat.

Fall can’t come soon enough!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" August 13, 2019

image of anglers netting a walleye I finally got a chance to go walleye fishing on Lake of the Woods and as expected, it didn’t disappoint.

Original plans were to fish the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior for lake trout. Lorin had been doing well there and contacted me, asking if I’d like to go along. I was all in.

It sounded like a great plan, but throughout the conversation, I said “you really need to get your big boat up to Lake of the Woods.” That’s all it took. The next thing I knew, we were making plans to head north instead. Fine with me.

LeMire used to run a charter service on Lake Superior but needing more family time, sold his big rig, and replaced it with a 22’ Skeeter, powered by a 300 hp outboard. That was the big boat I was speaking of.

We headed up Thursday night and stayed at a private cabin within close proximity to Cyrus Resort. Lorin couldn’t get up there until late but I had the entire day off, so I left early to visit friends.

image of walleye double in landing netBright and early, the next morning, we headed out, bouncing over some choppy waters. That’s one thing about Lake of the Woods, the big lake can get rough at times and small boats aren’t recommended. Especially when fishing several miles out, which we planned to do.

There are several methods used in catching Lake of the Woods walleyes, but we had our minds made up. We were leaving all live bait tackle at home and would concentrate on trolling crankbaits, via lead core line and down riggers. We were going to just sit back and take it easy, trolling our way across the main basin.

Reaching our destination, 33’ of water, six miles out, we set up and let it happen. It didn’t take long at all for our first fish to come aboard.
I like this style of fishing and have been using lead core line for over 30 years. That all started when I got so interested in lake trout fishing. Back then, I never thought about using it for walleyes.

Once you have it figured out (how much line to let out, the type of crankbait to use, etc.) it’s fairly easy. You’ll find me lead core trolling on several waters in our northern Minnesota area (Swan Lake, Rainy Lake, Kabetogama, Vermilion, Leech Lake, Whiteface Reservoir, and more).

We ran two down riggers and one lead core line, keeping them spread apart from one another.

image of Joe Lemire with big walleyeThere are days when color doesn’t seem to matter much but this day was different. We found variations of green to work the best. Lure size and style plays a huge part as well.

There may be big fish in this system but there are times when a small, unassuming lure will do the best. It all depends on the mood of the fish and every day can be different. You need to be ready to adjust. LeMire is all too familiar with this practice, as Lake Superior keeps one on his toes.

We did the best on stick baits, or sometimes called “minnow baits”. No erratic, crazy action here. Just a slow, enticing wobble produced the most strikes. We settled on a #11 (about 4 3/8”) for the preferred size.

Young Joe got big fish of the day, a nice 6 pounder. A few doubles happened too. One time, Joe and I both caught four pound fish, which were netted at the same time. Yes, there was a tangle.

The rough water calmed down to nothing and left us fishing a dead-calm sea. It’s always nice to have easy going out there but the fish seemed to bite a little better when choppy, even if they were 30’ down.

And hot. It got a little uncomfortable. Sun block and big hats were preferred.

About half our fish were saugers and some nice ones at that. We finished the day catching about forty fish, with half being saugers. Thank goodness for those fish, as they helped us achieve a limit.

Lake of the Woods regulations allow one to keep six fish, with not more than four being walleyes. All walleye from 19 ½” to 28” must be released. You are also allowed to keep one over 28”, if so desired. It’s happening up there, as it usually is. Give it a “go”.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" August 6, 2019

image of Frank Gangl with nice crappie "Longtime friend, Frank Gangl, joined me last week for a few days of fishing. Frank, formerly of Nashwauk, now resides in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and still has the passion for fishing, they way we did when kids.

That means getting back to the basics, like trolling spoons for northern pike or using nightcrawlers to catch sunfish. That’s pretty much the way we grew up and although somewhat primitive presentations in this day and age, they still catch a lot of fish and are always fun to do.

Our pike trolling worked as planned but wasn’t as fast and furious as I expected. It usually is. The recent hot weather has fish a little deeper, where more comfortable, especially the larger fish. Never-the-less, we caught some northerns and I’ll give you one guess at what the hot lure was. Yes. The old reliable “red and white” spoon. We caught a few larger fish too, by trolling deeper water, using lead core line and #7 crank baits. Normally, a good number of walleyes are taken this way but not on this day.

Reminiscing, Frank recalled of bullhead fishing with his father on O’Leary Lake. I was surprised to hear that, as that was my earliest fishing memory too. I remember dad and I fishing there for bullheads, catching them and tossing them on the floor of the boat. They were flopping all over the place and really making a racket. I’m surprised all the noise didn’t scare the fish away (well, they were just bullheads). O’Leary must have been a favorite bullhead lake years ago. I wonder if it’s still any good?

The weather was hot and uncomfortable, for me anyway. Frank, more used to warm weather, probably needed a jacket. We would have done better fishing, if arriving at the lake around first light but our busy schedule had us reaching the access around 8:00 or so.

image of crappie The sunfish were sought after during the midday hours, as they pretty much bite all day long. I always save those for a backup plan.
Holding in deeper water, next to the weeds, we caught quite a few and some were darn nice size. Frank used a plain hook, tipped with a piece of nightcrawler, while I used small plastics. Regardless of the presentation, we both did equally as well. It usually doesn’t matter too much for sunfish. Especially when they’re hungry.

Midday breaks were had, with a couple of them taking place at MJ’s Resort on Swan Lake. It’s always nice, especially during a sweltering afternoon, to get out from under the sun and have a light lunch and beverage.

One evening was penciled in for a little crappie action, which we did. Again, the catching wasn’t as good as I expected but we did boat quite a few fish. I’m not sure if fishing around a small thunderstorm did anything to slow the catching but it wasn’t the norm. This was the same lake that I guided old George Johnson on, where he caught 82 crappies in 2 hours.

George, by the way, died a long time ago and story has it his passion for fishing had him cremated and buried in his tackle box. I wouldn’t doubt it one bit. I could hardly keep up with his guide requests.

Frank and I used plastics for the crappies. No minnows were involved, which is always nice.

On one of the days, we launched at Swan Lake and only made it a mile from the access, when I saw a bolt of lightning. “That’s it” I told Frank, as turning around and heading back to load the boat. “That’s was a quick limit” I told the AIS boys working there, who had just inspected my boat 10 minutes earlier.

We barely got things loaded up and in order before the storm hit. The lake went from flat calm to big waves and whitecaps in a matter of minutes.

The air temperature was 84º when on the lake and had dropped to 75º by the time I got home. Anytime it’s super-hot out and you start to feel cold air, you know you’re in for a dramatic weather change. Something is going to happen.

Back in the day, I may have just gone closer to shore, or under the bridge, and waited it out. Nowadays, I skedaddle. I’ve pushed the envelope enough. No need to do that anymore.

Like a pressure washer, the heavy rain cleaned the vinyl floor in the boat, rinsing off all northern pike slime, blood, and more. So, on the next day, when it started getting too hot again, knowing the floor was nice and clean, I removed my shoes and was fishing in my socks, something I do a lot.

Not really paying too much attention to the boat floor, I sped across the lake and when stopped, found a 2-hook crawler harness, with both hooks stuck in my socks. When too busy fishing, I always toss broken lines, harnesses, etc. in a designated corner of the boat and clean up at the end of the day. I had one heck of a time removing the hooks and now have big snags in that new sock.

Another mishap took place, when I went to cast, and didn’t realize Frank’s line was behind me, resulting in a backlash to be proud of. There was no picking through this one. I’ll be buying another spool of braided line.

Now, if that isn’t a pep talk, I don’t know what is. Get out there and enjoy the GREAT OUTDOORS!"


image links to wired2fish Wired2Fish August 6, 2019 "Comparing Bass Baits to Live Crayfish Underwater"

image links to fishing article "Crayfish are a primary forage for bass throughout their range so it pays to understand what different crayfish-imitating lures do and look like underwater. This video compares a wide range of popular bass fishing crayfish presentations next to live crayfish underwater. The purpose is to help anglers gain a better sense of how different baits perform and imitate crayfish, and when each may be appropriate for various fishing situations.

Host McKeon Roberts introduces each bait from a variety of lure categories to include soft plastics, jig and plastic pairings, crankbaits, Neko rigs, skirted bass jigs, swinging jigs (wobble head, Tokyo Rig, bladed jigs and more. As McKeon notes, there's no 'best' crayfish bait for all situations. Some are extreme anatomical and color matches (match the hatch) while others are abstractions of the real thing and offer unique fish-triggering attributes.

It's important to note that a non-natural bait can be vital to triggering reaction bites in ..." Learn More View Video >> Comparing Bass Baits to Live Crayfish Underwater


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" July 31, 2019

image of joel and greg clusiau with huge bluegills Hot and humid, the story continues, but don’t complain too much about it, as we’ll be walking on the ice in four months. I guess that isn’t so bad either. Never-the-less, the fish, practically all species, are biting well, and some big ones at that.

Most of my crappie lakes show off a good bite toward evening, like around 7 to 9 pm. This goes for most any panfish lake in the area. If you’re having trouble in catching those crappies, head out to the nearest weed line around 7 pm and they should be there, if not very far away. It may take a little trolling to find them, but you will.

I’ve a few lakes that produce all day long and I’m sure most lakes do but finding them can be a problem. That’s why the evening bite is so special. It’s almost a guarantee and remember, the longer you stay out on the lake, the larger the fish become, or so it seems. I do know that most of the larger crappie bite later. Maybe that’s how they got so big in the first place.

Bluegills? Yes, big gills are biting well too, and if there’s any problem at all, it’s getting your bait past the little fish and down to the larger ones. A good way to get down to “big fish territory” is to use a heavier-then-normal jig with a piece of crawler on the end of it. Of course, you can always line up a trip with Daris.

Joel and I visited Daris Rosebear, of Rosebear’s Guide Service, last week and did we have some fun in catching many, many BIG gills. Daris guides on the Red Lake Reservation and has several smaller lakes that are just teeming with fish. It’s always a great outing, when I go with him.

The limit is only five fish but it’s not just about the eating. Who doesn’t mind catching a whole bunch of huge sunfish. The three of us caught over 200 fish, and this was only a half-day trip. By-the-way, Joel and I never brought a fish home, releasing all, and part of the reason was the fact that after doing a long-ride day-trip like that, we’re tired out and not too much in the mood for cleaning fish, when arriving back home.

To escape the heat of mid-day, Daris proposed meeting us in Red Lake at 5 or 6 am. We settled on 6 because it was about a 2 ½ hour drive, having us leaving Keewatin at 3:30 am. Thank goodness Joel did all the driving.

The fish, by the way, were all very, very fat and wide. We caught many in the 9” plus range, along with a few 10” and one or two larger than that, solid 1 pound fish. The lake, Bass Lake, only has a few deeper holes in it and is surrounded by several acres of very shallow water, creating a huge smorgasbord of feeding opportunities for these critters. Even the small fish had “shoulders.”

I’ll tell you, it’s very much worth the trip. If you have children that would love to be catching fish on almost every drop of the line, this is for you. He can be contacted on Facebook or by phoning (218) 214-0018. They’re biting well now (they always do) and he has openings. I’m heading back up later this summer for the crappies. I think I’ll bring a few of them home.

Looking for walleye? Big walleye? While many of our area lakes are producing some very nice fish, it’s really hard to beat a trip to Mille Lacs Lake or Lake of the Woods. Out of all the walleye fishing I’ve done, over the last several years, nothing compares to these two fisheries, when it comes to size and numbers.

For Mille Lacs, the regulations, for now, have you releasing all walleyes, and that’s just fine with me. Again, much like the Rosebear trip, I don’t mind releasing everything. Especially when I’m catching them hand-over-fist. Mille Lacs is only 2 hours away and very “doable.” I’d recommend taking a larger boat or hire a guide, like Andy Walsh or Scott Moe. These guys are on the water all the time and know exactly where to take you.

Lake of the Woods is something special. Spend enough time on this water and you’ll catch the biggest walleye of your life, as it’s chock full of them. As for a guide, longtime friend Curt Quesnell is my recommendation. He’s been fishing Lake of the woods for decades and does very well. Curt, a retired radio personality, now works fulltime with his NCOR tm Fishing guide Service. He can be found on Facebook.

Good luck, be safe, and catch a big one! a b c d e f g h


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" July 24, 2019

There have been several reports of Minnesota’s state bird, the loon, being found dead. I’ve seen one so far, and that was on Sucker Lake, north of Nashwauk. The following report is from the MN DNR web site:

West Nile virus impacting Minnesota loon population

July 18, 2019

“A recent uptick in reports of dead loons and test results indicate an impact from West Nile virus (WNV), according to nongame wildlife staff at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota confirmed WNV as the cause of death in two of three dead loons from northeastern Minnesota earlier this month. Wildlife staff are receiving a small but noticeable increase in calls from people finding dead loons in northeastern Minnesota this summer.

WNV was first confirmed in Minnesota in 2002 and was documented as a cause of loon mortality in Minnesota as early as 2005. It is not uncommon for people, animals and birds to be exposed to WNV through mosquito bites. Most people and animals successfully fight off the virus and develop antibodies against future infection. Some birds, like loons, crows and other corvids, are especially susceptible to the infection. Researchers are attempting to discover the rates of infection among ruffed grouse.

Loons can die from a variety of illnesses and injuries and individual bird deaths are a normal occurrence and not cause for alarm.

“Minnesotans love our loons and it’s concerning for people to find them dead. When we start seeing multiple birds dying on a single lake, we want to know about it so we can start tracking the information and determine when further testing is warranted,” said nongame wildlife specialist Gaea Crozier. “While there isn’t a way to treat the West Nile virus infection, knowing the cause can help us rule out other, preventable causes of mortality.”

Lake homeowners and other lake users who observe two or more dead loons on a single lake with no obvious injury or cause of death are asked to email the nearest DNR nongame wildlife staff for tracking:
Bemidji/northwest area: Christine Herwig.
Grand Rapids/northeast area: Gaea Crozier.
Metro/Central Minnesota: Lori Naumann,
New Ulm/southern Minnesota: Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer.

Individual bird carcasses can be disposed of by burial or in the trash. There is no evidence people can contract WNV from infected birds, but gloves or a plastic bag are recommended when handling any dead animal. If reporting numbers reach a threshold that indicates a need for further testing, more information and handling protocols will follow.

The Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program is funded almost entirely through grants and donations. More information about the DNR’s Nongame Wildlife Program and the Loon Monitoring Program can be found on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/nongame.”

As far as my weekly fishing/outdoor report, I’ve been fishing a little of everything lately and most of that has taken place during the cooler hours of very early morning or late evening. If there’s anything at all negative about the morning fishing trips, it’s dealing with the acute glare of the sun when it peeks over the trees. I find myself fishing most of the time with my back to the sun. It’s that bad.

When fishing on Echo Lake, Joel pointed out a small mink, running along the rocky shoreline. I gave a couple little “squeaks”, as I do to Blackie, the friendly nuisance black squirrel that visits me on a regular basis.

To my surprise, the little mink jumped into the water and started swimming toward the boat. When I stopped squeaking, it turned around and headed back toward shore. A couple more squeaks had it doing a 180º and heading further out toward the boat, before finally turning around and returning to shore. Cool.

Up super-early, most of the time, I’ve been on the water at first light a number of times. When this happens, it’s usually unplanned and I don’t have any live bait and all bait shops are still closed. I go anyway, not really caring if I catch any walleyes or not. This usually has me trolling crankbaits and/or plastics, to get the job done.

My most recent trip had me starting out, using lead core, and trolling deep, in the 25-35’ depths. I’ve popped some very nice walleye doing this early but not on this day.
After noticing a lot of fish activity up shallow, in the form of swirls, etc., I changed tactics and started fishing the weedline in 9-10’ of water.

It looked like an ideal situation for pulling spinners along the weeds, so I rigged up a Bio Bait plastic worm (Motor Oil with Silver Flake color, 4.75” Squirm Worm) on a Northland Tackle crawler harness spinner and go to trolling. I didn’t take long to start catching a few fish, most of which were too large to keep.

