Field Report May 15, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Fishing Blues Brothers!
Well, I’ll tell you this much. I’ve had some slow fishing openers but this one had to go in the books as the worst, as far as catching walleyes. However, as far as having fun, it would rank right up there with some of the best. It was basically three brothers, three lakes, no walleyes, a few small northern pike, a lot of miles, and a lot more fun.
Three of the oldest Clusiau brothers, in my family, according to age (me, Bruce, and Joel), teamed up on a Friday evening and made plans to fish the general opener together. I just love these last-minute decisions but that’s how I roll and I‘m sure it won‘t be the last time.
My 1650 Lund wasn’t even ready to go anywhere, as I didn’t really plan on using it. My original plan was to use my 14 footer and go to some small lake, just like the days of old. I kind of like that.
Bruce had only recently sold his 17’ Lund, to my son, so he didn’t have a large boat to use either. He did have, like me, a little 14’ aluminum that worked just fine for him, up in the back country of Little Bear Lake, where he lives.
Joel, on the other hand, had a 16’ Lund but it wasn’t ready to go either. However, with a little hustle, he managed to prepare it for the next mornings opener. This included airing up the tires, pumping some grease in the trailer bearings, charging the battery, and putting new registration stickers on it.
Our plan, was to stick somewhat close to home, so Big Bear Lake was our lake of choice. Now Big Bear isn’t a little, forgotten gem of a walleye lake but we grew up on that water, having two different cabins on the lake and we could usually scratch out enough fish to make it interesting.
The weatherman was dead on, as it was in the mid-30ºs, when we headed north. Meeting Bruce at the public access, we took our time in getting things ready. It was cool and we had all day to fish.
Each rigged with something different, we hit our favorite spots and after four hours of steady fishing, only had a couple small northern pike to show for our efforts. This wasn’t the Big Bear Lake that we were accustomed to, although I often describe the fishery as being a “fickle hellcat.” We agreed it was time to pack it in and head to another lake.
This time, we would be traveling east, a good deal, to Elbow Lake and I should have known better but am so easily lead astray.
I was the only one to have ever fished it before and it was so long ago that I couldn’t remember a thing about it, other than I struggled there, too, on opening day one time, about 35 years ago. I hadn’t been back since.
Finding the lake, it dawned on us that we had no clue where to go. The lake is fairly large and we never had a map of any sort with us, gps or paper. So needless-to-say, we did worse there than we did on Big Bear. Although there was quite a bit of traffic on the lake, we only saw one fish caught and that was a northern pike in the four pound range. Two hours here and we were ready, once again, to move on.
This time, we headed even a little further down the road, ending up at the Echo Lake public access. A lot of people must have had the same idea because the parking area was over-flowing. Maybe this was a good thing!
That thought was quickly tossed aside after a short visit with an angler, who was going home with his young son. When asked how the fishing was, he said “one walleye and one crappie. It’s real windy.” That made me think a little. He was in an 18’ Lund and was having trouble. Not good.
He was right. It was miserable out there and most all boats were fishing the leeward side. It didn’t matter if it was a good spot or not, as long as it was calm.
Here too, small northerns were the only fish that would bite, for us anyway. We fought it for a few hours and finally tossed in the towel. We had enough. Mother Nature would win on this opener. That’s okay. It was still a good time. It didn’t matter that we traveled 200 miles for the day. It was a good time. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Field Report May 7, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Happy Opener! - Well it’s finally here. What are your plans? As I write this report on a Sunday night, I have absolutely no clue where I’ll be fishing this coming Saturday morning. Heck, I may not even be out in the morning, if the weather isn’t to my liking. I’ve done that before and more than once.
I remember, not all too many years ago, sitting in my living room on opening day. I was enjoying a steaming hot cup of coffee, while looking out the window, watching the falling snow. Yes, snow. It was enough to make me stay home for the morning bite. I can’t recall if I even went at all on that day. I play it a bit more wiser now. Not like in my earlier years.
One of those early openers found my family and I fishing in a snowstorm on Crooked Lake. The bite was horrendous and after an hours fishing we bunched it and went back to the car to warm up. After sitting for a good while, we gathered our courage together for another run at it.
Heading back toward the walleye grounds, I noticed some suspended fish on my flasher. Yes, flasher. It was that long ago. Digital graphs weren’t even around back then.
Casting out with a small jig and minnow, I did the “countdown” thing, letting the jig drop about 10 seconds, which was supposed to get me in the range of 10’ below the surface or 1’ per second. Almost immediately, and I admit it surprised me, a nice crappie had grabbed my bait. Needless-to-say, the rest is history.
We went on to have one memorable opener. Meanwhile, a bevy of boats circled us, desperately trying to get a bite but all in vain. If you didn’t have your bait correctly positioned in the water column, you were going home empty-handed.
But this year? I just don’t know. I thought about doing the small boat thing again, like I did last year, with my little 14’er. It would be back in some smaller, hard-to-get-into lake for panfish and pike.
My 1650 Lund has been sitting in the garage for a month now and I’ve done nothing to it. Actually, it wouldn’t take me all that long to get it ready. The biggest thing would be to install my new big-screen Humminbird side-imaging graph, which has been sitting in my bedroom all winter long. I’m excited to use it. So it’s not like I’m without a boat. It’s just that I don’t know where to go. J
I have offers too. One of them is to join a friend of mine, at his cabin, back in the bush of Itasca County, for whatever bites. That’s always fun and I might be up for that. The evening fish fry might be the tipping point.
Another buddy has invited me to cross the border and fish some of the waters of Ontario. That’s always a fun game too but it would have to be mainly lake trout because their walleye opener gets underway a week after ours. We could go in search of slab crappies but the key word here is “search.” I don’t like to travel that far and then go looking for fish, if you know what I mean. I’d rather he had them “wired.”
So, what’s it going to be? I just don’t know at this point. I do know that it will be “something.”
How about you? Keep in mind that you have many, many options and I’ve done them all.
One, obviously, is to go walleye fishing like most anglers. Another fun trip, especially early in the season, which it is, is to go trout fishing in either our natural lakes or mine pits. The trout are “riding high” at this time of the season and fishing can be pretty darn good. I’ve opened a couple times, fishing for rainbows and browns, and one particular trip has two of us boating over two dozen fish, which isn‘t too bad at all.
Don’t forget about the panfish. Crappies and bluegills are frequenting the shallows right now and are willing to bite. This is always a great option, especially when there’s kids involved. My son caught the biggest crappie of the day, 13”, on opening day, many years ago. He also caught the largest walleye, a three pounder, which was one of the few but the crappies were on the bite and it was “lights out” if you were fishing the reeds with minnows and bobbers.
My recent bluegill fishing has taken place right in the reeds, in about 2’ of water. Use a plain hook or small jig, tipped with a worm, and set the bobber at 16” and your in business.
Then again, there’s always northern pike. These things have saved many a fishing trip and are usually willing to bite on the opener. Try soaking sucker minnows or, what I like to do, tie on a spoon and go trolling next to the weeds. What fun when they slam that bait! - Good luck out there, be careful, and have a great opener!

