SEPTEMBER

Bald Eagle Lake

Not only does Ramsey County’s Bald Eagle Lake have a good population of muskies, the structure in the lake is so diverse that it’s just great fun to fish there.

You can fish these huge muskies on rockpiles, sunken islands, narrow points and heavy vegetation. There’s hardly a straight contour on the bottom of this metro lake. The muskies only occasionally follow the lures. Much of the time they just hit them.

Lake Amelia

Lake Amelia in Pope County been getting some substantial fishing pressure the past few years because of its reputation as a productive little walleye lake. This may cause the fishing to taper into a more realistic mode in a few years, but there’s still some time to take advantage of the good fishing there. The walleyes congregate on the midlake structure. It’s easy to find.

Howard Lake

Howard Lake is one of those great little pike lakes, 700 acres, where you just drop in the boat at the city park, lower the bow-mount electric motor and start fishing. The entire rim of the lake consists of vegetation that holds plenty of pike. Get there right before turnover and it will be fast and furious pike action. Expect a few nice fish to jump on the lure or bait.

OCTOBER

Basswood Lake

It’s the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness waters on the Canadian border where the last bastion of huge pike hide.

It’s October when the tullibees head for the bays full of cabbage, where they spawn, and this brings in huge pike to feed. A large jointed crankbait retrieved just a few inches below the surface will generate some explosive action. If that’s not working, the Johnson Silver Minnow is the “never-fail” lure.

Oh, and take a shotgun along. Grouse season is open and there are always a lot of birds sunning themselves on the limestone peaks.

Madison Lake

October is prime time to be chasing walleyes on a lake in southern Minnesota. The water has cooled and is clearer now that the algae has diminished. The walleyes seem to be in a feeding mood as well. A great technique for October walleyes on Madison is a light bottom-bouncer and spinner rig tipped with a minnow. Run the rig in 14 to 17 feet of water.

Chisago Lake

You can still catch some real nice bass in October on Chisago. Start shallow, tossing spinnerbaits in the center basin around the islands, and work deeper with jigs and then crankbaits. While some lakes get real stingy with bass in October, Chisago bass will still seem eager to bite.

NOVEMBER

Green Lake

November is a huge month for hunters, and that makes some people very happy.

The happy anglers are those who realize that the fishing can be tremendous right before and right after first ice forms. That’s when bodies of water like Isanti County’s Green Lake start cranking out walleyes. In open water, work the edge of the vegetation. If there is an early ice-up, you still stick to the weedline on this lake.

Spider Lake

You need to have some fast action to stay warm when fishing a lake in November, and that’s why Spider Lake in Hubbard County fits the bill nicely. There are a lot of pike in the flats next to the deep-water basins, and now that the vegetation has backed off away from the surface, a slowly retrieved crankbait right over the tops of that laydown will generate quite a few commitments.

Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake just east of Annandale is deep and clear. The walleyes in November like to slide up on top of the saddle between the two basins before ice-up and hang there for about a week after first ice. A 20-foot breakline on the northeast corner should also get some attention from walleye anglers.

DECEMBER

Grace Lake

Drill some holes right in the middle of Hubbard County’s Grace Lake near the sunken island and drill some more toward the northeast closer to the deeper water. The water clarity in Grace is perfect for an underwater camera. Focus on the bottom, and if you spot some small perch, figure there might be some big walleyes cruising around in the vicinity.

Grand Lake

The best spot to target bluegills on Grand Lake in Stearns County is on the weedflat on the southwest corner in about 10 to 12 feet of water. Just a waxie on a tiny jigging spoon will do it. The trick is to keep quiet on the ice. Too much stomping around spooks the fish.

Ely Lake

Deep water near structural elements is what you need to find to score on crappies on Ely Lake. You won’t have to look far. This scenario is everywhere on this lake. So where to start? There are plenty of crappies in Ely, and many are nice-sized, so pick a spot, drill some holes and start fishing. It’s easy to be lucky on this lake when it comes to crappies on the ice.    l

Find more about Minnesota fishing and hunting at: MinnesotaSportsmanMag.com/.