Park Rapids Area, Hubbard County (all postings)

Back on the ice!

It felt great to get back out and cut some holes in the ice. I fished a small clear lake in the Park Rapids area last Friday night. Last year my first walleye was a 31 1/4 inch beauty. Me and a buddy fished until 8:30pm and iced 2 nice walleyes, a 22 inch and a 24 inch. It was a very nice evening and we were just excited to be ice fishing. We were using 1/8 and 1/4 oz Northland rattle spoons in 15 ft of water in super glo perch and golden perch colors. We tipped them with a 1/2 of a shiner minnow. On Saturday I walked onto a small lake in the Chippewa National Forest to check out the crappies. I drilled holes in 28-32 ft and went from hole to hole looking to spot the crappies suspended 2-4 ft off the bottom. I drilled 20-25 holes until I located a few fish. They bit fast and furious when I when I found them. 9-11 inch crappies made for a delicious and and long awaited fish fry. I used #6 size doodle bugs from Northland Tackle tipped with a wax worm, I like the tiger beetle color. The could weather is in the forecast so Leech Should be freezing up this week. I will let you know the second you can get on the ice safely. It is going to be a great year so get your gear and get ready to go. I will see you on the ice!!!

One note is to be very careful on the ice this early in the year, you don't want to fall in and screw up the season. Here is a video by the MN DNR on how to get out if you do happen to fall in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KDqEJlwclg&feature=g-user-u

Mark Kimmerle

Fishing in the Park Rapids area has been very good over the past several days. Walleye activity is definitely at a peak and anglers are reporting nice number and size of fish. The depth of active walleye varies from lake to lake, but in general, 14-22 feet has been best and minnows, specifically redtails, have been the ticket this week. Though a jig and minnow will work, a redtail delicately hooked on a Roach Rig remains the best option. Keep in mind that the minnow MUST be alive to produce bites. An easy way to check to see if your minnow is alive is to set it in the water. If you see more of its belly than its back, it’s time to put a new one on. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass have finished their spawning rituals. Anglers report catching nice bass while fishing for walleye, though those targeting the more traditional bass areas are getting much better numbers of fish. Largemouth have been most active from 1-10 feet of water, since they’ve had a good forage supply from insects like dragonflies. Emergent weeds like lilypads and pencil reeds are a good place to start. To effectively fish those areas with thick vegetation, use heavy line (17-20lb test) and toss a Northland Jawbreaker Spoon into the vegetative mess. As long as you keep the spoon moving, you won’t get hung up and big bass love to inhale the lure. Smallmouth bass have moved to primary drop-offs in the 10-20 foot range. Yet expect to see some shallow water cruisers as they scavenge for scuttling crayfish. Jerkbaits, topwater lures and soft plastic tube baits are all great choices for the smallies. Panfish action has been solid, though some of the sunfish abandoned their nests due to volatile weather systems. Both crappie and bluegill can be found on the weedlines in 4-12 feet. A 1/16th ounce jig like the lifelike Mimic Minnow Fry will get both crappies and bluegills to bite without the need for livebait. Northern pike and muskie reports have been solid with some nice muskies already boated and released in this early part of the season. Lean toward baits more similar in size to what you’d use for bass to get the big muskies to commit. You’ll run into some nice northerns in the process of fishing for muskies, though the walleye and bass anglers have also reported incidentally encountering the toothy species. In other words, the pike are biting just about everywhere. So come check out the Park Rapids area for some great fishing action, no matter what species you’re after! For more information on fishing in the Park Rapids area, contact Jason Durham of Go Fish! Guide Service, Inc. at 218-252-2278 or at go-fish-guides.com.

May 17, 2012

Jason Durham, Go Fish! Guide Service Inc.

www.Go-fish-guides.com

Last weekend’s fishing opener was good for some anglers and not so good for others. Good numbers of walleye’s were caught but depth and bait of choice varied widely from lake to lake. Anglers reported catching walleye in 3-30 feet, though the best concentrations were in 10-16 feet of water. Nightcrawlers and leeches fished on Northland Roach Rigs were the most productive though some anglers also did well with Fireball jigs tipped with a minnow and shallow diving crankbaits.

The northern pike were voracious over opening weekend and some very nice northerns were landed. Shallow to mid depth weeds in 4-12 feet have good numbers of pike right now. Flashy in-line spinners did well in addition to various minnow presentations.

The most consistent action this weekend went to anglers targeting panfish. Big crappies and bluegills have been easy targets up in the reeds that are brown, old growth leftover from last season. A small jig and crappie minnow suspended beneath a bobber and 1/16th and 1/32nd ounce Mimic Minnow jigs were equally attractive to the crappies, the bluegills opting for the jigs with a plastic body or the bobber set-up with a worm or maggots instead of a minnow. This bite should continue for a couple more weeks but expect the fish to begin moving toward deeper locales toward the Memorial Day weekend.

Jason Durham Go Fish! Guide Service Park Rapids, MN 218-252-2278 http://go-fish-guides.com

Here's the latest information on the Park Rapids area for opening weekend from Jason Durham: What to look for and where fish should be found:

Anglers are eagerly anticipating this weekend’s walleye and northern pike opener. Although the area experienced one of the earliest ice-out’s in history, the opener is predicted to be fairly “normal” due to cool temperatures over the past month. Walleye anglers should begin their search in shallow water, 4-10 feet, along massive shallow water flats comprised of sand or gravel. A number of live bait options will get bites, but a standard is a Northland Roach Rig tipped with either a leech, nightcrawler or minnow. Crankbaits can also be very effective in the early season. Northern pike should be active along the shallow cabbage weed beds. Fast moving, flashy baits like Reed Runner Spinnerbaits, crankbaits or spoons are sure to get the attention of a big toothy pike. Look for active northerns in depths of 4-12 feet. Panfish action in the Park Rapids area has really picked up and anglers are reporting good success. The most popular presentation for catching the big crappies right now is a float with a small jig and crappie minnow beneath. The bluegills can be caught the same way, but a small leech, worm or grub is typically better. Shallow water is the key for the panfish right now. Depths of 1-6 feet is their prime location.

Jason Durham Go Fish! Guide Service Park Rapids, MN 218-252-2278 http://go-fish-guides.com