Make It Mille Lacs Guide Reports

Guide Reports

2009-06-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

We haven't been posting reports as many of our guides have their own web sites with their own fishing reports. Please look at the right margin for links to those guides and their web sites. Overall, as of the end of June, fishing on Mille Lacs has been very good. Thanks!

South Shore Fishing Reports --- SLOW!

2009-01-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

I spent five hours in a fish house Friday with a buddy, catching one small perch the whole time. I'm not going to name where I was fishing out of for this update, but I can report that everyone I talked to this week said fishing was extremly slow on the south shore of Mille Lacs. The fish just don't seem that hungry. Typical light perch bite, with alot of bobber bobs, but nothing really going after the wax worms or minnows.

I heard that the only ones catching substantial fish are those with snowmobiles pulling portables, getting to untapped areas, especially mud flats and even some gravel.

You'd have to see our ice page reports from various resorts to get a feel for what is happening all over, but for the most part it's pretty slow. Tough fishing was probably due to the massive cold front that besieged Mille Lacs this week, resulting in reading as low as 39 below zero on Thursday morning.

I did hear from the owner of KJ's Fish House Rentals on the southeast end that his outfit has produced a pair of 30-inch walleyes this winter. He also said that fishing was slow overall, citing that only about 4-6 walleyes were caught in the last couple days collectively.

Rocky Reef Foam Houses Very Nice

2008-12-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance to go ice fishing at Mille Lacs you should checkout the new foam fish houses at Rocky Reef Resort on the southwest end of the lake. Owner John Odle has purchased four new foam fish houses for the 2008-09 ice season. At 1200 pounds, these things can get out early on only 5 inches of ice and be pulled easily with a four wheeler (they are mounted on steel skids), yet with eight holes, four bunks, two doors and a wonderful knotty pine interior, these things are sharp and energy efficient. They offer LED lighting across the ceiling and under the small counters so you can easily see all your holes at night. It's powered by nifty, energy efficient propane heater. Here are a couple of pictures so you can see for yourself... Call John or Patti at 320-532-3431 to book one for some ice fishing. Oh, and they have been successful so far. A couple people out in one last weekend caught six walleye and six jumbo perch in a day...

They're Ready For "You" At Mille Lacs

2008-12-19T13:29:00.001-08:00

By all accounts, resort owners and fish house folks have been busy this week. A trip around the lake on Friday revealed that all resorts are into full swing of the ice season; many have plowed roads; some are allowing vehicle traffic; and few are reporting great fishing for the time being.

See the Slide Show Below for actual conditions on the Big Pond from Sunup to around 1 pm today (Friday, December 19th). We hit many resorts, asked questions and have the report below. No DNR accesses had more than snowmobile trails onto the ice. All private accesses we can across charged $10 per day. Rates vary by week and season.

We started on the West End and worked our way all the way back to Jerry Brandt's.

Rocky Reef had several of their new foam houses out and a road plowed. John Odle has an update on his website on our ice page.

Eddy's had about 18 houses out and wouldn't yet let us drive on the ice, stating they had 12-14 in spots but several places with 8.5. They had a nice jumbo perch bite in a couple houses yesterday and somebody caught a 37-inch northern, according to Kyle Nelson.

Terry's Boat Harbor had an access road plowed and houses out.

Twin Pines had houses in a staging area and was pulling houses out.

Garrison Sports had several small houses out but owner Kari Hough said he was limited his access to ATV and sled only. There is a large heave one mile out right now.

Red Door owner Fred Dally had an ice bridge emplaced and was set to get houses onto the ice. He said locals were reporting good fishing on the mud 4.5 miles out and accessing via sled with tow portables.

Barnacles had roads to the sliver and barnacles and was towing out numerous houses and had a bridge emplaced.

Castaways owner Steve Macdonald's staff was busy towing out houses and had a plowed road linking to Fishers and heading toward Blue Jug. He had reports of walleye success out there.

Fisherman's Wharf was towing out houses and had numerous roads plowed. They have roads to Shaw's Reef and 2-mile but are avoiding Big Point for another weekend.

All South Shore Resorts are allowing vehicle traffic (, Lybacks, Chapman's, Hunter's Point, Walleye Dundee's with the possible exception of Brandt's (however, he has houses and a plowed road out to Sloppy Joe's).

Hard Water Season In full Swing!

2008-12-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

It was the sort of weekend that one would call a "teaser". After many ventured out across the lake -- mostly with ATVS, sleds and a few vehicles, -- the blizzard hit Mille Lacs. From about 1-6 Sunday, it was NW winds at least 20-30 MPH and drifting was treacherous all across the south shore.

One example was the entrance to Jerry Brandt's. Filled with cars on Saturday parked just south of the stop signs and many out on the ice Saturday, Sunday was a dormat as it could get as you couldn't see further than 25-50 yards at most times. The snow turned to sleet and the drifts going into the road there were higher than four feet when I blasted my pickup through. Plows hadn't even hit the back roads as of Sunday night, probably because the drifting would have just closed up the roads quickly.

For those on the lake, I am sure more than a few stayed on the water in houses as it seemed to be impossible to see any beacon blinking lights. We should see a bevy of fishing reports tomorrow, probably with Lundeens, Rocky Reef and Lybacks posting.

If you are into snowmobiling, your dream has come true as there were sleds hitting the ditches along Highway 27. Estimated snowfall in this area is between 6-8 inches. With the blowing snow, it seems like alot more.

I had heard some early fishing reports about a mile out of Brandt's where one group caught 11 walleye on Friday later in the day. I have scanned the eastern resort reports, but Hunter's Point and Johnson's portside also always have very current reports.

It's truly a winter wonderland up here right now and we'll post some pictures here tomorrow to show you just how much things have drifted up. This is in major contrast to the Twin Cities which got rainy, icy snow. The deep freeze is on the way! Let's hope for a nice bite soon!

It's Icing Up Nicely!

2008-12-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend should be "showtime" for main-lake ice seekers. Here are a couple south shore pictures. At right is Jerry Brandt readying his access with a four-wheeler team out checking depths on an access. On the left are actual vehicles just south of the mouth of Cove Bay.

Reports of thick ice (8 inches-plus)for ATV travel are coming from Hunter's Point, Lyback's, Castaways, Fishers and the like.

With temperatures over the next two days being down near zero at night and getting up to only 20 during the day, it's "ice making time" on the Big Pond. That means that we should have "fishable" in time for this weekend.

All people fishing are urged to use extreme caution, checking with resort owners before venturing out on the ice. Marked roads are your best bet all around the lake. These experienced folks have been doing this for years and won't send you out if it is unsafe.

Main Lake Ice Stubborn

2008-12-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

After watching a nice buildup of ice for more than a week on the southern shore of the main lake, this morning we wake up to no ice. Apparently the wind shift pushed most of the ice up into piles on the southern shore, leaving us in "start over" mode. This will definitely put a large dent in main lake ice buildup and push back ice over, making it a tough bet to be on the Big Pond by December 15th. I was surfing the web and for a satellite picture of mille lacs ice try this http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/modis-today/index.php?satellite=a1&product=true_color&date=2008_11_21_326&overlay_sector=false&overlay_state=true&overlay_coastline=true§or=USA3&resolution=1000m

Area Deer Harvest Down 20 percent/Ice on Cove Bay

2008-11-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Area Deer Harvest Down

It's safe to say Bill Lundeen has a pretty good bead on area deer harvests. Lundeen is one of four original deer registration stations on the lake and has been in business for many years. He said Tuesday that through the first nine days of the hunt, that he's registered just over 300 deer, which is about 20 percent less than last year. The biggest he has seen is still the 235-pound 12-pointer brought in opening weekend by Jerome Kryzer.