As the sun got a little higher, the fishing got a little tougher, which is often the normal scenario. Not in the fish cleaning mood, also normal, I tossed back all fish but considered it a good morning.

Don’t overlook using plastic worms, instead of nightcrawlers, on crawler harnesses, especially when the perch are bothering you. It’s a great presentation.

Regarding live bait – yes, I love to use live bait but hate caring for it, especially if it’s minnows at this time of the season. Leeches? They’re a bother too, for me anyway. However, nightcrawlers, are a lot easier to maintain and during this time of the summer are more-than-likely the preferred bait.

Have fun, be careful, and enjoy the Great Outdoors.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" July 17, 2019

image of claire clusiau with big bass "There seems to be a lot of low water lakes right now, which kind of surprises me. I thought we received a fair amount of rain and some of the lakes I’ve been on have been rather high. I guess it all depends on where you go.

My brother, Joel, was fishing on Echo Lake, last week, and back-trolled into a rock. It was an area, well off shore, and one that he had been fishing for decades. Needless-to-say, the prop was a little banged up so a search for a prop repair shop began.

We ended up at Rays Sport & Marine in Grand Rapids, where a new prop was purchased and the other left for repair. They’re a drop off station and usually have a one week turn around.

Talking to Andy, behind the desk, he said “I was just up there and hit a rock too.” Well, wouldn’t you think I’d stay away from that body of water? No.

Joel and I made plans to try Echo again, only with my boat this time. I figured “what the heck. I haven’t hit a rock yet this summer. Why not tempt fate?” At least that’s how I felt, when pulling out of Keewatin at 5 am the next morning. We wanted to get an early start, to escape some of the recent heat we’ve been receiving.

Arriving at the public access, we found a sign posted on the dock, warning of low water hazards and even suggesting going to another lake. Joel said, “that wasn’t here the other day.” There must have been quite a few that had rock problems for that sign to suddenly pop up. So, we backed my rig in and set to fishing.

image of father daughter bass fishing I was as cautious as could be, using the bow mount motor to get out deep enough for some level of comfort.

Fishing on “pins and needles” for most of the day, we were going along unscathed, until I back-trolled into a standing dead-head, in 10’ of water, submerged about a foot under the surface. It didn’t harm anything but certainly scared me for a second or two.
We didn’t do that well and probably won’t be going back anytime soon. This is just a little warning of the low water conditions there. Beware if going.

The hot weather keeps me holed up for most of the day. This is when I either fish for crappie or largemouth bass, as the cooler, last few hours of daylight can be pretty good fishing and a whole lot cooler.

I’ve made a couple crappie trips, which turned out very well. However, the scorching weather last Sunday had me making other plans. My son, Kris, and his youngest daughter, Claire, would hop in my boat at day’s end for some slop-bass fishing.

During the day, I spent a few hours in the garage, rigging up for slop-bass and slop-bass only. Anything having nothing to do with bass in thick cover was leaving the boat. I knew if I left the crappie rods and tackle in the boat that I might be tempted to try it if the bass were a little slow.

Three musky rods were quickly converted to bass rods, as leaders were cut off and weedless spoons and frogs tied on. Yes, the line was a little heavy, at 80-pound test, but this wasn’t going to be a finesse bite. Big hungry bass don’t care at all. My old favorite heavy-duty flipping stick was added to the collection.

I picked up Kris and Claire around 5:30 and headed to the lake. It was still muggy out but close to being comfortable. We could handle it.

We had five rods at the ready. One was Claire’s new bass rod. The girl can fish, and I was impressed at her skills in using a baitcast reel. That’s usually a problem for beginners but she adapted very well.

Two rods featured a “Moss Boss” on the end of the line. This weedless spoon has been around for decades and is still a proven fish catcher. It always amazed me that it never snagged more weeds, as it has a large open hook that always lands upright. Made of heavy plastic, it and can be pulled slowly over lily pads and other thick cover. It’s truly a great design.

Another rod sported a weedless spoon, made by Northland Tackle, called the “Jaw Breaker Spoon”. This bait has a fiber weed guard and is made of steel. I’ve caught countless big bass with this lure.

There are days when one will out-fish the other, as they both fish differently. One never knows.

Another rod was rigged with a weedless frog, made by Live Target. There’s something very special about those weedless frogs and I have a large collection of them. I think it’s the “plop” noise it makes, when landing on the water. It certainly calls in those big bass, like ringing the dinner bell. Also, it can be inched along at a super-slow pace and even left sitting on the surface, as it floats. This is when many of the strikes happen. What fun!

The last rod, which wasn’t used on this night, was rigged with a “jig & pig” presentation, a weedless jig with a large plastic crawfish on the end of it. I should mention, the “jig & pig” name has been around forever and is named so because many years ago we’d have a pork rind on the jig, hence the word “pig.”

The big difference here is that after each use, you’d have to slip the pork rind off the jig and put it back into the little liquid-filled jar it came in. Otherwise it would harden and be a real bugger to get off. The plastic trailers stay soft forever. How nice.

We each caught a few fish, with Claire leading the way and things were just heating up when Kris noticed some lightning. That was it. I said “reel in Claire. We’re out of here.” That just scares the daylights out of me.

I should mention that it would have been the perfect evening if not for the hundreds of hungry deer flies. My goodness. We were all getting bit and Kris had blood running down his ankle.

Tight lines and be safe.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" July 9, 2019

image links to greg clusiau fishing report I was finally able to get out and catch a few panfish, something I’ve been missing all spring and early summer.

The crappie came last Saturday evening. After staying home in the morning, so I wouldn’t miss a radio interview with Terry Wickstrom Outdoors, I was able to watch the entire Twins game before heading out.

That’s one of the best things about crappie fishing during the summer months. You can be busy all day long, with other things, and only fish for a few productive hours in the evening. This works well, as it’s cooler out, and the fish turn on very well when the sun nears the trees. It usually starts out a little slow but heats up as you go.

I arrived at the lake, around 6:30 pm, and tried a few different areas with little success, knowing I’d probably catch a few fish if I stayed there. Never-the-less, I headed to the proven fish-catching grounds and began my slow-troll approach. Using the electric bow mount motor, I was in “stealth mode.”

Prior the trip, I had rigged up four rods with different baits, so there would be no monkeying around, once I was fishing. It would be all business.

The baits varied in color and style but more importantly was the difference in weight. Heavier jigs work better, when you first start fishing, as the fish can sometimes be a tad deeper. As the sun drops a little lower, fish generally become more active, rising closer to the surface.

image of sunrise over the lakeThen, it usually doesn’t matter too much what you’re using, as they’re feeding heavily and striking most anything that hits the water.

Many anglers head out onto the lake, in the evening, and settle into “their” spot by dropping an anchor. This is prime time for crappie, and they know it. It’s also a pretty good bet that they’ll be using minnows and bobbers too, a perfect time for a fun family outing.

I like to slowly troll along, until I find a school of fish. Usually, I’m trolling a 1/32 oz. jig tipped with plastic, at around 1 mph. That may sound a little fast but if they want it, they’ll catch it. I like to cover water.

Once an area provides a fair amount of fish, I’ll anchor and cast to them, which is a favorite method. I just love to see that line “twitch”, as the lure begins to fall.

My anchoring doesn’t consist of a heavy metal anchor that needs to be dropped over the side of the boat, although I often have one or two of them along with me. My anchoring method comes via “spot lock”, a feature on my Ulterra trolling motor that allows me to stay in one spot, without having to pilot the trolling motor myself. The motor does all the work, in keeping me in place.

image of sunfish This is a great benefit to the angler for a couple reasons. One - you’re hands free and can focus only on fishing, and two – there’s never an anchor rope to get in the way, when trying to net that big one. I do, however, use a “physical” anchor when it’s too windy out, as the motor does too much “searching”, in trying to stay in one spot.

Fishing for two hours, I ended up boating over 50 fish, with most of the larger fish coming later in the outing, as is quite normal. All fish were released.

The next day had me trying my hand at a few sunfish, again, around the Twins game. This time, I would be going in the morning, making sure to be home by noon. My crappie fishing usually takes place in the evening, while sunfish, is an all-day thing. It’s the perfect combination.

Trying a different lake, this time, I set out to find the sunnies by, you guessed it, trolling. Again, slowly trolling weed lines is a preferred presentation for me.

I’ll use the same presentation as I do for crappies but sometimes the bait is a little smaller. However, when little fish began to hit your bait, time and time again, it’s time to go larger, in order to dissuade them from hitting. The old adage “go big or go home” certainly applies here.

This was happening to me, so I went to a somewhat larger grub tail bait that was 2 ½” long. That may seem a little too big, but it didn’t take very long to catch a 9 ½” bluegill with it.

Another method that I use in locating larger gills is to cast a small bass-style spinnerbait. Yes, you’ll have all the fun of catching a few bass and northerns, but when you start feeling that hard “peck, peck” on the end of your line, you’ll know you have found the big ones.

It’s so much fun. Get out there and enjoy the Great Outdoors!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" July 3, 2019

image of lyle unger with walleye trophy It looks like summer is in full swing, as warm, or downright hot, temperatures are making it a little uncomfortable on the water. Never-the-less, we lather up with sun block and full brimmed hats and hit the lakes. Such was the weather during the annual GRAHA Walleye Shootout, held last Saturday on Pokegama Lake.

I only fish the lake a couple times a year and it’s usually during the GRAHA time frame. Fishing solo (Andy had to work through Thursday) I was pecking around, here and there, and managed to catch a few nice walleyes measuring up to 28”. However, come tournament time, Andy and I couldn’t buy a fish. How strange?

Many others did, however, as there were several large bags entered but none as big as the one caught by Lyle and Raquel Unger. They weighed in 40.46 pounds for first place and $17,000, beating out last year’s champions, Randy Topper and Brock Anderson, who weighed in 38.99 pounds. Congrats to all. Very well done.

This is a very well-run event and “hats off” the entire community.

A couple years ago, when Andy and I were pre-fishing for the event, I yanked a 10 pound lake trout from the depths. This year, during the contest, fishing a little deeper than we should have been, I caught another in the 8 pound range. I tell ya. I could go out there trying to catch a trout and it wouldn’t happen. It always seems to happen by accident.

image of Terry Wickstrom with huge perchMy pre-fishing found me playing around with several jumbo perch. Caught while searching the weeds for walleye, the perch were thick, and I was catching one on almost every cast. I kept this in mind for the day following the tournament, when I would be joined by Terry Wickstrom of “Terry Wickstrom Outdoors.”

Terry, Ft. Collins, Colorado, was on one of his regular visits to Minnesota and had a nice supply of Bio Bait to play with.
Bio Bait, some of which is made in Colorado, is a biodegradable plastic, which is infused with fish oil. Yes. I kept smelling my fingers, after digging each one out of the bag. Truly a “fishy” smell and something that fish would go for.

The baits are very supple, never dry out, and are extremely tear resistant. This is, indeed, a rare combination. Catching four dozen big perch was proof of their toughness, as when done fishing, the baits went back in the bag and blended right in with other unused baits. They still looked like new. Incredible.

Catching enough perch to make us happy, we went in search of walleyes. Yes, even after getting shutout on the day before, in the GRAHA tournament, I was relentlessly back at it. Only this time, I’d be using artificial Bio Bait. We had live bait along with us, in the form of chub minnows and leeches, but didn’t plan on using any of it. Makes me wonder why I bought it in the first place?

I was using a jig and Bio Bait “grub”, 2 ¾” long and orange in color, with black spots, called “Peppered Carrot.” It was the same one I had caught all the perch on. Now, I was snap-jigging it along a break line for walleyes.
Naturally, northern pike wouldn’t leave me alone. If there’s something colorful or flashy down there, they’re “on it.” Typical smaller northern pike.

Terry was using a basic “live bait rig” for walleye. Only the bait was a 3 ¾” Bio Bait black leech. No live bait here.
At one point, in need of some assistance, Terry put his rod down to help out. When all was taken care of, he picked it back up and said, “there’s a fish on here.”

Reeling up the slack and setting the hook, he was surprised to find a heavy fish on the end of the line. “It’s fighting like a walleye” Terry said, as he cautiously played it around the front of the boat.
Sure enough. A 26” walleye made it’s way into the net.

The fish had picked the bait off the bottom and swam away with it. Now that’s impressive and makes one wonder. Is this bait that close to the “real thing?”

Pretty much the same scenario took place when we were perch fishing, earlier in the day. Again, it was Terry, laying his rod down so he could take photos of my big perch. Upon picking it up, another perch was on the end of his line. Like the walleye, it had picked up the bait and swam away with its prized meal.

The shortened day only allowed for Terry and I to target perch and walleye and at the time of this writing, our quest for bass and northern pike, and maybe a few panfish, is just beginning to take place.

Have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. God bless America!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" June 25, 2019

image of karen peterson with big walleye Not one crappie to my credit, so far, this open water season. That is so not me. Minnesota’s state fish has truly gotten in the way of my panfishing efforts thus far, as I have already competed in six walleye tournaments, with another to take place this weekend. And it’s not even July!

Andy and I competed in another event on Mille Lacs last weekend, Nitti’s Walleye Shootout. I didn’t have to spend any time pre-fishing, as Andy does most all of that, living next to the big lake. All I needed to do was show up.

His final day of pre-fishing took place last Thursday, when he was joined by his mother, Mary, and her friend Karen Kelly Peterson, who had never caught a walleye before. Karen couldn’t have picked a better lake to make it happen, as her first ever was a seven pounder. She quickly followed that up with an eight pound fish.

They were “anchored up” and “bobbering.” Cast out, sit back, enjoy the scenery, and wait for that bite. It’s a nice way to go, when you’ve got it dialed in, and they certainly did on this day. Using the MTT (Minnesota Tournament Trail) length-to-weight conversion table, their top five fish weighed over 41 pounds. I couldn’t wait to give it a try during Saturday’s tournament.

Naturally, it was windy out there. It would have been too much for the bow mount trolling motor, so we made the decision to park on the spot and toss out an anchor, with 100’ of rope. This would keep us in the immediate area, until it was time to move the boat one way or another.

The anchor held us in place just fine but there was one minor problem. The big fish just weren’t there. We were catching a few but all were too small to accomplish anything in a walleye tournament, especially on Mille Lacs Lake. Also, they weren’t liking the bobber and leech presentation very much. We eventually went to a jig and minnow and began doing a lot better.

We spent the better part of the day in this area, before deciding to move and slowly work our way back to the headquarters.

Our top five fish weighed in at a little over 28 pounds, which isn’t very good for this lake. Top fish catchers for the day were Neil and Luke Petrowske, with 38.75 pounds. We ended up tied for 25th place. Next up? The GRAHA on Pokegama Lake this Saturday.

A black bear problem is currently taking place in Keewatin, and I’m sure several other communities. We had five of them wandering around town last week, rummaging through garbage cans and emptying out bird feeders. They were also eyeing up local beehives.

Live trapping and relocation efforts don’t take place anymore, as it doesn’t seem to work. The best remedy is to put the trash bins in a garage, until garbage day, and hold off on the bird feeding for a while. Once the berries start popping out, in the woods, we should be okay. The poor things are hungry. I wonder if all of the Fourth of July fireworks noise will scare them out of town for a while.

Again, with the turkey sightings. I like it, as I’m just not used to seeing them around. That makes four or five so far this year. One was sighted, totally unconcerned and walking on the edge of the highway, north of the Balsam Store.

Minnesota’s turkey restoration program has been going on for 25 years now and has been very successful. Mating takes place from April to May and has hens laying 10-12 eggs. I wonder how many survive. I’ve seen more of them in the past couple years.

I was on my way to the Tioga Access on Pokegama Lake, when I had to stop the truck. A mother grouse, somewhat small, was slowly leading her chicks across the road. There must have been a dozen of them. Always nice to see, the cute little chicks can fly already. They didn’t go far but they were fast. How they survive is beyond me. Good luck.

Famed Colorado angler Terry Wickstrom, of “Terry Wickstrom Outdoors”, will be visiting me next week. Having hosted “Mountain States Fishing” and “Angling Adventures” television for 22 years, he has stepped back a bit and “only” does a radio show, 104.3 The Fan, every Saturday morning, along with a weekly outdoors column for the Denver Post.

