The surroundings above water may be completely urban, but life underwater is some of the most prolific anywhere for tigers. During most of the 1990s, Lake Calhoun had the state-record tiger muskie, a 33-pound, 8-ounce beauty caught in 1991. The DNR treats each of these lakes separately rather than as a chain, and stocks each one on a three-year cycle. This translates to a chain of lakes that is stocked annually.

The lake receives heavy pressure, though most of it is from the shore. Most of these anglers seem to be going after the numerous bass or panfish, which along with perch, are among the main forage for tigers.

There are only two public accesses, one on Calhoun and the other on Isles. The only parking is on the street, so finding a spot large enough for a vehicle and trailer can mean a lot of driving or having to arrive early. There is also an electric motor-only regulation on all three lakes.

Calhoun contains the deepest and clearest water of all three lakes, and probably offers the best chance at both numbers and size of tigers. Pure-strain muskies were stocked in 1994 and the lake is home to some large northern pike, so don't be surprised if you catch one of these instead of a tiger. Cedar is very similar to Calhoun in clarity and depth, and can be considered the sleeper of the three lakes because it takes at least 20 minutes by electric motor from either access. Isles is the shallowest and murkiest of the lakes, though it has several deeper holes.

The presence of milfoil on each lake can make it tough to navigate the channels and the shallows, but the edges of the milfoil can make for some great fishing. Tigers like to sit in the milfoil along the deep edges as ambush sites for passing prey. Don't overlook the shallow edges of the milfoil, however, because they can hold fish, especially in lowlight periods or on cloudy days. Something to watch for are the periodic weed-clearing operations done by the city throughout the summer. A large machine churns through the channels as sections of each lake is cleared of milfoil from time to time, creating "clearcuts" for cruising fish. Try to use colors that mimic the forage found in the area you are fishing, which almost always includes perch.

The least pressured areas of each lake are the offshore humps and sunken islands that can be difficult to locate without electronics or a good lake map. Another spot that probably contains the next state record but is hardly ever fished are the deep-water basins of Calhoun and Cedar. Anglers hardly ever fish these areas most likely because they don't want to "waste" the battery power it requires to effectively work the area.

LAKE NOKOMIS
Another good tiger lake in the heart of Minneapolis is Lake Nokomis. This is where I caught my first-ever tiger muskie in 1999 and is the precise moment when I became a muskie addict. I caught the 41-inch fish in water shallower than my knees early in the morning. What makes my catch disconcerting to others is that I caught it within 50 feet of a large swimming beach. I instantly put them at ease, however, when I explained that I caught a 36-incher later that evening within the ropes of the beach.

The west end of the lake tends to be the most productive for tigers. Hartman said he knows of numerous catches over 25 pounds as well as a few over 30 pounds from Nokomis. The lake is filled with crappies that provide excellent forage for tigers, and finding the papermouths can often mean finding the muskies. Tigers are caught by anglers all over the lake and accidentally caught almost as much by shoreline anglers looking for a panfish, bass or walleye. When fishing the deep weed edges, use a spinnerbait, diving crankbait or jigging spoon. On the shallow weed edges and tops of the weeds, use a lure that will run just below the surface.