Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (December 29, 2015) - Ice Fishing Report

We’ve made it through another year and it’s hard to believe that it will be January this coming weekend.
Mother Nature has really been playing some nasty tricks on us as of late. Who would have thought that many smaller lakes are still somewhat dangerous to fish on? Well, they are, so still use extreme caution when venturing out onto the lakes.
We’ve been ice fishing from Upper Red Lake to local lakes in Itasca county, finding varying ice thickness and conditions. While some lakes have frozen up very nicely, there are others that have thinner ice, along with a generous helping of slush.
The slushy areas aren’t necessarily deep but whenever you near one of these spots be on high alert for thinner ice. Such was the case with our third lake of the day last Sunday. While one area had firm, good ice for traveling, another featured a lot of slush with what looked like an open hole.
A planned trip to Lake of the Woods last Saturday was aborted by making a stop at Upper Red Lake instead. It was just that “gut feeling”, as Lake of the Woods was just getting going and Upper Red was well established, sort of.
You still have to use caution on Red Lake, as the big body of water is still unsteady, making ice conditions uncertain. You may go out with a wheeler and come back to find an open crack so be sure to talk to the resorts before heading out. They watch ice conditions like a hawk and will give you the best advice possible. There were even a few trucks out there last Saturday.
Friends that did go up to Lake of the Woods last Saturday walked out from Graceton Beach and found slow fishing. Red Lake was pretty much the same on this day, from those I talked to, and offered slow fishing as well. However, put your time in and you can come home with a nice limit of fish.
An ice report from Monday morning stated Four Mile Bay had 5-6” of ice and the big lake 8-12”. By the time this article comes out, it should be going like gangbusters up there but again, check with the resorts for an accurate, up-to-date report on ice conditions as well as the fishing.
Recent conditions may have avid trout fishermen wondering about their favorite lakes, when the winter season opens up on January 16. Larger trout lakes generally have plenty of deep water and this is a reason of concern if you plan on going out on opening day, as the ice just may be plenty thin. That’s fine if you’re walking and testing ice as you go but I’d be more than cautious using a wheeler or snowmobile. However, the smaller, stocked stream trout lakes should be locked up pretty good by then The winter trout season gets underway in the BWCA this weekend and I would imagine ice conditions will vary according to the lake you plan on fishing. Good luck and be careful.
Lakewood Lodges and Fish House Rentals on Leech Lake reported (12-28-15) “the south end of Leech Lake was busy making ice the last week. We now have rentals out on the south end of the lake near Pipe Island and Olson’s Reef. Currently, the ice is a consistent 7-9 inches to north end of Pipe Island. We have plowed a road with atvs out of Trappers Landing to the north, and are allowing atv traffic and small wheel houses at this time. We will check ice conditions further out early this week but right now we are only allowing traffic to the end of the road. As always, we will keep you posted as we make progress!
Wheelers and sleds are making their presence known on Big Bowstring as well as Big Winnie. I’d have to think the only problem would be occasional slush pockets but for more information, contact Geiger’s Trails End Resort on Bowstring and High Banks Resort on Big Winnie.
Good luck, be safe, have fun, and Happy New Year!

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (December 22, 2015) - Red Lake Walleye Action Improves

"Another trip to Upper Red Lake had us going home with a limit of nice walleye, which was significantly much better than my first outing there. The first trip resulted in only two fish topside for Justin Bailey and I, with him catching a plump 16” walleye and me a 40” northern pike. It was the only two fish caught during that murky water first-to-get-out-and-fish adventure.
Plans were made for another trip but that’s when all hell broke loose with ice conditions. Warmer weather had things turning around, making the ice soft and dangerous, and a few large, open cracks took place, stranding anglers on the ice to the point where a small rescue mission had to be done using a shuttle boat.
A week or two later, when ice was looking much better, anglers were enjoying themselves on the lake when the ice broke loose, causing them to go adrift. Once again, a rescue had to be made for several dozen stranded ice fishermen.
We let things subside for a few days and then ventured north for another try at Upper Red Lake walleye. It was windy, blowing into the east side, which gave us some comfort that the ice should stay in place. At least we wouldn’t be blown out to sea. It was also cold, which made it tough for taking photos. Fingers froze in minutes.
Going out of Beacon Harbor, in the northeast corner of the lake, we used snowmobiles and wheelers to reach our destination, about a mile out.
Talking it over with John, from Beacon Harbor, he went over things on a big map inside the office. He showed us where people were fishing and where not to go, as there were a few cracks here and there so venturing around the lake was definitely not an option. We were sticking close to home. There was also a lot of open water several miles out.
Following a trail marked with stakes, we made out to mile marker number one and set up. Things were looking pretty good, as we were sitting in 9’ of water and had a solid 8” of ice below us.
We used Northland Tackle’s new “Buck-Shot Flutter Spoons”, tipped with a minnow head. It features an S-Curve profile and high-pitched glass rattle, along with those great looking colors. Northland has themselves another winner here. But of course, wouldn’t you know it, a northern pike ate mine almost immediately.
Justin had the hot hand, catching several fish, clearly out-fishing me. However, I captured big fish honors with a northern pike approaching 40”. That’s two big pike in my first two trips there so far. The lake has plenty of trophy northern pike in it and it’s always a blast to get one on the end of your line.
Special regulations contribute highly to the big pike population. The daily bag limit, for those wishing to keep any, is three fish but all fish from 26” to 44” must be released. It’s no wonder Upper Red Lake is crawling with those monsters. That’s a great plan.
As far as walleye go, the daily bag limit is three fish with not more than one over 17”. For some, that might be a skimpy limit and keep them from fishing the walleye rich waters of Red Lake but for me it’s perfect. Bringing home three fat walleye for Marilyn and I is way more than enough. Besides, who doesn’t like to catch and release a bunch of fish in a day.
Our last trip there had fish biting but it wasn’t fast and furious by any means, except for the hot-handed Bailey. Lately though, things have really picked up and the bite is definitely on. You owe it to yourself to give it a try over Christmas vacation. It should be perfect.
For more information, contact John or Ann Westphall of Beacon Harbor Resort at (218) 647-8291 or go to their Facebook page Beacon Harbor Resort." - Good luck, stay safe, have fun, and Merry Christmas to all!

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (November 24, 2015)

I found it to be sort of an unusual deer season this year. For one thing, it seemed most hunters didn’t see a whole lot of deer but there were still quite a few big bucks taken. At last count, late in the season, Joel, my brother, had only seen seven deer and for him that’s pretty darn slow as he hunts hard and puts in a lot of time.
As for me, I only saw two but only gave it a half-hearted effort, not hunting very hard at all. I declare myself an average hunter, dedicating only two weeks out of the year towards Minnesota whitetail hunting. Fishing usually takes top priority, in some manner, for the other fifty weeks.
You can’t expect great results when not doing any pre-season scouting, checking trail cameras, etc.
I did, however, find a good looking spot that may reveal a big buck for next season but it’s up to me to take a few days away from fall fishing to go out there and clear some shooting lanes and put up my ladder stand. Will it happen? Although I have the best of intentions, that remains to be seen.
The two I did see were running together and spooked when I lifted my head up from monkeying with my cell phone. Yes, I was busted.
I was studying the Navionics satellite image map of my surroundings and took a photo of it for future reference, for next year’s hunt. Looking up, a big doe and I made eye contact. Snorting a short message to the big deer behind her, off they went, spooked. I couldn’t tell if it was a buck or not because of the heavy brush but it more-than-likely was. Next year will be different, as I’ll be sitting in my portable, next to this large, swampy, big buck holding area.
Brother Joel and I spent a half-day helping out a friend trying to locate a big buck that he had shot a day prior. Our first attempt had us both getting our feet wet, walking in bog water that went over our boots.
Regrouping, we drove back to Keewatin for a change of footwear. Joel sported dry socks and rubber knee-boots, while I changed everything from the waist down and headed back into the bog wearing hip waders. Yes, it was that bad out there. There were several times when I was in water over my knees. Definitely not fun.
The searching wasn’t that bad, once we finally found high ground again. It was the ½ mile walk through a cranberry bog that slowed us down. Walking abreast of one another, a grid search was done, over and over, with no results. It was a true test of this old-timers physical abilities. Needless-to-say, I was more than a little stiff and sore the next morning but off I went anyway, in search of a careless whitetail.
Then we had the constant two day rains. It was at this time that I had the brilliant idea to abandon deer hunting and head back up across the border for some Ontario duck hunting. Again, it was the curse of having a cell phone along.
Jeremy Taschuk of Ft. Frances was enjoying a good morning of duck hunting on Rainy Lake and sent me a photo of some large northern “greenheads”. He went on to say he was back at the cabin and was going back out around two o’clock.
I messaged him back saying “wait for me, I’ll be right there.” Now that might sound kind of funny because it’s at least a three hour drive but there I was, pulling into the cabin yard at 1:30 pm.
The rain continued but we headed back into the bay with high hopes. After sitting in a downpour for nearly three hours and bagging only one bird, we called it quits and headed back for a change of clothes and a hot supper.