Field Report April 30, 2012 Greg Clusiau - April “May Fly” I finally got into them. It was a last minute thought from Blake, last Friday, when he messaged me from work, asking “fishing tonight?” That’s all it took. I’m easy, especially when it comes to fishing.
Although both of us work different jobs, we do have the same 6-2 day shift and only live two blocks from one another. This makes those last-minute decisions happen a lot easier so it was no surprise when I got home and found Blake pulling up next to the house, only minutes behind me.
We headed to one of my early-spring “go to” spots, hoping the water had warmed up enough to get fish moving in shallow. I had been there a few days prior and it just wasn’t happening. Maybe it was finally ready.
I keep a close eye on the water temperatures of a handful of local lakes. Doing this allows me the luxury of not missing out on one of the better early-spring crappie bites that takes place each and every year.
No boat, just waders. This is my early season approach. Hop in the truck and drive, not worrying about how the trailer is doing because there is none. This makes getting around a little easier, especially when some of those lakes are back in the bush.
Before fishing, a quick water temperature check was made and when it showed 54º, I was thrilled, as according to my past records, the fish should be biting in this spot. The only thing that could ruin it was a strong wind and we had that but it was coming from behind us, over our heads. We were good to go.
Blake and I are both on Northland Tackle’s pro staff so it was our plan to start fishing with one of their newer products, the Impulse “May Fly.”
Blake stuck a black one on the end of a white “Bro Bug Head” jig. The jig sports bulging bug eyes, a small bug-shaped profile, and a fine wire hook, which is perfect for threading on mini soft plastics, like the “May Fly”. The smallish combination of both the hook and plastic makes it easier to fool early-season panfish.
The Impulse “May Fly” is designed with a miniature “true-to-life” mayfly body and features ultra-sensitive legs and an undulating “tri-tail” that quivers and pulsates at the slightest movement. Described as 1” long, it actually looks smaller than that because of the wispy, little tentacles. This is one of those baits that when I first laid eyes on it thought “oh yeah, this is going to work good.”
Let’s face it, when it’s early in the year, there isn’t a lot of larger prey available for crappies. That’s why they start up shallow, where bugs are hatching and minnows are micro-small. They’re in the hunt and pretty much conditioned for small baits. Now, as summer gets underway and the water’s a lot warmer, well that’s a different matter.
I went with the black “May Fly”, as Blake did, but a used a black jig-head. It’s a good idea to compare presentations with your partner, especially when you’re first starting out. You like to give the fish a little selection to see what works the best and in this case, it was the “black-on-black” combination that I was fortunate enough to try.
Casting near the old feeder-bed of an abandoned beaver lodge, my bobber didn’t have to sit very long before it slowly popped up, signaling a bite. Reeling in, keeping the rod high to avoid the “beaver brush”, I maneuvered a nice crappie to my feet. The rest was easy.
Almost every cast had the desired result, as long as you were extremely close to the brush. Cast too far out, away from the entanglements, and nothing. Keep it close, flirt with danger, and success was had.
We went home with a nice limit of crappies. It’s happening NOW. Get out there and give it a whirl. Good luck, have fun, and be safe.

Field Report April 23, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Waiting for Opening Day!
Are you ready for this year‘s open water fishing season? I’m not but that’s not unusual for me. I kind of like to drag my feet, knowing that I can always get the boat ready to sail in a matter of a few hours.
However, there are a few issues that need to be taken care of before heading out on the water and I’d like to give you these gentle reminders. In writing this, I’m reminding myself, as well.

*Fishing license - If you don’t have one yet, like me, you will need one beginning May 1st. There are several options but the basic “short list” of residential license costs goes something like this:
Military - $0, Individual - $17, Combination (husband & wife) - $25, Conservation (½ limit) Individual - $11, and Conservation Combination - $17. Also, you will need a $10 trout stamp to fish trout.
*Aquatic Invasive Species Sticker - (The following info is from the Minnesota DNR web site (Released April 5, 2012).
A new required decal is now available for Minnesota boaters to help remind them of the state’s aquatic invasive species laws, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today.

The free decals are available at: DNR offices. Deputy registrar offices where licenses are sold. Large sporting goods shops. DNR watercraft inspectors and conservation officers.
The decals will also be included in envelopes with new and renewal watercraft licenses mailed from the DNR.

The decal should be attached to all types of watercraft including canoes, kayaks and duckboats before launching on, entering into, or operating on any Minnesota waters.
The two-piece, gray-and-black decals detail new state laws that watercraft users must follow in order to avoid spreading aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny waterfleas.
The decal must be attached to the watercraft, but state law does not specify where that must occur. DNR officials recommend displaying it where it can be read and can be shown to an officer upon request. However, the decal does not need to be in view of the operator (as is the case with the state’s personal watercraft decal), and it does not need to be placed near the watercraft registration decals.
If a watercraft owner does not want to stick the decal on the boat because it is an antique wooden boat or other unique boat, the decal can be attached or laminated to an object like a luggage tag and kept in the boat.
There are two parts to the decal. Watercraft owners and operators must display the top portion of the decal on all watercraft prior to launching on, entering into, or operating on any waters of Minnesota.
The second portion of the decal is intended to be placed on the winch post of watercraft trailers or in another area to remind boaters to remove the boat’s drain plug when leaving a water access area as required by state law. It also reminds boaters to replace the plug before launching. This decal is not required by law.
There is no penalty in effect, but conservation officers can issue a warning for not displaying the decal. After Aug. 1, 2014, it will be a petty misdemeanor for boaters who fail to display the decal on their watercraft.

* Speaking of drain plugs, I’ll be looking at installing an automatic unit that can stay in place at all times. There’s a few of them out there. I’ll keep you posted as to which one I buy and why.

Spring’s coming (I think). Get ready to have a safe and fun summer!

Field Report April 16, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Refusing to Warm? I’m finding it fascinating that the weather has been playing tricks on us. I think all of us were expecting to coast right on into an early spring but that has changed big time. Mother Nature has put on the brakes, with cool-to-cold weather, and we are getting as close to a normal spring as possible. Meanwhile, I’m standing pat, waiting for the waters to warm, so I can begin my annual ritual of spring shore fishing for panfish.
Oh we were so close a couple of weeks ago, when the water teased me with 51.8º but then the bottom fell out and warm temps headed south.
Last weekend was spent checking lakes and streams and most water temps were found to be in the 48º range and if the forecast is correct (isn’t it always? J ) it’s not going to get much better throughout the week. But, as I said, I’m waiting out the storm and find this goofy weather quite entertaining.
Granted the extra time to explore, I’ve found some new waters that are only a little over 30 minutes from my house. How is this even possible? Well, what happens is we are so blessed with such an abundance of waters that most of us, me included, stick to our old honey-holes and pretty much don’t even give these other lakes a second thought. You know the old adage “out of sight, out of mind.”
We’ve seen them on maps before but when Itasca County offers over 1,000 lakes (and I’ve fished about 300 of them), it doesn’t give a person enough time to explore them all, especially when one works fulltime and basically fishes on weekends, sticking to personal favorites.
Lately, I’ve been driving on roads that I have never been on before and have found some pretty interesting lakes. Are they any good? I’m not sure but we will find out.
One of my weekend trips was back up to the Littlefork River. I didn’t plan on going back there again this spring but my buddy’s 5 year old son has been saying, for two weeks, “I want to catch a sucker.”
This little guy already has several nice walleyes to his credit but has never caught a sucker and it was really bugging him. Hence the trip up north. I went along, mainly as a tour guide, as they had never been up there before.
All went as planned and even though we encountered a slow bite, we got the “job” done. It was fun and a short video can be viewed on my fishing blog at “Life & Times in the Great Outdoors.” This site documents all of my travels and water temperature checkings.
Fishing was cut short on the Littlefork trip so I could attend the reception and appreciation event for Northland Tackle’s John and Duane Peterson, who are recent inductees to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as “Legendary Anglers” and legendary they are.
Held at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, about 250 people (invitation only) showed up to congratulate them. It was quite a night.
Words from John Peterson, “I have been truly blessed to pursue one of my passions in life…making a livin’ fishin’. My advice to today’s anglers is to make fishing an integral part of your families heritage. Fishing is not only about catching fish, but it is a vehicle to have fun and share quality time with family and friends in the great outdoors. I give thanks to the contributions that fishing has provided me and I encourage everyone to do your part in helping us continue to “hook” kids and the next generation on fishing. And finally, fishing has taught me to be grateful, yet humble, because…you’re only as good as your last catch!”
Duane added “I have received far more from fishing than I have contributed. My life-time affair with fishing has enhanced the quality of my life many times over. My love affair with water, fish, nature, and the people who fish have been influential in a healthy and happy lifestyle. For that I am thankful. I have shared a lifetime of fishing with Family and Friends, from which our relationships have grown stronger. For that I am forever grateful.” - Congratulations boys, you deserve it. I’m proud f you both.