Made in Colorado, he’ll be bringing along a good supply of “Bio Bait”, so we can test them out on our Minnesota waters. I’m looking forward to it.

Their web site states: “Bio Bait is a revolutionary, patented, water soluble, safer alternative, fishing lure and apparel company. Bio Baits patented formula breaks down 99% quicker than the industry standard.

Bio Bait is infused with fish oil during production so the scent last as long as the bait. No more dipping your lures in scent just to be lost after the first cast. Bio Bait never dries up and only smells better the longer it's in the water.” For more information, go to biobait.com


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" June 18, 2019

image of big walleye at swan lake classic Father’s Day has come and gone. I hope everyone had a great weekend and hopefully you were able to spend some time with dad. My father, Terry, age 90, aroused my interest in the outdoors, when very young, and it sticks with me to this day. Thanks dad!

Andy Walsh and I decided to fish in the 34th Annual Swan Lake Classic last Saturday and ol’ Swan was her stubborn self, when it came to catching just the right fish.

Walleye were caught, but boating fish under 17” or over 26” was a problem for us. Many walleye in the 17-26” slot were caught and released, with a 25 ½”er being the biggest of the day. It sure looked like a “keeper” until we made the measure. We only found one 14 ¼” walleye that we could have weighed in but released it.

And northern pike! My goodness. We went through every minnow we had, about 4-5 dozen of them. If anyone wants to just go out and have some fun, go to Swan and troll the weedlines in 6-8’. You won’t be disappointed. Catching the big fish, however, might be a problem.

The MTT (Minnesota Tournament Trail) held two events on Big Winnie last weekend and here are the results:

image of surise over swan lake Saturday - 1st place, Pete and Jason Semler, 6 fish for 14.85 pounds. They had a big fish of 5.24 pounds. 2nd place, John Hunt and Bryan Dunaiski, 6 fish, 14.60 pounds. 3rd place, Brian Kjoberg and Troy Skorich, 6 fish, 13.48 pounds, big fish 5.17 pounds.

Sunday – 1st place, Trent Grunklee and Jon Gasner, 6 fish, 16.71 pounds, big fish 5.26. 2nd place, Dusty Snyder and Jesse Worrath, 6 fish, 15.80 pounds, big fish 4.97. 3rd place, Jim and Garrett Trombley, 6 fish, 15.04 pounds, big fish 4.29.

It looks there’s a lot of fish to be caught in Big Winnie. You may want to give it a try.

My son, Kris, and his longtime friend Kyle McCollor have always been adventurous, checking out small backwater lakes for fishing and hunting, winter camping in sub-below zero temperatures, and practically anything else having to do with the outdoors.

They recently went on another excursion, in a remote area of Ontario. Exceptional planners, all was well thought out for camping in the wilderness. However, when high winds had them using the outboard more than they thought they would, they almost ran out of gas (an extra 30 gallons was brought along). That’s not good when you’re the only ones out there and there’s no cell coverage. They had to return, back to civilization, buy more gas, and head back out again.

The fishing, however, more than made up for their troubles, catching numerous lake trout, brook trout, northern pike, and walleye.

The largest pike of the trip was weighed at 28 pounds, measuring 48”, and it wasn’t until they got home that Kris found out that Kyle’s scale had bottomed out at 28 pounds. It makes one wonder. This was their second trip there and another is already in the planning stages. Maybe more gas?

My brother, Joel, is a good fisherman. I’ll give him that. However, he can’t be this good? He does a fair amount of early spring crappie fishing, using waders. One of his trips had him wading along a productive shoreline, carrying a fish basket in one hand.

He heard a splash and his hand was all wet. Looking down, he found an 11” crappie had jumped into the fish basket, which was empty beforehand.
I told him “it must have went in through the bottom” to which he answered “no, it couldn’t have. I had it wired shut.” That’s amazing. The guy doesn’t even need a fishing rod!

I promised to give you a report on my new rain gear and am happy to say that the Grundens suit kept my “dry as a bone.” At less than half the price of some of the “high end” suits, I’m totally satisfied with it.

There’s a grey squirrel running around the neighborhood. Black in color, I call it “Blackie”, I started tossing it a few crackers and it has now become “almost” tame. If it sees me, here it comes.

The latest treats have been peanuts. It would come within a few feet of me, pick up a peanut and scurry off to bury it somewhere.

I decided to see if it would take a peanut out of my hand and to my surprise, although skittish, it did! This called for some cell phone video action.

The phone was filming all, when I called it and bent down to give it another peanut. Cautiously nearing my hand, it latched onto my finger! My wrinkled, old finger must have looked like a peanut? I’m not sure. All I do know is that it HURT and I was bleeding pretty good. They probably heard me scream (along with some other language) all over town.

I continue to feed Blackie but not by hand. That bugger.

Enjoy the GREAT OUTDOORS and GO TWINS!


image links to wired2fish Wired2Fish June 18, 2019 "How to Find Bass on Featureless Grass Lakes"

link to bass fishing video "Many lakes and reservoirs lack abundant or obvious fish-holding structure yet support excellent bass fishing.

Wired2Fish's Ryan DeChaine shares a few pointers for finding numbers of bass by paying attention to shoreline changes that produce areas of change, and in turn, concentrate fish.

DeChaine goes on to discuss the importance of identifying and targeting bass around primary and secondary points.

These structures function similar to how highway twists and turns slow and concentrate traffic. For grass lakes in particular, a Texas-rigged plastic fished on a medium-heavy power casting rod gets it done. Ryan shares his tackle and equipment setup for targeting these active summertime bass. View Video and Learn More >> How to Find Bass on Featureless Grass Lakes


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" June 11, 2019

image of greg clusiau with big walleye "Oh my. Tuckered out again. A couple full days of fishing in strong winds will do that to you. Especially if it’s a larger lake like Mille Lacs. Spend all day on the water, in roller waves, and one can barely walk when reaching shore later in the day. Always funny, but, yes, tiring as all get out.

Andy Walsh and I pre-fished the big lake on Saturday and strong winds sort of dictated just where we would be fishing. Blowing out of the south, it was rocking out there, so we ventured off into new territories, along with somewhat calmer waters.

There is so much water out there and that generally means there is an overabundance of fishing spots.

Walleyes can be taken with many types of presentations and in just about any depth, from shallow, next-to-shore locations to deep mid-lake mud flats. We did it all, and yes, they were there.

Our first walleye of the pre-fishing session came while slowly cruising an area in the middle of the lake. Noticing a large fish suspended, about 15’ below the surface, I offered a guesstimated cast and BANG, a large fish latched onto the jig and minnow offering.

It was up high for a reason, and that would be feeding. We also noticed a lot of “bait balls” in the suspended area, and if you can find bait, you can usually find fish, a rule of thumb for most every species.

Andy took a quick photo of the fish and without measuring, I quickly tossed it back into the lake. Andy said, “that was big”, to which I answered, “was it?” I thought it was around 27” (which is still a nice fish) but Andy insisted it was closer to 29”, and that’s just me, usually under estimating fish sizes.

image of Macs Twin Bay Resort This can happen to a feller when fishing waters like Mille Lacs, when you catch so many big fish that you begin to take them for granted, not realizing their actual size. Now, if I was to catch one like that on Big Bear Lake, for example, we’d probably have a big celebration at my house.

Noticing a handful of large fish suspended, we tried long-line trolling (to get the lure away from the boat) but it didn’t happen. However, I won’t forget about that spot.

Dropping down, deeper, using lead core line and crankbaits, we nailed another nice fish in the 24” range but clearly not what we were looking for.

Heading up shallow, next to rocky reefs and shorelines, a few more were caught, and that’s just fine but it actually complicates things, as we had too many options. Do we fish shallow or deep? Or somewhere in between?

Early the next morning, the day of the tournament (AIM Pro Walleye Series), treetops were bending in the wind, at Andy’s place. A bad sign. I hate fishing in strong winds and if it was any ordinary day, I’d probably stay home. Yes, the fish usually bite well under these conditions, but it sure makes for a long, uncomfortable day on the water.

However, with the $340 entry fee and memberships already paid, we had no choice. I hate when that happens.

Leaving out of Mac’s Twin Bay, we traveled several miles to find ‘the calm spot” (it really wasn’t, but better than out in the middle of the lake, where 3-5’ swells were taking place) and began pitching jigs and shiners. Within minutes, I started things off with a nice 27 ¾” fish. Fish were slowly caught but at least it was consistent. We didn’t dare leave, taking a gamble on other good-producing spots. It was just too windy, so we decided right then and there to stick it out in this spot for the entire day.

Eventually, the batteries for the bow mount tired out and we had to use the “physical” anchor, no more “spot-lock”. It didn’t matter, as we were catching fish.

Almost taking turns, we were starting to put together a nice bag (we were allowed to register our five largest fish). And then it happened!

Andy said, “it’s a big one.” I could tell by the bend in his rod, as I’ve seen him catch hundreds of fish and this one was something special.

Bulldogging, staying close to bottom, he finally gets it near the surface and I just didn’t have a good shot at netting it, but saw it wallow on the surface for a split-second before it disappeared out of sight and shook off. A deflating moment for sure.

The boat was quiet. There was no more casual talk and banter for several minutes, although we kept fishing and catching. We both knew that we had lost the “money fish” and it turned out we were right.

We ended up placing 16th (they paid down to 15th place). The “one that got away” would have put us in 5th or 6th place, adding a weight difference of another 4-5 pounds to our final weight of 39.84 pounds.

Would, coulda, shoulda.

Get out there and enjoy the Great Outdoors. Oh yeah, the 34th annual Swan Lake Classic takes place this Saturday."


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" June 4, 2019

image of andy walsh with big walleye Last weekend was spent competing in two one-day MTT (Minnesota Tournament Trail) walleye tournaments on Mille Lacs Lake, with fishing partner Andy Walsh. Thank goodness the weather wasn’t too bad, as the big lake can get quite nasty at times.

Some things to ponder are: Mille Lacs consists of over 128,000 acres and has over 90 miles of shoreline. Now that’s a lot of water to play on and overcrowding should never be a problem, unless it’s a tournament and anglers are competing for position on a hot bar or flat. Yes, it can happen, but there’s always more than enough room for anglers to get away and find their own little hotspot. It’s a big lake.

Another thing to think of, regarding Mille Lacs Lake, is the amount of nice fish that swim its waters. You’ve probably as good a chance here, as any lake, in catching a trophy walleye, bass, or musky and that’s the prime reason I like fishing Mille Lacs. Big walleyes are often easy to stumble across. The key, however, is to catch five of them during a tournament. One or two just isn’t going to cut it, as Andy and I found out.

The MTT events, hosted out of Nitti’s Hunters Point Resort, are put on by longtime friends Mike and Renee Holt. I used to be on the Outdoors Minnesota staff with them, back in the 90’s, so it was nice to compete in these events and see them again. At a pace of eighteen tournaments per season, they’ve been offering MTT events for the past eighteen years. Good people, for sure.

Current regulations don’t allow for the harvest of any walleyes on Mille Lacs so the tournament had a P.R.T. format (Photo/Release/Tournament). No fish are brought back to the tournament headquarters. They are quickly measured, photographed, and released back into the lake. I like this format. It’s a good way to go.

image of Mike and Renee Holt Minnesota Tournament Trail<< Mike and Renee Holt have been offering MTT (Minnesota Tournament Trail) walleye tournaments for the past eighteen years and run eighteen events per season. June 15-16 will have tournaments based out of Denny's on Big Winnibigoshish.

Andy practically lives on the shores of Mille Lacs so pre-fishing wasn’t a problem, as many hours were already logged on the big lake. I made a solo trip there last Thursday and did a little exploring and found myself popping a 27” fish. That’s always nice and gives one a little confidence.

Saturday’s event started out with breezy weather, causing us to get a little wet a time or two, and it pretty much stayed like that all day long. We were rocking and rolling out there.

We only boated one big fish, measuring just under 28”, and followed that up with two 25” and two 24”. Nice fish but not nearly enough to do anything in a tournament on that lake. We figured a weight in the 35-40 pound range was needed to win and we were right. The first place team of Mike Christensen and Eric Nesius weighed in 40 pounds, good for $3,856.

Andy and I finished 32nd, out of a 75 boat field, weighing in 26.75 pounds.

While fishing, Andy made the statement “five of the seven Walsh’s are fishing tournaments today” and went on to say his mother and all three sisters were competing in a WAM (Woman Anglers of Minnesota) event on Woman Lake. Yes, that family fishes. I like it. They’ve won their fair share of prizes too.

Andy and I fared better on the second day, catching two big fish, a 27” and 28”, but couldn’t get any others to go along with them and ended up registering fish as small as 21 ½”. That hurt.

Again, the winners had a huge bag, weighing 39.75 pounds. The first place team of Bill Schneider and Matt Buesking received a check for $3,336.

We finished in 18th place, weighing in 28.29 pounds. One more big fish may have put us in the money.

Flat calm and hot out there, we were ready to call it a day. Now to rest up a bit for another walleye tournament next Sunday. Guess where?


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" May 24, 2019

image sunken boat on side scan sonar A string of eight days on the water had me tuckered out. It’s especially tiring, when you’re trying your best and not catching much at all. After the City Auto Glass Walleye Classic on Lake Vermilion, I stayed at home for a couple of days before even thinking about wetting a line. I needed to recharge.

My brother, Joel, and I tossed around the idea of heading to Upper Red Lake, but plans weren’t concrete. It was just a passing thought. Tuesday’s weather looked the best and would be followed up by more Mother Nature misery. It would be the only good day of the week.

So, there I was, sitting in the recliner, half-asleep, when Joel called to see if I was still at home and wanting to fish. He thought I’d be gone, as it was already 10 am. That was just enough to get me going.

We got a late start, as all was still in total disarray after the tournament. There was plenty to do and by the time we reached the Tamarac River public access, it was 2 o’clock. It didn’t matter. Fishing is usually good all day long on this lake and it proved to be, once again. Two hours later, we were loaded up and going home.

Imagine spending more time behind the steering wheel than in the boat. That’s the way it is at times. I learned a long time ago not to worry about driving and hour or two to good waters. It’s usually worth the drive.

It was nice to catch fish the way it should be, with hefty walleyes slamming the bait and pulling hard. There was no coaxing a bite here, like Lake Vermilion treated me and several others.

It gets me to thinking. What in the world was going on with the walleye bite on Lake Vermilion? Why was it so tough?

Sure, it happens to all waters but the final total of 350 walleyes weighed in for a miniscule total of 350 pounds has me scratching my head. Where were all the other larger fish? Not there? Or just hiding out and not feeling hungry? I doubt it. Not for that long. Hmm.

As I said last week, I’ll be buying some new rain gear and I did just that. Instead of purchasing the high-end gear, which is darn good, I settled on something that is about 1/3 the price but supposed to be just as good or better. We’ll see.

I went for the Grundens bibs and jacket. It has a “rubbery” feel to it, making me believe it should keep out the weather. It’s supposed to “breathe” too and that will be tested when I first wear the suit during warmer weather.

Grundens has a Brand History tag and it reads like this: “Carl A. Grunden was born in 1876, as the son of a fisherman. At a young age he came into contact with the fishing industry and decided to start out as a ship’s chandler. Carl soon realized that his customers needed good rain protection, so in 1911 he began producing waterproof clothing in Grundsund, on the Swedish west coast. Because of material shortages linked to the onset of World War I, the company had to close down. In 1926 Grundens Regnklader AB was founded and has been producing quality gear ever since.”

From the sound of it, many local waters offered very good fishing on the opening weekend. The late spring and cool water had many walleyes shallow and up close to shore. Many anglers did well by not even using their boats and why should they when walleyes were being caught right off the dock!

As far as crappies, they’re getting ready to put on the old feed bag as well. Recent water temps have been documented in the mid-50ºs and this should have them swarming the shallows, searching out bugs.

And no, they’re not spawning. Just hungry. Spawning takes place later on, when the water reaches the mid-60ºs. Sunfish wait until warmer yet.