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (November 5, 2015) - “Last Fishing Trip Of The Season”

It’s been a great fall for fishing and I had mixed feelings when putting the boat away for the winter, which occurred on a most beautiful day this month, November 4. Yes, there’s plenty of open water boat-time left but the deer season is now upon us and I’m relegated to spending a fair amount of time in the deer stand, hoping for a crack at that big buck.
Actually, I’ve spent so much time in that old Lund that I’m tired right out and looking for something different. I need a break, as do the fish. I’ll bet you never thought you’d hear that kind of talk. J
I’ll be staying up at the A-Frame “deer shack” on Little Bear Lake, with my brother Bruce and some of the younger hunting kin. It’s always a fun time getting together with friends and family during this time but this year will be extra-special in a sense and that is due to last summer’s untimely passing of annual deer hunting partner Richard Riipinen.
Richard, better known as “Griz” or “Rip” was a wondrous camp cook and could create some of the best meals I’ve ever seen or eaten.
Many years ago, when Terry Wickstrom and I used to host the “Minnesota Masters of Ice Fishing” events, somewhere in the backwoods of Itasca County, I used to hire Rip to cook for us when we stayed at the A-Frame. It was so nice to know that the cabin would be warm and a gourmet meal awaited us upon returning back to the cabin, cold and hungry.
One time, when we ran out of propane, Rip did all the cooking on the cabin’s main heat source, an old barrel stove. I was duly impressed with the hors d’oeuvres, main course, and peach cobbler for dessert. And all done on top of a barrel stove. I’ll never forget. I also won’t forget Rip. This one’s for you buddy.
How many enjoyed last week’s article, written by Kelli Patrick? When I first read it through, I had tears in my eyes by the time I was done. How powerful.
A little more on my friend Kelli is that she now resides in Grand Rapids, formerly of Brainerd, and she ties up those little panfish-catching hair jigs. I’ve used them with great results, summer and winter. I should mention that during the hard water season they really excel and seem to catch fish when nothing else does. For more info on Kelli and her ice fishing jigs, go to her Facebook page The Upland Huntress.

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (October 27, 2015) - “Hanger Rig Goes Deep”

Oh oh, deer season is right around the corner and I haven’t done a thing regarding preparation. I haven’t checked my stands, sighted in the rifle, or anything. I just fish too much and who can blame me with the excellent weather we’ve been having. Bundle up for the morning and remove a little clothing as the day progresses. It’s wonderful out on the lakes and the fish are biting too!
I’ve been doing a fair amount of deep water crappie fishing as of late, dropping baits down to the 35-55’ level. It’s great fishing, as the fish are stacked up pretty good and biting very well. However, fishing deep can present a problem if you’re not used to it.
Most anglers don’t fish this deep and if you’re not watching the boat’s graph, you would have no idea just where your lure is. I witnessed this firsthand a couple of times last week.
Running the boat and watching my Humminbird graph, I could see just exactly where my bait was. My partner, on the other hand, dropped down a lot of line and was jigging away in “no man’s land” or maybe we should call it “no fish land”.
I told him “Dave, I can see your bait. You’re at 40’. You have to let out another 15’ of line.” The fish were sticking closer to the bottom on this day and if you didn’t get down far enough, catching fish was almost impossible. Dropping down to the masses, he had one on immediately.
I even found myself there a time or two, when not looking at the graph. It’s very easy to do.
There are a few ways to overcome this slight problem and the obvious way would be to “go heavy”, using bigger jigs and/or sinkers.
An easy method in accomplishing this would be to slip on a ½ ounce egg sinker and then tie on a swivel to keep it in place. Then all that is needed is a short leader, length to your liking, with the lure of your choice. All is accomplished here. The sinker is heavy enough to get down in a hurry and a smaller bait is still being offered. This works well.
Although, there are times when the hook will tangle with the line above the sinker. If you drop it down at a slower pace, there generally isn’t a problem but if you let it free-fall as fast as possible, you may have a tangle and there you sit, wondering why the fish aren’t eating your bait.
I’ve gone this route and it works great but another way to accomplish this feat is to employ the use of a “hanger-rig.”

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (October 19, 2015) - “Jig ‘em up”

Trending would be the word best describing one of the latest and greatest presentations used to catch open water fish. Call it a fad if you will. However, vertically jigging crankbaits has taken the fishing world by storm, at least across the Midwest.
While most anglers have the mindset that lures like the “Jiggin’ Rap” or “Puppet Minnow” are designed for winter ice fishing only, aggressive walleye anglers, most of which are tournament fishermen, have been using these hot baits for years and word is finally getting out.
I’d have to say my first serious attempt at using these baits through the ice came nine years ago on Lake Winnipeg, where practically everyone was using a “Live Target”. No live bait. Just snap on one of these baits and get to jigging.
Fishing basically shallow water and watching a Vexilar, you rarely saw the fish come into view. All that was recorded below you was the lure until a hungry, aggressive fish came screeching in for the kill. What fun! I’ve caught 10 pound walleye up there but then again that was through the ice.
Salmo “Chubby Darters” started producing a lot of fish on Lake Winnipeg so naturally I had to stock up on those as well and that’s what I was using, through the ice again, on Lake of the Woods, when I caught the biggest perch of my life.
Gaining confidence in a certain lure or technique is huge. If you don’t have that, it’s very difficult to use, for me anyway.
When Northland Tackle’s “Puppet Minnow” first came out, I was on Crooked Lake north of Nashwauk, again ice fishing. The bite was super-slow and everyone was having trouble in catching even one crappie. After trying all of my super-subtle finesse presentations, I thought I’d give the new lure a try, even though it was considerably larger. To my surprise, crappie jumped all over that bait. More confidence was born.
I never really got into the open-water presentations until this summer and it’s been quite a ride.
Pre-fishing the GRAHA Walleye Shootout on Pokegama had me doing a little jigging. Even though I may not have seen fish on the graph, as long as I had baitfish below me I was in good shape, as the fish would come out of nowhere and slam the bait. Many were missed and all I’d feel was the tell-tale “bump” of an aggressive fish. This technique has been good on Vermilion, Rainy Lake, and all other prime walleye factories.
I’ve been using the smallest size “Puppet Minnows” for crappie as of late and what fun it is. Even a few jumbo perch and bluegills have joined in on the fun.
While crappie fishing last weekend, Andy Walsh, Travis Sorokie, and I were jigging up some nice crappie when the boat drifted out to deeper water. Using a Vexilar, in winter mode with the transducer cable hanging over the side of the boat, I noticed a couple of fish down deep, right on the bottom.
Dropping down the Puppet and not over-working it, I saw one of the fish slowly rise up to take the bait and the fight was on. It had the feel of a big walleye and was just that. A quick photo and release and it was back to the crappie action, which by the way was phenomenal.
I know I promised a little info on the “hanger rig” but have run out of room and will try to touch on that next week but for now, if you get a chance to wet a line, make sure to give vertically jigged crankbaits a try.