Field Report April 9, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Getting Back to Normal? Ol’ Ma Nature certainly keeps on teasing us, with hopes of an early spring, but it isn’t quite happening. Sure, we had a great winter and an exceptional early ice out, for most all waters, but the recent cool air temperatures have put lake warming on hold and if it keeps up, we’ll be right back on track for a somewhat normal spring.
Doggedly, I keep on checking the water temps on various small lakes and streams in the area, waiting for “it” to happen. However, the water was warmer two weeks ago then it is now and by the looks of the forecast, I better not hold my breath in waiting for better conditions.
There are crappies being caught but the majority are coming by way of a boat and in deeper water, like 16’ or so. These fish are hanging out within close proximity to their favored spring shallow-water haunts but it’s too cold for them to make the move. They’re just in a holding pattern for the time being, much like I am.
I prefer to wait until they make the migration in shallow and then go from there, following their movement out to deeper water. That’s when I use a boat. Until then, I will be waiting for the shore-fishing bite to take place, then wading, and then the boat, when I can no longer reach them from the shorelines.
Actually, I removed my boat from storage a few weeks ago and haven’t done a thing to it. There was no need to get antsy, in making it “water ready”, and it sits just as it did when I pulled it home. I’m more concerned with getting all of my wading equipment lined up and ready to use.
In checking my shore spots, a “milk run” of sorts has been established but there are too many to check in just one day so half of them are looked over on a Saturday, for example, and the others on Sunday.
I know, it’s crazy, running all over the country, looking for a good sucker bite but that’s what I’ve done lately and so far I’ve covered streams from Crooked Lake’s “twin bridges”, all the way to the Littlefork River. As of last Sunday, some fish are being caught at “the bridges” but fishing room is always at a premium and if you go early to beat the crowd, the water’s too cold. Wait until it warms up, like in the afternoon, and you’ll have plenty of company.
The Littlefork River was too cold, measuring 47º, but the water level was down, making it much easier to fish. What a difference a year makes. Last spring, when I went to check it out at this time, I found it roiling with high, muddy water and getting to close to it was putting yourself in a very dangerous situation.
Upon checking out a new shore panfish spot, I was standing in a foot of water, in a densely vegetated area, making long casts to open water, with hopes that it would be warm enough to hold hungry fish. It was at this point, that I felt something was looking at me. You know the feeling.
Glancing down, I studied the weeds and found something that didn’t quite look right. Further investigation revealed that it was the head of a snapping turtle that was basically just too cold to move. The water needed to warm up for the turtles too. I quickly reeled in and ran back to the truck to get the camera and had a mini photo session with the prehistoric-looking creature.
I should mention some of my early spring “scouting tools.” One, and probably the most important, is a small, electric thermometer. It has a light cable, about 10’ long, with a temperature sensor on the end of it. I’ve added a clip-on weight, the kind used for ice fishing, to the business end, to aid in tossing it into the water. Keep checking water temps and over the years you’ll have established some very dependable information.
Others are maps, like “Sportsman’s Connections” all-outdoors atlas, covering northeastern Minnesota, my main stomping grounds. Another is the latest edition of Itasca County’s “Land Atlas & Plat Book.” Throw in “Sportsman’s Connections” fishing map guide books of Itasca and St. Louis County and your in business.
I’ve used these maps, in conjunction with one another, to locate some very good fishing holes. Many of them are unknown to the general public but with a little detective work, you can find some of your own. Throw in a handheld gps unit and you’re ready to explore.
With no snow on the ground and no leaves on the trees, now is the perfect time to find those little, off the beaten track honey holes. Get out there and find one, or two.

Field Report April 3, 2012 Greg Clusiau - This and That Finders Seekers…Someone clearing brush, for Blandin Paper Co., in the Kennedy Lake area, north of Nashwauk, looked down and found a little, gold-colored Olympus camera. Wondering if it was still in working order, he took it home and placed it in a Zip-Loc bag filled with rice, which is supposed to remove any moisture.
After a day of the “bag treatment” and hardly any visible moisture at all, he installed new batteries and found the camera, which was full of pictures, to be in perfect condition.
Wishing to return it to the proper owner, each photo was studied for the smallest clue and when he notice the registration numbers on the side of a boat, he did a little research and came up with a name. It just so happened to belong to a good friend of mine, who lost it last fall while grouse hunting.
My buddy now has his camera back, along with several photos of his late black lab, Annie. He went on to tell me that he bought that particular camera because he is hard on equipment and always on or near the water. He wanted his new camera to be as waterproof as possible and the little Olympus certainly was that. Something to keep in mind.
Spooky Waterfowl…It’s transition time again, meaning there’s no ice to fish on and it’s still a little early for good panfish action. Therefore, I am in the driving-taking-pictures mode, which has me all over the North Country. It’s fun and actually a good break from fishing.
My first “camera trip” was last Saturday and even though it was overcast and windy, I still figured on getting a few good photos. Boy was I wrong.
Every time I spotted ducks or geese that were close enough to allow me a good photo, I would park down the road a ways and quietly walk back, only to find that they had settled about 100 yards or more out on the water. They looked nervous and as soon as I reached the shoreline, off they went.
I’ve never experienced anything like this before and have actually snuck up closer to waterfowl during the hunting season, when one would think they’d be a lot more skittish. They sure were jumpy. Odd.
Beaver Fever…After Saturday’s disappointing display of sneaking talent, I decided to join my son-in-law and grandson in their beaver trapping endeavors. Here too, I came across spooky birds but did manage to get some good photos of a woodcock, which allowed me to walk right up to it, and a few more of some dead beavers. I’m pretty good at getting close to those things. J Stealth.
Strapping on the chest waders, I joined them for a morning’s hike, all over the Big Winnie area. They pulled and re-set quite a few traps and ended up with three more beaver, which gives them seventeen for the season, so far. It’s all fun. I just love the outdoors but a guy can only do so much and after that little excursion, I was plumb tuckered out for the sixty mile drive home.
Also, driving past Winnie and seeing all of that open water makes me wonder how we ever ended up successfully ice fishing a week prior. You talk about pushing the envelope. My Goodness.
Suckage…My next “challenge” will be to find some running suckers to play with. That’s always fun too and almost an annual event, which finds me fishing from the Littlefork River to the “Twin Bridges“ of Crooked Lake. Sometimes I may hit the St. Louis River as well. I usually just catch and release these fish, unless somebody is looking to use their smoker. As I said, “it’s all fun.”
As for other bites, travel north to the Rainy River for sturgeon and walleye action or south to smaller lakes that have warmed up the panfish. It’s all happening, get out there and enjoy it. Oh yeah, Happy Easter everyone.