Lundeen attributes the lower harvest to several factors: first, the herd population may be down slightly per published reports across the state; second, the unseasonably cold and windy weather over opening weekend resulted in many hunters not spending their usual time in the woods; third, with a tight economy less hunters are up in the Mille Lacs area.

Muskie Fishermen Still Out on Lake

Lundeen said he continues to see Muskie fishermen coming through his store, heading out onto a frigid Lake Mille Lacs. He is hearing reports that many are getting 1-2 large fish. The fish, he stated, are being caught on rock reefs with drops to deep water. He mentioned Indian Point, the Graveyard and Anderson and Rocky Reefs as all producing. He mentioned that the ultra-late fall Muskie fishing has become more popular as fishermen are seeking lunker Muskies.

Cove Bay Ice

With temperatures in the low teens Monday night, Cove Bay got its first noticeable ice. If winds cooperate, Lundeen said we may see our first walkable, fishable ice in Cove Bay by the end of November.

"If that wind lies down, we might see it a little earlier," said Lundeen, stocking his bait shop with winter lures and ice products. "Onamia Lake was frozen across yesterday and things usually happen about 10 days after that."

That's good news for ice fishermen who are hankering to get out on the Big Pond in bays. In our recent online survey, more than 42 percent of respondents believe that the main lake will be fishable by December 15th, which is about a week earlier than most years. Another 28 percent said they thought we'd see fishable ice before December 23rd, making for a nice ice fishing stretch between Christmas and New Years in 2008.

Deer Registration Down Slightly

2008-11-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

Southwest Corner Stations Not Getting Big Numbers

Bill Lundeen of Lundeen's Bait and Tackle on Mille Lacs' South Shore said Monday morning that the opening weekend area deer harvest was down from his perspective.

More than 200 deer had been registered at Lundeen's as of Sunday night, which was fewer than previous years. Lundeen attributed the lower harvest to colder weather and high winds, which probably drove novice hunters off their stands earlier or kept them out of the woods for long periods over the weekend.

Morningstar Market and Meleen's reported a combined total of roughly four dozen deer registered, giving the southwest corner of Mille Lacs more than 250 deer overall.

Meat on Mille Lacs owner Mike Uden also stated that numbers of deer coming in for processing was also down as of Monday morning. With the weather warming this week and winds dying down, all were expecting hunting pressure to pick up.

The picture of Jerome and David Kryzer. This 12-pointer, shot by Jerome, was 12 points and went 235 pounds. Awesome.

Muskie Anglers Still in Pursuit

Three Madison, Wisconsin anglers haven't let the cold, windy weather keep them away from their pursuit of prized Muskie in Minnesota fishing waters.

Steve Inhoff, John Thurk and Jeff Lind have been on vacation fishing Minnesota waters since November 4th. They started at Lake Vermillion since Mille Lacs was too windy. They are starting to fish the Big Pond today in quest of some over their personal best of 54 inches.

"They're fatter now and we'd like to catch that 45-50 pounder," said Inhoff, grabbing some supplies in Morningstar Market Monday morning. "We save up all our vacation time to come up every fall."

Inhoff said he'd send us a photo if they laid into a lunker. Just goes to show that the Big Pond is still getting folks from all over the midwest in for fishing even this late in the year.

Sun Fish biting in Izatys Harbor

2008-11-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

A short post to let readers know that today (Friday) a couple area anglers had great results getting nice-sized sunfish in Izatys Harbor. Fish were biting on yellow and white tube 1/32-ounce jigs on crawlers and wax worms. With a storm moving in, not sure how long this bite will last.

Mille Lacs Area Deer Opener

2008-11-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

The blaze orange signs have been up for weeks, welcoming deer hunter's to the Mille Lacs area for the Saturday, November 8th Minnesota opener.

With just hours left before the opener, weather conditions are becoming interesting. It has rained most of today (Thursday), sopping area ditches and low-lying areas making for a crunch-less walk through the woods at this point. What effect this will have on deer remains to be seen but the current forecast calls for rain mixed to snow later Friday with flurries and a high of 33 on Saturday.

A hard freeze over night Friday would allow snow to stay on the ground, assisting with deer tracking. It could also force deer to stay in their beds and swamps and prevent their usual movements associated with more gentle weather.

What we do know is that Mille Lacs Lake proper borders on the following five zones with hunting dates: Area Zones: 152 (Wahkon, Izatys, South Harbor is a two-deer limit area/managed), 157 (Isle to Mora to Hinkley is a intensive deer-hunt/up to 5) 154 (Malmo, Aitkin is a 1-deer limit area/lottery). These three zones are open 8-23 November. A fourth zone, 249, is Garrison and east to Highway 371 with a Northern Border of Highway 18. Zone 249 is also a 1-deer limit/lottery area with a short season of Nov. 8-16. The fifth zone, 222, runs South from Onamia to Highway 95 (E-W) is a intensive deer-hunt/up to 5). Rifles can be used in all zones.

Lake Area Deer Registration Stations By County on Lake:

Malmo

Malmo Market, Jct Hwys 47 and 18, open 6am-9pm Sun-Thur; 6am- 10pm Fri-Sat

Westerlund's Service Jct Hwys 47 and 18 6am-10pm Sun-Thur; 6am-10pm Fri-Sat

Crow Wing

Garrison

Tutt's Bait 449 Hwy 18 W 7am-8pm daily

Mille Lacs

Isle

Johnson's Portside, 42099 Hwy 47

Mille Lacs BP 750 Hwy 47 S M-T 5:30-10, F-S 5-10, Sun 5-10

Wahkon

Morningstar Market, Main Street

Onamia

Meleen's BP, Intersection of Hwy 169/27 West

Lundeen's Tackle Castle, Intersection of Hwy 169/27 West

Send Us Your Trophy Deer Pictures and we will post on this page. Send us your contact information off this site and we may do a further update on your successful hunt! Good luck!

Bird Hunting Fun

2008-11-02T06:29:00.001-08:00

Mike Christensen and his father, Ross, with dogs,Luna (lab)and Sally (Brittney) sit on the tailgate after a very successful area grouse hunt several weekends ago. In addition to 132,000 acres of Minnesota's finest walleye habitat, Mille Lacs also has a massive amount of state hunting lands and Wildlife Management Area (WMA) property.

Mike is the co-owner of Hunter Winfield's Resort. He and his wife, Margie, have built the resort into a high profile operation in Isle.

It's Time To Hunt!

2008-10-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

As we've written in this blog before, many of our guides are true outdoorsman. When the seasons change, they move off the water and get into the woods. Most aren't guiding, but their stories and pictures make for some fun reading.

Gene Miller, Mille Lacs Muskie Guide, sent us these pictures of deer that his deer camera picked up recently. Let's just say he's got a pretty good couple of hunting spots lined up....

Waves Are Whipping...

2008-10-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Haven't seen a boat across the south shore on the water today. At least 3-4 waves with winds in excess of 30 mph. A great wind for the Mille Lacs crossing, but not for even the hardiest fishermen. Not sure if we will getting any fishing reports this weekend, but stay posted and we will provide what we get. Public landings are vacant and people have pulled docks and are hunkering down for the Big Chill. See our new ice fishing page at http://www.makeitmillelacs.com/ice-fishing

Weekend Bite So-So

2008-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Jeff Hanson Guide Service, 763-477-8553. The perch bite this weekend was not too great for me or the guys I talked to. Depending on the day, there were a few caught earlier in the day. However, the walleyes actually bit quite well. We found alot of fish up in the NE corner in the 13-15' depths rigging w/ leeches. Muskies have remained tough for most and the full moon bite was O.K. for some and not so good for others depending on where you fished and what times of the night you fished. I personally didn't fish at night, even though I was tempted to go thurs. night.thanks,

Ajax Guide Service Nails a "Pig"

2008-10-14T06:56:00.001-07:00

Guide Tim Ajax has been faithful to his profession, hitting the water Friday through yesterday in bad weather, big waves with limited high points save for small numbers of 24-26 inch walleyes. But Monday was different. Tim and a customer had moved out of the shallows were they were marking fish for deeper water. The first fish they reeled in off the gravel flats was a shade over 28 inches. That's been a rarity this year on Mille Lacs. Being it's legal to keep and the customer wanted it, Tim cleaned it up. What he found was more amazing than the catch. Inside the stomach -- two 10-inch walleyes, six small perch and 2 cray fish. These walleyes, as folks have been saying, are eating pretty well.

