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| Babe gets ready for a day of crappie exploring in northern Minnesota. |
January 5, April 5
I gotta tell ya man, fishing remote locations are a lot of fun to explore - - especially with buddies like my good friend Jerry James.
Let me set today’s scene for ya. It’s late January in northern Minnesota, and we’re fairly close to Jerry’s home in Hill City. Today we are targeting crappies and bluegills on a very remote, hard-to-get-to lake for an afternoon of ice fishing. This lake and how Jerry found it has a unique story behind it… one I’ll share with you all in just a little bit.
But first, as we gear up and get our 4-wheelers ready, let me take a minute to explain how YOU can go about finding sneak lakes, like the one we’re headed to, for yourself.
Living in Minnesota - - the land of 10,000 lakes - - makes things easier I’ll admit. But in today’s information age, YOU TOO can find nearly untouched fishing spots that are close to your home from the comfort of your very own bark-o-lounger.
Checking out aerial maps and finding these often-tiny hidden lakes is the starting point. Generally, DNR websites have all kinds of information about these off-the-beaten-path little jewels.
Minnesota’s DNR website, for example, usually offers fish survey’s they’ve conducted along with species information… the average size of fish trapped… water clarity and depth… and often times even a basic contour map of the lake.
For panfishing like we’ll be doing today, I look for bowl - shaped lakes that I think hold fish… those deep enough not to typically freeze out. Lakes with vegetation that provide adequate cover and oxygen with a deep hole that I know will be a major winter holding spot.
Typically these lakes will hold bluegills… crappie… pike and even bass. And I’m talking nice sized fish! Most aren’t stocked mind you, but are naturally occurring fisheries.
Looking within national forests is always a great tip because of the existing trails you can use to your advantage to access these lakes... just like the one we’re on today in fact.
Just getting into these out-of-the-way lakes is half the fun. And while a lot of people look at it as a pain in the lower unit, I consider getting there an adventure. A good ATV is a definite must and a GPS sure helps you find your way back to where you started. So… how did Jerry find this little panfish treasure-trove? I’ll share that story and prove how great these close-to-home wilderness lakes can be on the first show of 2008’s Good Fishing.