Fishing Report March 27, 2012 Greg Clusiau - Where There’s a Wilcraft, There’s a Way
I was deep into the planning stages of spring, open water fishing, when the call came in. It was Don Lincoln of Wilcraft, saying “we’re going to be in the Deer River area this weekend and we have room for one more”, meaning me.
The Wilcraft is an amphibious vehicle that can be used year ‘round but really shines during first and late ice, when a danger factor is involved, when fishing without one.
I’ve seen them at various sport shows, over the years, and have even ridden in a parade in one but this would be my first ever legit ice fishing trip in one and even though all of my ice fishing equipment had been put away for the summer season, it didn’t take me very long to dig it back out. Who would’ve thought?
We met at High Banks Resort on Big Winnie, where we teamed up with lodge owner Rick Leonhardt and local ice guide Dave Doree, aka “Jigglestick.” From here, we went to access the big lake at nearby Tamarac Point but didn’t like the conditions. A Wilcraft could have made it out but we would have a long distance of tough going before reaching stable ice.
Checking out the Plug Hat Point access, we found much better conditions and that even counted 100’ of open water that had to be crossed before attempting to get onto the ice pack. It looked a daunting task but Lincoln and the boys are used to such endeavors and three Wilcrafts were on hand to take part.
Doree and one of the Wilcraft crew went first to “break trail”, something they’ve learned from experience. It’s usually in everyone’s best interest if someone goes first and crunches through all of the inferior ice, in trying to get on top of somewhat solid ice. This is when the electric trolling motors, mounted to the stern, are used to help propel the unit upward and on top of the ice.
The Wilcraft is basically a 10’ “jon boat” with four wheels and a 302cc Briggs & Stratton motor on the back end, which powers the odd-looking creature. It features a light “footprint”, weighing in at only 620 pounds and has a 600 pound carrying capacity. Of the three Wilcrafts on hand, there were two people to a machine, except for the one I was in. Owner Don Lincoln piloted this one, while Michael Thompson and I, both of smaller stature, rode along.
Once Doree had a spot “chiseled” out for us, we went next and then the last one, piloted by another of the Wilcraft gang, with Doree’s young son, who goes by the name “Scroungie.”
Finally on the ice, we headed into a dense fog, about two miles across the lonely, rotting, fast-melting ice floe.
Once in the general planned location, we shut off the engines and gave a holler. The faint voice of Rick Leonhardt answered back and into that direction we went, finding him about 300 yards away. The fog was that thick.
Leonhardt had taken his air-boat, from the resort, out to a spot that was producing good numbers of jumbo perch and by the time we had reached him, he and a guest had their limit of fatties.
Quickly, holes were drilled and we began to set up for a day’s fishing. I was surprised that it was only 6’ deep and found that I didn’t really need my Humminbird flasher, as I could readily see big perch swimming below me. We were fishing on top of a weedy hump and it was carpeted with jumbo perch, all of which were on the bite.
It was good fishing and even though minnows were brought along, I found it just as easy to use a small jig tipped with plastic, like Northland’s Impulse “Mini Smelt.”
A couple hours into the trip, Michael Thompson, who was looking down the hole, filming with an underwater camera, noticed that the “ground was moving”, which actually meant that the ice floe, upon which we were fishing, was slowly moving toward the Winnie Dam, several miles away. We were safe, for the time being, but it was, indeed, an eerie sight. The mighty Mississippi River was taking us for a ride.
Rick had afternoon plans and had to leave early. I had plans to, which were probably fortified by the floating ice pack, so I jumped in with him and the Doree boys and got a ride back to the resort in the air-boat. That was another reason to go. I just had to test that thing out and man was it ever a cool ride. I believe he has one of the few in the state of Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Wilcraft gang, stayed fishing, until they reached a limit of jumbos, which didn‘t take all that long.
Who would have ever thought I’d be ice fishing again this season, especially after everything had been put into storage? That’s one thing about the Wilcraft, it has the uncanny ability to extend the ice fishing season, as well as get an early start. I’m begging Don to come back up, during our next early ice season. For more information on the amphibious Wilcraft, go to www.thewilcraft.com.

For more information on High Banks Resort, go to www.highbanks.com. For more photos and comments of this last ice outing, go to my blog at “Life & Times in the Great Outdoors.” Good luck in the outdoors everyone, be safe, and have fun.

Fishing Report March 21, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Lake Winnipeg Trip; "Another great trip to Lake Winnipeg is “in the books” and here’s how it all went down".
Gathering at my place, we sat around until we couldn’t take it anymore and headed out around 8:30 pm on a Friday night. Our plan was to leave a little early and take our time in getting there. There would be no rush.
By doing this, we found ourselves sitting at the Starfish Bait Shop in Lockport, Manitoba around 3:30 am. They didn’t open until 6 am so we tried to catch a few winks. There were a few other places where we could have possibly purchased licenses and bait but this was a sure thing and we didn’t want to take a chance on any of the others not being open or out of licenses.
We each bought a license, except for Craig Hanson, who had been up there prior and already had one, a few live minnows, and a half-dozen tubs of “salties”, salted and frozen shiners.
I really wonder why we keep on buying these things, as almost all of our fish are taken on vertically jigged crankbaits, like “Rippin’ Shads” and “Live Targets.” Being packed the way they are, they become soft when thawed out and easily fall off of your hook if it’s jigged a little too hard. They’re hard on the fingers, as well, when a little of that salt gets into a cut. Yikes!
Our destination on this trip was the little community of Gimli, which measured some 380 miles from Keewatin. Thank God Blake did all of the driving. We traveled in pairs, with each truck pulling two snowmobiles. We like to explore so each year we find ourselves in a different area, even if it’s not to far off from the so-called community holes. We’re getting to know this area pretty good.
Arriving around first light, we set out to parts unknown and did a fair amount of traveling before we found an area that held a decent number of fish. The next day, we made things easier by trailering our snowmobiles to Chalet Beach. There’s always plenty of traffic in this area but the anglers are there for a reason. There’s plenty of fish, as well.
Fishing was decent. We all chipped in with quite a few fish but it was Blake Liend and Tim Ranta who stole the show. I’m sure they caught 45-50 walleyes each, over the three day’s of fishing. In total, the six of us must have ended up with close to 200 fish.
The average size ran around 21” or so and a fish of that length, up there, can sometimes weigh 4 pounds or more. It’s just unreal. Once again, we didn’t have anyone end up with one of those huge fish that lured us to these waters in the first place, although I may have had my chance.
On one of my bites, I reared back to set the hook and had the rod fold almost in half. At this point, I had never moved the fish a fraction of an inch, like all the others that I caught. In a split-second, the hook came loose and there I was, wondering to myself. What was it? A northern pike? A huge walleye? Had I blown my chance?
We’ll never know but that’s what keeps us going back. As a matter-of-fact, we’re setting our sights on a summer trip. That should be interesting.
Although I didn’t catch as many fish as Tim and Blake, I did, however, manage to catch the biggest fish on each of the three days. Not bragging here, I just want to tell you of the porky proportions of these walleyes.
Saturday’s big fish was only a 24” and while a 24” fish isn’t really anything to crow about, when they hit the 7 pound mark, they can be. What a beautiful, heavy fish it was and on Sunday I was able to find it’s carbon copy. On Monday, I did a little better, catching a 26” that weighed 8 ½ pounds. What magnificent fish! I can hardly wait for one of us to nail that 13-15 pounder.
One of our party, Chris Wilmot, was kind enough to cook breakfast out on the ice, a couple of the days. This worked well, as we ate around 10 am and had enough snacks to get us by for the remainder of the day.
On the last day, I was fishing about 100 yards away, when I heard one of the gang holler at me, telling me to “come and get it.” Oh boy. I was hungry and a hot breakfast sounded pretty darn good.
I fired up my snowmobile and headed toward the cook shack, lickety-split. About half-way there, and it happened in a blur, my auger, which I had forgotten to strap into place on the front bumper, jumped out of the so-called auger rack and I ran it over!
In an instant, I was up and over it and continued on to the hot breakfast without even stopping. Why would I? “What’s the point” I though to myself. I did glance back to look at the debris but kept on going.
Then the rains came and we were forced to end the day early. It was a good trip, even though it ended with a little mishap. Oh well, we’ll be back to give it another try and I’ve got all summer to fix that auger.