Muskies Slow; Walleyes Fair; Perch Bite Up

2008-10-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Jeff Hanson Guide Service Weekend Report, 763-477-8553.
I was out all day on Saturday. Muskies were really slow this weekend. We fishing from about 7:30-3:00 w/out even a follow.The walleye bite in the evening was decent w/ fish coming in 4-11' on slip bobbers/leeches. From about an hour before dark until about a 1/2 hour after sundown. The perch are now going pretty good in Isle and Wahkon bays. Also Vineland bay is producing perch. Most people are fishing in the 4-10' depths using jigs and minnows or slip bobbers.The full moon is in a couple days! Hopefully the skies will be clear on those nights...

Crappies Biting in Izatys Harbor

2008-10-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Just an update from area fishermen today (Sunday) that many fishermen were catching half limits of 10-11 inch crappies in Izatys Harbor. From people I talked with, they were using either crappie minnows on a variety of hooks or Mr. Twisters with tubes. No one I talked with was filling the pail, but I saw many folks catching fish which seems to be better than many reports I got around the area this weekend. The Full moon hits on Tuesday and several MIML guides were out on the water this weekend and we should be receiving reports in the next day or two from them.

Guide Respite: Other Adventures

2008-10-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Fishing guides that report for Make It Mille Lacs.com have some neat things in common. One we've seen recently is their quest of outdoor adventure, living the true sportsman lifestyle.

Understand that these guides show passion, devotion and get results for customers on the water throughout the open water season at Mille Lacs. But even they need a breather once in a while.

So we start off this week with some short, but interesting outdoor stories from Mike Christensen and Dereke Voge.

Guide Jeff Hanson had a limited success report for Mille Lacs last week and we failed to contact Tim Ajax in time for this week's report. We do know that all four are still on the water and projecting to fish the full moon bite. Their links are just to the right to get in touch with them. We are told each is planning to be on the water for a couple more weeks.

Dream Goose Hunting Trip To Saskatchewan Canada.
(Pictures to be posted Friday by noon)
Guide Mike Christensen (320-676-1100) along with friends Craig Magnan, Jeff Magnan and Eric Nesius with one truck, pulling a 8X16 loaded trailer.

Any waterfowl hunter would be in dreamland, taking an eight-day trip to the Mecca of Goose and Duck hunting. "The trip of a lifetime," as Mike Christensen labeled his eight-day adventure that ended last week. "I have hunted waterfowl all over the US and this was easy."

Imagine nailing more than 120 birds in your first two days on a hunt. Over six days in the field, Mike and his team nailed 407 birds. Mike shot 17 boxes of shells. The group used ground, coffin blinds, seas of decoys and electronic callers, taking Snow Geese, Ross' Geese, Speckle Belly Geese, Canadian Honkers as well as both Mallards and Pin tail Ducks. Mike estimated seeing up to 15,000 geese in one field. A site few see in a lifetime.

All they were missing was the accompanying camera crew. They would have been featured waterfowl hunters, putting on a hunting "clinic" that one of those late-night Sunday night outdoor TV shows craves.

Mike's Browning BPS Pump shotgun got a helluva workout. He recalled the group getting 32 honkers in a one-hour stretch. They stayed in a local farm house and are hoping to make the 15-hour trip in 2009.

Yes, Mike returns to the water later this week on Mille Lacs, stating the Perch Bite should swing into gear. Folks were catching nice numbers of 10-11 inch perch off the Hunter Winfield's dockage in the last week on leeches and fatheads off slip bobber and 1/32 ounce jigs of various colors. Some sun and a calming off the recent windswept waters will do well to get anglers back on fish on Mille Lacs.

Sunfish Extravaganza, Grassy lake, Near Ely, Minnesota. Charter guide Dereke Voge (612-390-5045) and friend Noah Cotton took a trip of another sort, venturing into the Superior National Forest for a four-day getaway to hunt and fish. They camped out, operated out of a canoe and both hunted and fished.

They also hit pay dirt, limiting out daily on 8-10 inch sunfish, describing them as "bigger than your hands." The two started out on a Grouse hunting mission but shelved the idea due to heavy hunting pressure and lack of birds.

"It was great just to get away," said Dereke who also caught a few northern and bass. "We might be slacking a little big on Mille Lacs but we're still out do the outdoors thing."

Voge and Cotton cooked over open flame, endured a night that dipped below freezing and got some pictures of their 10-inch sunnies laying out on a rock that we hope to show you next week.

Dereke Returns to the water this weekend as well, chartering his launch. He can be contacted for details on open or group launches.

Guide Gene Miller stated he is off the water with his own rig but may be doing some fishing with Jason Blongers of Hunter's Point through the rest of the month while he also scouts for Trophy Buck.

Guides Say It's Slow

2008-10-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

This week's guide reports are about the most somber of the season. That's not to say guides aren't catching fish. That is to say they are working hard to get few fish. Muskie slayer Gene Miller said he was pulling his boat to scout trophy deer and combine to fish in October with Jason Bongers of Hunter's Point for Muskie fishing.

Remember, the Minnesota Gun Deer Season kicks off at sunrise (7:06 am) November 8th at Mille Lacs and across Minnesota.

Water temperatures are currently in the mid to upper 50s. A nice perch catch report came from Hunter Winfield's where two fishing parties caught more than 50 perch in the 10-11 inch range. Not big, but decent eating. The few walleyes they kept and cleaned had many minnows in them, meaning the lake is full of bait fish, probably pulling down the bite. Izatys Harbor is lined with anglers off docks catching some crappies and sunfish.

This Week's Reports

Mike Christensen, Hunter Winfield's, 320-266-0397. Mike fished a ton last week after getting back from a Canadian waterfowl trip. He fished Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday. He said there are fish in the mid range rocks at 13-18 feet. The bites were few and far between as he was getting three nice keepers an outing. He caught a handful of perch in Isle Bay in about seven feet of water. Mike bobber fished mostly but did do some trolling with black and blue and silver reef runners. He said things can only get better with the 14 October Full Moon.

Dereke Voge Charters, 612-390-5045. Derek had a pair of charters out last weekend getting 7-8 walleyes on each charter. Mostly caught in 12-16 feet of water on slip bobber on silver, orange and yellow jigs. He will have his boat rigged and ready for several trips this weekend.

Gene Miller Guide Service, 320-684-2886. I only did 1 guide trip this week. I trolled the sand from Castaway's to Red Door then trolled the mud from East Flat to Blue Jug and worked the vast no mans land to Flamingo. I worked the east rock reefs to Agate Bay and back to Castaway's. I did not catch any muskies. The bite continues to be very tough. After my guide trips this week-end I have decided to pull my boat and focus on scouting the woods for a trophy buck. Many world class muskies are caught on the rock reefs when the tulibee spawn. I plan on fishing (weather permitting) with Jason Bongers, Hunter's Point Resort muskie guide. I am not booking any guide trips for late October. I have talked with many guides this week and they all agree that the perch and tulibee "bloom" is hurting the bite. Good luck fishing! Gene Miller.

Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service, 320-224-1731. Tim called and said he had not been on the water last weekend or early this week. He has guide trips available and the crank-bait method may be one of your best bets for walleye right now.

