View Full Version : Are anglers losing interest in fall fishing?
Gary Korsgaden
11-06-2002, 10:41 AM
I am very surprised but thankful to see only one or two boats totally fishing this fall.....even Saturday's and Sundays. Are they losing interest or is the angling up on the Winnepeg River or Red River caught all the interest.......Perhaps lakes like Ottertail is getting the pressure.....perhaps the excellent hunting has some but I remember in the fall seeing a doz or more boats on any of Minnesota's hot walleye waters. Noted bait dealer says comparing the last two years to 10-12 years ago he says fall walleye anglers are scarce...
It can't be because fishing is poor....as I have had some of best fall walleye action in years.
Todd_NE
11-07-2002, 08:29 AM
I look at the dog
I look at the boat
I look at the dog...
I go pheasant hunting....
But.. I'll be back out in a few weeks unless the geese get really thick.
This is my favorite time of the year! I would say though that the Missouri River around here seems awful darn busy yet for walleyes and sauger.
My favorite day is hunting in the morning and catching walleyes in the afternoon, nothing like a tuckered out hunting dog sleeping on the boat.
Todd
Backwater Eddy
11-07-2002, 11:21 PM
Face it late fall fishing is kinda cool. The fisherman numbers thin out preaty darn fast in 25 deg weather and the wind is damp. The way this fall cooled off so fast a lot of rigs went to the barns early, some are still rigged & handy, mine is.
Now we have a few better then average days ahead and a bunch of people will wish they didn't barn up the boat just yet. Deer season in under way starting today in ND so that will hold the numbers down again. Next weekend MN is deer hunting and the same will be true there.
Lots of good fishing to be had yet on lakes and/or rivers.
With the nice late fall weather we see now I plan to fish tell the boat fills up with snow, then go hunting maybe.
mnjimcarp
11-08-2002, 06:51 AM
gary, the number of fall anglers is directly commensurate to the temperature. when we have nice falls, the number of fishermen goes up. during a fall like this in MN, we have very few anglers out braving the elements. probably mother natures way of saving some fish!
I would definitely agree with your assessment. Around Brainerd, I've seen almost no one out on traditional favorite fall lakes-- Pelican, Whitefish, North Long. Only lake where you see rigs at the access come October is Gull. And no one's fishing Mille Lacs, even though fishing has again improved recently.
Ten or twenty years ago, I sure seem to remember a lot more boats on these lakes in October. Which seems odd. Maybe, though, it's that so many more people use these lakes in summer every year that come fall, when all the "Up North" bound return home, it seems like that much more of a ghost town. Either way, I'm complaining.
Fall fishing, cold weather aside, has been outstanding this year. Don't know that I've ever caught so many large walleyes and pike during October/November than this year. Just that the price of redtails seems to climb a little higher each year-- $9/doz-- yikes!
-Toad
I've been on the water twice since the end of september. I'm just too lazy to go in the fall. The summer was a long string of tournaments and long days on the water, and come october, I'd rather shoot ducks. I used to fish in the fall, when I didn't fish so hard during the spring and summer, but I just get burned out after putting in 100-110 days on the water from march to september. I'll be back out around the first of december for first ice. :)
Eyez
perchjerker
11-08-2002, 06:13 PM
I will out there in the wind fishing the Detroit River in the early morning.
curt quesnell
11-09-2002, 05:59 AM
When I quit hunting Deer 5 years ago I kept fishing until freeze up
(or until I froze up). I have been fishing into mid December because
of the last couple of warm falls.
On the West side of Lake of the Woods you will rarely see another
boat and fishing is pretty good. Along the Rainy River there are
more boats but the Morris Point and Lighthouse Gaps are real quiet
and fishing is great.
This is opening Deer Hunting day and I may hook onto the boat and
head out later this morning.
Labor day seems to be the end of the season for most anglers. The
boats get winterized and put away in Sept. Maybe the ones left
fishing are going to the bigger fall bite places leaving the "old"
spots vacant?
Curt Quesnell
fishguy
11-10-2002, 12:40 PM
The fact is people don't like to freeze when they fish. But they like to freeze when they hunt. Ottertail is not (and never does) get any pressure. AM there quite a bit. Nothing beats the Stillwater cliffs in the fall, the North Shore and ice-cold lakers, or a huge hungry crappie getting lite up by a golden sunset. Oops, one thing does--A walleye pounding a chubby darter from a boat. SEE ya.
Something is fishy around here.
Wkndbum
11-10-2002, 05:50 PM
Hey Dusty, speaking of first ice, are you going to put together an ice fishing get-together again this year? Us Nebr boys were thinking that a "first ice" trip up there would be great. We're not used to driving our P/U's on the ice anyway so 4" would be fine with us.
Terry
I've been thinking about it. I'm not sure when we'll have any ice to speak of, but if there's interest, I'll definitely organize it again.
Dusty
Wkndbum
11-11-2002, 06:50 PM
Sounds good, let us know when us fat guys can walk on water up there.
Bob Jensen
11-12-2002, 09:00 AM
It would appear that there is still quite a bit of interest in fall fishing on the Mississippi River in the Lake City, MN area. I was there on Monday, Nov. 11. A few boats there then, but on Saturday it was reported there were lots of boats.
That Mississippi River fall bite is traditionally very good with lots of anglers making it an annual trip.
Check my Mississippi River Trip report on this page.
Best Fishes,
Bob Jensen
Haha, sounds good. I'm guessing it'll be sometime in december at the earliest. Most water is wide open now, and forecast for 50's the rest of this week at least. I'll start a thread when we get closer to the time.
Dusty
Bob, can you tell us if you saw many diving ducks on the river? I am curious if they all move through yet, or if some are still down there.
-Thanks
-Box
Gary Korsgaden
11-16-2002, 09:55 AM
Well now that fall fishing is done....we must turn to ice fishing.Most lakes around Park Rapids are frozenas of this past Wednesday
Gary
Bob Jensen
11-18-2002, 07:22 AM
Box:
Sorry it took so long to reply. I've been out a lot lately.
Saw lots of ducks on the Wisconsin side backwaters. Don't know what kind they were. The people I spoke with said there weren't many ducks in that area this year, but what I saw looked like quite a few. Some Geese also, and a lot of eagles.
Wish I could be of more help. I can identify mallards, teel, wood ducks easily, after that I'm in trouble.
Best Fishes,
Bob Jensen