Fishing Report March 6, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Lake Winnipeg Trip Prep (Part 2); Lake Winnipeg Trip Prep
The trailer situation had been remedied and all was looking good until we had a last-minute cancellation. One of the guys, who would be making his first trip to Lake Winnipeg, had to drop out because of work. He owns a business and with business coming first, as it should, he was obligated to be in Fargo at this time. Now what?
Not only would we be scratching to find a last-minute replacement but this guy was going to be pulling a large, enclosed trailer. Now we had to find a new “crew member” and another trailer, as well.
After talking it over with our group leader, Tim Ranta, we decided to post on a couple of the well-known fishing forums, along with facebook. This may sound a bit risky, as you just never know who’ll you get but we have dozens of great contacts in these forums and although we may have never met these people, in person, we have been communicating with them for some time and have a pretty good “feel” as to how they operate and they kind of people they are.
The very first one to show some interest, which happened instantaneously, was an avid angler on facebook. Basic information was messaged back and forth and when done, I got in touch with Tim.
As soon as I said the guy’s name, Tim knew who it was, as it just happened to be an angler that he was telling me about a couple weeks prior. Impressed with the guy’s most recent fishing adventure, Tim filled me in.
In a nutshell, this angler couldn’t find anyone to go to Lake Winnipeg with him so he went alone. Now, if you lived up north in the Baudette area, it wouldn’t be such a big deal but when you live in Champlin, it becomes one heck of a drive, especially when you’re traveling solo. The trip from my house in Keewatin is roughly 350 miles and from Champlin about 450 miles.
And if that’s not impressive enough, once there, he camped out on the ice for three days and caught a good amount of fish. This guy likes to fish. Perfect. As a matter-of-fact, he has fished this wondrous walleye fishery eight times in the last four years. The drive to want to get back there again tells you just how special Lake Winnipeg is.
After his confirmation, saying he was in, a little more info was exchanged. He stated he’s basically an iron ranger and that his mother graduated from Nashwauk-Keewatin. His name, by the way, is Craig Hanson and he grew up in Cherry. His mother, Jennette Newbauer, grew up north of Nashwauk and is my wife’s cousin! Wow. Talk about a small world.
After replacing two trailers and an angler in less than a week, we were right back on track and looking forward to another good trip.
My favorite walleye rods are cleaned up, re-spooled, and stowed securely away in an Otter rod case. These things are tough as nails and I use it every time I am hauling gear in my fishing shelter, an Otter “Cottage”, which will be pulled several miles on the big lake.
The rod case is just long enough for me to bring along my favorite walleye rod, a 38” Norseman Mr. Walleye “Ice Series” rod. Oh, I should mention that I managed to squeeze four other rod and reel combos in there, as well.
Padded, the case protects all and sometimes I’ll even throw in a couple cans of soda, which are held securely and won’t bump anything and start leaking. The compressed foam even protects my electronic, digital scale, which I hope to use on those big Lake Winnipeg walleyes.
For baits, we’ve assembled a great collection of “rattle baits”, all of which are tried and true. My main tackle box houses close to two dozen of these lures, which cost up to $15 a piece. They too, are packed in foam, to protect their finish.
The plan is leave on a Friday night, after work, and make the 6 hour trip to Selkirk. Here, we’ll pick up our bait and licenses and head out to fish all day Saturday. The first day’s a killer, because of the lack of sleep. The next two, Sunday and Monday, are great. Tuesday is used as a travel day to get home. Wish us well!

Fishing Report March 6, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Lake Winnipeg Trip Prep (Part 1); They say, at least I do, that preparation for a fishing trip is almost as much fun as the fishing itself. I said “almost.”
Like most every trip I take, whether it’s for bass, on a local lake, or a more involved trip, like the one coming up, a lot of pre-trip fun is had in the preparation. This trip, an annual one, is to world famous walleye fishery Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba and I‘m having a good time in the planning stages.
As the departure date nears, we keep a close eye on the lake, as far as travel conditions. Will we be using snowmobiles, like normal, or is the snow cover down, to the point, where atvs or even truck travel is possible? Recent reports have us deciding on snowmobiles, as figured.
With that said, we have to be sure that our machines are ready for the trip. Mine needed some new carbides and a little grease, that’s all. Oh, I should mention that I mounted a graph/gps unit on the dash, along with a lighted compass, just in case. A handheld gps will be brought along, should I have any problems with the graph.
One doesn’t want to get lost on this body of water, which stretches some 250 miles, end-to-end. We usually never needed to travel any more than 10 miles in any one direction but we’re setting out for new waters this year, like we usually do. Fishing seems to be good all over but we like to explore and get away from the crowd a little. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that sense of adventure.
I heard of a recent party that got lost and took four hours to find their way off the lake. This happened toward the end of the day when it was snowing pretty good, with “whiteout” conditions, and their gps wouldn’t lock on. That’s exactly why I like to have a compass along.
Wanting everything in perfect working order, I had new hubs put on my snowmobile trailer. It’s about 8 years old and has a lot of miles on it so I figured it was due. Upon replacing them, it was discovered that one wasn’t in very good shape so it turned out to be a good call.
Making sure all the trailer lights were working, Blake Liend was working underneath the trailer, when I heard him say “it’s shot.” He had discovered a broken frame and I know exactly when it happened, as it was a fresh break, nice and clean.
It was on that windy, twisty, hilly, and bumpy highway 38, north of Grand Rapids. Somewhere near the North Star Lake area, we were coming back from a fishing trip, when we hit a frost heave. It caught us by surprise and we were lucky not to lose the only snowmobile we were hauling.
Once home, I noticed the tie-down bar, holding the snowmobile down, was broke in half. I never really thought about it too much and purchased another, figuring we were “good to go.” I thought perhaps all of those years of tightening it up real good weakened it to the point of breaking. No problem.
The following weekend, when we were, once again, going fishing, and in the process of loading up another machine, I noticed the other tie-down was broken as well. Now this really had me puzzled, as it was just tightened into place on the trailer, without holding anything down. I should have realized something was awry but didn’t figure it out.
Lacking a tie-down, we strapped another snowmobile in place and headed to the fishing grounds. We weren’t going to let a little thing like that stop us. I’d just pick up another tie-down, sometime during the next week.
We didn’t know just how lucky we were to make it fishing and back, as we could’ve had some real problems, traveling with a trailer in that sorry of condition.
Here, the trailer had flexed so much that it broke the frame and the plywood bed bowed upward to the point where it broke both tie-down bars. Now, here I sit with a worthless trailer, with new hubs. It’s sort of “all dressed up and no place to go.”
In the meanwhile, I have found a loaner trailer for our trip and have had several other kind offers and suggestions, as how or where to get it fixed. The fishing community does it again. It never ceases to amaze me how valuable it is. If you’re in need of help, of most any form, these folks come out in droves to your aid. Thank you everyone. You know who you are. J >> *Next week’s column will continue on with trip preparation and more.