And to think I haven’t even caught a panfish so far this spring. That’s a rarity. I’ll have to take care of that. Maybe I’ll try out my new rain gear!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" May 21, 2019

image of herter and doerring at tournament It looks like we’re now back in the swing of things. The early fishing season featured some bumpy weather, but it looks to be all settled down and on a somewhat normal path, if there is such a thing. Northern Minnesota certainly offers some radical weather patterns. I guess I should be used to it by now.

My decision to fish locally, on the opener, was dashed when I heard the Tamarac River was open to fishing. Yes, strong winds would be sweeping across Upper Red Lake, but those tucked away in the river would be safe and sound. The decision wasn’t hard to make. I love fishing up there.

Traveling to the big lake, via the backroads, going through Bigfork, isn’t always a good call, especially during the wee hours of darkness. My brother, Joel, and I counted forty deer, with several of them standing on the side of the highway.

I think I prefer making my way to Upper Red Lake by going through Deer River and up that way. There’s a lot less wildlife to encounter.

As figured, the parking lot was plump full by the time we arrived at 7 am and anglers were still going non-stop in unloading their boats. This is a time for patience, which many don’t have. It’s like a “gold rush”, with crazed anglers on edge and getting a little nuts. It never fails.

The river was full of fish and the catching was good. Anglers are allowed four walleye each, under 20”, which is a pretty nice limit. The fish are healthy and looking good. Also, one of the four fish can be over 20”, if so desired.

Fishing was as expected, with Joel and I catching our eight “keepers” in short order. Everybody was. It didn’t matter if you had a boat or were fishing from shore. Early spring walleye fishing on the Tamarac River has it chock full of fish. Fun times indeed.

The next day, Joel and I stayed local and got into some more nice walleyes. Obviously, they didn’t bite like they did on the river, but they were of nice size.

I’m sure glad to have enjoyed good catching on the opening weekend because after that, all went downhill. My next six days would be spent on Lake Vermilion, in preparation of the City Auto Glass Walleye Classic, and it was a real grind.

Joel joined me, once again, for Monday’s trip. We struggled all day long but finally found a few small walleyes toward the end of the day, in Pike Bay. Super tough.

After Monday’s poor results, I headed to the “Cook end” of the lake, hoping things might be a little better. It wasn’t. Water temps were similar, in the 47º range and fish were hard to find.

About mid-day, I motored back to the truck to change clothes. Rain was present most of the day and I was soaked. I purposely left my super-warm duck hunting clothes in the truck, thinking I wouldn’t need them. Wrong.

I can tell you this much. I WILL be buying some better rain gear this week. I’ve already got it picked out at Reed’s Sporting Goods. More on this, when it happens.

Tuesday resulted in a half-tank of boat gas used up and one perch. Terrible.

Wednesday was another solo trip for me, fishing out of the casino. Again, tough fishing reared its ugly head. A full day of checking various little hotspots revealed four more walleyes, all small.

On Thursday, I had some company, as I would be fishing with Andy Walsh and Lorin LeMire. We’d be fishing out of Andy’s boat, the one we fish tournaments out of. With three anglers giving it their all, for an entire day, one would think the results would be better. They weren’t. Only three small walleyes made their way on board. Unreal.

On Friday it was just Andy and I, fishing all day, catching three more fish. The tournament would take place on the next day and we still didn’t have a good game plan but decided to go to where I had caught a 17 ½”er only hours prior to quitting.

Saturday was more of the same. Struggle, struggle. Only three more small walleyes were caught, with a 14” fish being the only one we could weigh in. The others were too small, just under the 12” minimum.

When it was all said and done, we finished in 75th place, out of 125 boats. Yes, it was difficult. There were a lot of “zeros.”
However, as with all events, there’s always someone who has it figured out or lucks into a few fish. Such was the case with the winning team of Herter and Doerring, who weighed in only four fish for 12.51 pounds. Their winning weight included a 9.12 pound beauty. The team not only won the 1st place prize of $15,000 but also the “Big Fish” pot. Congratulations to them.

Each team was allowed to bring in six fish, with two of them being over 26”, if so lucky. Only four big fish were caught on this day.
Next up for me and Andy? An AIM Pro Walleye Series event on Mille Lacs Lake. At least we should be able to catch a bunch of big fish here.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" May 13, 2019 Spartan Angling Team Class Project

image of spartan angling team On the first day of the new Spartan Angling class at Nashwauk-Keewatin high school, instructor Luke Adam asked his students, "name one fish that you would like to catch." The students voted unanimously to try their hand at catching a lake sturgeon on the famed Rainy River, something none of them had ever done before.

Who wouldn't want to try reeling in the biggest fish of their lives? A fishing date was set, and all the class had to do was wait for the day, which took place last Friday.

Luke Adam, this week's guest writer, tells of the adventure:

"Spartan Angling was founded at Nashwauk High School in January of 2019 from a DNR grant aimed to recruit and retain anglers. Math teacher Luke Adam, an avid fisherman, wanted to bring angling knowledge, experiences, and provide opportunities for kids to become lifelong anglers. The Spartan Angling experience exposes them to Minnesota fish species, locations and seasonal patterns, tactics, slot limits, over harvest, invasive species, shoreline management, and several other topics. The class is way different than emerging fishing teams, because the kids learn a lot more about the art and science of angling.

image of girl with fish Eleven students from the Spartan Angling class, Luke, and the principal Ranae Seykora made the trip May 9th to Baudette Minnesota. 11 inches of snow fell the night before in Duluth, but luckily the eager anglers were driving up in rain instead. As we went through Bigfork, the skies began to part and slivers of sunshine began streaking through the ski. Miles of no cell phone service had kids working on homework and talking face to face!

It was a welcomed change to the youth anglers. The instructor, Luke Adam had formed a fishing partnership with Border View Lodge and the kids were loaded into 2 charter boats and Luke’s Alumacraft Tournament Pro. Border View Lodge values youth angling and gave Luke a deep discount on the trip with the students. The students created a thank you poster in partnership with the NK Shop Class and hand wrote letters of appreciation to the resort.

The boats anchored in the last few miles of the Rainy River near the the resort. Several sturgeon were spotted surfacing in the morning by guides and students were dressed in ice fishing gear to battle the elements. It didn’t take too long for Braden DePaulis to tie into a prehistoric beast that was making her journey to spawn in a portion of the river or tributary.

Screams and arms waving with excitement echoed from the charter boat as other boats kept hearing, “We’re hooked up!” DePaulis decided to share the fish of a lifetime with other anglers in boat. Jon Olson, Rick Webster, and James Newman all got to tussle with the white bellied monster for several minutes, as principal Seykora captured smiles on camera.

image of boys with huge sturgeon As the whiskers broke the surface, the excitement peaked with sheer screams and sound carrying for miles. The anglers had won--a nearly FIVE FOOT lake sturgeon was grunted and wrestled into the boat by the guide and adrenaline rushed anglers. It was like the red carpet was rolled out for the crew as camera flashes and “slime high fives” slapped the air with excitement. The David v.s. Goliath was won and the migrating mother of thousands of eggs was gently released into the murky waters of the river to restart her journey.

Other anglers did manage to catch a few smaller sturgeon, suckers, and eelpout. The fish were all released and memories were made by all. Students now know the tactics, locations, and habitat to look for as their enter their driving stages of life and can trailer their 12-14 foot boats to the river.

They now are able to identify the scutes on the fish, baits used, and what to look for on the rod as they wait for a bite. They know why the sturgeon has large pectoral fins and a tail designed to travel long distances to forage and spawn. They are successful graduates of Sturgeon University. They can now feel the excitement of not being able to sleep and create memories for themselves, friends, and future families. They are the future of fishing and experiences like this start the fishing traditions that are being lost in today’s society.

I am proud of my anglers and they were incredibly appreciative of their experience today. My grandfather, Dave Heritage, who passed the priceless gift of teaching me fishing, would be so proud today.

Spartan Angling is in need of sustainable funds to continue this class. We are looking for sponsors and businesses to help financially sustain trips like this for kids. We are also looking for avid anglers to share knowledge and speak to kids.

If you are interested in donating time, money or resources, please e-mail Luke: ladam@isd319.org to help continue this opportunity to youth at Nashwauk-Keewatin High School and provide these memories for years to come." — Luke Adam Spartan Angling


image links to fishrapper home page May 13, 2019 — "Bow Mount Trolling Motor On Tiller Boat, Why?"

image of minnkota ulterra Q) Phil Tompkins wrote; "Jeff, I know that you always have run a tiller boat, but in your article about Red Lake you talk about spot-lock to catch your fish. Why would you need a bow mount trolling motor on a tiller boat, or did you switch to a steering wheel?

A) Phil, I’m still a dyed in the wool tiller operator. Even though I could probably fish in a “wheel boat” 80% of the time, there are still days when circumstances dictate using the tiller. As long as I continue to make my living primarily by guiding, I’m planning on using the tiller engine to control my boat.

That said the advancements in trolling motors, charting and electronics make using the bow mount an absolute necessity these days.
In the scenario I wrote about yesterday, we found the fish by ..." Read >> Bow Mount Trolling Motor On Tiller Boat, Why?


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" May 7, 2019

image of terry and betty clusiau with fish "The fishing opener is finally here, and it’s been a long wait for many, with that miserable winter robbing us of a good deal of our fishing time. Now it’s time to make up for it!

What time will you be hitting the lake? The sunrise/sunset table shows that the “official” sunrise will take place at 5:49 am, but you can more-than-likely see good enough well before that, so figure that into your plans.

Many start the new season at midnight, something that I’ve done a time or two. I don’t like it. Yes. Fishing can be very good but by the time the sun comes up I’m shot and usually cold. I never did like working midnights.

However, if you’re thinking of the midnight opener, dress for it, as it’s going to be a little chilly, with early morning temps hovering just above freezing. The predicted high for the day takes place late afternoon and will be around 55º.

It’s supposed to be partly cloudy for most of the day, with a little rain, which has a 50% chance later in the afternoon, so catch your fish and go home before you’re soaked.

The forecasted winds of 10-16 mph from the WSW has me changing my plans of fishing on Upper Red Lake. Any wind direction from the east is usually okay but any other direction can make it miserable out there.

Fishing with two of my brothers, Bruce and Joel, we’ll be hanging closer to home and trying a smaller lake for walleyes and possibly panfish. It all depends on how things play out during the early going. If the weather turns sour, we’re not all that far from home. That’s always a plus.

I don’t know how many of you pay any attention to lunar fishing calendars, but they have this Saturday penciled in as excellent fishing, slowing going the other direction on Sunday. I used to take in all this information but fished so much that it didn’t matter. I was going to go anyway.

image of Rick Riipenen Here’s a little refresher course on limits:

Walleye and Sauger – 6 combined total (Not more than 1 walleye over 20” in possession). Of course, fishing regulations can vary from lake to lake, with special slot regulations in place, so read the rules carefully. For example, Upper Red Lake allows 4 walleyes with 1 being allowed over 20” if you so desire.

Northern Pike – 10 (Not more than 2 over 26”. All from 22-26” must be immediately released). This is for our area, the north-central zone. Regulations vary with each zone.

Crappie – 10 on lakes that are NOT managed for panfish. Those that are will have the regulations posted at the public accesses. I find a 10 fish crappie limit to be more than enough. Whenever I do go home with 10 crappies, I package them “5 to a bag”, which is more than Marilyn and I can eat for dinner. That cold fish, the next day, is pretty darn good stuff.

Sunfish – 20 and I always thought this was too many and the DNR should make the limit the same as crappies, 10. Again, special regs will be posted at lakes managed for sunfish, which is usually only 5 fish.

What if you happened to get real lucky and caught a state record fish? What do you do with it? If you catch and keep a fish that you think could be a record weight, follow these steps:

*Take the fish to a DNR fisheries office for positive identification and a state record fish application.

*Weigh the fish on a state-certified scale (found at most bait shops and butcher shops), witnessed by two observers.

*Complete the application and send it along with a clear, full-length photo of your fish to the address listed on the form.

Some Minnesota record fish are: largemouth bass 8-15, smallmouth bass 8-0, black crappie 5-0, northern pike 45-12, walleye 17-8, perch 3-4, and musky 54-0.

Wow. Those are some monster fish. I can dream, can’t I?

One last thing before you head out to your favorite water this weekend. No matter where you end up, have a little patience with others. Opening Day can make people a little crazy.

Be safe, have fun, and GOOD LUCK!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" April 30, 2019

image of men with stringer of panfish Well now that was a short summer! I’m glad I was able to get the boat out on the water for a couple days before the snowfall came to visit.

The first day had Andy Walsh and I checking out my new graph and doing a little fine-tuning. Anxious to put the boat in the water, there’s always a few things that I forget to do with each new season. Many times, it takes me 3-4 outings before I’m ready for the walleye opener and this year is no different.

Outing number one found me leaving the fire extinguisher at home, along with my new boat stickers. They were purchased, well in advance, but were sitting safely in my desk at home. Those miscues were remedied for the next trip, along with a few other necessities.

Checking out equipment went fine but the fishing was way below sub-par. We never even brought along any fishing rods on the first trip but after seeing a nice school of fish, rods and tackle were with us on the next one.

Water temperatures were in the 41-42º range and fishing was slow. Although, we did manage one northern, one bass, and one jumbo perch. It didn’t matter, as checking out equipment was our main goal.

At this point, I’m not even excited about shore-fishing, like I normally do during each ice-out period. The water is just too darn cold right now.

image of greg and kris clusiau with crappies Looking back at last year’s adventures, I started doing the best when the water temperatures were hitting 60º, so we’ve got a way to go.
I recall doing very well on crappies, only a couple days after the ice left, on a lake up north. It was classic “text book” but you need to hit it just right, as I haven’t ever repeated that feat. I normally wait two weeks after the ice is gone and then start checking the lakes. It’s slow at first but eventually heats up.

At this point, I’m much more focused and prepping for opening day. Where to go? I still don’t know but I’m leaning quite heavily toward Upper Red Lake. Yes, it’s a zoo up there but the fishing can be stellar. Also, if we get a warm, somewhat calm day, I just may run up there, before the opener, and try my hand at catching a few of those famed crappies.

Some openers have found me “back in the bush” trolling for northern pike. I’ve done this many a time, as it brings back childhood memories, fishing the way we used to. This is always a lot of fun and an inexpensive method in catching a lot of fish and having a great opener.

Sometimes we’d buy a bunch of sucker minnows and watch bobbers but “pulling spoons” was always a fun and productive technique. There’s something special about a fish slamming a lure as you’re trolling along. They mean business and it’s sure to wake you up.

Braided line has made this even more fun, as the strikes are incredibly ferocious. Braided line can make a sensitive rod out of just about anyone of them out there. If you haven’t tried braid, you owe it to yourself to do so. The strikes are bone-jarring.

In your opening day preparation for northern or walleye, be sure to toss in some panfish tackle, as the crappies are usually going very well during this time. Walleye fishing slow? Head to a weedy shoreline and seek out the crappie.

Shorelines or weedy bays that are protected by cool northwest winds are the first to warm up. They’re also subject to receiving a lot of the sun’s warming rays, making that shallow water very comfortable for hungry panfish. Never overlook this option if you’re facing a tough bite for larger gamefish. Crappies have saved the opening day for me on more than one occasion.

Okay. Where are we? You have a new angling license? Right? How about the boat license? Also, be sure to have the proper amount of life vests and a throw cushion (if boat is 16’ or longer). Children under the age of 10 must wear a life jacket on board any boat underway. Let’s keep those little ones safe!

I wonder what the weather will be like for opening day. Sunny? Be sure to use a little sun protection, via full-brimmed hat, sun block, buff, etc. Two bouts with skin cancer, one on each sideburn area, has kept me quite vigilant. Recommended by my dermatologist, I use Neutrogena 100. Yes, it sounds like it would be as thick as lard but goes on very nicely and gives you great coverage.

Also, you may want to take your boat out beforehand to make sure it runs properly. You don’t want to be “that guy”, tying up the public access. Many anglers are especially anxious on opening day and tempers can be short.

And don’t be like me, two years ago on Lake Vermilion, forgetting to put the plug in! How embarrassing.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" April 23, 2019

image of pike on dock Wow. It’s hard to believe the fishing opener is only a little over two weeks away. I’m wondering if the lakes will all be ice free by then. I’m sure they will but at the time of this writing, April 22, it doesn’t look too good.