Jeff Hanson Guide Service,763-477-8553. Not much has changed since last week for me. Same spots same success. Perch in the bays, but small. A few walleyes being caught, but nothing very good. The night bite in about 2 weeks is nearing...The big perch have to show up by this weekend I would think.

Editors Note: That's Don Ulbricht, my father in law, on a fishing trip to Lake Vermilion three weekends ago. We landed two large northern and Don caught this "snake".

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL ON THE WATER!

If You're Cranking, You're Spanking Big Fish

2008-09-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

For the first time in weeks, the guides are in near consensus: it's pretty slow fishing Mille Lacs except if you are crank baiting. Sure, you can get fish, but it's been hard work for most of our guides. With that said, it's a pretty short report this week as some guides haven't even been out on the water. All are pointing to the October full moon as the next big bite on Mille Lacs.

Mike Lofte caught this 21.25 inch smallmouth with a 14.5 inch girth on September 5th and released it. The photo is posted here and will be in Silver Medal Position on Trophy's Wall of Fame on the Make It Mille Lacs.com fishing page. To see the medalists, just click on the Trophy's Ad on the fishing page. We are taking your photos now to update our standings. We need your first name, last initial, length of fish, date caught. If you are a medalist, we will need a phone number to contact you for the season-ending rewards. Send to info@makeitmillelacs.com.

Here is what our Guides had to say:

Gene Miller Guide Service, 320-684-2886. The muskies continue to have a severe case of lockjaw. I did not hear of anyone catching a muskie this week. I will only be on the water briefly this coming week as my guide trips are winding down. I need to get cameras in the woods and start scouting. Good luck fishing! Gene

Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service, 320-224-1731. Tim had a huge week and was on the water alot from the last report. He has had success getting 23-27 inch hogs on each trip out. His numbers: 14 last Wednesday, 8 Thursday, 8 Friday, 7 Saturday. "Everything is a hog and all our customers caught their personal best but no 28s." Tim said the mud flats aren't producing fish yet but mid-lake gravel was good in 26-28 feet of water. He pulled two hogs on crawlers and spinners Friday. Tim fished Muskie Sunday and moved fished but didn't boat any. He moved 8 fish between 9-13 feet of water on edges of weed beds. He has trips available this weekend.

Jeff Hanson Guide Service,763-477-8553. The report is not good this week. Fishing was really slow late this week and last weekend. Walleyes are in the shallows, they just refused to bite lately. Good news is that the night bite has to be good w/the next full moon, and the perch are due to get hot any day. There are some small perch up in the bays already but the big jumbos haven't shown up yet. I haven't been muskie fishing myself, but I've heard it's been pretty this last few days which is really unusual for right now. That has to change, the fall is always awesome for those things...

Mike Christensen, Hunter Winfield's, 320-266-0397. Mike wasn't on the water last week. He was enjoying a six-day hunt of a lifetime, nailing 407 geese and ducks with three buddies in a trip to Saskatchewan, Canada. Mike has hunted waterfowl all over the United States. "This was easy," he said, showing me a picture of the 164 birds the group nailed in the first two days. He blasted 17 boxes on of 3-inch No. 2s through his Browning 12-gauge BPS shotgun on the trip. Mike is back in action on the water this week.

Dereke Voge Charters, 612-390-5045. Things are tough right now for all bobber operations. Dereke had his boat out once over last weekend. He said trolling might be the way to go. Perch fishing is picking up but they are small. Anchoring catching any numbers of fish in one spot isn't working right now. Dereke has a full boat Saturday morning. He has a launch going out Saturday from 1-5 with six spots open. With demand, Dereke will schedule a Saturday evening launch. The launch service is open through October 20th.

Full Moon Bite Tough

2008-09-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Gene Miller Guide Service, 320-684-2886. This past weekend was very nasty fishing and I decided to watch football instead of fish. I received a phone call from Kelly Wendlendt who told me his 68 yr old mom Sharon has been trying for many, many years and had never caught a muskie. She would fish 12 hours straight in nasty weather without success. She simply refused to give up. I took her muskie fishing on Sept 15th 2008 and she landed her trophy 30 minutes into the trip. Her excitement is unmatched by anyone I have ever witnessed. Congratulations to a great lady. I look forward to a great fall with tulibees moving to the shallows. The muskie report I am hearing is they have a severe case of lockjaw. Never,ever. ever give up! Gene Miller

Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service, 320-224-1731. It was slow all over for Muskie last weekend, according to Tim. He fished in the rain but found the bobber bite in 6-10 feet of water was picking up for walleye slot fish. Walleye bite was slower than expected due to high water temps (63 degrees). The bite was better in 25-30 feet of water on leeches for walleye. Tim calls this fishing transition time as he was marking fish on 5-mile when he called in this report Wednesday while crank baiting. Some eastern shore launches are reporting decent results in the later evening.

Jeff Hanson Guide Service,763-377-8553. Walleyes were tougher this weekend. They are still all shallow and on shoreline reefs. Just that the day bite is slowing. Some guys are getting some on shallow running crankbaits in 6-8'. I used slip-bobbers like normal and that worked too. We are running about 12-15 fish on a good day and 5-10 on a slow day. Still getting a few smallies mixed in w/ the walleyes. The perch are starting to show up in the bays. Only smaller ones as of yet. The big ones should start showing up any day.

Mike Christensen, Hunter Winfield's, 320-266-0397. Mike is having some great success on a bird hunting trip in Canada. With two days left his group has knocked down 160 birds. His fishing report will return next week.

Dereke Voge Charters, 612-390-5045. Fishing is spotty at best right now. Best time for catching fish this week has varied on three separate trips. Bites has been split between leeches and crawlers on Dereke's trips. This could be the weekend that things start to turn around and should be better on the launches, he said. Dereke has used more small jigs than hooks. He said glo white has been working for colors. Potential open boat Friday night.

Quiet now -- Full Moon This Weekend

2008-09-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

Guides reported a windy weekend with generally slower overall fishing. Fishing pressure is down as well. But wait, there's going to be a FULL MOON this weekend!

Dereke Voge Charters, 612-390-5045 He took a boat of Isle Bell and Onamia Lady Loons out Tuesday morning. They got walleyes in seven feet of water today and caught a nice 19-inch smallmouth. Fishing Saturday night was better in same place with more walleye action. Bite is better as it gets later beyond sunset. Isle Bay is where he has done well. Leeches and Crawlers both are working on the launch. Yellow jig heads with Black and Orange Combination have been good. Dereke has an opening on Friday evening and possibly Saturday morning but needs a six person minimum to go out.

Mike Christensen, Hunter Winfield's, 320-266-0397. Pretty much the same story with fish in shallow rocks in day and evening. Best bite is on blue and white and orange and black 1/32 ounce jigs. Mike thinks the perch bite will be in the Isle and other bay areas as of next week or weekend. Deeper water slip bobbering has been productive in the evenings. Contact Mike for a guided trip as he has a couple openings this weekend.

Jeff Hanson Guide Service,763-377-8553. Walleyes are still being caught during the day in 4-12' using slip bobbers and leeches. The best days are consistent weather w/ a moderate wind. The cold mornings are a little slow w/ action picking up after the sun warms things up a little. Calm days are tougher. The night bite should be picking up everyday this week w/ the peak full moon this weekend. Look for walleyes in 5-10' on reef-tops. Using bright colored #5 Shad Raps trolled 60-80' back will work, also slip-bobbers and leeches.
Perch are still being caught in 15-20' during the day, some are showing up shallower. Within 2 weeks they should be thick in the south bays and will be caught using small jigs tipped w/ leeches or crappie minnows.
Smallmouths are being caught regularly right along w/ the walleyes. If you want to fish specifically for them, focus on the edges of the reef tops where they break into, 8-10' and use a bright colored crankbait or spinnerbait.