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (October 13, 2015) - Fall Patterns, Fall Colors

Fall outdoors is happening big time. Water temps have finally reached the “cooling point” to where most panfish are trickling off in the direction of their winter quarters. Most lakes I’ve been on last week had surface temps reading in the mid-to-high 50º mark and I’m loving it.
I recently tried one of my favorite winter panfish lakes and really didn’t know where to start, if you can believe that. Having tried it before in past years, during the fall, I came up empty-handed, as the fish weren’t relating to the two main deeper basins the lake had to offer.
This time, I would use a different plan of attack and troll small crank baits, as close to the weed line as possible. Using lead core line and a #5 Flicker Shad, I found myself trolling the 18-20’ depths, even though the weed line ended at 10’. The deeper trolling pattern was due to the weed line being too irregular, making it difficult to get in as close as I wanted.
It didn’t matter, as shortly into my first pass a small walleye latched onto the bait. A short while later, I had another strike. The walleye always come to the surface if they are small to medium in size. The big girls usually stay down.
This time, I saw a fish surface well behind the boat and although it appeared to be a walleye, the mouth looked larger and it just didn’t feel right. “Maybe a crappie” I hoped. Feeling heavy, the fish pulled off. Wondering if it could have been a crappie, my question was answered with the next fish, a 10” crappie.
Not many fish were spotted on the graph so my next thought was to abandon the trolling tactic and use the stealth mode of a slowly moved jig and minnow closer to shore. I was a good decision, as I went on to catch a limit of nice crappie, a few more walleye, and a couple of bonus jumbo perch.
Trying my hand at another walleye lake, a buddy calls to give me the panfish update of a lake we had fished a week prior. On this outing, fish were scattered across an 18’ flat, located between the shoreline and a deep hole. They were there and catchable but a finesse presentation had to be used.
On this day however, no fish were present in the mid-lake area, as all had moved on to a deeper wintering hole, which had no fish in it a week earlier. “They’re just stacked” he excitedly went on to say. He also stated that they were biting extremely well and no finesse was needed. So, yes, the fall fish migration is well on its way and things are happening.

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (October 6, 2015) - Fall Patterns, Fall Colors

We’re well into October but it sure doesn’t seem like it, other than the fall colors are beginning to show off their brilliance. Take a ride down the Spider Lake Trail or Scenic Highway 38 and enjoy the sights. Wear sunglasses. They make the colors even more spectacular.
As far as fishing, well, it’s happening but not where the fish normally are at this time of the season. Waters temps last weekend still ranged in the 60º range, making me adjust a little in finding those fall crappie.
The lakes I prefer are smaller in size with an obvious depression or two that fish use throughout the winter months. This makes it quite easy in pinpointing panfish but for now I am finding them often located somewhere in between and that makes it hard.
Some anglers are still using the old tried and true summertime method of catching crappie by anchoring up near the weeds around sundown. This means that they are still shallow on many lakes. Odd.
I’ve had the best luck in fishing lakes that don’t have much depth to start with. If they’re not close to the weeds, just head out to the middle and drift along in 16-18’. You’ll find them. I prefer slowly boating around until a school of fish is spotted.
Best techniques have varied but you can’t go wrong by using small hair or feather jigs tipped with a wax worm for sunfish and a small minnow for crappie. Some big fish are being caught right now using this method.
I spent a little time in the Cut Foot area and was surprised at the lack of anglers out there. Evidently the fall walleye migration isn’t going yet. It could be a tad early yet, as past years have had it looking like a “bumper boat” parade. However, last year I was there during late fall and was the only vehicle at the Mosomo public access. How strange is that?
I made a trip to Lake Vermilion a few weeks back in an effort to catching some lead core walleye but they weren’t in their fall pattern yet. However, they are now.
This is always a fun bite. I’ll cruise around until fish are spotted on the graph in 25-35’ of water and then start trolling for them. I’ve had the best luck using smaller crankbaits in the #4, #5, and #7 size and you certainly can’t go wrong with Salmos or Rapalas. Keep switiching colors until you find that hot bait.
If there’s a problem with this bite it’s you will spend about as much travel time on the road as you will in the boat, as a limit of fish can come fairly fast.
Animals are getting into their fall mode and moving about. One has to be on high alert, especially if driving at night. A car/moose collision just recently happened on the highway near Keewatin. I haven’t heard any details but certainly hope the occupants are okay. That’s awful. I can’t imagine running into something like that.
My brother hit a big cow moose many years ago on highway 65, north of Buck Lake. Luckily he had a rack on his truck for construction purposes, as he came out unscathed. The cow wasn’t as fortunate and had to be disposed of. That’s bad enough but it had a calf with it and the poor thing hung around for quite a while before disappearing into the woods.
As a teenager, I encountered a large bull one time. Again, it was on highway 65 and on the Sherry Lake hill. Standing in the middle of the road, it wouldn’t budge.
Thinking I’d scare it out of the way, I hit the horn a few times but stopped as soon as it began pawing the pavement. My passenger was beside himself and scared to death.
It eventually sauntered off the highway and walked into the brush. I wonder what dad would have said if I brought his car home all beat up from an angry moose?

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (September 28, 2015) - Bluebird Duck Opener, Perfect For Fishing

My, what beautiful weather we had last weekend but I think it was a little too nice for the Minnesota waterfowl opener. Fishing however? It was perfect!
I tried to pick waters that had limited duck hunters on them, if any at all, just out of a common sportsman’s courtesy. I’ve been there myself, set up early in the morning and waiting for a few ducks to come by, only to have an angler try his hand at fishing right in front of my spread.
A couple good fall lakes came to mind, when thinking of where to go. Big Sandy and Bowstring were on the list but quickly erased as I remembered the amount of duck hunting pressure they receive. Oh I suppose I could have gone and inadvertently kicked up a few ducks as I boated around but thought better of it. The hunters would have liked it, as high skies kept most birds out of harm’s way.
The first lake I selected had some very nice panfish and a lot of folks know it. Never-the-less, off I went in search of some slab crappie.
Yes, I was right. Eight other boats were already there trying their luck, pounding the best spot on the lake. Watching boats move about, one could tell that the bite was tough and they weren’t catching very many fish. Keeping my distance, I slowly checked over other fish producing areas but came up empty handed, until I switched presentations.
I started out using a small jig and minnow, trying to catch a crappie or ten. That was my goal anyway. When nothing happened, I grabbed another rod, affixed with a small orange jig and added a 1” piece of nightcrawler.
Slowly inching along in 16’ of water, it wasn’t long before I had a strike. Thinking it was a small northern pike, I was pleasantly surprised to see a big bluegill on the end of my line. It measured at 9 ½”, a nice fish anywhere.
A couple more passes had me catching four more fish from 9 to 9 ½”. The big fish were aggressive and biting well but not wanting the rest of the boats to see me, I put things away and left the lake in an effort to “preserve the herd.” They were too vulnerable on this day.
The next day had me trying a different lake for bluegills, big ones. Also a popular spot, there was already a dozen boats giving it their all in search of bluegill and crappie.
Poking around, here and there, I dragged that orange jig and crawler through several fish without getting a bite. Switching to a small jig and minnow had immediate results, as my first fish was a 14” crappie. Here too, like the day before, I thought I might possible have a small northern pike on. Again with the pleasant surprise.
These fish were extremely “speed sensitive”, not wanting anything stationary or moving too fast. I found the best speed to be .1 or .2 MPH. Any faster and nothing. People were struggling. Sometimes all it takes is a little experimenting, something I do all too often at times.
I went on to catch a fairly quick limit of nice crappie and made an early exit, much like the previous day.
It was odd, when comparing the last two days of fishing. On day one, I was in search of crappie and couldn’t catch one but landed on top of a school of big hungry bluegill. Day two was just the opposite, looking for bluegill but settling for crappie.
Similarities were that both lakes had an abundance of fall fishermen trying their hand and fishing was somewhat tough. Although the presentations were switched around from minnow to crawler and vice- versa, boat speed was critical, as both species preferred the bait to be slowly dragged on bottom.
For the bluegill, I used a small orange jig. It’s one of my favorites when it comes to sunfish. I don’t know what it is but orange sure gets them going. As far as crappie, it’s really hard to beat pink and that’s what I used.
Another oddity was that both schools of fish were located in 16’ of water, which is a transition depth at that time of the season. Another couple weeks and they’ll be much deeper.
Good luck in the Great Outdoors and remember a little courtesy for those duck hunters!