I wanted to get up to Upper Red Lake before the opener and give the crappie a try. Also, to try out the boat, as it hasn’t been in the water yet. It looks like it’s going to be a close call.

One thing to remember, if some of the big lakes still have ice, is to give the little lakes a try, as they usually warm up quicker and are ice free long before the larger waters. Another thing to keep in mind is river fishing. Rivers, generally good fishing all summer long, really shine early in the season.

I’ve a few more memories of past fishing openers to share.

Cut Foot Sioux – I had no real specific plans. All I knew was I was going fishing somewhere and going alone. I thought opening on Cut Foot would be fun and was boat ready for it. All I had to do was pick up a few minnows in the morning.

It was late afternoon on the Friday before the opener when a relative of mine stopped by the house to visit. He asked if I was going fishing in the morning, an obvious hint I thought. He then went on and asked who was going. After a few more hinting questions, I couldn’t take it anymore and asked if he wanted to go along. Plans were made. We’d leave my house at 7 am.

The next morning, I was up early, like normal, and had breakfast out of the way and sipping my coffee, waiting, and waiting. Finally, when it was 10 am, I gave up on him and phoned my father, asking “how would you like to go fishing?”

images of crappies on stringer Dad and I got a late start but eventually joined the large fleet of boats and caught a few walleyes. It was a little slow, but we had fun and enjoyed the day.

I pretty much knew what happened. My first guest, who was staying at his cabin, got drunk the night before and stood me up, not caring one lick about my plans. He was a guy that only fished once or twice a year, at best, and didn’t realize how important fishing was to me. Naturally, a good tongue-lashing was in order the next time we met.

Jessie Lake – Openers usually find me fishing alone or going along with someone special. This time, it happened to be an old-timer from Nashwauk. He didn’t get out anymore and was thrilled with the invite.

Using jigs and minnows, fishing wasn’t too bad, and we were tossing a few “keepers” in the livewell. Then, he gets a heavy fish on. It was fighting hard and I was sure he had a northern pike on, until I went to net the fish, a large walleye.

After a few photos, I told him how important it was to release the big fish, adding “that’s a good spawner.” “Yes, it is” the old-timer said as he tossed it into the livewell.

He was so happy with that fish that I couldn’t really say anything else. It was his fish and perfectly legal to keep, and he might not ever have another chance to go walleye fishing. I couldn’t wreck the moment but it’s one I’ll never forget.

Elbow Lake – Four of us couples decided to open the season on this lake, which wasn’t the best choice, but we were out to have a little fun and had cabins rented for the weekend. It looked to be a fun bunch.

On the way up to the lake, we stopped to pick up bait. That’s when it all started.

One of the guys, Rick, grabbed a minnow out of the shop owners net and swallowed it. The bait shop owner was immediately angry, to which Rick said “you must buy your minnows?” “Yes, I do” the irate bait peddler answered back.

I just stood there, grinning, and wondering at the same time, thinking “what in the world.” Little did I know this would be just the start of a somewhat bizarre weekend.

Shortly after leaving the bait shop, traveling in direction of the resort, Rick slams the brakes on and goes running into the ditch. A couple minutes later, he comes proudly walking back to the truck with a woodchuck.

He saw it standing in the ditch and killed it with a rock, saying “I’m going to grill this at the cabin for us.” Oh, good Lord. I fished all day long, wondering about that poor woodchuck and when it was time for dinner, recall having just a very small piece, just to please Rick. Never again.

Upper Red Lake – I’ve opened here several times and the fishing can be fantastic, as it more-than-likely will be this season.

On one of the openers, Marilyn and I left Keewatin around late-morning and arrived at the Tamarac River access around noon. This may sound like a slow start, but I’ve done this often and it works out well.

By the time we get there, many other anglers have their limit and have left the parking lot, making it easier to find a place to park. There’s also a lot less traffic and there’s not such a rush to put the boat in and get out of the way.

On this day, we put the boat in and were ready to head out fishing, when I found the starting battery to be dead. I’m still not sure how this happened but there we were, dead in the water.

I used the electric motor to get us out of the way and tossed an anchor up on shore, close to the docks.

Wondering what to do, we tossed out our jigs and minnows and began catching fish-after-fish, right next to the docks.

I eventually found someone to give me a boost so I could load the boat up in that current, but by the time we were through, we had caught over sixty walleyes.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" April 16, 2019

image of greg clusiau with Rainy River Walleye "I had to get my licks in, long as almost everybody else was too. I’m referring to the great walleye bite on the Rainy River, which has now since closed and won’t open until the fishing opener on May 11.

Sitting here, thinking that I’ll never make it up there this spring, a message popped up on my computer. Jesse Larcom was making the trip and wondered if I’d like to go along. Well heck ya! Count me in. Even though it was a last-minute offering, it didn’t take me too long to have things ready for the next morning. All that was need was a couple rods and some heavy jigs.

I had all the gear sitting on the tailgate of my truck and ready to go, when Larcom rolled in right on schedule, 4 am.

Not long into the trip, I was wondering about my decision, when large snowflakes peppered the windshield. It was going to be a cool one, staying below freezing for the entire day, accompanied by 19 mph northwest winds coming of a large, freezing ice sheet on Lake of the Woods. It looked like I’d be wearing my warmest ice fishing clothes one more time, before packing them away for the summer.

We put in at Wheeler’s Point and were a bit surprised by amount of traffic at the public access. We weren’t the only crazy ones. Big walleyes can do that to a person, no matter the weather.

image of Jesse Larcom The first challenge was at the boat ramp, which was frozen and had the truck sliding toward the river for a few feet. Once the boat was unloaded, another obstacle greeted me. How was I going to get in the boat?

The river’s edge was lined with slippery ice and just how thick would it be? It was kind of hairy easing out onto the ice so I could reach the boat. Thoughts of it breaking off and me going for a cold swim entered my mind but all went smoothly. Heck, I don’t even swim in the summer months, let alone ice out on the Rainy River.

Using ¾ oz. jigs, tipped with minnows, we started fishing fairly-close to the access and slowly worked our way upstream. Heading into the current at .2 mph, we worked the depths of 18-22’, waiting for that first bite.

It was slow and I hoped things would pick up as the day went on and water warmed. The water temp was recorded at 34º and remained there for the rest of the day.

We had a couple light bites but missed them. I was thinking they were small walleyes but that’s not always the case. Jesse played with one of those light biters for a bit and set the hook into a nice 22” walleye.

I followed up by having a fish slam my jig and put up a decent, heavy fight before coming off. A couple small saugers were caught before I caught my best and only walleye of the day, which was measured at 24”.

Yes, it was tough out there but at least we were in the boat again and that’s always a good feeling. It didn’t matter that we faced occasional snow showers and gusting winds. We were dressed for it, barely, and all equipment worked just fine. That’s always a huge plus.

When we first started fishing, the river was “clean” and easy to fish. We were trying to keep our jigs just up off bottom a bit, not wanting to drag them. However, when we did, they came up clean. Not so, later, when we decided to call it a day.

Reports were that “the forks” had let go and river conditions were changing for the worse. “The forks” I speak of, are the Little Fork and Big Fork rivers, which flow into the Rainy. When it warms up enough, to the point of major runoff, these rivers can really mess up some great fishing.

You’ll see it happening. Slowly, but surely, the water clarity diminishes and turns to a zero-clarity chocolate/coffee color. The forks also contribute debris, in the form of loose vegetation that manages to find your jig within minutes.

When we loaded up the boat, ice floes, which were non-existent in the morning, were becoming more present, another gift from “the forks.” You certainly don’t want to hit one of these with your boat.

On the other hand, the sturgeon were providing a little action, for those that were anchored in the middle of the river. I think I’ll try that next time."


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" April 9, 2019

It’s not too early to begin thinking of Minnesota’s general fishing opener, which is only four weeks down the road. I’ve been slowly readying equipment and am anxiously looking forward to it. So far, an equal amount of time has been devoted to fishing rods, tackle, and the boat.

The first thing I do is check air pressure on the trailer tires. This is easy enough to do and can save you a little money in the long run. I learned this the hard way, wearing out a set of new tires in one summer. Yes, I fish a lot but certainly didn’t drive the miles needed to wear out two new tires.

I found that I was running my tires with too low of air pressure. Since then, the new tires have been kept pumped up at the required 50 psi and they still look like new.

I also gave the trailer’s wheel bearings a few pumps of grease. There’s nothing worse than having one burn up on the highway. I’ve been there too. Lessons learned. These are easy maintenance duties that will keep you on the road and fishing if you stay on top of things.

So, far, the only open water that I’ve heard of, has been the Rainy River and anglers are making their way there in droves. There’s a lot of fishing pressure, but also a lot of very nice walleyes being caught. I haven’t made it up there yet, this season, but may make the trip if I get my boat ready in time.

This time of season has me thinking of opening day and how many different lakes I’ve enjoyed it on. There’s a bunch of them, when considering I’ve “opened up” on approximately fifty of them. Wow. That’s a lot of fishing. Some of the memories are:

Big Winnibigoshish – I hopped in the boat with Bruce, my brother, and Rick Riipinen, aka “Rip” or Griz.” Bruce had just purchased a new boat and we were making the maiden voyage, mixing in with hundreds of other hopeful anglers.

Fishing was extremely slow on this opener and many anglers were down-in-the-dumps and short-tempered. Many looked at us with disgust, as we slowly trolled along and were laughing all the way along.

What they didn’t know was fishing was just as terrible for us, but we were listening to comedian Ron White’s new cd and having a good time in doing so. I enjoyed that cd so much that I practically had the entire thing memorized.

Fun was being had but the smell of gasoline was always present, and we couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

After the weekend, Bruce brought it back to the dealer and they found that one of their installers had accidently drilled a hole in the top of the gas tank. And here I was with two smokers on that day!

Big Bowstring – I had a guide trip on this opening day and had trouble in convincing my clients to get up early enough to be at the public access at first light. They had traveled up from the Twin Cities and wanted to enjoy the evening and sleep in a little. The earliest I could get them to meet me was 8:00 o’clock.

Well, you know how almost all accesses are on opening day. By the time we got there, the parking area was packed, with no room left, and a string of cars and trailers stretched out to the highway. I knew that would happen. Never-the-less, we finally got the boat in and had a banner day, over by the rock pile.

I’ve spent openers on larger lakes, like Leech Lake, Vermilion, and Upper Red Lake, but have done a bunch of small lakes as well, just for old time’s sakes.

Crooked Lake – Marilyn, Kris, and I opened here about 30 years ago and it was one of those unpredictable springs, never quite knowing what it was going to be like.

We started out, trying for walleyes, and weren’t having any luck. It was cold and eventually began snowing. Fishing for as long as we could take it, we agreed to go back to the truck to warm up. Sitting there long enough to have lunch and let the feeling come back to our fingers, we headed back out after the snow let up.

Back on the same spot, I noticed some suspended fish and wondered if they could have been crappies. By casting out small jigs and minnows, and counting them down 10 seconds, before reeling back in, we got into a very nice school of crappies. This ended up being a good opener, but cold.

Little Bear Lake – Again, it was walleyes on our minds but crappies that saved the day. Kris, age 8, had caught our only walleye, a nice, chunky three-pound fish. Noticing movement in the weeds, near shore, we changed tactics and got into one of the best crappie bites I can recall. The big fish were in there, stacked up and hungry and it turned out to be a day to remember.

La Rue Pit – Here’s a thought to remember, when talking of opening day. If the weather doesn’t look to favorable for walleye or panfish, give stream trout a try, as they’re much more forgiving to inclement weather in the spring. The cooler water temps will have them “up high” and very accessible.

Jerry Waldvogel and I did this and what a stellar outing it was. By day’s end, we had caught 35 rainbow trout by trolling small crankbaits. Of course, it’s always easy when fishing with Jerry.

Check the DNR stocking records and give it a try. There are plenty of trout lakes available to us. No boat? Fishing off shore can be equally as good if you hit it right.

Then again, in recent years, I’m not as much a diehard as I once was and often take a hard look at the weather before heading out. There’s been openers that have found me sitting near the living room window, sipping hot coffee, watching snowflakes and people pulling boats.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" April 2, 2019

image of big twins baseball glove A couple successful late-ice crappie outings found me satisfied enough to start putting away the ice gear. I even got the boat back in the garage and charged up the batteries. Now, it won’t take a whole lot more to get it ready for open water. I just love being way ahead of the game and that’s unusual for me, normally a “foot-dragger.”

Fish talk with Andy Walsh, my walleye tournament partner, changed to baseball, with me telling him “I’m going to a Twins game this spring, even if I have to go by myself.” Moments later, he responded by saying “how about opening day?” “Absolutely” was my hurried and obvious answer. A few more seconds passed, and he said “we’re in.”

I couldn’t believe he could get tickets, and good ones at that, only a week and a half prior the opening day game on last Thursday but he did.

Andy’s very “techy” so it didn’t take long before he had lined up an entire itinerary, which consisted of Twins tickets and light rail schedule, along with other touristy things to do while waiting for the stadium gates to open.
I drove down to Andy’s place on Mille Lacs on a Wednesday evening so I wouldn’t have as long a drive the next day. This cut the trip in half.

His plan, and I’m still recovering from this one-day marathon, was to arrive in Elk River super-early, where we would have no problem finding parking, and then take the train to Target field. This made things easy and, also allowed me to check off one of my “bucket list” items, as I had never ridden on a train. Yes, I know. I need to get out more, but most of my time finds me fishing somewhere in the North Country.

Making our way to the top section of the train, we hear someone shout “hi Andy.” It was a couple of WAM (Women Anglers of Minnesota) members, aka “WAMERS”. Longtime members and very good friends with Mary, Andy’s mother, we joined them for a little fish talk while making our way to the stadium.

Once there, I could cross off another bucket list entry, as I had never been to Target Field. After walking around and taking note of the beautiful stadium, it was time for breakfast, which Andy had penciled in at Mickey’s Diner.

A trip into St Paul, via Lyft, an on-demand transportation company (another one off the list), had us there in minutes.
Mickey’s didn’t disappoint. I’ve driven past it, dozens of times, but never had a chance to eat there. It’s about as cool a diner as you’ll find and extremely busy. I noticed the sign, posted on the wall, advising “no longer than 30 minutes.” Luckily Andy and I are both fast eaters.

Uber brought us back to Target Field. Now, all we had to do was wait, and wait. We were still several hours early, and the gates didn’t open until 1:00 pm. This predicament found us later having coffee at Caribou. It was just something to pass the time.

Fans were starting to slowly filter in. One young fella, wearing only shorts and a tee shirt, was standing in line, and the only one at this particular gate. As we passed, I said “aren’t you cold?” It was quite cool out and I was anxiously looking forward to receiving the free “puffy vest” that was offered to the first 30,000 fans, mainly so I could wear it and warm up a little. He said, “no. I’ve been the first one through this gate for the last four years”, an obvious avid Twins fan.

Once in, we settled in our seats like sardines. It was packed, with attendance hitting the 39,000 mark. Another bucket list item was crossed off the pad. I had never been to an opening day game before and it was well worth the trip. Andy and I agreed to start our tournament season like this next year, as well.

I’m planning on heading back for another game, or two, before the fishing season officially gets underway. Yes. I like my baseball.

Getting back to fishing, the Rainy River is open, and anglers are catching walleyes. If there is anything negative about this spring phenomenon, it’s the fact that most every walleye angler in the Midwest knows about it and usually ends up there for a trip or two. It’s crowded. Check out the drone footage of all the parked vehicles on my Facebook page. It’s unreal.

There’s also a photo of one of the often mishaps that take place during this early-season walleye gold rush. It’s of a nice walleye boat that had slid off the trailer bunks and is sitting on the ground. Cool temps make bunks icy and one might have problems putting boats in (when they’re froze to the trailer) or out, when they will slide right off. Be sure to use the safety chain. It’s not summer.