Gene Miller Guide Service, 320-684-2886. Weather patterns really slowed the muskie bite the past week. I am only boating about 1 muskie each day. I did not see any muskies over 50 inches this week. The bite will remain slow until the weather changes. This weekend the bite should improve and hopefully the bigger muskies will start to bite.

Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service, 320-224-1731. Had a nice guide trip last Friday evening, nailing some big walleye while crank baiting in 17 feet of water. Had fish of 24 and 26 inches with the latter weighing 6.5-7.0 pounds. Tim is trolling with bigger crank baits to keep the perch off. He said the shallow rocks are producing on leeches with slip bobbers for both small walleye and smallmouth during the day. Generally, the walleyes here were too small to keep on his trips. He is ready for the Full Moon Weekend. Call for a trip setup.

Fishing Bite: A Mixed Bag

2008-09-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

A calm has descended on Lake Mille Lacs after a spate of windy, choppy days that kept most anglers off the Big Pond. The weather change appears complete, which guides say makes for some decent chances to get back on fish. Here is what guides that report for Make It Mille Lacs are saying. (Links to their sites are to the right).

Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service: Boated a 50-inch Muskie last Tuesday at 5 pm (picture shown). Before the weekend weather nightmare, Tim was also pulling crank baits and getting nice numbers of 19-24 inch walleye at mid-day and later afternoons. With planer boards, he and his customers had fish on in his first five minutes. Was seeing Muskie in the 2-8 foot range and tossing Big Bucktails with quick retrieves. The cut you see in this photo might have been a prop as this baby may have been previously boated and released. Tim released this fish to fight another day. Tim said his father-son combo saw a pair of monster Muskies, which came right up boat-side, following misses doing figure eights by boat with a father-son combo.

Mike Christensen, Hunter Winfield's: Mike continues to get fish on slip bobbers with leeches and crawlers on the shallow rocks. He also had success with reef runners in about 20 feet in Isle Bay. Had several limits in four hours in a couple guide trips as the heavy weekend winds didn't hamper the southern as much as other parts of the lake. Mike said big perch are starting to show up. They are a "stitch" deeper in 6-10 feet. His group caught 6-8 nice keepers. Mike also got onto some big northern, nailing a 40-incher on sucker minnow. Most northerns he's seeing are in the 28-32 range. Muskie fishing has been tough, as all have agreed over the weekend.

Dereke Voge, Charter Launch operator, Hunter Winfields: Dereke had a couple nice early weekend outings. He said he was one of only two charter boats he saw on the water in his neck of the woods this weekend. He agreed with the perch assessment as his group caught 15 jumbos along with small numbers of slot walleye. Staying just off rock piles and casting up to edge was his key.

Gene Miller, Gene Miller Guide Service, Castaways: The muskies metabolism has not risen yet. The bite is running about 2 to 3 weeks behind other years. We are able to catch one here and there but it is slow. Labor Day weekend was like a hurricane on the north shore and I cancelled trips for safety reasons. It was so rough we could not stand to fight fish. We have unstable weather today and I am hoping to catch muskies today. Never,ever,ever, give up!

Jeff Hanson, Jeff Hanson Guide Service: Walleyes are still biting good on the days w/ a moderate chop on the water. Some days are better than others depending on the weather. Days with a steady wind and stable conditions especially for 2 or more consecutive days are the best. Depths of 5'-15' are best using slip-bobbers and leeches. With the next full moon in about 2 weeks, expect the night-bite to start on the shallow shoreline reefs.
We've been catching smallmouths right along with the walleyes.
Muskies are going pretty good now, reef tops and also deep cabbage on all parts of the lake have fish and they are feeding more and more every week. The perch should be showing up in Isle and Wahkon bays in about 3 weeks.

Miller Gets Six on Wednesday

2008-08-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Muskie Guide Gene Miller picked up six Muskies Wednesday in what he called a "feeding frenzy" after the weather change. Gene has been beat up on some Minnesota fishing forums for not being a Muskie steward. As our August 9th post explained. Gene has a 1-minute rule to get a photo and the Muskie back into the water. See the picture of Gene actively releasing the 44-incher I boated less than 55 seconds after catch. Steve MacDonald, owner of Castaways, was on board to assist and witness.

These Guides Make "Mille Lacs Moments"

2008-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Links to All Guides That Report For Make It Mille Lacs are listed to Your Right. For a limited time, take $25 off your trip with these guides when you mention Make It Mille Lacs.com

• Mike Christensen, Hunter’s Winfield’s Resort: Mike and partner Robert Heinsen finished 10th in this weekend’s Minnesota Tournament Trail Event out of Hunter’s Point. That means Mike has placed in every tournament he’s fished this season. A huge accomplishment. Consider this: One Third of all tournament teams didn’t weight a fish, according to Mike. His duo caught 12-15 fish per day in less than 8 feet of water on leeches and crawlers with slip bobbers on blue and white jigs or perch color. Mike has a couple openings for guide trips this weekend: 320-266-0397. Get it done with Mike!

• Jeff Hanson, Jeff Hanson Guide Service: Jeff and partner Jason Betzler finished sixth in the MTT last weekend. They were a slot fish from third or fourth. He had some success in 15-19 depths, but much in 7-8 feet as well. Slip bobbers with leeches on 1/32 orange or chartreuse hooks are his ticket. They also moved a lot. Jeff had three guide trips last week and netted 30 on Wednesday before the Cold Front came in over the weekend and made fishing tough. He has a couple open morning slots this weekend: 763-477-8553

• Tim Ajax, TANDT Guide Service: Tim and Terry didn’t fish the tournaments but Tim nailed a 50-inch Muskie on his 10th cast today (Tuesday) at 5 pm (picture to follow)in shallow rocks which he esimated weighed 42 pounds. He has had some nice crank bait action before the weather change last weekend. He also caught a nice smallmouth on a cow girl today on the shallow rocks. He is busy with both Muskie and Walleye crank-baiting guiding and has several openings this weekend. He can be reached at 320-224-1731. Reach Terry at 612-802-0284.

• Dereke Voge, Launch Charter, Hunter Winfield’s: Dereke says the evening bite has been good on humps and rock piles that trail off to deeper water. These are in the 12-feet of water range and less. He can accommodate up to 25 people on his open boats and projects openings Friday and Monday nights for Walk-ons. Group rates are available to charter your launch. Call for more information at 612-390-5045 or click link at right to his Ad/Web Page on Make It Mille Lacs.com

• Gene Miller, Mr. Muskie, Castaways:

Mr. Muskie email: “Word on the street is that the Mille Lacs Muskie bite has started the 2008 season very slow. The lake is not producing the numbers it has in previous years. Some blame the increased pressure and more guides on the water. Mille Lacs has become known nationwide as a world class Muskie fishery and is attracting fishermen and guides from many states. Others blame poor releasing, care of hooked fish, and harvesting. In my opinion Mille Lacs is a very healthy fishery and is loaded with bait fish. I consider Mille Lacs the number 1 water in Minnesota for world class muskies, northerns, walleye, and smallmouth. There are many factors that affect the ingredients of a major muskie bite. The weather is the number 1 factor. We did not get 100 degree days to warm the water. The water temps have been dropping steadily. The north shore temp is 72 and it should be near 80. We are looking at a weather change soon and muskies bite best in unstable weather. I have always said the nicer the day the worse the bite. When the weather turns ugly get on the water and the bite will go from slow to a feeding frenzy better then the well known frenzy on Leech Lake years ago. Now for an update on my guide trips. John Lundberg of Isle caught a 51 incher 10 minutes into the trip which was the fastest caught until Aug 23rd when a 47 incher was caught 5 minutes into the trip. Pictures of this fish are posted at Castaway's and TJ's Liquor in Malmo. Mike Eye of Wahkon caught a fat hog on Merit's annual muskie trip with me on Aug 21st. I am still looking for a 10 fish day and a 30 inch girth. Never, ever, ever, give up! Gene Miller

The Musky picture is Mike Eye, Wahkon, who caught this pig on August 21st with Gene Miller. The other group was part of a Christensen-Hanson team event for some Iowa Sportsmen earlier this month.

