Pretty darn quiet in here considering it's 10 days 'til opener. Are we all walleye guys in disguise?

Where is everyone heading?

I'm heading to the family cabin on Rice Lake by Paynesville. Yeah, I'll hit it Friday night for 'eyes, but Saturday I'll be doing some pike hunting. There's a big basin that's 8-12 fow that I'll be concentrating on, looking for any emergent vegetation, but not sure what I'll find. I may try some 'eye/pike scouting with cranks trolling, and if I locate an area, then hit it with HJs, suspending cranks, etc.

If I get bored, I can take a ride down the Crow River to Koronis, which has some big pike in it. It's simply going to feel good to get out!

So....where are y'all heading?

To work

Going way north to explore some lakes near Togo. We are heading up Wednesday night for what our group of friends calls Mancation. There will be lots of drinking, shooting clays, fishing, paintball, big bon fires, muddin, and generally just havin fun. Thursday and Friday will be spent searching some of the potholes up there for big panfish and then all day Saturday will be Pikin on this little group of creek connected lakes. Some shallow, some deep, different bottom content on each, 3 of the 4 are only about 5 acres, but plenty deep, and the 4th is about 90 acres and really deep and crystal clear. 15 to 20 feet of water clarity, and the ice is probably just now going off. Should be an interesting weekend. Bringing the waders and push pole. I am really lookin forward to next weekend.

There's some small water within walking distance from campus that supposedly have northern in 'em, so I'll just be casting around with some of my favorite rapalas and maybe a topwater and see if I can stir up anything.

More like 2 days til opener

I'll be at my cabin on Magnor, or the soup bowl, whichever you like to call it. I was bored so I even colored a map and scribbled boxes on areas I'd likely target. After inevitability sets in an I don't catch a fish at any of those spots I'll start trolling in circles at just about the 10 foot mark. The real problem is all the breaks and structure are in less than 5 feet of water, and there's few times during the year big fish like to go that shallow.

it's 10 days too long if you ask me.

I'm disgusted with the fact that I'll be on call for work. I might be off, but I gotta stay nearby and sober in case they call. Given how close I need to stay I think I'll be canoeing on lake Phelan in St. Paul.
That being said, I nearly always drag a few northerns out of there when I want to.

I was going to go up to Gull(Cass) as usual, but ice reports and other issues might have me trying Tonka. I'm thinking about fishing pike almost exclusively this opener. I want to spend some time working the Sub Walk. X-raps for sure. I'm getting good pikey-vibes for this spring.

down on yonder poitn i catch a big ole hawg northern i tell ya what

I sure do hope ya put 'er back sos I can have a crack at 'er.

More than likely skipping the opener. If I do go it will be sunday before I get out, assuming I finish the floor in the boat.

Green, or West Rush for me, combo of pike and bowfishing if I go.

Guessing I will be hitting Upper Red. Kinda my favorite spot.

Who woulda guessed that Jonny? I need to get a bigger boat before I can think of trying Upper Red. I don't think I would feel safe out there in mine.

Ya know what is funny about that comment...the worst situation I was ever in for waves and a sinking ship was White Bear Lake. Yup, spent my whole life crashing across Red and just about bought the farm in a twenty foot boat on a metro lake.

So bring your little boat up to Red, if its gets ugly shoot over to Blackduck, Island, or even uo to the Rainy River for some great action if Red is all tipsy. Weather can be bad all over, don't let the waves keep you from trying out Red, always the Tamarac river if its its rough on the lake and some dandy pike hanging out under those cut banks.

Looks like we finally got a break with the weather. Border lakes will most likely be thawed. I'll be chasing pike in Ely, bobber fishing with my boys 10, 8, and 6 and their grandfather. Doesn't get any better than that. Hans