Overdalimit, I hope the trough means back into the lake. I want a chance at some of them hogs over memorial day weekend!

I will be up on Kabetogama on Memorial weekend.
I will be playing, "Robinson Crusoe," and camping on an island.
Leave some fish for me.

Opener this year on Kab was one of the best I have ever had there. AS said before it is hard to leave 20+ inch fish to try to find smaller ones but that is what most people including ourselves had to do. Our final tally was 24 fish over the 20+ inches for the weekend. For the two of us in the boat we boated, photoed and released 18 fish at 20+ inches on one day. Remarkable fishing. The next week should be just as good. Reports of crappies in the shallows were floating around as well.

Fish slayer,
Rest assured that I was refering to the measuring trough. I only was able to put one 16 incher in the "box". I like to use the trough cause that is what the warden uses and I make very sure that any fish I do keep are well within the legal limit. (I put back anything that is over 16 1/2 with the tail pinched). I respect the local warden, he has a reputation for fairness and knowlege of the law, but I have no interest in finding out first hand. The other reason for the trough is it means that I handle the fish less and it makes for a better CNR pic you can see the exact legnth of the fish.

Hey, I just read your post, those otters are just like a vacum cleaner, and can open and bucket very efficiently, been in your position up there when staying at Sunset on Ash River. Just had to giggle with you not at you. good luck see you in June

The otters stealing minnows still cracks me up every time! I feel for the people victimized by it, but from someone that has been fishing the lake for 30+ years, it's still funny. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone tell me to watch out for "people stealing minnows", I'd be a rich man! When I tell them that it was the otters, they always look like they don't know if they should believe me or not. Last year a guy at the Frontier bar came in so mad that he looked like he was going to kill someone. He got all the way out to pike island with a 25 HP motor to find that 5 dozen minnows where "stolen" by someone. I laughed so hard my pop came out my nose!

Yeah I just shook my head when I saw that. No sense getting mad after all otters were on Kab long before I was.

I was at Sunset with my buddy and we came back so he could hit the can and get something to eat. A lady asked if that was our blue boat at the dock and I said yes. She then told me we had a visitor. My friend who owned the boat and keeps it meticulously clean had caught 2 nice crappies and had them in the live well. I looked and saw 1 seal basking on the dock and the other opening the live well and grabbing his last crappie. There were scales everywhere. I was laughing so hard when he came out of the bathroom. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

i always thought it was mink doing the stealing. after one time i started tying the bucket shut. never a problem again.

people stealing minnows! ha ha ha ha! i dont care who you are -now thats funny right there.

Mink and otters are the bait man's best friends. I've seen them clean out multiple buckets in a night, ravage minnow tanks and spread innards up and down the fish house.

I try to warn people all the time. When the livewell runs, and water spills out the side, the otters get a little whiff and decide where the next meal is. They aren't stupid, they'll take the easy meal anytime.

Otters help keep me employed though.

At the Sunset Resort 3 or 4 years ago, the group I was with were enjoying a toddy or two on the deck of the cabin by the river. This deck overlooks the docks and the river. My boat was docked furthest upriver, so was the first boat the otter family got to. The biggest otter in the bunch jumps up on the dock, hops in my boat, and heads for my bait well. I commented to my companions the that otter was going to have the devils own time opening the lid. It might have taken that otter as long as 5 to 10 seconds before he had it open. 3 dozen minnows later, the otter family was in the next boat. All in all the otters cleaned up on 15 dozen minnows in a 20 minute eating spree. Fun to watch. The next day, they were back, but had trouble trying to move a 45 LB. anchor from the lid.

I hope there is reasonable priced bait nearby Perhaps I should have budgeted a little more for next weeks trip...

We didnt have problems with otters, we didnt have any minnows left by the time we got back to the dock!! That was some of the best walleye fishing I've seen up there ever. We caught probably between 60-70 fish with 2 slimers. Missed probably half that many. It was the first time we had a big fish fry AND everyone got to bring fish home.

Anyone else get blown off the lake on Saturday? I've never seen wind like that, saw a lot of boats (us included) take refuge behind Natasha point. Our boat was completly out of the water a few times on the ride back. That was a wild ride, 5-6 foot rollers. I forgot to button the top button on my rain suit and I ended up soaked from my chin to my knees, just from that little opening.

Overdalimit,

I knew that was what you were talking about! I just cant wait to catch some fish over memorial weekend!