Fishing Report February 27, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Winter Finally Here!
Okay, the fun’s over. No more easy lake travel, driving your 4x4 trucks, along with 2-wheel drive vehicles, out to your favorite ice fishing hotspots. Ma Nature has blown into town and she means business. As a matter-of-fact, I think she’s a bit irate.
We pushed it a little, last Saturday, because of the impending snowstorm, which, by the way, was properly forecasted. Driving to Round Lake, north of Big Winnie, we went “in search of perch.” Big perch.
Arriving at the lake, we found about 6” of snow but were still able to drive anywhere we wanted to. Glancing over a high-definition Lake Master gps chip, we picked out various, good-looking areas to try and drove all over, looking for the big ones.
Many lakes in this general area feature true “jumbo” perch and Round Lake is certainly one of them. Other premier big perch waters, within fairly close proximity, are Big Winnie, Cass, Leech, and Bowstring, Get off the beaten path and try a somewhat “lesser” lake and you just may surprise yourself, as there are plenty of them around.
Blake and I caught a lot of perch on this day but the big mamas remained elusive. We did keep a half dozen nice ones, in the 10” range, but that wasn’t what we had traveled that far for. Wanting to “save the day”, we abandoned Round Lake around midday and headed back home to a crappie lake.
However, here too, we were forced with a tough bite, catching only one small crappie, and viewing a few others, on our electronics, that refused to bite even the smallest of offerings. Sometimes that’s the way it is and it was for us last Saturday. Was it the predicted snowstorm? We’ll never know.
Sunday was spent monkeying around with my snow-blower, which has been giving me fits. I pulled it out of storage in November and haven’t had to really use it until last weekend. Playing mechanic, I had it apart more than a couple of times before coming up with a plan and a great one it is. My wife’s brother-in-law is going to be receiving a little present. He likes things like that and I’m sure that in a matter of a few minutes he’ll have it working like new. He can have it. I quit.
Nashwauk-Keewatin school district‘s “No Child Left Inside” program was held last Friday and I’m sure glad the snow waited until after this annual, fun event had taken place.
Held on O’Brien Reservoir, located along highway 169, between Nashwauk and Keewatin, all 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students enjoyed a day on the lake. This event offers outdoor activities that some of the kids have never had the chance to try before. That’s what makes it so much fun. Oh, it can be a log, trying day on the water but it’s always a good feeling when you can help some of them catch their first fish ever through the ice. I think all of those years of guiding has prepared me for this. J
I’m truly thankful for all of the teachers, bus drivers, parents, law enforcement, fire departments, and other volunteers that make this event just what it is. Thank you so much.
Fishing on O’Brien started out to be pretty good, as I was there early, drilling holes and looking for fish, before the buses started arriving. It must have been an early, low-light bite because as soon as the kids showed up, fishing got tough and I don’t think all of the activity on top of the ice scared the fish because we were fishing in 36’ of water. A couple years ago, the fish were practically jumping out of the holes. It was just “one of those days.”
Oh, there were fish caught, several dozen in fact, but most of them were a bit on the small side. That happens, when you’re trying to catch fish with the smallest baits available, like a “Mooska” jig tipped with a maggot or waxworm. Go with anything larger and the chances of getting a bite are pretty slim.
If one had to sum it up, I’d say the kids caught a regular smorgasbord of fish, with several northern pike, perch, sunfish, and crappies making their way to the surface, with a few real nice ones, representing each species.
Back to the weather, it looks like we’ll be getting good use out of our snowmobiles for the next couple weeks, as getting around out on the lakes with a vehicle is going to be a real task. If you do decide to drive, bring a shovel, and possibly a tow-strap. Good luck, be safe, and have fun.

Fishing Report February 21, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Travel Time Worth It!
Fishing mainly on weekends, each one is well planned out, usually.
I was looking forward to a Saturday of jumbo perch fishing with Jason Green and Jeff Sundin but “something” came up at the last minute. That something was an offer from former Keewatinite Mike Olson, who now lives in Minneapolis, to join him and some friends on Mille Lacs Lake for a little walleye action.
I’ve been trying to get “down there” for the last couple of years but schedules kept conflicting. Now was my chance and it was going to happen. Jason and Jeff would have to go perchin’ without me and from the way it sounded, they did pretty darn good. Never-the-less, I apologize for abandoning them at the last minute.
Saturday…Blake Liend and I left home at 4:30 am and made the 110 mile trip south to Lybacks Resort on Mille Lacs Lake. We wanted to get there around first light and all worked out according to plan.
It was a busy place, as there were fishing contests taking place, along with a vintage snowmobile ride. For a split-second, I was worried that all of that extra traffic would have an affect on the fishing but quickly realized that Mille Lacs is a huge body of water and there would be plenty of room for all.
Shortly after meeting Mike and “the boys”, we headed out to the fishing grounds. Lake travel was excellent but one still had to stay on the roads, for safety’s sake and signs were posted requiring speeds of no more than 10 mph, or else!
Strategically placing ourselves near and on top of a 10’ hump, we waited for the fish to start happening. The spot, one selected by long-time Mille Lacs angler and former Ice Team member Mike Zickermann, had a good “feel” to it. There was plenty of shallow cruising and feeding area on top, with a preferred deeper water access nearby. Perfect.
Fishing turned out to be slow but walleyes were caught, with Zickermann’s 25” fish being one of the first. I iced a 19” and a 17” and the rest of the group pitched in with fish measuring 20”, 22”, and 23”. A few jumbo perch were taken, as well. As a matter-of-fact, there was a perch contest taking place and one of the entrants caught a 13 ½” jumbo right next to us.
Later on, when the action slowed, we jumped around, looking for some active fish but it just wasn’t going to happen. The walleye bite was basically done, until the late-afternoon hours. During our exploring mission, I yanked out a 20” smallmouth. Wow. What a fish!
Blake and I, a little tired out from the early morning departure, figured we’d head home and regroup for the next day. Staying into the evening would have us “tapped out” for any travel on Sunday so off we went and we weren‘t on the road for more than 20 minutes when Mike Olson sent us a photo of another 25“ walleye, caught by him.
Sunday…Blake drove down to my house around 7 am and like normal, had no idea where we were going on this day. The look on his face was priceless when I said “the truck’s gassed up, I’ve got snacks and drinks, we’re going to Canada.” Two hours later, we were at the border, another 110 miles, only to the north this time. Hey, sometimes you need to travel to the good bites. At least I do.
Here, we met up with Rainy Lake fisherman Jeremy Taschuk and friends. Again, lake travel was excellent, with only 3-4” of snow. We drove wherever we wanted, in 2-wheel drive, until halted by one of the many pressure ridges out there.
Here too, fishing was slow, but quality fish, walleyes, made an appearance throughout the day and even picked up the pace as evening neared. Jeremy stated that the early-morning bite wasn’t that good, hence the late start to Rainy Lake. That all figures into the planning.
One of the first fish caught was a stocky 28” walleye by Taschuk. He took big fish honors for the day with that one. His hot bait was one of Northland Tackle’s new Live Forage “Rippin Shads”, which we will be using on our annual trip to Lake Winnipeg for monster walleyes.
We all caught fish, especially Jeremy’s wife, Mindy. She was on fire but couldn’t best her husbands 28”er.
So there you have it. We fished two major, top-quality, lakes in two days, 220 miles apart. Sometimes you just gotta do it. - Get out there, be safe, good luck, and have fun.

