NC,

Sad to say the big lake is on the way down and it seems unlikely that the trend will change any time soon.

There are many reasons, but the biggest reason has to be the heavy fishing pressure and the poor fish handling techniques used by so many "experts" that fish the lake. One of the biggest problems is a group of pontoon trollers that don't even slow the boat down when they catch and release fish and, of course, they kill most every fish they catch. One guy has even been on TV and has made a big shot out of himself with his big pontoon and spread of planer boards. I think he works for the Post Office in Isle, but he seems to think he's a professional fisherman or something. Fact is, he's just a person with a pontoon who catches and kills a lot of fish and is partly responsible for the decline of the fishery.

I have no plans to spend anymore of my hard-earned dollars going to Mille Lacs when there is better fishing closer to home.

Good fishing.