T and T Guide Service: Dynamite

2008-08-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Cranking It With Tim Ajax

MILLE LACS -- When you talk about Crank Bait fishing on Lake Mille Lacs, most novice fishermen get the willies.

There are planer boards, bait casters, line counters, pole holders and lure tuning. Add the vast array of lures and many fishermen run for a stack fishing magazines to get up to speed.

Keeping the lines straight is enough to push Average Joe over the edge on the Big Pond with the waves. Then there is getting the “feel” of a biting fish and the tangle factor. Toss in some limited visibility and even the most motivated anglers choose to stay on shore, sipping cold ones to plan the next day’s lindy rigging or slip bobbering.

It doesn’t have to be that way when you use T and T Guide Service.

The name stands for Tim and Terry Ajax and this duo is “dynamite” as its name implies. They are a father-son combo and masters of the crank-bait routine and a reason Make It Mille Lacs.com will provide you their reports on this unique fishing process over the next year.

Tim, 38, is a contract mail carrier for Isle Post Office by day. Terry, 58, is an metro area company estimating manager. They both sport a huge passion for Muskie fishing and do it well.

Operating out of many high-visibility east-shore and south-shore resorts, they are well-quipped with a pair of Tuffy Boats with 100 and 115 “tiller” Mercs, respectively. Both have claimed many prizes over the years in Mille Lacs Fishing Tournaments. They have logged more than 50 combined years of fishing on Mille Lacs. Check the link to their current web site to see an abbreviated list of past accomplishments.

More recently, they racked up a pair of back-to-back second-place finishes in the 2007 Hunter’s Point and Red Door Tournaments. Plus, Tim finished 9th in last June’s FLW Pro-Am on Mille Lacs. No small achievement!

As I found out on a supposed “tough” Sunday in August, Tim knows how to fish. We had a 24-inch walleye in the boat in 10 minutes. In 90 minutes, we caught four walleyes, ranging from 21-24 inches and I missed the biggest one at sunset, which would have been our fifth.

We also caught a smallmouth and an “eater” perch. And there didn’t seem to be a boat on the water. Like all guides, Tim reads a Lowrance depth finder with the precision of a submarine navigator.

“We target bigger fish,” Tim said, sun setting on the western Mille Lacs backdrop. “It’s a great job teaching people how to be a better hook. We’re out on the water from ice-out to ice cover. And that is for both Walleye and Muskie.

If you’re looking for patience and training, these guys are your ticket.

Here’s what you can expect With T and T Guide Service (tandtguideservice.com):

• Learn Crank Bait Tactics, Techniques and Procedures
• Catching Trophy Walleye or Muskie
• Flexible Scheduling, including last-minute trips
• Catching fish on Mud Flats, Gravel Bars, Rock Reefs, Weed Beds and Sand
• Fishing in all weather conditions – rain or shine
• Pulling Cranks, Blades, Rigs, Jigs and slip bobbers if necessary

For Your Planning:

1. Each can take you on 4, 6 or 8-hour trips
2. Three persons in the boat is ideal
3. Bring a Fishing license
4. Bring Extreme Weather Clothing (fall)
5. Bring Snacks and Drinks
6. Bring Sunscreen
7. Bring Sun glasses
8. Bring a Cooler for fish
9. Gift Certificates are available
10. Guide Services out of almost all East Shore Resorts

Contact Tim at 320-224-1731 or Terry at 612-802-0284 or email them at guide@tandt.com

Christensen-Hanson duo aren't getting "slipped" up

2008-08-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

Guides Mike Christensen and Jeff Hanson are both getting roughly 12-16 fish each day on their guided 8-hour missions with about half being slot fish. They are slip bobbering in 10-18 feet of water over rocks on the southeastern ends. Jeff said the mid-day bite has been better than morning or evening. Mike and his wife, Margie, won a friends-only six-boat fishing tourney Saturday, grabbing some cash and be able to boast top honors. Both say the fish look sturdy and are healthy going through this transition. There are tons of 26-27s out there. Jeff's group caught a 27.5, which was a summer personal best. Look for both Jeff and Mike in this weekend's Minnesota Tournament Trail walleye event out of Hunter's Point Resort. We'll let you know how we fare next Tuesday. Next week we welcome TandT guide service with Tim and Terry Ajax. They are crank-bait specialists, rounding out our guide report group. Understand, these guides have many affiliations but receive publicity from Make It Mille Lacs.com in exchange for advertising.

Miller wins, 63-15 on Musky Poll

2008-08-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Trolling Musky guide Gene Miller has made alot of believers in this area. Or he has alot of friends coming to visit his web Ad and Site at Make It Mille Lacs.com.

We asked: Is Gene Miller the top Musky Fisherman on Mille lacs?

-- 78 people responded and Gene won hands down, 63-15.

Our Guides report in tomorrow with updates on crank baiting, slip bobbering, a friendly weekend tournament, musky trolling.

Recon Scout, Walleye Slayer: Guide Mike Christensen

2008-08-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

Mike Christensen: Walleye Scout, Slayer and Steward

I think fishing guide Mike Christensen behaves like an Army Sergeant on the water at Lake Mille Lacs. Not some hyped, aggressive combat-type; but more of a patient trainer at specialty school.

Mike’s battleground is the south half of Lake Mille Lacs where he has guided fishing for 13 years. At 29, he elicits confidence and accomplishes the mission of “catching fish” while always taking care of his customers. We found that out Monday, August 11th when my son, Kyle, and I experienced a near perfect walleye morning on the Big Pond with Mike. Winds nine MPH out of the south gave us a nice chop with water temps in the low 70s.

Despite his self-proclaimed “Kent Hrbek” look and a startup beard for upcoming bow deer season, Mike is as well equipped as his Army counterparts when comparing tools of the trade. His 21.5-foot 2008 Triton boat, powered by a 225 HP four-stroke Suzuki handles the nastiest waves with ease. It’s safe, roomy, rigged right for fishing and the best part is the air- glide seats. No back aches here.

Mike, 29, could teach classes on the use of the high-tech Lowrance Lcx-37 depth finder/gps combo. To non-techies, squinting to see the pink trail marks that covered the entire left side of the screen reminded me of a bored kid on a etch-a-sketch in the back seat of a car on a long trip in the 70s. “And that’s only three days out here,” Mike laughed. Those trails mark the location of the Black, Silver and Red Triton at all times.

If we had to give Mike a comparative Army specialty it would have to be Recon Scout Sniper. He gets nervous and fidgety and even a little mad when he can’t quickly find and catch fish. Once he sees them on his graph, he takes charge, telling us to toss lines in. “There’s a big dude about four feet off the bottom,” Mike whispered. About a minute later, I pulled up a 21-inch walleye, got a picture and returned it to the fishery. Mike is firm about protecting the Mille Lacs fishery for the future and obeys the slot and doesn't want to debate it.

Mike’s close-quarter weapons of choice are a bevy of Shakespeare, light-weight 7.5-foot rods, rigged with 6 pound, green mono triline that slides nicely through his slip bobber setups. He employs 1/32 ounce jigs just below a beefy sinker. It makes for quick shots to the bottom and less tangles of line in higher wind.

Mike’s Shakespeare sponsors are probably enjoying his tournament finishes on the Big Pond this year. He has placed high and gained some decent notoriety in Minnesota Tournament Trail Circles and the Wave Wacker. He's placed well in all seven tournaments he has fished. He and wife, Margie, have placed second in a pair of couples tournaments.