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (September 15, 2015) - The Not So Great Crappie Chase

Andy Walsh just bought a new boat and invited me to help break it in last weekend. Crappie or walleye, he didn’t care, as long as he was able to put some hours on the new rig and catch a few fish along the way.
Purchased from Ray’s Sport & Marine in Grand Rapids, the boat is a 2025 Lund Impact and has all the bells and whistles. Sporting a full windshield, Humminbird ONIX10 SI graph, 112 pound thrust Minn Kota Ulterra bow mount trolling motor, and 200 HP Mercury outboard, it will be perfect for Walsh’s passion of fishing walleye tournaments.
We argued, good-naturedly of course, of the pros and cons of a “wheel” boat versus a “tiller” operated craft. Andy prefers a steering wheel and full windshield for running rough waters, as most tournaments are held on larger fisheries such as Leech Lake, Pokegama, Mille Lacs, etc. Run to the spot, drop down the Ulterra, and you’re in business.
Also, the windshield comes in very handy when it comes to ducking out of the wind, especially when it’s cold out, raining, or a cross-wind is blowing water at you when scooting across the lake at 50 MPH.
I’ve owned just about everything ever manufactured, wheels and tillers alike, but prefer a tiller boat at this stage of the game. I love the feature of running to a spot, finding fish, and just basically putting the motor in reverse to stay on top of them. It does get a little cold at times but tillers are so “fishable” in my opinion.
Getting back to last weekend, we started out on Pelican Lake near Orr, which is quite famous for its fall crappie bite. Maybe it’s a little too famous as there were over three dozen boats trying their hand at catching a few slab crappie. Fish were being caught but most were somewhat small in size and we caught our fair share, releasing all, before loading up and heading to another, hopefully better, lake.
Located just minutes away, we unloaded into Myrtle Lake and checked it out. Neither one of us had ever fished it before but fall crappie are fairly predictable and can be easily found if you know what to look for. We found fish almost immediately but here again they were running small in size. It was almost an exact repeat of Pelican.
While Saturdays outing had us fishing an hour to the east, Sunday’s game plan would find us traveling an hour west to check out waters in the Big Winnie area. That’s one of the great things about living where we do. There’s such a wonderful selection of lakes and rivers to play on. I sometimes fish as many as four in a day.
Starting out on Sand Lake, another fall favorite, we encountered extremely tough fishing and only gave it an hour before leaving the lake. Others boats were hopping around here and there so it wasn’t just us.
We both wanted to give Big Bowstring a shot, which was basically located just across the road, but strong winds suddenly became the theme of the day and made us change our minds. Sure, the boat was plenty big to withstand “high seas” but the technique of “hovering” over fish is so much easier when it’s a tad calmer. Cut Foot Sioux offered some protection and nice fish if we could find them The Minnesota DNR was on hand at the public access, in an effort to take control of invasive species. Boats are checked and questions asked. It’s basically a learning experience and they are there to teach you how to check for these intrusive trouble makers and keep them at bay. It’s a good program. Coming off the lake, they have a portable wash-down station if needed.
Cut Foot can offer some very good fishing but we couldn’t find it on this day. It was just flat out tough.
We had enough time left in the day to try at least one more lake, maybe two, if needed. This time we would switch gears and go to a little lake that offered a good population of crappie but size was a bit on the small side. However, it didn’t matter at this point, as we just wanted to “get bit.” We had been basically struggling all weekend, fishing four lakes. Maybe lake number five would be good to us.

Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" (September 1, 2015)

The lead core season is in full swing and I’ve been all across the country enjoying the heck out of this easy, carefree, and highly productive method of fishing. For those that have never tried it, hopefully you’ll learn the basics from this article and give it a whirl yourself.
I first started using lead core when my interest in lake trout peaked some 30 years ago. Not owning any down-rigger equipment, I figured lead core would work the same in getting my presentations down deep enough for the fish to see them, in the 40-50’ range. It did.
Not readily available in local bait or sporting goods shops, I had one of the hardware stores order some for me. Not having any knowledge of using lead core, I didn’t give them any specifics when ordering so when it came in, 27# test, I never gave it another thought. I just spooled it up and went fishing. One thing I did learn in a hurry was how quickly it filled the reel.
Therefore, if you want to get into this game, make sure you have a somewhat large capacity bait casting reel, something that will take a lot of line. Also, you don’t need heavy line like I used at first. Go with 15# test or so.

(August 17) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines"

Come twilight time, the mole re-surfaces. Being hot and steamy for the entire day usually has me laying low, avoiding heat, a bright sun, and staying indoors. Basking in the coolness of an air conditioned office, this is when a lot of computer time takes place, whether writing an article or just playing games. In any event, I’m just staying cool.
Finally, and it’s been a long impatient wait, the sun begins to dip and I’m quickly hooking up the boat. The air temps are now more tolerable and a fishing plan is in the works. Only three hours of daylight remain and I’m going to make the best of it.
A plan of attack is needed when time is short. First off, the selected body of water needs to be fairly close to home, with little time wasted on the highway. Secondly, all rods, reels, and tackle are pre-rigged and positioned at the ready and any unnecessary equipment is either stowed away or removed from the boat.
There is purpose to this well thought out fishing trip and that would be targeting largemouth bass first and panfish second. The old adage “find panfish and you’ve found the bass”, or vice-versa, certainly holds true.
Hot days have lunker largemouth ramped up and ready to eat at days end. Sure, they’ll usually bite all day long but I’m not sweltering in the sun and poking at the lily pads to catch them. It’s too hot, for me anyway. The bass, however, are comfortably positioned under the shade of lily pads, or other “slop”, as long as there is sufficient water for them to move about. Find two or three feet and you’ve found their home.

(July 28) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Pokegama Walleye Shootout, Grand Rapids Amateur Hockey Association

Mother Nature. She’s not easy to beat at times and last week was yet another prime example, as the 2nd annual GRAHA Walleye Shootout was held last Saturday on beautiful Pokegama Lake near Grand Rapids.
Better known as “the GRAHA” (Grand Rapids Amateur Hockey Association), over 100 two-person teams paid $350 to compete for the highly boasted first place prize of ... read >> Pokegama Lake Walleye Shootout

(July 28) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines"

Once again, super-hot weather and high skies have me living almost nocturnally, with my only fishing trips taking place during the low-light periods of dusk and dawn. It’s widely known that the early bird gets the worm but it’s the night owl that gets some mighty nice fish.
My morning trips, which are mainly for walleye, have consisted of reaching the lake at first light and fishing until 10:00 am and then heading home for the rest of the day. If there’s any energy left I may head back out in the evening around 6:30 pm for some largemouth bass or crappie action.
My preferred presentation for bass is to “work the slop.” After a scalding, sunny day of no one pestering them, they really come alive when all of a sudden they hear the “plop” of a soft weedless frog or spoon hitting the top of a lily pad. This gets their attention in a big way and if they have a chance of eating that bait they will.
Another great presentation is to use a “jig & pig”, a weedless flippin’ jig with an oversized plastic trailer stuck on the end of it. Toss it out and let it sink into their kitchen. They’ll usually have it within seconds. Slop fishing can result in some of the largest fish in the lake so be prepared, use heavy line, and hang on!
If I’m not bassin’ in the evening I’m more-than-likely crappie fishing, as they come out in droves when daylight lessens. Hall of Fame angler Dave Genz pretty much summed it up by saying “everyone’s a better angler when the sun hits the trees.” How true.