Fishing Report February 13, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Show Time in the North Country - “Angling Adventures” television rolled into the North Country last week, filmed two shows, and vanished like a thief in the night. They probably wanted their stay to last a bit longer, as both Terry and Karen Wickstrom are originally from Minnesota and have several ties here.
Terry, host of the popular television show, grew up in the Grand Rapids and Hibbing areas, while Karen, his faithful sidekick and wife, who does most all of the camera work and is producer of the show, is originally from Bemidji. They now reside in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Oh sure, I’m sure they’d love to stay a while but a hectic schedule keeps them continually on the move.
Staying at Wilderness Lodge on Big Turtle Lake, near Marcell, we laid out the groundwork for two days of filming on the ice, which sometimes isn’t such an easy a thing to do. One thing about being based out of Wilderness Lodge is its close proximity to a lot of good fishing and that made our job a whole lot easier. The less travel time involved, the more fishing we’d be able to do and with that, hopefully more fish would pop their heads out of the hole for a cameo appearance.
I should mention that our cabin, beautiful in all detail, was called the “Looney Bin.” What a fitting name for it’s most recent guests. We fit right in!
Day one was with famed “ice man” Brian Brosdahl, aka “Bro”, who lives in the nearby Max area. Following his lead, we met early last Thursday morning and headed to one of his crappie holes.
Bro wanted to get there at first light, as the fish would bite a little better, which they did. Later on, as morning gave way to noon, the fish started slacking off, as Bro predicted. It was at this time that he suggested we pack up and leave for fishier waters, meaning jumbo perch. We were game for that.
A short while later, we were drilling holes on top of a lonely, little hump, which was home to a plethora of perch, and it didn’t take long to get bit. There were plenty of smaller perch that got in the way and stole baits but every once in a while a true jumbo would come to the surface. I haven’t seen perch of that size for some time. We ended the day early, with more than enough good footage for a show.
Back at the lodge, we settled in and relaxed, as Mark Case did the cooking. We didn’t mind. It was the least he could do. After all, he had bragging rights for the day, catching a humongous perch that is destined for the local taxidermist.
The frigid weather forecast was right on so we slept in. We’d hang around and wait for it to warm up a little and while we did, Mark was again positioned at the stove, cooking up one heck of a big breakfast.
There was no Bro today, just me, leading the charge, and my original plan was to use snowmobiles to get back into a little, seldom fished crappie lake. I knew, deep down, it would be good fishing but there was just no way a camera could be operated in weather like this. It was still -10º, with a wind-chill factor of -30º. I had to change plans.
So we sat until 11:00 am and then decided to head in a different direction. We wouldn’t be using snowmobiles after all. We’d be driving out onto the lake with our trucks and we’d be filming out the window of one of them. At least we’d try to do that. It was our only hope of doing a show so we gave it a go. Now this isn’t the easiest thing to do but with a lot of determination and repositioning of the truck, we got it done.
Actually, the forced change of plans worked out pretty good, as we caught crappie and perch with Bro and bluegills with me. A little variety always seems to work out better.
For more information on Wilderness Lodge, call 877-865-6343 or go to their web site at www.thewildernesslodge.com * All perch and bluegills were caught shallow, in the 7-10' range and crappies in 25'.

Fishing Report February 8, 2012 Jason Green, What an incredible winter we have been having in Northern MN. Vehicle travel couldn't be better and it seems pretty much everywhere we go ice is 20" or thicker. We just might need the extensions for our augers shortly.
The past few days few have been targeting Pan Fish on smaller area lakes. In two days Greg Clusiau and I fished 3 different lakes looking for the ultimate bite. It might seem a bit strange but we have been finding a consistant bite in 5'-8' of water. Targeting areas with thick vegetation with micro jigs tipped with Impulse Plastics has performed quite well. The key has been to fish right in the thick of the weeds. Because of the lack of snow, vegation is still green and standing a couple feet of the bottom. Pretty remarkable sight when you drop the Vexilar Camera down. When presenting our micro jigs, we drop them to the bottom, then lift them up above our flasher marks and hold them as still as possible. Normally we have had enough caffine to make the jigs quiver just the right amount. Check back often, our new video will be posted soon!

Fishing Report January 24, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Winter Finally Here (Fishing Big Bowstring)
Well I guess winter has actually been here for some time now but to me, it has finally arrived and in grand fashion. We had a little cool off and let me tell you, I really wasn’t ready for it and can understand why some of the older folks turn into “snow birds” and head to Arizona or some other warmer state down south. Maybe when I retire? No!
No matter. The recent colder temps have made ice even thicker, on all of our area lakes, and we now have ice fishing lake travel like we’ve never had before, for January that is.
The better part of last weekend was spent on Big Bowstring Lake. How nice it is, to be able to drive almost anywhere you please. I say almost because of that big pressure ridge that runs from the Cow Bay peninsula toward the eastern shore. There might be a way around it but I opted to go back toward where I came from, the NW public access.
The NE access has it’s typical ice heave in front of it but atvs and snowmobiles are making it out onto the lake. Trucks? Well, that’s another matter. Don’t call me if you have problems.
Fishing? Well, that’s another matter, as well. On Saturday, my main objective was to find some BIG jumbo perch and I eventually found them but not where I expected them to be, as they were in 5 ½’ of water. Oh, I did find fish at almost all levels but my big perch bonanza was way up shallow.
Bunched up tight, right in the weeds, I couldn’t get a lure down to them fast enough. Perch in the 10-11” range were really on the bite, along with some larger, and I was fishing so shallow that on many a hook-set a fish would come flying right out of the hole. The first time it happened, something hit my boot and I thought “what’s that” and looked down to see a nice, fat jumbo laying at my feet.
I’d say in about two hours time I caught approximately 50 jumbo perch and it was of the best perch bites I’ve enjoyed in years. Hence, a phone call to Northland Tackle Pro Staffer Jason Green was in order.
Jason, who does a fair amount of video work for “upnorthinc.com“, was more than interested but could only join me in the afternoon. “That was fine“ I said, “I’ll go early and meet you out on the lake.”
Well, “idle time is the devils workshop” they say. Waiting for Jason gave me enough time to check out some of my crappie holes and the second one proved to be “spot on.”
Looking over my hand-held gps unit, I hit “closest” and traveled straight to a spot that I haven’t fished in years. It was a spot that held fish back in my guiding days and what happened flooded me with memories from the past.
On my very first hole, I spotted some fish down below and dropped down a glow-white “Mini Smelt” impaled on a glow-red “Mud Bug”. It was greeted half-way down by a fat, hungry crappie. “Wow” I thought. Let’s get back down for another.
The next drop was greeted in the same manner but broke off my 2 pound test line near the hole.
Not wanting to waste time in re-tying, I grabbed the closest rod at hand, which had a Northland “Forage Minnow” jig on it, one of my all-time favorites. A full crappie minnow was stuck on the business end of things and down it went, only to be intercepted by another large crappie.
This went on, as fast as I could bait and drop, and in five minutes time I had six large crappies laying on the ice. Then they were gone.
Fishing a large, flat area is sometimes difficult to do and it was on this outing. Two dozen holes later, I could only find perch, and big ones at that. Where the crappies disappeared to is beyond me. When Jason arrived, it didn’t matter what was going on, we went to my new “go to” perch spot.
Here too, finding quality, photographic perch was at a premium but we hung in there, in 5-6’ of water, and caught enough to satisfy the camera lens. The biggest, one that pushed the 12” mark, made for good photo material. We did it. It was a done deal, all the while I’m thinking of the crappies out deeper.
I never returned to my big crappie spot. Maybe it’s best off left alone. I do know that I won’t be going back to Bowstring in the immediate future but that spot sure has me thinking of it. - Good fishing to you, have fun, be successful, and be safe.

