The pinched-off head of a fathead tipped on a Jigging Rapala is a great rig in this area, both for crappies and walleyes.

For more on the St. Croix River Valley, visit www.ilovestillwater.com or call the Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce at (651) 439-4001.

LAKE PHALEN
The more "urban" a lake tends to be, the better the fishing is -- mainly because nobody goes there. Lake Phalen in Ramsey County is a prime example. This clear, deep lake is jammed with walleyes. Phalen is just as much a sleeper in the wintertime as it is in the summer.

"People just don't fish it, and those words should be magic to a fisherman's ears," Stevenson said. Similar to Owasso, Phalen is a long lake with a saddle in the middle separating the lake into two basins, but serving as a focal point for the walleyes. "Fish both edges of that saddle and you'll catch a lot of walleyes of different sizes," Stevenson added.

Stevenson said the walleye action is so hot that anglers really won't go after anything else. Perhaps he was protecting the fact that he also likes the pike fishing, and he wanted to keep it a secret that in many of the walleyes holes, the crappies won't stay off your hook. "They all seem to come on the steep sides of that saddle in 25 to 30 feet, with minnows being the most productive," he added.

The beach on the south end just off of Phalen Drive also is a good location with easy access. For more information, you can contact the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce at www.saintpaulchamber.com or (651) 223-5000.

SPRING LAKE
When Terry Tuma fishes on Scott County's Spring Lake near Prior Lake, he knows that he's going to have to work for the walleyes, but if he finds the right pattern, he's going to catch a mess of them. The walleyes are stocked by the DNR every other year, and a very strong 1999 year-class is now reaching respectable sizes.

The lake is also very good for bluegills and crappies, and the DNR fisheries' west-metro office reports that the crappie population is one of the best in the metro. Tuma said northern pike fishing can be good, though the size is not always the best. The flats are good for pike and bluegills during the early ice season, and the big bays where green weeds can still be found are good later on.

Spring Lake's water is rather murky. The walleyes tend to hold on the breaklines and deep-water points. Crappies are often found roaming the entire basin and move around a lot. "Fish your typical structures and go deep, because very few anglers fish for them out there," Tuma said.

For more information, contact the Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce at www.priorlakechamber.org or (952) 440-1000.

PRIOR LAKE
Tuma gives Prior Lake a rating of "good" for walleyes and "excellent" for crappies. He advises panfishers to examine the deeper water, as in 25 feet deep, rather than shallow.

Panfish tend to relate to the deep breaklines and so do the walleyes. Tuma said jigging spoons with a minnow head attached are great weapons for walleyes on Prior, both in the Upper and Lower lakes. According to the west-metro DNR fisheries office, Prior has a high abundance of bluegills, though they are all very small.

Crappie netting studies reveal an excellent population that is well represented by numerous year-classes, thus backing up Tuma's excellent rating. Many of these fish are 4 to 6 years old and will be quickly entering the size of slab status.