Finally, Mike is a mission-first, men-always type of guy. He doesn’t care if he has to pull up and drop anchor 25 times in four hours, moving from spot to spot, Mike will produce fish. He proved boating eight walleyesfor Kyle and I. We had two keepers. And a mind full of nice memories.

You won’t get bored with Mike if it ever got slow. He's from the area, likes to talk hunting and has a fun, easy-going personality. Bring your beverages and whatever you want to eat. From the die-hard fishermen to the dad and son on their first guide trip, Mike is the right fit.

We’d book a Trip with Hunter Winfield's Mike Christensen and recommend him to our customers. Call Mike at 320-266-0397. Mention Make It Mille Lacs and receive $25 off your next guide trip with Mike.

Contact Make It Mille Lacs.com if you'd like to tell your guide story at mlwehking@comcast.net.

Hawkeyes Like Hanson/Christensen Missions

2008-08-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

Six guys from the Iowa were up late last week fishing Mille Lacs. Too many for any one guide to take out, so they ended up with MIMLs' Jeff Hanson and Mike Christensen who work together on occasion to support fishing in the area.

For two straight days the guys from Iowa were kept busy on the water, keeping 10 per boat between three fishermen. The two guides worked the mid depth rocks picking and dropping anchor alot.

The were armed with 7.5-foot light-weight poles, 6-pound green mono triline test 1/32 ounce jigs that look perch colored. "It's pretty easy to show people a good time when you're out their catching fish," Mike said. "The best part of guiding is showing people what Mille Lacs has to offer."

Miller Musky Moments: Mine Unforgettable

2008-08-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Story By Mike Wehking, owner, Make It Mille Lacs.com. Take the poll on our home page. We'd love to hear your opinions on Mille Lacs Musky fishing. We will post your comments on our Fishing Guide blog once each week.

Getting two, guided Musky fishing trips inside a week with Gene Miller, Mille Lacs’ Mr. Musky happens about as often as an annular eclipse of the sun for most folks.

Gene’s busy schedule, weather, coordinating a six-some and cost all play a factor.

But things were in alignment and the sun was shining bright on Gene, Castaways owner Steve MacDonald and I Tuesday. A nice, wavy chop with winds out of the northeast and a little spray across the bow at 5:50 pm and Gene was in “Musky Mania” right out of the Castaways harbor. His custom Musky pontoon was rigged and ready, fresh off the water from an earlier trip out.

“This bay is loaded with Musky right now,” said the sun-glass clad Gene, puffing on a cigarette while standing behind the console of his pontoon, fidgeting with a pair of lowrance depth finders to ensure he was on the right track. “This is the No. 1 fishery in the world for Musky.” Gene claime there are 30,000 Musky in Mille Lacs.

With what Gene calls a pair of “custom planer boards” rigged and running and a pole off the back, we were skipping along toward Carlsona at about 5.0 mph. The sun was out, boat traffic was light and Gene alternated between taking or receiving radio messages and tracking our course.

We saw our first Musky caught and released by Greg Thomas and partner. Gene labels Greg the best “casting” Musky fishermen on the lake. Despite not really minding the limelight, Gene is not one of those “best” labelers, you see. He’s quit counting his catches around the 106 mark.

“Everybody thinks I’m nuts, but nobody’s gonna stop me from getting out here,” Gene said, hinting that we might be treading into some pretty rich Musky habitat. It was time for battle stations.

About a minute later, a Musky hit our starboard pole. The one with the Cat’s Tail. Gene shouted, “Mike, take charge and start reeling.” I struggled to grab the pole out of its holder as the fish was hammering away, pole bending all while we were on course at a 6.0 troll.

My heart raced, my forearms started to feel a little burn and for a moment we thought we lost the fish. Then Steve spots a fin thrashing. Gene guns the throttle and the fight resumes with me still wide-eyed and keeping the pole tip up.

These two have fished a time or two before. Nine minutes after strike, Gene and Steve helped me guide the fish into Gene’s net. The duo were dynamic as Gene yelled “one minute” (time between catch and return to water to allow a Musky to live) started to get hold of the fish and unhook it while Steve tossed me the “special” gloves. By now, the 4-6 boats in our vicinity were watching with envy.

“That’s a pretty small one, Mike, but it fought pretty hard,” Gene said as he carefully unhooked it, set it up with a Rapala Gripper so I could hold it up. For me, 44 inches isn’t bad. In fact, it’s my personal best fish – ever. Gene grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures. For being the Isle post master and such an accomplished Musky guide, he got some pretty decent shots.

With Musky regulation keeper size being 48 inches, Gene and Steve transitioned to a cradle-like device to revive the Musky alongside the pontoon, watching it come back to vibrant life, being careful to avoid the 1-inch razor sharp teeth that Musky sport. Gene’s scum up fingers and thumb are witness to the carnage those fish can inflict.

“You’re gonna get another one, Mike,” Gene barked, cleaning off his lures and re rigging some of the poles after our Musky Moments. For Gene, he’s usually right in mid August through late September. “Now, you get to hear my special song.” Out blasted Aerosmith’s Back in the Saddle Again track on his Clarion stereo and speaker setup. I just collapsed back into one of his new, white leather Flexsteel lounger chairs on the back of the boat, beverage in hand, trying to take it all in. It was then I noticed my blood spattered shorts, some on my cap and some fish gunk on my pullover. All part of the process, I guess..

We didn’t net another fish the rest of the night. Two hours later we were off the water and into Castaways, talking Musky shop, comparing notes with some guides and I got to see what I would call Gene’s Holy Grail – a perfect book of 8X10s photos of Gene's most prized catches -- big Muskies; grandmas catching muskies; two muskies at a time. Thanks for my Musky Moment, Gene!

Look for the Gene Miller Guide Service Ad early next week on Make It Mille Lacs.com. It will link to his web page where you can relive some pretty unbelievable “Musky Miller Moments”

Mike Christensen: August is picking up

2008-08-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Mike called in this morning, proud to have again placed second in the Mac's Twin Bay couple's tournament last weekend with his wife,Margie. Mike has placed in every tournament he's fished this season. He was also proud that fellow Hunter Winfield's employee Dave caught a 40-inch Musky trolling a crank bait recently. He was out on the lake when we chatted with him and said the mid-range rocks of 12-20 feet are the place to be with slip bobbers and leeches. You may have to move a few times, but there are fish on the humps. Folks are getting a few fish on crank baits trolling 2.2-2.4 mph. They are biting on reef runners and anything that looks like perch. I am feeling pretty physched as I get to spend Monday on the water with Mike. Check out next Tuesday's Guide Report for an exclusive story on Mike Christensen, his new boat and his great guiding season on Lake Mille Lacs. To reach Mike for a guided trip, call him at 320-266-0397.

Gene Miller: Mille Lacs' Mr. Musky

2008-08-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Mike Christensen and Jeff Hanson will provide their weekly updates on Tuesday.

His story has been told countless times. But developments this week for Gene Miller, Mille Lacs’ legendary Musky fishing guide, deserve an update. Gene took Chip and Roxanne Frederickson, Barry Hines and I out on a guide trip Thursday evening.

I was a lucky add-on after those folks (and Brandon Niesen) bid on and won a “Gene Miller Guided Musky Trip” at the Oberfeld Fundraiser back in June. We had circled the date and been talking about the trip for most of July.

Gene was all in a dither as we boarded the boat, nestled into the Castaways marina. “I’ve lost 100 Muskies already this week," he said. I was stunned, thinking he was kidding us. As the Lake’s premier Musky guide, Gene nets about 100 Musky each year. You may have seen the picture of the 90-year old lady, Irene Long, cradling a 54-inch Musky after catching it last September. (If not, it’s on page 50 of the 2008 Fun Guide)

Apparently, Muskies are again biting “soft” up on the sandy northeast corner of Mille Lacs, they just aren’t ingesting artificial baits – be it gold spoon, buck tails or Cow Girl -- just yet. “By September, we’ll have to cut the hooks out of them, ” Gene claims.