My crappie fishing usually consists of slowly trolling weedlines with small jigs and plastics. Sometimes, if a good concentration of fish are found, I’ll sit in one spot and cast to the weedline or drop the lure straight over the side of the boat and vertically jig them. It all works and very well at that.
But what about the wee hours of darkness? It’s nice and cool out at this time and if you have the tactics and gumption to stick it out throughout the night, you’ll generally do quite well on the fish. It is, however, a totally different game and you have to be well prepared.
I pre-plan these type of trips by cleaning up the boat and putting away everything that you will not be using. If there’s something to trip on or get in the way it’s going to surely happen at night. Trust me. Also, be sure to have plenty of lighting available for when it’s needed.
Most all fish species bite well at night but I have to admit that I haven’t caught a lot of northern pike during the darkness. Muskies? Yes. Pike? No. Also, there must be a good reason fishing regulations don’t allow trout fishing at night. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Just about the only fish I pursue at night are walleye and musky and I used to do a lot of this “back in the day” when younger and more adventurous. I did a good deal of musky fishing, and caught a lot of them, during the dark of night. This isn’t for the faint of heart, as some of the strikes take place right next to the boat and can scare you half to death.
We didn’t troll for them but opted to cast on top of shallow reefs, etc. and all of this was done prior GPS availability. Yard lights were used for landmarks and keeping a keen eye on your graph was so critical, especially when traveling across a lake full of rocky reefs. I can’t tell you how many times I casted up into the reeds, as depth perception is quite difficult at night.
If there is one important thing I could tell you about night fishing it’s to not set the hook until you feel the fish, no matter what the species. Set the hook when you hear a splash and you’ll stand a good chance at sticking those hooks into someone’s face. It’s also very important to wear safety glasses for this nighttime sport.
My midnight walleye fishing always consists of trolling crankbaits and again, most of this was done before a GPS unit was available to help you off the lake. I recall one time when I thought I was going to have to spend the night in the boat on Pokegama because I was unable to find the public access.
It’s easier nowadays, with GPS units available in many sizes and price ranges. Now you can escape the summer heat and enjoy a cool night on the water and along with that comes a chance at a true trophy fish. Go for it!

(July 20) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Be Prepared

When it comes to angling, I honestly like to fish for just about anything that swims and therein lies the problem. There just isn’t enough room in my little Lund, 16 ½’, to accommodate all of the rods and tackle for specialized presentations for various species. I want to do it all and usually have all on hand to do so.
On a recent HSM Outdoors group get together on Trout Lake, I was joined by Tom Batiuk of Fort Frances, who is none better, if not worse than I. Between the two of us, we had close to thirty rods laying there at the ready. It was a mess but a somewhat organized one, if you can imagine that. I know the Invasive Species information worker at the landing was impressed, I think. He probably thought we were just nuts.
An old Boy Scout, I still stand by the motto “always be prepared.” If ever someone needs anything, summer or winter, they come running to me, the guy who has everything but the kitchen sink and sometimes that’s even along for the ride.
Batiuk, a tackle junkie, heeds the same advice and then some, as hundreds of back woods adventures in the Canadian wild still have him on this earth and anxiously searching out fish and game. If I’m ever in a serious situation back-in-the-bush, I want Tom to be there as well.
Even when going solo, which is almost a daily occurrence, I find myself launching and loading the boat at a record pace so no one catches a glimpse at all of that “junk” in the boat. Thinking about it, it’s no wonder I fish alone, as there’s not enough room for anyone else. I still am amazed at how Tom and I did it.
I’ve condensed it down as of late. For example, my most recent outings have me using spinners for walleye and panfish. Fairly proud of myself, I’ve limited the rods to a half dozen and the tackle boxes to four or five.
Sometimes I’ll throw the bass stuff in there, just in case the other fish are hard to come by and for those that like to bass fish you know just what this entails. I must have a dozen bass rods all rigged and ready to go and that’s not so bad. It’s the big bass tackle boxes that really get in the way. There’s barely room for my feet but you just never know.

(July 14) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Dabbling

I knew panfish of the large variety were snuggled deep in the lily pads so plans were made to yank a few of them out of there. This meant going to the local sporting goods store and looking over dabbling poles, something that was long enough to get away from the boat yet strong enough to hoist a nice sized fish out of heavy cover.
There they were, a limited selection but all that was needed and good enough to get the job done. A cane pole was my first thought. I picked one up and studied the crooked three-piece contraption. These things have been around for years and have accounted for millions of fish but the largest on hand was only a 12’er.
I wanted something more and found it in a 16’ telescoping rod, made by Shakespeare, called the “WonderPole.” The name was enough to sell me on the spot. I could hardly wait to get home and rig it up. Actually, two of these rods were purchased, one for me and another for my brother Joel who would be joining me in “the hunt for big fish.”
I had something of this nature in garage but had broken it. That one, also made by Shakespeare, was a 13’ telescoping rod called the “Crappie Pole.” Still usable, it now features a metal hose clamp that was used to tighten up the break. This one had a small reel that allowed line to be fed to the rod tip from inside the rod itself. The WonderPole, however, only allowed for a short line to be tied directly to the end of the rod tip, cane pole style.
I did have other “long rods” for crappie fishing but they weren’t designed for fishing heavy cover and/or lifting fish. One is a springtime favorite of mine, called the “Crappie Hunter”, also made by Shakespeare. Light action and 9’ long, it is used for making long casts and a lot of fun when a big fish jumps on the other end of it.
The other two are fly rods. One a 9’ Elkhorn and the other an 8 ½’ Pflueger. Both are great fun to use but definitely not designed for lifting.
Rigging up the WonderPole had me in the backyard practicing. Looking around the work bench, I picked out a wrench that felt about the same weight as a nice crappie, around one pound, and tied it onto the end of the line.
Lifting, pretending to pull a fish out of the weeds, the rod folded over beautifully but the line was too long and had to be shortened. Trimming the line to 10’ worked perfectly, as when I lifted the wrench off the ground it came swinging directly to me about chest high.
The final application was a Northland Tackle “Fire Fly” jig with a split shot sinker about a 1’ above. Both rods were rigged in this manner only with two different colors of the Fire Fly, pink/white and black/yellow, my two favorites.
Reaching the lake, we edged up close to the lily pads with the electric bow mount motor and saw the entire pad field start moving. There was a lot of fish in them but we had spooked the majority.
Dabbling away, picking out a small opening and dropping the jig in the water, Joel was the first to score with a nice crappie. It worked! We’d move, scare fish, catch a few, and then move again. I eventually began using a push-pole to maneuver the boat, as we were spooking way to many fish.
It’s a fun technique but I can’t begin to tell you how many times we snagged up and when this happened it took the both of us to free the line, one to hold the rod and the other to move the boat and grab the line. Imagine a 16’ rod inside a 16 ½’ boat. As Uncle Jack would say “what a fiesta.”
We did manage to go home with a nice catch of fish but looking back on it I think we’d be better off with a smaller boat and a set of oars, something more of a stealth mode. Get out there and enjoy the great outdoors. Try a little dabbling.

