Good Opening Day on Leech Lake

Leech Lake leads the way in walleye opener success across Minnesota. This article if from the Brainerd (MN) Dispatch.

Leech Lake not reeling anymore

2009 MINNESOTA FISHING OPENER
By BRIAN S. PETERSON
Outdoors Editor

Those who wondered if last year's success on Leech Lake was fleeting need not wonder anymore.

It wasn't.

Of all the reports from area lakes, nothing compared to Leech during the opening weekend of the 2009 Minnesota fishing season.

"It's as good as we've seen in a long time," Cory Brock of Reed's Sporting Goods in Walker said of the opener. "There was a good bite yesterday (Saturday). Today it slowed down with it being pretty flat (calm). But they're still catching fish."

Brock said he hit Leech for about an hour-and-a-half Saturday and caught seven walleye, including two nice keepers.

"I just went out for a while and the fish I caught were real healthy fish. Two nice 17-inchers. And the others were 19 to 24 inches."

That was the norm over the weekend - a nice variety of fish sizes. And they were being caught in a variety of places - Partridge Point, Bear Island, Rogers Point, Stoney Point, the Hardwoods, Pine Point and Goose Island, according to Brock.

He said most of the bigger fish were being caught on the southern end of the lake, with the Goose Island and Pine Point areas providing plenty of keepers. He heard a report of a 31-inch walleye being caught as well as a couple 28- and 29-inchers and a number in the 24- to 26-inch range. And reports of a lot of limits being filled.

"A couple different boats were done at 1 (p.m. Saturday). One had 40 to 50 fish in the 12- to 28-inch range.

"Today (Sunday) it's been up and down a little bit. Nothing real phenomenal. But yesterday (Saturday) was great.

"While one guide on Lake Mille Lacs wouldn't categorize the bite on Mille Lacs as great, he said it was better than last year.

"There are more people and the fish are cooperating better," said Rick Goodholm, longtime guide for Terry's Boat Harbor and Marina on Mille Lacs. "But it's still not as good as three years ago because the water temperature isn't warm enough.

"Goodholm said the water temp was 47 degrees Saturday and dropped to 45 with Sunday's wind."

Every day the fishing will get a little better because the water temperature will be warming up," he said. Goodholm said a walleye "just a hair under 28" (inches) was reported Saturday and few keepers were being reported opening weekend.

"We're seeing a lot of 15-inchers but didn't see any that night," he said of a guided night outing over the weekend. "You'll see a lot of 15- to 16-inchers during the day and the night is always a bigger bite."

I think the bite will determine how business will be (this year on Mille Lacs). If they're biting it will be good and if they're not biting it will be bad. And if people can keep some fish, that's a plus.

"It (opening weekend) was better than last for people, but not the year before, but better than I thought it would be - because of the economy. I wasn't sure if it would affect fishing or not. But there were sure a lot of new Ranger boats going down the highway."

Reports from several Brainerd-area lakes were mixed, with anglers coming off Gull Lake reporting a good number of smaller fish, but not many keepers.

In the Crosby-Ironton area, Jesse Williams of Oars & Mine Bait & Tackle in Crosby reported mostly the same.

"The walleye were kind of off and on all weekend," Williams said. "A couple guys here and there said it was pretty good on Serpent Lake and Rabbit Lake. And 10 minutes later a couple more guys would come in, and they were out at the same time and in the same place and didn't catch anything. And there were a lot of bass and pike being caught by accident."

While the opening of the walleye season got most of the attention over the weekend, the season for trout in Minnesota lakes also opened. And according to Williams, it was a successful opener in the Crosby-Ironton mine pit lakes.

"The trout fishing was excellent," he said. "A lot of fish were caught. Even some pretty decent ones. There were some good reports of 17- and 18-inchers and up to 20-inch rainbows."

Williams heard a report of a 5-pound rainbow being caught and reports of nice fish being caught in a number of the pit lakes.

"The Pennington chain was by far the top one," he said. "And there were some decent brookies out of Huntington, and rainbows, too.

And Portsmouth had some good reports, too."Traffic might not be way up - about the same (as last year's opener). But it seems like a lot of people are spending money and getting out."

BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5864.