Mille Lacs is known for its mudflats, but Carlson said Shetek is nothing but one big mudflat.

"Walleyes are caught almost everywhere on the lake because there's very little structure, but generally the middle of the lake is good during the day and the shorelines are good in the evening and morning," Carlson said.

Lake Shetek State Park is on the eastern shore, and more park information can be found at the DNR's Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us. For more information on the area, visit the city of Tracy's Web site at www.tracymn.com.

LAKE SARAH
Lake Sarah is a stone's throw away from Lake Shetek in Murray County. It is considered one of the premier walleye lakes in the area because it has consistent natural reproduction and an ample forage base, thus creating very fast-growing walleyes.

There are almost 1,100 acres of water, with a maximum depth of 11 feet. There are three public landings. Carlson said the majority of anglers on Sarah troll or drift across the middle of the lake during the day, but at night, these folks chill out.

"In the evening, they'll sit by the shore, put a bobber out and relax," Carlson said. "You'll see a lot of people around the shore of the lake doing the same thing, which is just a relaxing way to spend the evening."

LAC QUI PARLE
Lac qui Parle is another lake managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a flood-control lake, which means there is a dam at the foot of the lake on the south end. Right near that dam as it feeds the Minnesota River is Mitlyng's Bait and Tackle.

"Basically, the lake breaks down like this: The north end is shallow with very little structure, while the south end is deeper with more rockpiles and points," Steve Mitlyng said. "The great thing about the lake is that you can fish throughout the entire system, and some of the best angling tends to come between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m."

Artificial lures are the way to go on LQP, with Shad Raps being one of Mitlyng's favorites.

"The shallow-running Shad Raps are the best, but where it's deeper near structure, they'll put on deep-running lures that get down to 11 feet," he said.

Casting slip-bobbers or jigs with live bait on the rocks is also a tried-and-true tactic. The area north of Hantho is a great place for casting into the rockpiles, Mitlyng noted.

Jim Miller said the 2004 MWT qualifier tournament was held on LQP, and anglers did quite well.

"There were more 5-pound walleyes caught in that one tournament than in the six years we've run the tournament," Miller said. "Those fish all came in the middle of some miserable cold and rainy weather."

Since 2000, the lake has seen an aggressive stocking campaign to boost the walleye population. Over 16 million fry, 160,000 fingerlings, 16,000 yearlings and almost 2,400 adult walleyes were stocked in that period, and the DNR reports that it's working.

There are 10 landings on this 5,600-acre lake. Information on the area can be found on the city of Madison's Web site at www.ci.madison.mn.us.

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