Stocked with walleyes every other year, the Department of Natural Resources' east-metro fisheries office said the population has steadily increased since 1987 and is above average. Catches of northern pike 36 to 38 inches used to be common in Bald Eagle, although Stevenson said that bite seems to have slowed. According to the DNR, there are still quality numbers in the 3-pound range, plus a few trophies. Large crappie catches are common, and numerous 2-pound fish come out annually amongst the mass of small to medium ones. The 1998 year-class is very strong, and most crappies fall into the 11-inch mark, thus officially designating them as slabs. "The size is tougher these days, but you can't beat it for a numbers lake," Stevenson said.

Bald Eagle Lake is located north of the city of White Bear Lake. For info, go to www.explorewhitebear.org.

LAKE OWASSO
I'm going to get in trouble for including this lake no matter how much information I attribute to Stevenson, because several of my buddies have caught massive walleyes from Lake Owasso in Ramsey County with some regularity. For their sake and mine -- not to mention the health of the fishery -- take along a camera for those monster walleyes and release them.

That said, in the last three to four years, Owasso has really turned on as a hot walleye lake, according to Stevenson. According to the DNR, the average walleye is in the 3-pound range, meaning there are plenty for the dinner table. "There have always been a lot of little ones, but now there are some really big ones, and they all tend to come from the same area of the lake," Stevenson said.

Owasso has a large, shallow saddle in the middle of the lake that is flat and weedy with healthy weeds even into wintertime. The spot to fish is the rockpile in 12 to 15 feet of water opposite the boat launch on the side of the saddle.

A tip-up along the deep weedline is tough to beat for northerns, according to Stevenson. The average for Owasso is some of the best in the metro, and he's caught many pike in the 32- to 36-inch range, including a 38-incher.

Owasso is also a great place for bluegill and crappie lovers who like to catch a mess of them and don't care about size. It's a great family lake because the kids can play with the smaller panfish while the adults tackle the big toothy predators.

For more information, contact Blue Ribbon Bait & Tackle at (651) 777-2421 or at www.blueribbonbait.com.

ST. CROIX RIVER
Anglers who like to catch everything should give the St. Croix in Washington County a shot. It is a river, after all, so any species is possible, including catfish, muskies, smallmouths -- and every kind of rough fish imaginable.

"The panfish are huge, the crappie action rivals Red Lake, there are tons of walleyes, and you have a good chance of catching a big pike or a stray sauger through the ice," Stevenson said. Backing his comparison to crappie fishing on Upper Red, Stevenson said the St. Croix yields a ton of 14-inchers every year.

The key to fishing the St. Croix is to drive to Bayport, turn off of Highway 95 and walk onto Anderson Window Bay. Under the power lines on the 40-foot hole is where to be, although Stevenson said the best fishing is on the edges of the angling group. This area is downstream from the warmwater discharge from the power plant, so anglers need to pay attention to where the ice is safe and where it's thin.