Good luck, have fun, and GO TWINS!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" March 25, 2019 "Ice Fishing As Good As It Gets"

image of ice fisherman catching crappie Late ice fishing is about as good as it can get right now. My last outing consisted of me and my brother, Joel, using a snowmobile to reach a productive crappie spot. There was just enough snow to keep the machine all lubed up and running good.

Now, lake conditions are favoring ATVs, as there has been a total meltdown and all surfaces are glare ice. It’s great travel and fish are being caught but make sure to wear ice cleats. It’s quite slippery out there.

I’ve slowly and hesitantly put away most all my ice gear, in early preparation of open water adventures. I do, however, have one rod bag packed and ready to go on a moment’s notice. One never knows. There’s still pretty good ice for local panfish and perch. Just be careful and proceed with caution.
Heading further north, where the ice is a bit thicker, Canadian lake trout fishing can be very good at this time of year, as is the trophy northern pike fishing on Lake of the Woods. There’s a lot to do if you search it out but I’ve been spending more of my time re-rigging the long rods.

One of the first open water bites, that I’m focusing on, is walleye fishing on the Rainy River. The season runs from March 1 – April 14 and a new modified regulation is “Catch-and-Release only.” I think most anglers go up there with that in mind anyway. Some very big fish can be caught during this period, along with great numbers. Just grab your favorite jigging rod, a box of jigs (various weights to match currents), and a bag of plastics. Minnows work well too but plastics have been HOT!

Another fun spring bite that takes place on the Rainy River is sturgeon fishing. If you’ve never caught a big fish before, now is your chance. It’s pretty basic too. All you need is “heavy stuff”, which consists of an anchor(s), rod, line and sinkers. Bring along a bunch of nightcrawlers for bait and you’re good to go.

I use 28# river anchors to hold me in place. You can get by with one but two, placed at both ends of the boat, will keep you from swinging around in the current. Whatever you do, DO NOT drop the anchor off the back of the boat. It’s a good way to sink your boat (too much current pushing against the transom).
Many anglers use musky rods and I’ve done the same but for the most fun, find yourself a 7-8’ heavy duty Ugly Stick. They’re inexpensive and you can really “lean on them”. Fun stuff for sure.

A bait-caster reel with a “clicker” setting works well. All you need to do is cast out and let the bait sit on bottom and wait for “the click.” Then the fun begins.

The sturgeon season from October 1 – April 23 is Catch-and-Release only. From April 24 – May 7, anglers can keep one (per calendar year). Fish must be 45-50” inclusive or over 75”. Now that’s a BIG fish! We’ve a sturgeon trip in the works for the NK Anglers class. Any boat volunteers out there? This will be a hoot.

Although the Rainy River fishing is always fun, I usually get more excited about the ice out spring panfish bite. The season is always open and all one needs to do is to keep an eye on local lake ice out conditions.

I’ve found it better to give it a go about two weeks after the ice has disappeared. This is a cheap trip too and anyone can do it.
I often use a longer rod for this because I’m fairly-stationary, casting from shore or wading. A 7’2” Tuned Up Custom Rods “Apex” works well. The longer rod allows one to “reach out” and cover a lot of water from one spot.

Don’t get too wrapped up about using light lines, as it’s usually not that much of a factor. I prefer 8 pound test mono, which might seem heavy for panfish, but there’s a reason for the stronger line and that’s because it allows you to pull away from weeds and/or tree limbs, etc. Just tie on a Northland Tackle “Fire-Fly” jig and you’re in business.

The Minnesota general fishing opener is May 11 and that date will have me fishing for walleye on Lake Vermilion. The reason I’ll be on the “Big V” is because a week later, Andy Walsh and I will, once again, be competing in the City Auto Glass Walleye Classic. I’ll be fishing Lake Vermilion quite steadily, until it’s “go time.”

Now is the time to do a little prep work and with that comes ordering new tackle. I just put in a small order of Northland Tackle’s “Long-Shanked Fire-Ball” jigs. These are great jigs year ‘round but I find myself using them the most during the early going, when spring fish are up shallow and chasing minnows.
“Thread” the minnow (preferably a shiner) onto the jig by going into the mouth, out the gill, and as far back as you can go, sticking the hook into the back. This allows you to make long casts that won’t spook fish and the minnow will stay on when hooked this way. A lighter jig, like the 1/8 oz. model, works well for shallow water fishing.

Yes, another open water season is right around the corner. Get ready!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" March 18, 2019

image of bluegills on the ice Mother Nature keeps on teasing us and although recent warmer temperatures have greatly reduced snow levels on the lakes, one still needs to use caution.

Walking in the back yard, I noticed that I was able to walk on top of the frozen snow. Wondering if it might be the same on the lakes, I readied my panfish gear and headed out to see if that was the case.

Cautiously, I made my way out to the fishing hole with a snowmobile. It was perfect! I was riding “high and dry”. One hole was drilled, and fish were caught. It turned out to be a good morning.

If there was any downside at all, to this successful trip, it was the fact that good wax worms are about as scarce as hen’s teeth. Many of the bait shops were sitting on thousands of worms, during the recent two months, due to poor fishing weather, and now, when we’re able to get out and use them, they’re about shot. Luckily, the fish were hungry enough to eat flat, non-moving, discolored waxies, and I’m glad they did, as they had no interest in plastics.

Coming off the lake, I met a fishing friend, who was set to walk out. I told him of my happy experience with the Bearcat and the fact that there wasn’t really enough snow out there to run one. It looked perfect for an ATV, as hole drilling didn’t discover any slush.

Asking if he had any ice cleats (yes, it was that slick out there), he said no but lived close enough to go back home and get them. He also planned on coming back with his four-wheeler.

The next morning, bright and early, I arrived at the access and headed back out, noticing slushy, deep tire tracks, thinking to myself “that doesn’t look good.”

Without incident, I made it to the fishing hole and began catching. It was beautiful out, with no wind and a fairly-warm air temp. I sent my son some fish photos, which prompted him to join me, using his side-by-side.

An hour later, I noticed some commotion near the access and went to investigate. It was Kris, and youngest granddaughter Claire. They were packed and ready to go fishing but had trouble driving out. The heavy machine found any weak spots and there was plenty of slush below them.

Plan B. Make it back to the access, with the side-by-side, load it up, and have me pull them and their fishing sled out on the lake. The Bearcat worked fine, with all three of us riding out at the same time. As I stated, “high and dry”, there wasn’t even any snow in my track, clean as a whistle.

Done fishing, I met my buddy from yesterday, who was going to try it again. He said he got stuck and had to call someone for help. I felt a little bad about that. Lake surfaces can be so deceiving. He was driving a snowmobile this time.

I’ve had people contacting me, regarding lake travel and I think the best way to describe it is “each lake is different. You’ll have to slowly check it out.” I’d hate to say “yeah, go ahead” and have them getting stuck and wasting the day.

image of the rod podI’ve even had a couple phone calls regarding fish houses that needed to be removed as of last Monday. Many anglers had trouble in getting them off the lake. This was such a terrible winter, one would think the DNR could give them a one-week extension, or so.

I watched one guy, and his buddy, take apart a dark house, piece-by-piece, and make multiple trips to shore, where it was loaded in the back of a truck. It was frozen in pretty good, so there was no salvaging the old shelter. It was a total demolition job. I kind of figured that when he rode out with his snowmobile and had a chain saw with him. That’s something you don’t see every day.

I picked up a little more ice fishing gear last week. Normally, when we’re so far into the season, that I don’t purchase a whole lot but when Dan Burdick, of the Hibbing L&M store, showed me the “Rod Pod”, I had to have.

The Rod Pod is, basically, (and in my words) a flexible, but strong, plastic sleeve that can accommodate ice rods up to 30” in length. Grab the reel-seat, and gently slide the rod into place and it stays there. The rod snaps into position, via three enlarged openings (your choice depending on length of rod), and the durable plastic holds it there until ready to use.

I usually manage to break an average of two rod tips per year, mainly because I fish a lot (the law of averages) and I’m just flat-out hard on equipment. No broken rods yet this year and hopefully it will stay that way.

Remember, regarding lake conditions, PROCEED WITH CAUTION.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" March 12, 2019

image of Zach Apel with big Lake Trout One of my recent trips had me trying my hand for jumbo perch. The weather, although not all that cold, wasn’t the best on this day, due to strong winds. It was brutal, trying to fish outside, without a shelter.

Longtime fishing partner, Brad Brown, and I doubled up on my snowmobile and made our way to a proven big perch spot. The resort had closed the ice road to vehicles, because of deep snow, slush, and flooding, but it was open to foot traffic, snowmobiles, and atvs.

I was a little leery, at first. Would we be getting stuck? Making our way onto the lake, I was delightfully surprised to find that we could ride on top of the crusted, hard-packed snow. Like a roller-coaster ride, we drove over numerous “snow moguls” as high as 4’. It was easy getting around.

Brad set up in a likely looking spot that had fish below him, while I searched other areas. Not wanting to set up a shelter, I found a high snow drift that offered protection from the wind. It looked to be the perfect spot.

I drilled a hole and started walking back to the snowmobile, for my equipment, and heard a strange sound. “What is that” I thought? Standing there for about thirty seconds, taking in the noise, I glanced back toward the hole and found the culprit. It was a gusher of water, almost looking like someone broke off a fire hydrant. The heavy snow was pushing water up at least a foot high. Well, so much for that spot.

I eventually set up my shelter and asked Brad to join me. He had Vexilar battery problems and was fishing without any electronics. We could easily use one unit, together, if he was fishing in the same shelter. Sitting there, fishing and chatting away, a snowmobile was heard crossing the lake, coming to a stop in front of my shelter.

He introduced himself as the game warden and asked to check our licenses. I told him “go to the back door.” To which he responded, “where’s that?” “In the back” I responded, laughing. I wasn’t trying to be a smart aleck, but all Ice Runner shelters have a “back door” entry.

He enters and I figured I might as well keep up the wise cracks by saying “I don’t need a license, I’m 90 years old.” He answered by saying “well, maybe 65.” Thank goodness he had a sense of humor and was extremely pleasant.

I had just realized, upon purchasing my license, that Minnesota residents under 16 or 90 or older don’t need a fishing license. Right away, I thought of my father, who turned 90 last August. I’m going to get him out in the boat this year, whether he likes it or not.

I complained to the warden that it was ridiculous to offer free fishing, once a person has reached 90 years old, and went on to say it should be a lot younger. Why not give these folks a chance to enjoy a few years of free fishing? It’s not like they’re buying that many licenses at that age anyway.

Then Brad pipes up “I suppose you bought a trout stamp too?” “Yes”, I answered. He went on to say, “you don’t need one if you’re over 65 years old”. I said I’ve been buying them each-and-every year, to which the warden stated, “thank you for contributing to our retirement fund.” Ha ha. That was good.

For as much as I fish, the yearly license fee for a resident married couple, which is what I buy, is only $40 and a “reel” deal. I’d gladly pay more. We have some of the best fishing opportunities in the country and are truly blessed.

After the perch outing, I decided to walk out and check one of our local panfish lakes, which has been off limits to everyone for two months because of the slush. Traveling as light as possible, I pulled a tote sled with minimal equipment.

I was surprised that I was able to walk to the “fishing hole” and not step into any slush. As a matter of fact, most of the walking was done on a hard-packed surface. I think it’s time to start using the snowmobile again, until the spring melt gets underway. Can’t wait!

Super-early, one recent morning, three deer were walking in the intersection, in front of my house. A country boy at heart, it was so cool to see. They eventually spooked and headed north, right down the middle of the street.

I’m sure many of them hang in and around town to escape the coyotes, of which there are plenty. Summer and fall has the deer eating flowers and apples, right off the trees, in various yards in town.

I can’t imagine the stress and tough times they go through. Especially during a winter like this one. How many little fawns will make it? I’m not sure I want to know.

While lake conditions have pretty much kept me off the lakes and at home most of the time, looking for something to do, it also gave me the opportunity to follow our local sports teams at a closer level and with-that-being-said, congratulations to the Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin Raiders hockey team. What a tremendous season. The entire North Country is proud of you. Thank you!


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" March 5, 2019

image of Claire Clusiau with lake trout from superior "I thought I’d try it again, but it didn’t happen. A run out to one of my favorite fishing holes, with the snowmobile, had me meeting huge slush pockets and deep snow. A precarious situation, I cautiously turned the Bearcat around and headed back to the access, without getting stuck. It looks like I’ll have to learn to be a bit more patient and wait until warmer weather mends lake conditions so we can get back to a normal March and late-ice.

The next outing, two days later, was another trip to Lake Superior, which is practically the only game in town, unless one wants to make the run up to Lake of the Woods.

Going solo, once again, I almost had seven heart attacks, pulling my shelter ½ mile out to deeper water and back. I didn’t last long on this day, as it was way too windy and cold. Driving back home, two hours later, I thought about the “Smitty” sled and wished I had one.
The “Smitty sled, which is actually patented and offered for sale on Facebook, is a simple elevated bracket that mounts on a pair of skis, making for easy hand towing across the lake.

Many anglers are configuring their own designs, made to match the type of equipment they’ll be using. Done right, you can easily pull your shelter, auger, heater, and all other needed equipment with one finger. It’s that easy.

“Smitty” sled kits are sold but you will need to find your own skis, which shouldn’t be all that hard to do.
So far, I’ve made three trips to Lake Superior and haven’t caught a fish. Pretty pathetic. I did, however, have one on for a second but it shook loose.

lake superior ice fishing travel conditionsOther anglers have struggled too. Then again, some have had stellar days, catching as many as thirteen fish. Much like a lottery, you have to hit it on the right day and in the right spot, and there’s plenty of them out there. It’s up to you to find it.

My last trip was a short one, as well. Making it out to deeper water, around 140’, I found too much current and was unable to read my Vexilar. The current pushes your lure out of the cone angle and makes it undetectable to your electronics.

I remember fishing Chequamegon Bay, many years ago, and had to place my Vexilar in a hole about 10’ away from me. I was fishing one hole and reading the Vexilar from another. I also recall the tidal effect of the current coming to a halt and then reversing and going in the other direction. It’s kind of spooky knowing there’s that much moving water below your feet and you’re on somewhat thin ice.

On this day, it was too cold to stand outside and use this two-hole practice, so I kept heading toward shore, drilling holes, until the current subsided. In this case, it was at 84’. I thought the fish might possibly use this current break as an “edge.” You look for little things like that, when fishing big water.

I never caught anything but did see two fish, just off bottom. They weren’t interested at all in my offerings.
Snowmobiles and ATVs were running around on the big lake, which is something you don’t see very often. The big lake “breathes” and water is always moving, making it quite unpredictable.

As I was heading off the lake, I chatted with a nearby angler who said “if you follow my tracks, be careful at the crack. The ice is only 1” thick there. I was using a spud bar and it went right through.”

I should mention that some of our local favorite waters are getting back into the swing of things. High Banks on Winnie has the road opened back up and perch are biting. Geiger’s Trail’s End Resort on Big Bowstring has the road opened as well but just to be on the safe side, call before heading that way.

Also, did you remember to buy a new fishing license? Don’t forget. Good luck, be safe, and always have fun!"


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" February 26, 2019

image of lake trout caught on lake superior "Totally miserable lake conditions have many resorts struggling to keep the ice roads open and this ranges from Mille Lacs Lake all the way to Lake of the Woods. Strong winds and snow have created problems, stranding many on the lakes, but this will be cleaned up and all will be fine. It’s the slush/water problems that some are dealing with that is creating havoc.

Some of the smaller bodies of water have resorts shutting down their roads due to flooding. It’s bad enough to have a lot of snow pushing down on the ice but when anglers get a little too lazy and drill holes on or too close to the roads, that’s when it gets to be just too much to handle and that’s too bad.

I can’t recall, ever, fishing so little. Lake conditions have kept me at bay, as well.

However, I did find a “little” spot that has no slush and hardly any snow and although it requires a little bit of a drive, it can be well worth the effort. I’m talking Lake Superior.

Yes, the largest lake in North America is now offering foot travel for some pretty darn nice fish. This doesn’t happen very often. As I was walking out on the ice, another hopeful and excited angler shouted to me “this is the chance of a lifetime.” That’s the mindset of many.

