“You can catch a lot of great walleyes from the shore on the St. Croix,” said Brian Jaroszewski of Jimmy’s Bait & Tackle in Stillwater. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Jaroszewski’s first choice is the area right by the Excel Energy King Plant Electrical Generating Facility off Highway 95 north of Bayport. “The security guards will let you in past the security gates, and you want to go to where the water exits, which is good pretty much all year long,” he said.

Other good sites include the Bayport Beach area, Point Douglas Park near Hastings, the boom site in Stillwater near the docks for the big paddlewheel boats and by Stillwater’s famous railroad turn bridge.

Additional information can be found online at www.stcroixfishing. com or by contacting Jimmy’s Bait & Tackle at (651) 430-2554. Area information can be found online at www.ilovestillwater.com or by calling (651) 439-4001.

GULL LAKE
Consistently ranked as one of the top walleye lakes in the state, Gull is also known for premier resorts and beautiful homes dotting the shoreline. Most lakes of this caliber have limited shore-fishing, but Gull is a tremendous exception to the rule.

Sherree Wicktor owns S&W Bait on Highway 371 just north of Brainerd, and she sells a lot of bait to Gull Lake shore-anglers. “This is such a hot live-bait area, and most people up here use it even though they’ve tried other ways,” she said.

Wicktor said Gull Lake shore-anglers do very well near the Gull Narrows bridge off Highway 77 where there’s a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Located near a boat launch and several famous area restaurants, the area is best fished during low-traffic times -- dusk, dawn, midweek, after Labor Day and during the night. There is a current flowing under the bridge, and this is a big draw to walleyes. The area under the bridge is rocky near shore and bottoms out around 12 feet deep. Just below the bridge, immediately adjacent to the pier, is a 25-foot hole that holds walleyes throughout the year. Jigs and live-bait rigs work best, though crankbaits can be great at night.

Another great Gull Lake shore-fishing spot is found in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ park on the south end. This is where Gull Lake spills over a dam to create the Gull River and a magnificent walleye fishing location. Wicktor said the walleyes move in and out of the area, so if you don’t catch anything for a while, try again later.

Hole-in-the-Day Bay is home to the famous Brainerd Jaycees Ice-Fishing Extravaganza as well as some great walleye shore-fishing action. Located right off Highway 371, this area is often filled with cars looking to do some evening and night-fishing for actively feeding walleyes.

For more information on Gull Lake fishing locations, contact S&W Bait at (218) 829-7010 or www.sandwbait. com. Area information can be found at www.explorebrainerdlakes.com or by calling 1-800-450-2838.

ST. LOUIS RIVER
The city of Duluth has a great Lake Superior harbor, and it leads to the St. Louis River and its great walleye fishing.