Fishing Report January 20, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Great Ice Travel! Wow, what a difference a small change in weather can make. Up until just recently, I was pretty darn gun-shy about driving my truck on the lakes but now I feel rather comfortable and have been doing a good deal of ice driving and is it ever nice.
Several of my most recent trips have had me pulling the snowmobile along, just in case. I figured if the ice wasn’t quite up to my standards, I’d unload the snow-cat and go from there and I’ve done just that. However, my very last trips have had me driving my truck practically all over the lakes, sometimes with the snowmobile in tow.
Granted, there are some lakes that have a lot of current and late-forming ice that one still has to be aware of but for the most part it’s “good to go.” Just be careful, as NO ice is 100% safe. Okay, that’s enough preaching. Let’s get down to fishing.
I started out the Minnesota inland trout season, last Saturday, on Nashwauk’s La Rue Pit and it treated me and my guests much like it did last year, which is terrible.
Last year, we struggled and left the lake with one small rainbow, although Chanda, a trout fishing newcomer, did lose a big brown in the hole. From there, we went across the highway to Blue Lake and saved the day by catching a nice bunch of crappies and bluegills.
This year, it was almost the same scenario only we did a lot worse in the panfish pursuit.
Sticking to our original plan, we fished for stream trout in the La Rue Pit until noon and then headed for different waters. If the fishing had been better, we might have stayed and toughed it out. However, the only trout action to occur, happened to Blake Liend, while reaching for another rod.
Getting a little bored, Blake decided it was time to change rods and reached into the back of his Otter to get one. It was at this point that he heard a “clunk” and looked over to see the rod he was using bounce around a little. Something had hit his bait when he wasn’t looking.
Looking down the hole, a four pound brown trout was having a “stare-off” with his bait, an Impulse “Mini Smelt.” The fish swam off , turned, and came back but missed the bait. From there, it just disappeared into the abyss of the La Rue Pit, which reaches depths close to 200’.
No one else in our group had seen anything (we were sight-fishing) so a unanimous decision was made to go somewhere else. This time, it would be Bass Lake, near Cohasset. I had been there a couple times prior so I knew the ice was good enough to drive on, where I went anyway.
Members of my little group ranged from Sauk Rapids, all the way to Ft. Frances, Ontario and I wanted to make the somewhat long trip worth their while. Bluegill fishing had been pretty good for me, on my previous two trips, but how would it be on this day?
Well, it was “struggle time” once again. I don’t know if it was weather related or what (us fishermen always have an excuse or two, don’t we?) but catching fishing was not an easy thing to do.
Drilling holes, along a weedline, eventually had us “on fish” but it was still slow fishing none-the-less.
Giving it our all, we decided to bunch it before the sun hit the trees, so we could see what we were doing. We had caught fish (perch, bluegills, bass, and pike) but in all reality it was flat-out a seriously tough day.
One thing stuck out in my mind, on this futile day of fishing, and that’s the fish-catching traits of Northland Tackle’s new Impulse “Mini Smelt” minnow. I’ve noticed that on even the toughest of bites the “Mini Smelt” comes through.
How in the world can a 1” artificial bait outfish a dinky, little waxworm, maggot, or minnow head? I don’t know but it does, time and time again, and that’s refreshing and exciting at the same time.
I’ve dropped down small, live bait to hesitant fish and realized they weren’t going to “eat.” The next move was to follow it up with a “Mini Smelt” and here they come! I don’t get it. Is it the shape? Or is it because it’s baked in micro-plankton formula? Whatever it is, it’s been the highlight of the new ice fishing season and something that will be always close at hand, if not in the water. - Good luck out on the ice, be safe, and have fun. Greg Clusiau

Fishing Report January 20, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Ice Fishing A Most Dangerous Game - "Wow. What a winter we're having. Ice fishing travel has been just wonderful BUT there's not a whole lot of ice to drive on, if you do dare drive.
I was the first to drive a truck on Balsam Lake and did so three times (and the fishing wasn't even all that good) but after this warm spell, I'm all done (or else I will be). By the way, I did find 14-½ inches of ice but the recent unseasonably warm weather has ice in a very "iffy" condition, in my opinion anyway.
In a nutshell folks, don't drive on these area lakes until we've had another good freeze. It's just not worth it. At the time of this writing, last Sunday night (Jan 8), the ice isn't all that thick and the best, along with safest, mode of transportation is to stick with using snowmobiles, atvs, or just plain walking.
I sure wish I had a wheeler because I've been abusing the daylights out of my snowmobile by running it all over the North Country with no snow cover. The lakes, for the most part, are bare ice but that doesn't stop Blake Liend and I from fishing. Actually, when you think about it, nothing does, and sometimes that might not be a good thing.
Outings on Pokegama, Trout, Blue, Bass, and a bunch of other local lakes, have found us slipping across the lake with snowmobiles, looking for patches of snow along the way. I haven't looked at my wear rods in some time (from bare gravel at several accesses, it still steers but not well) and don't even want to think about taking a peek at my slides. Oh well, it is what it is. I don't have a wheeler and I'm certainly going to fish. So there!
Speaking of walking, I know no one really wants to take a hike across the lake but when conditions are so perfect for it, why not?
I remember, before I had a snowmobile, pulling my shelter for a mile or two, one way in somewhat deep snow, just to get to "the spot". Yes, crazy, I know (and please don't compare it to the old saying "going to school, up hill, both ways"). Now, with conditions being as close to perfect as they can be, it would be all too easy to do, especially with the Hyfax runners that should be beneath your shelter.
With only a finger, you can tow your fishing shelter for as long as you can walk, without it being a monumental chore. The key here, is to be sure to wear ice cleats, as it's still as slippery out there as first ice.
Speaking of Blue and Trout Lake, open water has recently been spotted on these two popular fisheries. The first time, when I was teamed up with Jason Green and Jeff Sundin, looking for walleyes on Trout Lake by Coleraine, Jeff headed in a different direction with his wheeler and telephoned us with his report of open water, saying "there's open water out in the middle and it runs almost all the way to Coleraine. If I had my boat, I could fish at least a dozen of my spots". Totally oblivious to the conditions, Jason and I were contently fishing on 12-½ inches of ice on the south end of the same lake.
Another open water surprise came to an angler who happened across a hole while driving on Blue Lake, south of Nashwauk. His report went like this: "The old notion that no ice is safe ice rang true for us today while fishing Blue Lake in Nashwauk. Decided to venture to the back side of the lake, to get away from the community holes, and try to find some structure with deep enough water that the panfish would be gathering.
I was driving slowly and looking at shore lines and thinking where to set up when my girlfriend screams "OPEN WATER!". I looked up just in time to see it just ahead of me.
I still have no idea how I reacted so darn fast but somewhere in that short blink of a split second my head processed the fact that there is little to no snow on the lake and hitting the brakes would only slide us into the hole, so I cranked the wheel to the left and punched the gas. We hit the other side rather hard and we both came up out of our seats, mirror knocked off, and everything got thrown around.
Luckily though, only the passenger side front tire went into the hole and I had enough momentum to slam up the other side. My initial thought was that someone has left a spearing hole open and I was flaming mad.
After I got out and inspected the Jeep for damage, I walked back to the hole to check it out and snapped the following picture. Turns out it was an underwater spring that popped a hole in the ice. There were constant air bubbles coming up and in the center of the hole the water almost seemed to be bubbling, it was coming up so fast. All in all we were extremely lucky today! (And even ended up going home with some fish to eat!)"
Wow, you talk about a close call. It doesn't have to be that way. Enjoy the outdoors and have fun but BE SAFE."