I’ve fished there before, years ago, when the ice had frozen up to the point where it was safe to walk out a fair distance. Back then, there was absolutely no snow cover and ice thickness was in the 10” range. The walk out scared me half to death, as you couldn’t tell how thick the ice was and the water was pitch black in color. Needless-to-say, we checked ice very often on the way out, scary stuff indeed.

Last week offered better conditions for walking, as there were occasional snow drifts, scattered throughout glare ice areas. I wore ice cleats and was glad I did. Who would think one would have clean ice, when compared to the terrible conditions we have here at home?

image of broken ice on lake superior There are several areas to fish. It all depends on where you decide to wet a line. Unsure? Take a drive along the North Shore and notice groupings of cars, parked along the roads. You’ll find many options, but some of the access sites may require a bit more work, as some of them offer easy walking and others a real challenge due to broken ice, heaves, etc.

Pack light. That’s what I was told, and they were right. Thank goodness it was fairly-warm on this day that I didn’t need to pull a shelter with me. All necessary items (Vexilar, chair, rods, and tackle) were stowed away on a small sled.

Not really knowing what to expect, I had ice picks dangling around my neck. I wanted to be prepared, just in case. The ice, by the way, measured 10”. I thought “I could have brought my snowmobile” but that was just a passing thought, as the ice can be dangerous, especially where the cracks are. Also, there wasn’t one form of motorized travel out there but plenty of anglers. Kind of tells you something, doesn’t it?

The walk, about ¼ mile, wasn’t bad at all and allowed me to fish anywhere from 60 to 130’ of water.

Our group of seven spread out so electronic interference would be at a minimum. This also had us covering several different depths, some relating to structure and some not. Some were just fishing the deep-water basin, hoping a big lake trout would pass by.

One of the guys was sight-fishing in 60’ and saw a steady stream of herring below him. Also mixed in the school were two coho salmon and a lake trout. He wasn’t all that far away me and my partner and we weren’t seeing anything?

If there’s any problem at all in fishing a large body of water, it’s the fact that sometimes it’s like finding “a needle in a haystack.” Smaller lakes aren’t hard at all to figure out but large water? Good luck. It’s like playing the lottery at times.

A variety of baits were offered. Many had tied on a Northland Tackle “Mimic Minnow Tuff Tube”, as it was the lure of choice on the day before, when several fish were caught. This day, however, was a different story. We were struggling.

I only saw a handful of fish and had one on for a second before it shook off. Mike Patras, in our group, had a big fish on for a while before a snap broke open. It was one of those big ones, the kind we were looking for. It inhaled a Storm 360 soft bait and never shook like crazy, as many smaller trout do. This one was just very heavy and pretty much did what it wanted until free.

Good fishing but slow catching went on throughout the day and we ended up only putting five fish topside.
The recent mini cold snap should help out a lot of our local slush problems. It also means that I’ll be pulling a shelter with me on my next trip to Lake Superior.


image denotes link to fish rapper article Lake Superior Ice Fishing Update February 26, 2019

image of fish Note: 2/26/19 After reading Greg Clusiau's report about the Lake Trout fishing on Lake Superior, I wondered how the ice conditions were in the aftermath of the weekend storm. I asked Jarrid Houston to share some information and here's what he offered.

"It (Lake Superior) is actually probably some of the most accessible ice in the upper Midwest right now. We do have snow covered ice, but nothing compared to the big waters of Northern MN.

We are currently accessing Lake Superior on the WI side (Superior, WI) with machines. Snowmobiles are better, but wheelers are doing just fine. Ice is anywhere from 6 to 14 inches thick on Wisconsin side.

On the Minnesota side, we are seeing some machine travel as well, but I have not brought out a wheeler for myself. Sherpa (one of our guides reported seeing side by sides out by Lester River.

There are thousands of anglers fishing the twin ports, so fish have certainly been pressured. The Laker bite still has been fair to good, but time on the water will prove results. I prefer to stay on the shallower side for more hook ups and multi-species and always still the chance at a Laker.

Many come here with a mentality to run and gun for these fish. In my opinion that is not the answer as you cannot chase these fish. Best to get out set up and be patient. It certainly can make for long hours sometimes, but sometimes it can be magical. Tight Lines & GoOd FiShN!" Capt. Jarrid" — Houston's Guide Service, Jarrid Houston 218-393-4962


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" February 19, 2019

image of teens setting up ice fishing shelter A trip was made to Blue Lake, a local favorite, last week. Not because of the great potential the flooded reservoir offers but it was an opportunity to visit with longtime fishing buddy Luke Adam. Luke, an avid angler and teacher at Nashwauk-Keewatin high school, for the past 17 years, was fishing during mid-week. Hey! What’s going on here? Wasn’t he supposed to be “working?” Well, fact-of-the-matter is, he was, as it was the inaugural outing of the Spartan Angling Class.

Adam has been teaching this class, every day, since January 17, and this was their first opportunity to get out doors and do it “for real”. He applied for and succeeded in obtaining a grant from the Minnesota DNR, an effort to bolster angler recruitment and retention. The course will run through the end of the school year and pick up again in September.

This year, there are only 13 students involved with the program, but Adam expects it to be a full class next fall. Most students, two of which are girls, are in 9th and 10th grade, with a lone senior. Their ice fishing experience ranges from seasoned anglers to “never have done it before” but all have a ton of enthusiasm.

image of keewatin ice fishing outingSo far, there are a couple other possible fishing trips on the schedule. Luke mentioned the famed spring sturgeon bite on the Rainy River (all the kids want to try this one), along with Upper Red Lake walleyes, once the season gets going. Mille Lacs Lake has crossed his mind, as well. They’ll also be making a spring visit to the Cut Foot Sioux walleye egg stripping operation.

The class has adopted a local brook trout stream, Pickerel Creek, near Pengilly. Working with the DNR, they’ll be cleaning and maintaining the fragile stream that runs into Swan Lake.

It takes more than a grant to make a program like this successful and Adam has a lot of additional support. He already has a lot of donated fishing equipment fishing equipment for both summer and winter.

I asked, “where do you keep all of that stuff?” “In my room” Luke replied and laughed saying “it looks like a fishing emporium.”

Out on the lake, the students had beat me to it, and were all set up. Shelters were scattered across the first main bay, always a good spot to fish. Blue Lake was perfect for this outing, as it’s a local favorite fishery and almost always has a plowed road. This made it easy for the group to drive out. The rest was not so easy.

Mother Nature was quite rude on this inaugural day, offering deep snow, slush, gusting winds and snow, but the kids loved it.
Nathan Bird had room in his Eskimo hub fish house and offered me shelter from the storm. I had a good chance to visit with him and catch a few fish of my own, about two dozen of them.

image of teen baiting fish hook Luke was busy showing the students how to go about setting up a dark house for spearing northern pike. Wading through deep and slushy snow, they found a suitable spot close to shore. This is a lot of fun. It’s the hole cutting that can wear a person out.

Halfway through the outing, principal Ranae Seykora rolled up to check things out. There was a good deal of activity taking place and I could tell from the smile on her face that she greatly approved. And if I’m not mistaken, I think “somebody” got stuck out there? Hmm. Can’t really remember.

Everyone was catching fish, as there are a lot of them out there. The big challenge is to find a few of the bigger ones. Fish kept were going back to the school, where Luke would put on a fish-cleaning clinic. These kids are going to learn each-and-every aspect of the sport of fishing.

The Spartan Angling Class, like any other high school class, is a place for students to learn. On this day, they learned how to set up for spearing, how to “go small” for catching panfish, how to set up a shelter properly and stay comfortable.

Some of the students even learned the importance of anchoring down a hub shelter when it’s windy out. I realized this, when I saw one go floating past me, tumbling and lifting in the air, all the way to the other shore. Hey, it’s all fun and I hope they learned a lesson here.

Special thanks to The Great Outdoors in Pengilly for the bait, the Minnesota Darkhouse and Angling Association, Minnesota DNR, Bio Bait, Northland Tackle, Grand Rapids L&M, and NK-G Transportation.

*Note – anyone wishing to donate to the Spartan Angling Class, please contact Luke Adam at Nashwauk-Keewatin high school or principal Ranae Seykora.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" February 12, 2019

image of pill container for fishing plastics "It’s sometimes hard to come up with new thoughts for an article, when things haven’t changed all that much, meaning this miserable weather. Best options to fish, as I constantly state, are plowed ice roads out of resorts. That, or local fisheries that receive a lot of pressure, to the point that a well-beaten-down trail is available.

My last outing has been a week ago, in an effort to do a little exploring. Gaining access through a well-traveled resort, I planned on checking out other deeper waters that were basically untouched. This meant I had to bring along the snowmobile.
Looking over the weather forecast, it showed a major snowfall beginning around 6:00 pm. This would work perfect. I would hit the lake around 1:00 pm, fish until dark, and then skedaddle, before the heavy snows got underway.

Well, even the best laid plans can go haywire and they did on this outing. First off, it was already starting to snow by the time I reached the lake, not a lot, but you could tell it was going to get bad.

Pulling the trailer out on the lake, I unloaded the Bearcat and headed to greener pastures. I was anxious to check out the lake because the day prior, my brother, Scott, and I rewired and mounted my Humminbird Helix 7 graph on the snowmobile dash. The big, and accurate, screen made it a lot easier to see exactly where I was going and just where I preferred to fish.

Halfway to my pre-picked destination, the Bearcat started to bog down. My first thought was the belt was slipping, until I turned around and saw all the slush. It was deep and water was flying everywhere. Lucky for me, I had a travel cover on my shelter.

I “pinned” it and got the machine to a more stable area that looked to be “fishable.” Walking off to the side, carrying the auger, I broke through the surface and found myself standing in slush and water up to my shins.

A hole was drilled and I fished just long enough to catch a small perch. It was time to move on. This is the scary part. I knew I had to give it all it had to get out of there and by now it was a white-out. I had trouble in seeing my truck and trailer, which weren’t all that far away, maybe ¼ mile.

Out of the “risky area”, I traveled fast enough to insure myself a decent chance of not getting stuck. I drove right to the truck, loaded up, and went home. I had fished less than an hour and was already on the road, heading back home. At least I had a little common sense. Back “in the day”, I would have pushed the limit, staying until dark and flirting with getting stuck out there for the night.

The next morning, I had more than enough snow to remove from the back yard. There was a lot. I had to do it in shifts, shovel, rest, shovel, rest, etc.

Things were looking pretty good until I happened to glance at the roof of my house. The snow was quite high and needed to be dealt with.

Resting long enough to recharge, I climbed atop the roof and begin another workout. The snow was deep indeed, reaching 3 ½’ in areas.

When finished, I had all the open areas that I had shoveled earlier, filled back up with an even heavier snow. Frustrating. I left it until the next day.

Early the next morning, my little dog, Lily, needed to go to the bathroom, I thought. This had me shoveling a walking trail, in my pajamas, at 5:00 am. I showed Lily what I had done for her and she turned away, not interested at all in going outside. Grrr.

Four hours later, my lower back was killing me and still is to this day. I can’t even lift a shovel (I wonder if I can lift a fishing rod?) and as much as I like to fish, I’m afraid to even try it. I can’t imagine lifting and carrying an auger and drilling a hole in the ice. Using a snowmobile is totally out of the question.

So, for now, I’ll be watching way too much television, and living vicariously through others fishing reports. I never thought that would happen.

I am, however, getting more prepared than ever for the City Auto Glass Walleye Classic to be held on Lake Vermilion, May 18. Looks like I’ll be opening the season there, once again. It’s a fun event and the $15,000 first prize is nothing to sneeze at.

For those not wanting to risk getting stuck on the lakes, check out the 53 Annual Duluth Boat, Sports, Travel, & RV Show, held February 13 – 17 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" February 5, 2019

image of icer fishing gear lit by lantern So, there I was, sitting out in the middle of the lake, minding my own business. I had arrived before the sun was up, in an effort to take advantage of a possible early-morning crappie bite that never did happen.

It was now a little after 7 am and I could finally see just what was going on. Beforehand, with a light breeze added to the mix, I had trouble with my fishing lines getting wrapped up around the end of the rods and anything else possible. That’s what happens when using 2 and 3 pound test and you’re in the dark.

Now, with lines retied with new jigs and all set for a little action, I was back in the game.
The air temperature was just warm enough to be fishing outside, without the use of a shelter, which was stowed in the back of the truck, just in case.

Standing there, with my back to the wind, I was focusing on the Vexilar and never noticed the visitor, until it was about 100 yards away. Walking quickly, with that tell-tale “wolf-like” gait.

My first thought was “is that a wolf?” Closely watching the animal, as it neared my truck, I wasn’t sure. Dismissing it as a large domestic dog, but not quite certain, I looked back down at my Vexilar and forgot about it for a second or two, until something touched the back of my leg.

That’s when I wished someone was filming, because it startled the daylights out of me. I jumped, thinking I was going to be attacked, but soon realized it was a beautiful Siberian Husky, I think. I slowly reached out and rubbed the top of its head, which it clearly enjoyed. Then it ambled off, across the lake, leaving me still wondering.
Oh, the things that take place, when one is in the outdoors most every day.

I see mention of a lot of ice fishing contests taking place across the state. I used to enter as many as was feasible. It was always a lot of fun, but I did eventually realize that it was more like winning the lottery, as much luck is involved, especially with the large, grand events.

The first one, called the “Golden Rainbow” contest, took place on Forest Lake in 1984. I purchased a ticket for what I think was $35 and set out to win a house. Yes, they were actually giving away a new modular home.

The place was packed, and excitement was high for all. Buses shuttled us from the parking area to the contest site, where all holes were pre-drilled and waiting for some lucky angler. I remember lining up with everyone else, waiting for the “shotgun start”.

Not really knowing exactly where I was running to, I stopped about a third of the way out and started fishing. I had too much gear, like normal.

I learned one thing right away and that was I should’ve worn all-rubber boots, because thousands of anglers in one spot created a small lake on top of the ice. My feet were wet from the start but there I stood, for the next several hours, hoping to catch the big one.

Well, needless-to-say, I didn’t win a thing but that didn’t stop me from entering again the next year. This time, I was prepared, as I slid my boot liners inside of “bread bags” before the event. It didn’t work and I ended up with the same results as the previous year.

I’ve been all over, fishing these big events (Forest Lake, Brainerd Jay Cees, Side Lake, Lake of the Woods, etc.) There’s just something special about it but I learned a long time ago that it’s better to be lucky than good.
I did place one time, while fishing on Lake of the Woods in Manitoba.

I was sitting there, visiting with outdoor writer and good friend Brad Dokken, when I thought I saw my rod twitch. Slowly picking up the rod, I set the hook and a fish was on. Oh my!

Getting it to the surface, I found it to be a Minnesota-type “hammer-handle” northern pike. It was small but possibly worthy of a prize of some sort.

I noticed that when ever anyone caught a fish and was bringing it up to the official weigh station that most of the crowd would chant “go, go, go”. Most fish-catchers ended up running and stumbling their way to the weigh master.

I wasn't going to do that, as it was a long way to run, so I dropped it in a 5-gallon bucket and slowly sauntered my way there. The fish was registered, and I returned to Brad to finish out the contest.

When the event ended, we stood around to see where I would place, if at all. I was surprised when they called out my name, finishing 14th or somewhere in there, and winning a nice MotorGuide trolling motor. The fish, by the way, tipped the scale at .58 pounds.

The winning fish ended up being a 6 pound non-game fish, beating out a 6 pound walleye because it was entered first. The winner, and get this, received a brand-new pickup truck, with an ATV in the back, and it was pulling a shiny boat, motor, and trailer!

So just go. You never know.

Good luck, be safe, keep your feet dry, and by all means, have fun.


image links to wired2fish Wired2Fish February 4, 2019 "Ice Fishing With Custom Mapping - Find Fish Fast"

image links to bass fishing video "Finding productive fishing spots is one of the biggest challenges in ice fishing. Your ability to cover water and find fish is reduced to a hole in the ice and vertical jigging.

Accurate mapping has become a must-have tool for today's savvy ice angler, as it allows you to make smart location decisions before drilling a hole.

Wired2Fish's Ryan DeChaine explains how he uses custom mapping created during the open water period on the ice to map out and strategically drill holes.

