There is an electric motor-only regulation in place on Nokomis and better off-street parking than the other city lakes, though it is usually completely filled during any given day with sunshine or warmth in the summertime. Parking on the street is possible though equally difficult to find during the peak hours.

CRYSTAL LAKE(S)
There are two Crystal Lakes in the Twin Cities, and both have been stocked with tigers for more than 20 years. Hartman said both offer good fishing but the best-sized fish have come from the smaller lake in the north metro.

Located in Robbinsdale off Highway 81, Crystal hardly seems like the home of a trophy fishery due to its small size of 78 acres and pea-green-colored water. "If nothing else, the fact that four or five fish over 30 pounds have come from Crystal shows how hardy the tiger muskie is and how it can stand marginal water conditions," Hartman said.

The southern end of the lake has traditionally been better but a sunken island adjacent to deep water on the north side should not be overlooked. Because the water is so stained, brightly colored and flashy lures tend to be the best. Crystal is full of crappies and sunfish, providing an excellent forage base for tigers. The lake is also full of -- yes, this is true -- goldfish. Thus the reason why orange is one of the top colors on this lake. Apparently, a lot of goldfish get flushed down metro-area toilets.

The Crystal Lake of the south metro is located in Burnsville just south of County Road 42. This one is much larger, with clearer water, two islands and several deeper holes. There is a rocky 3-foot sunken island between the two main islands that can wreck a prop but also yield a nice tiger or two. The bays on the eastern, southern and western ends can be good for shallower fish. Deeper fish can be found along the northern shore and the northern end of Maple Island adjacent to the basin of the lake.

Both lakes have public launches with a fair amount of parking, though both tend to fill up on weekends. The launch on the northern version is off Crystal Lake Boulevard while the southern one's launch is off Crystal Lake Road.

CEDAR LAKE
In a state with more than 10,000 lakes, there are bound to be a few repeats in the name department. There's Crystal and also Cedar. This Cedar Lake is located in the extreme southern metro off Highway 13 between New Prague and Prior Lake, and it deserves a separate mention partially because the other Cedar is part of a chain, but mostly because this one is an extremely productive tiger muskie lake.

Cedar has been stocked since 1984 and has shown tremendous growth rates, said Peterson. The lake is large at 779 acres but you won't find any water deeper than 11 or 12 feet. The lake has an aeration system that protects it from winterkill, and Hartman said at least one 30-pound fish has been caught along with numerous 25-pound fish. The lake has two public accesses, one on the northwestern end and the other on the eastern shore.

There is an expansive 11-foot hole in the middle of the lake that Hartman said seems to be the most productive spot. Because the lake is full of high numbers of perch, crappies and sunfish, the tigers tend to roam all over and can be caught most anywhere, especially when the water is cooler in the spring and fall.

One of Hartman's favorite approaches on Cedar is using a shallow-running, minnow-shaped crankbait that can run over the tops of the weeds. "I really like the Mann's Stretch Minus-One because the wobble and rattle it gives is hard for those tigers to pass up," he said.