(6/29) Greg Clusiau - Back Woods Bassin' With Terry Wickstrom

Terry Wickstrom was back in town and whenever that happens he becomes a steady fishing partner until it’s time to head back to Colorado.
After more than twenty years of television broadcast fishing shows, some of which I co-hosted, he now has more free time on his hands, as his only outdoor obligation is a weekly ESPN radio show that airs every Saturday morning. When this happens, a fill-in takes over so Wickstrom can just be himself. Much like the old days, when we were kids, hunting and fishing all over the backwoods of Itasca County.
An accomplished angler, Terry’s favorite pastime would have to be bass fishing, something he’s been doing for nearly fifty years. No wonder he’s so darned good at it.
Whenever I make the comment to someone “we grew up together”, I wait for Terry’s predictable rebuttal “we didn’t grow up, we just got older.” I guess there’s a lot of truth to that.
Three long days of fishing gave us plenty of time to catch up on things, as well as an equal amount of time to catch plenty of fish. Mixed in between most every cast was a wisecrack or anecdote of some sort. It never ends.
Ever quick witted, he usually has a smart answer for everything, when he can get by with it. Take, for example, the discussion he had with an angler whom he was teaching how to catch bass by using a plastic worm. The novice basser asked “how do I know when I have a bite?” Terry responded by saying “there will be three taps, one when the fish sucks in the bait, two when it blows it out, and three when I tap you on the shoulder saying you had a bite.” Yes, that’s classic Wickstrom and I’m used to it.
Fishing seven lakes in three days, we started off with bass, of course, but the first lake was a bit stingy, allowing us to boat only a handful of fish. Much like my old guide days, I always have a plan, a bass milk-run if you will, so it was off to the next lake, located only fifteen minutes away.
That’s one thing about fishing in this area. There is no shortage of water and most all species are available. All you have to do is put together a plan and go for it.
The next lake acted like it was meant to be. Did all of the planets align? One would certainly think so, as big fish after big fish made their way to the boat. The lake was “on fire.”
Terry was using his old standby, a 7” “blue fleck” Berkley Power Worm and I a Northland Tackle “Jungle Jig” tipped with a plastic trailer along with a Matzuo “Kroaker” weed-less frog. I’d switch off whenever the “gut feeling” told me so while Terry kept on pitching the worm.
Seemingly taking turns, big largemouth bass kept biting and visiting the boat for a quick photo or two. We had to hit it just right, as these fish were on the bite. Many times the fish telegraphed their hungry presence by creating a huge wake toward our baits. This was especially evident when using the top-water frogs. How exciting. It’s something I’ll never tire of.
They were still biting when we reeled in and went to visit another lake for good walleye action and this lake too was ready for us to have fun. It ended up being a banner day for the both of us.
We went on to target crappie, bluegill, bass, walleye, and northern pike over the next two days. Fish were caught, and some nice ones at that, but it didn’t even come close to comparing to the first day. I don’t see how it could.
Our last outing was for big crappie and after finally finding them and catching only one, Mother Nature decided to put on an early fireworks, chasing us off the lake. Lightning was flashing off in the distance but still too close for the both of us. Packing it in and calling it a day, we were both content and looking forward to the next adventure. It was a good trip.

(6/22) Greg Clusiau, Mid-Summer Slip-Bobber Walleye - (Justin Bailey, HSM)

Sometimes we just need to go back to our roots. When the water temps start to rise and the days grow longer, most anglers think deep water and spinners or rigs but that’s when I start to think just the opposite in thick cabbage and steep breaks.
I usually begin targeting these areas in late June, when water surface temps start hovering around the 63 degree mark and cabbage weeds began to tickle the surface.
A vital tool for any fisherman is a lake map. When first looking at a map, I search out land points or shallow bars where a steep break meets deep waters.
One of our local lakes is a prime example. Quietly anchoring my boat in the weeds, in 3’ of water, I will cast out into 30’ of water.
When I do anchor my boat, I always try to use two anchors, one in the front and one in the back, even on calm days. This will keep my boat in the proper position for as long as possible.
Once you find “the spot”, remember to remain as quiet as possible because the fish you are targeting are usually very close by and spook easily in the shallow waters.
Now you’re set. You have picked a spot on the lake where deep water meets shallow cabbage and the boat is positioned parallel to the weedline and everything has settled down. What’s next? Let’s take a look at our set-up.
I prefer a medium-light spinning rod, around 7’ long, with larger eyelets to prevent your slip-knot from hanging up during the cast or retrieve.
My main line is usually 6 to 8 pound test Berkley XL with a 6 pound test leader. The leader, attached by using a small swivel, ranges anywhere from 18 to 36”, depending on thickness of weed growth, and is used to prevent any possible twisting. When using slip bobbers, everything needs to be a smooth as possible for best results.
Slip bobbers come in a wide variety of sizes and styles but the one I like to use is a popular universal float and that’s a 1/8 oz. Thill “Splash Brite”. I prefer this one because of the brass opening on top that allows your bait to sink quickly, along with preventing line twist.
Another fish producing feature of the “Splash Brite” is it is a lighted bobber, which has an internal battery that is activated by water completing the circuit. No on/off switch is needed and that’s another key factor when fishing into the dark, where simpler and easier is always better.
Just above the barrel swivel, #7 in size, is a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. egg sinker, depending upon weather conditions and wave action. Leader line thickness depends on cabbage weed density. Extremely dense cabbage calls for a shorter leader in the 18 to 24” range to keep my bait from swimming too free and getting wrapped up in the weeds. When fishing more sparse weeds or weedline edges, I’ll go to a longer leader.
For hooks, experience and confidence is a huge factor. I like to use a red hook along with a red/glow bead but do change it up from time-to-time, depending on the bite. Just remember its key to match the hook to the size and type bait you’re using. For example, don’t use too small of a hook that may impede hook setting ability.
Next is my choice of bait. This can be the tricky part. I usually start by using a jumbo leech hooked right behind the “sucker” or a nightcrawler hooked twice through the “head”, allowing the rest of the body to dangle and move freely.
If these two baits do not produce, I usually start to look around. Am I seeing fish? Or better yet those elusive white tips of walleye fins lurking in the cabbage. If baitfish are seen, I try to “match the hatch” and switch to a minnow.
So now we have our set up and spot but what about depth at which the bobber is set? Let’s say we have found shallow cabbage adjacent to deep water. When I anchor my boat in 3’ of water and cast out into 30’, I try to split the difference or find the exact depth at which the weed edge is and position the bait 3’ off bottom.
Remember, weed walleyes are usually feeding fish, tending to be more aggressive, and they will chase bait so don’t be afraid to keep your offerings up and away from the bottom.
This is one of my favorite summertime tactics that has put a lot of walleye in the boat with some real quality fish so next time you feel those summertime blues, find some cabbage and give it a try. - (Written by HSM Outdoors Pro Justin Bailey)

(6/16) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Upper Red Lake, Working Around The Weather

Last weekend’s trip to Upper Red Lake found us working around the forecast. We wanted to go there in the worst way but strong southern breezes were predicted for the day. Throwing caution to the wind (yes, pun intended), the boat was launched out of Roger’s Resort and Campground, located on the south shore. Hopefully the winds would be blowing over our heads and we’d be able to enjoy the day.Watching tree tops bending over on the way there, it was evident the weatherman was right. Putting in on the protected Shotley Brook access, located at the resort, a quick stop at Rogers’ headquarters was in order to pay our launch fee and to pick up minnows.
Walking out the door with a generous two scoops of chub minnows, I was told “go to the left and stay in 5’ of water” and that’s exactly what we did, fishing almost immediately after leaving the river. Where was everybody? It was odd that a late-morning departure would have us fishing almost alone out there.
The first fish came quickly. They were right. It’s so nice to get reliable information from a resort. Sometimes that doesn’t happen. It all depends on where you are.
Slowly back-trolling our way westward and staying in the 5-6’ depths had us catching, and losing, fish after fish. What a fishery.
Walleyes, for the most part, were a wee bit on the fussy side, as the bites were “softer” than normal and many times the minnow would be stolen if you set the hook too fast. Give them a little time to sample the goods, an extra split-second, and it was “fish on!”
Color did make a difference on this day and a light green/chartreuse jig proved to be the winning combination. We all ended up using Fire Ball jigs in “Parakeet” or “Glow Watermelon” colors. If you’re really stuck and are wondering just what to use, a standard chartreuse jig will usually do the trick out there.
Always experimenting, I switched over to a jig with a spinner on it, like a “Thumper Jig” or “Fire Ball Spin” but the fish seemed to prefer a more low-key presentation. Normally they really smack the spinner-type jigs.
Playing around with various plastics, I found 3” Impulse “Swim’n Grubs” to work but not as well as the live bait presentation of a jig and chub minnow. Best grub color was “Firetiger”.
We trolled crankbaits for a while but could tell the walleye weren’t in the mood for them. Again, normally it’s a no-brainer and you can crank in fish after fish but we only caught a couple using a Matzuo “IKARI” lipless crankbait. I thought this was going to be “the ticket” as it was brightly colored and made a lot of noise with its rattles.
As the day progressed, we noticed a lot more boats joining us, as the northern shore was getting quite bumpy with the strong winds. I figured that would happen. That’s one thing about fishing Upper Red Lake. Always check out the weather forecast for this body of water and have a game plan. Try fishing the calmer waters and it generally is worth the trip. It was for us, as three of us boated approximately 75 walleye and lost about 50 more (counting “soft” bites).
The limit is only two walleye under 17” per person and we definitely didn’t have a problem in getting a few fish to take home but for us it’s always a trip “just to have fun”. For those more concerned in bringing home enough fish for a family fish fry, remember that any (*Minnesota Resident) children under the age of 16 aren’t required to have a fishing license but can legally bring home a limit of their own. Just something to consider. Good luck, be safe, and be sure to have fun!