Detailed contours lines coupled with bottom hardness and vegetation overlay data add valuable information to ..." View Video and Learn More >> Ice Fishing With Custom Mapping - Find Fish Fast


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" January 29, 2019

image of crappies on the ice "Cold weather got you down? Hang in there, because it’s forecasted to be wonderful ice fishing weather this weekend and it’s about time. Man. What a stretch of miserable weather we’ve had. Hanging around the house, I was getting a bit stir crazy. Even a trip to Walmart was somewhat exciting. Isn’t that sad? At least the frigid temps should have stiffened up all that slush, making it a lot easier to get around.

Prior the cold-snap, I visited a few of the resorts, knowing full well they would have plowed ice roads to some of the best bites going. This includes walleye, perch, and crappie. It all depends on which lake you care to fish.

Prepping for each trip usually takes place the night before and believe it or not, a lot of planning usually goes into each outing. Everything from fish species, tackle, rods, and clothing, to lake mobility. How will I get around the lake?

Super-cold days will have me leaving the snowmobile at home. I just don’t care to do that anymore. Especially when there is a good chance of running into slush. Been there, done that, too many times. I guess I finally learned. Like the time we left all our equipment out in the middle of the lake, returning days later to retrieve it.

Clothing is a huge consideration and much depends on how I am going to fish a particular body of water.

If the weather is marginable, I’ll dress somewhat light, but have plenty of extra clothes in the back seat. I’ll drive to the lake, looking like I was just making a run to the store. Once there, if a resort is handy, I’ll put on the “bibs and boots” inside. It’s certainly a lot easier than hopping around on one foot, trying to keep your socks dry, while standing out on the lake.

The boots are usually kept in the house at night and placed in the truck before heading out. That way, they’re nice and warm. Also, my feet won’t sweat, while wearing warm boots in the truck. Especially if it’s a long ride. Short drive? Like to Blue Lake, which takes ten minutes. Then I’ll dress “ready to fish” and not worry about getting too warm. All is considered.

Many have seen me, with pants tucked into my boots (I always say I look like a jockey LOL), and there’s good reason for this stylish dress. I prefer to keep my pant cuffs dry so when I go home, all I do is slip out of the boots and I’m ready for the inside. 

Drilling holes, quickly pulling the auger up to clean of slush, gets water all over everything. Pant legs left over the boots get frozen chunks of ice all over and make a mess, especially during cold weather. Returning home like this has me hanging bibs in the basement to drip dry for the next day.

I’m surprised that I make it throughout most of the winter by wearing lighter insulated Muck boots. Up to the knee, they’re perfect for drilling holes and I’ve kept fairly-warm with them. However, when I know I’ll be standing outside a lot and it’s going to be cold, I’ll put on a heavier pair of insulted boots. They may be heavy and clumsy but at least they’re warm. The pant legs go inside these as well.

Gloves? I usually don’t wear any but will slip a pair on if needed. I’ve caught plenty of tight-lipped panfish, while wearing gloves. You wouldn’t think you’d be able to “feel” the bites, but you can, in a sense.

Although I use highly-sensitive Tuned Up Custom Rods, I always find myself studying the end of the rod when a fish gets near my bait. By closely watching the rod-tip, you can see the lightest of bites, even before you feel them. It may only be a slight difference in the line or bend in the rod, but it signals a fish is on the other end. Time to set the hook, and hard.

I made a trip to Blue Lake a few weeks ago and bumped into an angler, who was just getting back into the sport of ice fishing, after an 18 year hiatus.

Observing the angler’s new equipment, I noticed there wasn’t any type of electronics. Greg to the rescue. I usually have an extra Vexilar with me, just in case.

I said, “of all equipment, some type of electronics is absolutely necessary if you want to catch fish on a consistent basis.”

A crash course on using the Vexilar took place and within minutes, I had made my case. And although the angler had nice rod and reel, I noticed the line was too heavy. “It’s 8 pound test” said the angler. I gave several reasons why a lighter line should be used and offered a spool of 3-pound test Berkley Ice Line.

The angler had a new 10” power auger but I just had to demonstrate my 8” K-Drill. It went on and on, from jigs, spoons, baits, etc. Finally, I had to leave.

A few days later, I received a text from the angler saying a new Vexilar was purchased, along with a K-Drill, and fish were being caught.

I do this all the time. I’ll demo any product to anyone that wishes to see or use what I have. Yes, I work with these companies, but the real bottom line is, I want people to catch more fish. Isn’t that why you’re out there in the first place?

Good luck, always be safe, and have fun.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" January 22, 2019

image of big perch "Sloppy lake conditions most always force me to go elsewhere and with that said, I’m referring to larger lakes with resort plowed ice roads. Hey, may as well make it easy. This time, it was High Banks Resort on Big Winnie, which is in its 90th year of doing business!

The first time I’ve been there this winter, it was nice to touch base with owners Rick and Kim Leonhardt and that was somewhat difficult to do, as they were running steady, like normal, keeping up with supplies, customers, cabin cleaning, and ice roads. These are some busy folks.

Behind the bar, holding down the fort, was Pat O’Reilley. Pat owns Northland Lodge, which closes for the winter months. He was quite busy as well, serving customers with whatever their needs were (reservations, road passes, minnows, drinks, and more) and answering a phone that seemingly was ringing non-stop.

Yes, it’s a busy place, especially when plowed ice roads are in such high demand, and Rick has many, many miles of them, reaching out to several prime fishing locations. Large loops, in front of the resort, are made and each one features multiple “spur roads”, where parking locations are set up for wheel houses. Yes, there are plenty of places to fish and one doesn’t have to worry about crowding.

No matter how many times I’ve driven on ice roads, I always have a special feeling when doing so. It’s nice knowing that I won’t be beating up my truck, trying to make it across the lake. Now, even two-wheel drive vehicles have equal opportunity to catch a fish or two.

image of ice road on lake winnie The main roads are in excellent shape, being extremely wide and looking like a four-lane highway, and have at least 20” of ice. That’s plenty safe for most anything.

A lineup of customer wheel houses sat close to the resort, on each side of the road. They’re just parked there for the time being, waiting for regular customers to bring them back out on the lake each weekend.

Scattered in depths, from 14’-30’, High Banks has fifteen rental shelters (5 sleepers, 5 day-houses, and 5 spear houses), offering anglers many options. Also, their resident guide, Dave Farrand, has three sleepers as well.

The fishing report was consistent with most other area lakes, being somewhat slow. I noticed this after the big snowfall we received. It seemed that most fishing slowed down after that. However, O’Reilley said “everyone is catching fish. No one’s getting skunked.”

Rick stated that the lake was clearing up pretty good, compared to being murky after first ice.
I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do on this mid-week day but brought along a bunch of fishing gear, just in case. Well, you know me. “When in Rome.” I had to give it a go.

It was a little cool out, and breezy, but I drove around long enough to find a likely looking spot to try. Bare-in-mind, I didn’t bring along any live bait and it was midday. I knew I would be in for a challenge.

Not wanting to set up a shelter, I parked so the truck would block some of the wind and drilled a few holes about 50’ off the road. A reminder! DO NOT drill on any ice roads. It may be nice and easy for you but often floods the entire road. Unfortunately, it happens every year.

I found my spot by following the Navionics mapping, installed on my cell phone. If you fish a fair amount and haven’t used this, you need to do so. It’ll save you a lot of time, when it comes to drilling holes.

I set up on the edge of a steep breakline in 32’ of water. Most walleye action takes place early and late in the day, so I wasn’t too concerned about them. I was hoping to find a few jumbo perch. Many times, they’ll be concentrating a little deeper, especially during the midday hours.

It took two moves before I found any fish. At first, they would come up and inspect my bait, which was a Jig Rap at the time, but it was too much for them. At least they were showing signs of interest. I knew they would bite if I presented the right bait. But again, I had no live bait to help entice them. I think crappie minnows would have done very well.

Going to a small panfish presentation, a 1/80 ounce hair jig (made by Skunky’s Jigs), hanging 12” below a silver dropper spoon (for attraction), I was able to catch a few perch (one very nice) and a tullibee before calling it a day. That was it. I had fished an hour and had enough fun. I just wanted to see if anything could be caught and the answer is YES. If I had minnows along, I may have stayed and waited for the evening walleye bite.

Get out there and DO IT.

For more information, contact High Banks Resort on Facebook, www.highbanks.com, or phone (218) 246-2560.


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" January 15, 2019

image of sauger caught on lake of the woods Another outing is in the books for the famed Minnesota walleye. This time, my son-in-law, David Holmbeck, and I did a day-trip to Lake of the Woods. It’s kind of a killer trip, seeing how it’s about 3 ½ hours one way, but usually well worth it.

Recent reports, from friends that were up there, had anglers doing very well, catching several fish. Limits were easy to achieve, and numbers of bigger fish were being caught as well.

The weather was nice, with roads being clear and dry. This makes for easy traveling. It’s so nice not dragging a snowmobile trailer along. Especially that distance. There was no need to, as the ice roads had plenty of solid ice and vehicle traffic was the norm.

The only downside was that the deer are still doing quite a bit of running during the twilight hours and we had to be on our toes, or brakes, some of the time. We encountered quite a few of them.

Our destination was Adrian’s Resort. I heard several good reports from anglers fishing “out of Adrian’s”.

Once to the lake, we traveled about 7 miles out and picked out a spot to fish. This is sort of like a lottery, as the 32’ depth remains constant and it’s up to the angler to find that hungry pod of fish.

Yes, the plowed roads are all over the place but one can drive “off the road” to reach those isolated areas that may hold walleye. We used my truck, which did the job, but I wished I had better “gripper” tires, as we got stuck a few times. Not bad, but just enough to slow our plans.

image of ice fishing shelter Setting up, using two holes each, I told David “I’m setting the dead-stick half way down and jigging the other rod near the bottom.” He set both of his rods just off bottom but quickly adjusted one of them after I caught two fish that were cruising at 15’ below the ice.

We caught a few quick fish but then it slowed, for about an hour or so.

Leaving our portable shelter set up, with all gear inside, we grabbed a couple rods, minnows, and Vexilars, and took off in search of a better spot.

Snowbanks were challenging but there are low spots that allow one to bust through the berms, in order to get off the road a way.

Our first attempt worked. Driving 50’ off the ice road, holes were drilled, and two quick fish were caught. It was time to resettle, so back to base camp we went. It certainly didn’t take too much time for us to toss everything in the truck and move. We wanted to get back to that spot before the fish had decided to leave. One never knows.

Once set up, it took a while before the bites started happening, but it wasn’t fast and furious.
When it slowed down, we’d venture outside and drill a few more holes. The weather was favorable for this.

It was a sporadic bite for most of our day, but we still managed to catch about 20 fish. Nothing big. Well, we did lose 3-4 heavy fish. One was right in the hole. Most were of the smaller variety but went in the fish bucket anyway.

For the most part, sauger were caught closer to bottom and walleyes about half way down, but one never knew until pulled through the hole.

Best baits? I’m not sure there was one. I caught my first fish on a big “glassy/glow” jig that was purchased along with the minnows at Adrian’s. You know how fishermen are. I can’t go in a bait shop without buying a little more tackle, especially if it was something I hadn’t tried before.

The trip in review: Nice roads, easy travel, great weather (a little breezy), good lake travel, decent fishing, smaller fish, and a good time. I’d do it again.

On the local ice fishing scene, many lakes are offering challenging travel, as slush is more than abundant. These are the times that you may want to go through a resort so you can use a plowed ice road. Lake of the Woods?


image denotes link to fish rapper article Lake of the Woods, LOW Tourism January 15, 2019

image of walleye caught on lake of the woods On the south end, anglers continue to catch good numbers of both walleyes and saugers of all sizes.

Most fish are coming from water depths of 28 to 31 feet, with an early morning, late evening bite occuring shallower. Water depths of 15 to 22 feet along many shoreline areas are best for the prime time feeding runs.

Jigging one line, deadsticking with a second using with lively minnows is the best strategy. Gold, glow red, pink and glow colors have been consistent.

Some anglers using noise and flash to attract and catch fish, but don't overlook using a ..." Read More >> Lake of the Woods Ice fishing Reports January 15, 2019


image denotes fishing article by Greg Clusiau Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guide Lines" January 8, 2019

image of greg clusiau with big walleye "Most walleye producing waters, in our area, provide the best opportunity to catch a couple during the low-light periods of early-morning and late afternoon/evening. Large walleye waters, like Big Winnibigoshish and Leech Lake, for example, fall into this category, as do local favorites like Swan and Trout Lake.

Sure, you can “luck out” and catch one or two, on occasion, during the mid-day hours, but that is pretty much not the case. It’s fishing the small windows, usually about 1 ½ to 2 hours, during the light-changing periods, that will get it done for you.

Thank goodness for lakes that allow you to catch fish all day long. Three walleye factories that immediately come to mind, when speaking of an all-day-bite, are Mille Lacs Lake, Upper Red Lake, and Lake of the Woods. These lakes, however, are much like all walleye waters, offering better action early and late in the day.

If you have to drive a bit and spend some time on the road, in order to reach your walleye destination, you may as well have the opportunity to catch fish all day long.

I’ve been on Upper Red Lake many times and usually come away with a nice limit of fish and enjoyed fairly-steady action throughout the day. That lake is always fun.

Lake of the Woods usually never fails but I don’t get up there as much as I would like to. A one-way 3- hour drive can do that to you. Day-trips are a bugger and one is better off spending the night somewhere.

Mille Lacs? I’ve only ice fished it one time in my life, before last weekend, and on that occasion, I never caught a walleye, only one monster smallmouth that made the In-Fisherman magazine.

image of Andy Walsh measuring Walleye Tournament fishing partner, Andy Walsh, has now settled on the shores of Mille Lacs and spends a good deal of time on the big water, summer and winter. This comes in real handy, when pre-fishing needs to be done for a walleye tournament. It also helps when he pre-fishes it before I make the trip there during the winter months. There’s no time wasted, searching around. Just go to the spot(s) and start catching fish. Perfect! And it’s only an hour and a half away.

It also helps, when someone who has fished the lake for nearly three decades is a member of your fishing party and that guy is Cal Flander.

Cal tested the waters, the day before my trip, and caught over fifty fish by himself. Now that’s enough to talk anybody into going.

Joined by Lake Superior charter captain, Lorin LeMire, and his son, Joe, the five of us gave it a full day last Saturday, fishing from dark-to-dark.

We used snowmobiles and traveled from Andy’s place to a few spots, six miles out on the lake. It’s a little rough out there, so speed was kept to a minimum but it’s an excellent way to reach the little hotspots that Cal had found on the day before.
If there’s a problem at all, with ice fishing Mille Lacs Lake for walleye, it’s the limit. For those wanting to catch a fish or two for dinner, the limit is only one, and it needs to measure between 21” and 23” (or one over 28”). Out of Cal’s fifty fish, the day before, only one was in that “magical” slot limit.

The DNR sure has this one figured out. I wonder what changes for the lake Sarah Strommen, our new DNR commissioner, will have in mind, seeing how her first love is fishing. Now that’s a good thing.

Cal might have been a little disappointed in our success, but we weren’t complaining. Catching was considerably slower on this day but the five of us still managed to ice over sixty walleyes (and not a one in the keeping slot). That’s pretty darn good, if you ask me.

And with the one fish limit, one would think that you’d practically have the entire 128,000 acres to yourself. That is definitely not the case.

Blink your eyes and imagine that you’re fishing on Upper Red Lake. Well, it’s not quite that busy but not too far from it. Little groupings of anglers were scattered all-across the lake. Thankfully, the lake is big enough that no one was really crowded. There’s plenty of productive water out there.

There was also a lot of trucks and wheel houses on the big water. Many resorts have plowed ice roads, enabling anxious anglers to reach their desired locations. It’s amazing when you think about it. Most all these anglers are out there just because “they like to catch fish.” They’re not too concerned about bringing anything home.

One resort reported that a stream of wheel houses, the night before, lasted for a solid three hours, and that’s just one report.

It’s happening out on Mille Lacs Lake. If you want to get in on the fun, give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. There’s plenty of fish to be caught (and released).