"There are milfoil-topped points that extend into deep water, and you flip the jig to both sides of the points," she said. "You also want to spend some extra time on those tight inside turns. The weeds grow deep, so you can be in over 15 feet of water and still flipping to milfoil."

For more on Lake Calhoun's restrictions, call Minneapolis Parks at (612) 230-6400, or visit their Web site at www.minneapolisparks.org.

BIG BIRCH LAKE
"Sometimes you just get tired of throwing a jig," said Matt Pretzel as he described the fishing for lunker largemouths on Big Birch Lake just east of Sauk Centre in Todd County. "There are big bulrush beds on flats sitting right next to deep water, and the largemouths are there."

Pretzel said anglers like to work the edge of visible vegetation, but he likes being right in the middle of it.

"It's work, but it's fun," he said. "Just use a lighter spinnerbait with a medium-sized blade and you can get through even the thicker stuff."

When the bass aren't cooperating in the shallower regions, there will be plenty of opportunities in the pondweed, cabbage and coontail.

"I use a spinnerbait there as well," Pretzel said. "I just move up to a heavier lure, and since I like to cover water quicker, I use an Indiana-style blade."

For more on Big Birch, call Fletcher's Bait at (320) 352-2155.

SHIELDS LAKE
When Danny Suggs was fishing club tournaments on the lakes in Le Sueur and Rice counties, he heard talk of a lake with a prolific population of bluegills. Of course, he was thinking bass.

"Wherever you have a strong population of small bluegills, you need to check out that lake for big bass," Suggs said. "That's what led me to Shields, and I found some real nice largemouths there."

Shields Lake, just northwest of Faribault, has some bulrushes on the west side, a lot of pondweed, cabbage and coontail, some weed-topped sunken islands in the middle of the lake, and there's very little pressure for bass.

"There might be a few dozen boats on the water with people fishing on a weekend," said Suggs, "and only two are bass boats. The rest are fishing the weedline or deeper water for panfish or walleyes. This allows you to key on that shallower vegetation and hammer on those big largemouths."

Suggs recommends that you start with topwater lures on Shields and then move to spinnerbaits and then to crankbaits as you develop your pattern.

"Shields has always been a great topwater lake," Suggs said. "There's enough slop that you can throw a Skum Frog, and where the weeds sink below the surface, a chugger works great."

For more info on Shields, call Nagel's Live Bait at (507) 334-8341.

* * *

The 2006 bass season is soon to begin, and optimism is running high. Let's hope Mother Nature provides us with another great year for lunker largemouths!