*editor's note: Minnesota residents uner the age of 16 are permitted to fish and posess a legal limit of fish without purchasing a fishing license. Nonresidents age 16 and older are required to have an appropriate fishing license while angling.
Non residents under age 16 do not need a license if the parent or guardian is licensed. Children of an adult who has a Minnesota Nonresident Family License may possess their own limit of fish. However, if the adult has an Individual License or if the parents have a Husband and Wife License, then the child’s fish are included in the adult’s limit. Nonresidents under age 16 may purchase a nonresident youth license and possess their own limit of fish. Printable PDF >> MN Statutes 97A.451 License Requirements - Exemptions Relating To Age .

(6/2) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Upper Red Lake always makes me smile!

It is a fishery full of fun and pleasant surprises and last Saturday was no different when HSM Outdoors Tom Batiuk, Justin Bailey, and I made the visit.
Oddly enough, Batiuk made the trip south from Ontario to try and catch a sheepshead, one of a few fish that still remain on his "bucket list". They must have really rolled their eyes at the border when he told them the purpose of his trip. Ha ha. Sadly, however, I must report that Tom never caught one of those hard fighting rough fish but I did and it was the only one of the day. It absolutely inhaled a trolled 4" jointed Sebile "Swing Tail Minnow" and I knew it was a sheepshead (aka freshwater drum) right from the start as they fight like the dickens. It's amazing how aggressive they are for a fish with a sucker-like mouth, meaning no “real” teeth.
Original plans were to keep one and try it for table fare and I had every intention of doing so but when Tom was holding it for a photo he said “it smells funny.” Well that was the end of that. Seriously, I still want to give them a try as they are quite popular for eating “down south” although it may be a slight variation from what we have here in the North Country.
Although the sheepshead snubbed us on this day, the walleye didn't. We probably caught fifty of them, which is sort of a slow day for Upper Red Lake. While we were waiting for Tom to show up at the public access on the Tamarac River, Justin cast out from the dock and popped a nice fat 19" walleye on the first cast using a jig and plastic. That will always give an angler great expectations for the day.
We like to try different presentations when visiting Red Lake as practically everything will work. We started out trolling cranks and caught walleye. Switching to jigs and minnows we caught walleye. Switching to jigs and plastics produced walleye. Trolling spinners produced walleye. And our last ditch effort at using bobbers in the weeds, looking for crappie, caught even more walleye. What a lake!
The lake's full of surprises and one of them was a big northern pike caught by Justin while using a jig tied on with 4 pound test line. It was a great battle and after a few quick pics the fish was released to fight again.
Fishing guide Tyler Brasel, Bear Paw Guide Service, clued us in on the crappie bite so we gave it an hour or so before going home and ended up catching a few nice slabs to end the trip.
Most of our walleye came from "fishing the break" that surrounds the lake. Just head toward shore until it quickly shallows up and take off trolling in the 5-6' area. Fish are definitely there and relating to this break line. Crappies were caught in the "pencil weeds" with bobbers set at 4', about 1' off bottom.
You really should get up there and have a little fun on the big lake. It usually never lets you down. One thing to keep in mind, however, is the wind direction. If it's blowing and gusting any direction from the east you're generally okay. However, from the west, you may want to go another day as the lake can get quite rough.
A Lost Spring of sorts has really put a damper on my normally successful spring crappie fishing. Always a part of my springtime panfish attack, I usually begin wade fishing for them when the water begins to warm but it didn’t happen for me this year. Fish were caught by using a boat but the shore fishing stunk, as fluctuating water temperatures had the fish moving in and out as well as up and down in the water column.
It was a cold day on Upper Red Lake with air temps registering at 37º on our way to the lake. Couple that with a strong northern breeze and it gets to be downright cold out. Here we are into June and my wife is still babysitting her outdoor plants, carrying them into the house or garage each night so they won’t freeze. Come on Ma Nature, give us a break, please.

(5/23) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - This weather is so messed up, I don’t know where to begin.

It was a cool morning in Keewatin, with the temperature hitting 27º. Getting up early and dressing for a day on the lake, three hours north of home, I made sure to slip on the long underwear. I couldn’t imagine how cool it would feel on the deep, northern waters of Kakagi Lake, aka as Crow Lake, especially on a windy day.
Imagine my surprise when nearing International Falls and the thermometer had risen to 47º in that short time span. Wow. Maybe I wouldn’t be needing the long-handles after all.
Meeting up with Tom Batiuk for a day of lake trout fishing is always fun. As a matter-of-fact, any kind of fishing with Tom is fun.
Batiuk usually heads in a different direction when going after lakers and that’s Lake Manitou. This time, however, we were going to give Crow Lake a try, which was about the same drive, only on a paved highway all the way to the lake. No gravel.
Having spent the most of six summers up there, I had fished the lake a lot and was looking forward to the visit. Batiuk had fished it a time or two himself and is always up for a lake trout outing. Actually, he’s been all over the Sunset Country area and lake trout are a specialty for him. There’s hardly a lake he hasn’t tried.
Putting the boat in at the government landing, Tom said “high skies, it’s going to be tough fishing. I always do better on the lake trout when it’s overcast.” Hmm, I didn’t like the sound of that.
Glancing over the lake, it’s very intimidating for a first-timer, as everything looks good, and during the early part of the season that’s pretty much true, as trout are cruising the shallows all over the big lake, which measures eight by twelve miles in size.
The first area we tried was a spot that Tom and his brother, Mike, did so well on a few years ago. They were struggling for quite a while when they decided to switch gears and troll a shallow reef, which resulted in a whopping seventeen fish in two hours. That’s pretty much the case with most fish species. You have to find them first before you can do any catching.
Today, however, was a different story, as nothing was happening. From Tom’s spots to mine, we gave it our best effort to no avail.
Checking out one of my favorite shore fishing spots, we slowly trolled near shore and although no fish were caught it was encouraging to at least see a few sitting tight to bottom, which usually means they’re not feeding very well at all. If you see fish on the graph and they are up off bottom it generally means they are more active and hungry. Not on this day.
As a last course of action, other than going to shore and dead-baiting, we decided to let the boat slowly drift over these fish while we vertically jigged for them. Almost immediately, one followed Tom’s bait to the boat but turned away in a flash. A short while later he tied into a nice one that looked to be in the eight pound range.
Not having his regular trout net in the boat, I had some difficulty in getting it in the net but eventually accomplished the feat.
This turned out to be the only fish that actually made it into the boat. Tom had a big smallmouth bass shake loose, while casting jigs and plastics on top of a shallow reef but that was it. We each had a couple light “bumps” and I never boated a fish. It’s not the first time I got skunked and it won’t be the last but you better believe I’ll be going back there with a vengeance. - I hope all enjoyed the Memorial Day Weekend. God bless America!

(5/18) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Minnesota Fishing Report

This weather is so messed up, I don’t know where to begin. After a wonderful early spring ice-out, Mother Nature threw a curve-ball at us by doing a 180º and started cooling things off again.
Water temperatures have dropped as much as 10º on several lakes that I have been fishing and most of the time I have been chasing panfish, which have vacated the shallows and dropped back into deeper, more comfortable waters.
You can still catch these deep fish but it does take a little detective work and many times it’s not so easy to find them. I usually just wait until it warms up, making catching them a lot more predictable.
Using an electric bow mount trolling motor, I stand up and check out the shallow shorelines for any hint of panfish but lately they are few and far between. Most of the time it looks so barren that you’d almost expect to see a tumbleweed to go rolling past the boat. Deserted would be the best way to describe conditions, as minnows are rarely seen.
Some lakes, however, have had decent crappie bites taking place but for the most part it is next to nothing for most anglers. Each lake is different and sometimes conditions are such that a good bite will happen without fail, like it does each and every year. Other lakes? Well that’s another matter.
As for me, I’m really not disappointed, as I have all summer to fish and things will eventually get back to normal. I guess I’m more surprised than anything at the way this spring has taken place. It’s really strange and definitely another one for the books.
Bass are still up shallow and more than willing to bite. I’ve probably caught as many bass as I have panfish, which is okay with me. They’re always fun and I’m certainly glad of the new state regulation which allows us a catch and release season for bass until the regular season takes place this Saturday.
When we have weather like we’ve been experiencing, I can’t help but think of trout fishing, which usually is very good at this time of the year. As a matter-of-fact, as soon as I’m done with this article (Monday morning) I’m heading out to do a little shore fishing for them. Stream trout (rainbows, splake, and brook trout) will be the target.
There’s two huge factors involved with this decision. One – they are usually shallow and quite catchable during this time, even if it’s raining. They seem to like to come out and “play” in the rain. Two – it’s cold enough to keep the woodticks at bay (hopefully). Perfect!
Shore fishing for “streamers” is about as inexpensive a fishing trip as you’ll ever find. My wife and I used to fish for them a lot when first married and didn’t own a boat. I couldn’t count how many hours we spent on the shores of Kremer Lake.

<< Jesse Clusiau chasing super shallow panfish.

(5/12) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Minnesota Fishing Opener

This year’s Governor’s Fishing Opener had a small group of us spending the weekend in the backwoods of Itasca County. The A-frame, a family built cabin now owned by my brother Bruce, would be base camp for this long awaited Minnesota “holiday.”
Cool and windy weather kept me from doing any panfishing on Friday afternoon, which was fine with me. Instead, I lounged around, visited Bruce, touched up the cabin, and readied fishing rods for the next morning.
A part of this process was spooling on new line. I brought along a Berkley Line Spooling Station and several miles of fishing line to make sure all of us were re-spooled for the new season and ready to go. By the end of the evening, when all had finally trickled in, a dozen or more spools were filled with the line of their choice.
Cold temperatures kept us from being on the water at first light, like we used to always do. This time, however, we took our sweet time and arrived at the public access around 7:30 am. It was still cold and it was at this point that I realized some of my warm clothing was left at home. Bundling up with the best I had, which included wearing a rain suit to break the wind, we set out on the water.
Wanting to try out some new crankbaits, we started trolling the weedline to no avail. One lap around a small bay without a strike had us slowing down and using my favorite live bait presentation, Fire-Ball jigs tipped with minnows and the smaller the minnow the better. I didn’t think the fish would be too aggressive when it was in the low-30’s in the morning.
The “official” first fish of the new season was caught by me, a chunky little largemouth bass, which was promptly photo’d and released. Bruce put the first walleye in the boat. That one entered the live well for an evening fish fry. Picking away, we headed back to the cabin with 3 walleye and 3 northern pike and I must say that truck heater felt oh so good.
A quick lunch and back out onto the lake we went only this time it was a different body of water. Again the crankbaits were tried with no takers. Switching to jigs and minnows only produced one small northern pike so those rods were put away as well.
Casting the shallows for panfish produced fish after fish but they were all too small to keep. I think the cool weather system that blew in had all larger panfish sitting back and taking it all in, as not one quality fish was caught, which was the same scenario of the first lake of the day.
A mega-fish fry and oodles of good stories were enjoyed back at camp. Some of the gang had to leave (or probably just wanted to get out of there) but three of us remained to give Sunday a go.
Air temperatures the next morning were warmer but the wind was still howling. Never-the-less, off we went to yet another little sleeper lake.
This one, famed for big panfish, only offered fish of the smaller variety, like the other lakes that we fished. Small sunfish were covering the shallows with no large fish at all being present. And the crappies? Where were they? Only a couple of them were caught on Saturday and only one was seen on Sunday.
Thinking they were holding off and back out in a little deeper water we tried working the weedline and couldn’t keep the little northern pike off. They really like glow-in-the-dark Fire-Ball jigs. That’s for sure. I think I’ll have to place another order here soon.
Yes, another Minnesota Fishing Opener is in the books. For us, fishing was poor but it was still none-the-less a great weekend spent with friends and family.

(5/5) Greg Clusiau, "Greg's Guidlines" - Minnesota Fishing Opener

It’s finally here. The Minnesota general fishing opener gets underway this weekend, beginning midnight Friday night. Let the games begin!
At least the weather looks to be superb for this highly celebrated event, much better than years past, and thanks to an early spring I am predicting some very good fishing for those that are anxiously looking forward to a fresh fish dinner.
Panfish are just starting to get going in the North Country so look for them be up shallow and willing to bite. I’ve recently been trying some of my favorite shore fishing panfish spots and it just hasn’t happened. Even though water temperatures manage to reach the high 50’s by late afternoon, I believe the cold morning temps have kept crappies and sunfish from coming too close to shore due to such a short window of warm water, as it begins to cool off again as soon as the sun hits the trees.
This weekend, however, I’m forecasting some good crappie fishing, with a few bluegills mixed in. Rig up with a small jig tipped with a waxworm or plastic, hanging about 18” under a bobber, and you’ll be in business.
As I said, the shoreline panfish action has been slow for me around here but that doesn’t mean I didn’t catch any. A few trips south, where the water is considerably warmer, has led to some incredible fishing, with hundreds of nice crappie and bluegill being caught and released.
One of the trips happened last Sunday, when Andy Walsh and I traveled to the Alexandria area to fish with crappie expert Chad Peterson. Yes, the trip was fairly long, being 365 miles roundtrip, but we did manage to catch approximately 300 fish in 7 hours of fishing. I guess it was worth the drive.
The deadliest presentation this spring has been: a pink/white Northland Tackle “Fire Fly” jig, tipped with a wax worm or a white Impulse “Tadpole” plastic. We use plastics about 95% of the time and here’s the reasoning behind it. First off, it catches fish. Secondly, you don’t have to keep on refreshing your jig with live bait, as the little Tadpole will last through dozens of fish.
Impulse is scented and we always have that factor going for as well but the real deal I believe is by adding plastic to the little jig it slows down the sink rate, making it that much more alluring to neighboring fish.
Open continuously, you can fish for panfish year ‘round and the limit is 10 crappie, 20 sunfish, and 20 perch. Give them a try this opening weekend.
Lake levels are at a scary low and we certainly need some rain. Keep this in mind when venturing off to your favorite lake this weekend, as you might not be able to get your boat in due to a lack of water at the public access.
Big Bowstring would be one to consider, when it comes to low water. I’d go ahead of time just to check out the conditions. A couple fishing excursions on the Rainy River revealed it to be 3-4’ low. The same just might apply to many area lakes.
The Wolf Lake dam, north of Nashwauk, is a popular opening day fishing hole for many but, again, you might want to check it out before heading that direction Saturday morning. I was there last week and walked across the river, downside of the dam, wearing only knee-boots. Yes, it’s that shallow.
Regarding opening day, I will be getting back to my roots, staying at the cabin up north, fishing like we did when kids, and pulling spoons for northern pike. Joined by Chad Peterson from Alexandria and Tom Batiuk of Ft. Frances, we will also be doing a little casting for those toothy critters.
Casting will also be done for largemouth bass, now that the regulation has changed the first couple weeks of the season as a catch and release season for them.
Panfish, of course, will also be on the agenda, as well as a shot at a few walleye. We’re going to try and do it all and more-than-likely will. I do know that a fresh fish dinner will be taking place and fun will be had. Enjoy the Great Outdoors, be safe, and have fun. Good luck!