“Last Friday 50 Muskies hit and we got one in the boat,” Gene said, pointing at the glassy water and motioning about the need for waves. “Wind is the key and it looks like we might as well not even go out.”

Seven minutes into our trip, we thought Gene might be eating his words. We hooked a Musky off the port side and Roxanne grabbed the rig and started to reel in a frenzy. The fish, size unknown, spun off the line -- no foul on Roxanne -- leaving us all on edge, wondering why he didn’t slow the pontoon down during “the hit”.

“You can’t back off the gas or you’ll lose it,” Gene said, as his well-stocked pontoon continued battle speed at 6 mph. This is a Musky rig like none other. It's got at least a dozen poles, a pair of depth finders, ample seating for 10, many pole holding positions, some pretty ingenous planer boards and even a portable biffy.

We spent the rest of the evening hearing Gene's take on Muskies, admiring the sunset, trolling between Castaways and Carlsona and eyeing some Muskies swimming neat to the pontoon but failing to get another bite. “I will get you guys back out here when we have some waves and we will nail some Musky,” he growled.

As the Isle Post Master and owner of TJ’s liquor and a laundry mat in Malmo, Gene’s a busy guy who operates at a fierce pace with a feisty optimism and he’s certain about one thing on Mille Lacs.

“All we need is one of those big Muskies to eat a duck and we’ve got the record,” he said, smiling after taking a sip out of one of those new-fangled energy drinks. For the record, the Minnesota State record Musky is 56 inches. Gene claims there are 30,000 Musky lurking in Lake Mille Lacs and many are starting to get hungry. Imagine hauling in a fish with a girth of up to 29 inches and weighs more than 54 pounds...

I’ll bet on Gene Miller.

Anybody that does that many guide trips with up to six people per trip has odds stacked in his favor. Toss in the fact that he’s armed with countless five-gallon pails of razor sharp lures of all varieties; an endless supply of new-tech tackle that fishing companies want him to try; and a tried-and-true method for catching whoppers. Combined, you have the ingredients for the record breaker and I think Gene wants it.

The metro media types might be betting on Gene, too. Apparently, Jason Davis will bring his KSTP-TV "On the Road Again" troupe to Mille Lacs for an early September story. We’ll let you know when that story will run! In the meantime, Gene will tell you” “Troll fast, rig sturdy and make sure your net is big and strong enough.”

Christensen Duo Does It Right At Hunter's Point Tourney

2008-07-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

Some have said fishing has been tough this summer on Lake Mille Lacs. Not Mike Christensen. He and wife Margie, nailed seven keepers for 7.1 pounds on Saturday, July 19th to take second place in the Hunter's Point Couples Fishing Tourney. As the resort owners of Hunter Winfield's, I guess you could call it mixing work with pleasure. But it turned out to be a great day on the water and it's been a great day for the two this year. They were married and are expecting. Plus, for we boat lovers, Mike and Margie towed a 2008 Triton 21.5 footer with a 250 into their inventory to help with Mike's guide service. And they haven't looked back. Mike has had a nice run -- placing in every tournament he's fished this season, including MTT Tournaments, the Wave Wacker and the Hunter Winfield's Tourney. He has been able to get enough keepers to make things work out and that is also how he's please his guide customers. He said he was able to get 10 keepers on half-day guide trips out these last few days, saying the walleye bite is been good with slip bobbers in 14-22 feet with bigger fish coming shallow in big winds. The Musky bite is picking up with the cow girl being the bait of choice. Smallmouth have been a consistent bite in 2-8 feet of water. Mike says he's been pleased overall with the bite at Mille Lacs and he said he feels it is picking up. "We're working hard, but it's getting better and better." If you want to hire Mike on a guide trip, call him at 320-266-0397. If you are looking for boat gas on the water or a cabin contact http://www.hunterwinfields.com/

Guide John Odle has also given us his permission to access his weekly reports. Rocky Reef is a featured new customer of Make It Mille Lacs.com. For John's take on things, read his reports. He is usually fairly current and he what I would call a "cult" following of people who like to hear his take on things other than fishing. Go to http://rockyreef.com/rockman/rockmanreport.html

Guide Jeff Hanson will be checking in with us next weekend. If you have a digital picture you'd like posted with your Trophy fish, send it to mlwehking@comcast.net and we will post it at Trophy's fishing Wall of Fame. Just click to visit http://www.makeitmillelacs.com/accommodations/fishing-wall-of-fame.html

Fishing: Feast or Famine Right Now

2008-07-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

Guide Jeff Hanson says its been pretty much feast or famine right now. On days with a wind and some clouds the bite hasn't been bad, he stated Monday. On those calm, sunny days it has been down-right tough. Leeches on slip bobbers the last hour before dark have been best. Crawlers on spinner baits have worked well in deep water, he said. He said a good four-hour shot out with customers right now is netting 10-12 fish. The water clarity has helped the shallow walleye bite, but hurt the smallmouth bite. He stated that people are still doing well on mud and gravel. He hasn't heard much about any Musky bite yet. To book a trip with Jeff, call him at 763-477-8553. He's offering $25 off if you mention Make It Mille Lacs.com on trips from now through September 1.
That's Jeff on a day he took me out in late May. We caught some nice fish!

Mid Summer Walleye Swoon In Progress

2008-07-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

Guide Jeff Hanson hates to admit the fishing is getting tougher. But he's also an honest guy. Jeff said Tuesday that the mid summer slump is starting to take effect. Walleyes are either in deep water on mud or gravel or rocks. He did say the wavy weekend pushed some into the shallows on the rocks as they start to transition again. The water color got murky with all the wind/rain over last week. Leeches and Crawlers are still the best baits with Lindy rigs and spinner baits working deep. While slip bobbers and crank baits are working shallows. If there is a bright spot it's the smallmouth bite. Jeff said he and partner Dustin Roman caught 15-20 last weekend fishing for walleye by accident in the Red Door Tourney. Jeff and his partner placed third on Day Two, cashing a check. He said only six of 39 boats landed a keepable walleye on Sunday of last weekend. Jeff said he's seen folks fishing Musky up on the north side but hasn't heard about a big bite yet. He has not seen Musky on the reefs. The two-hour evening slip bobber bite might be the most productive right now as that's when Jeff has seen the most local boats on the water....

Hanson-Christensen Agree: Good June, Lull Right Now

2008-07-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Guides Jeff Hanson and Mike Christensen called in reports this morning. And despite seperate calls, they both agreed on most aspects of Mille Lacs fishing during the month of June -- you had to work hard for fish, but there were plenty of limits. "I think the bite was better than what it got credit for," Hanson said. He was on the water all but a couple days, guiding customers. "I was getting 25-30 fish in an eight hour day, which is pretty darn good. Was it like last year or 02 -- no," Christensen said. Both agree early July has presented a slight lull in catch levels. The walleye bite is now best in mid to deep water with spinner and crawlers. Slip bobbers still do well in the evening but the mid afternoon bite has lessened with high temps and increased water temps into the low to mid 70s. Smallmouth bite is still hot in 3-6 feet of water on tubes and crank baits. Mike mentioned getting some walleye on shallow reefs mixed with Smallies on windy days. Neither has heard much about Musky bite lately. Both said the northern bite has been good on weed lines and around docks. Mike said the over 24-inch walleyes are hitting crank baits on reef runners and lead core in 14-25 feet of water.

Jeff Hanson: Best Fishing of Season is Now

2008-06-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Guide Jeff Hanson telephoned in this report Monday morning. Best fishing of summer in last 9 days. He has been on Mille Lacs every day in June but one. Walleyes continue to hit on leeches on mud, gravel and mid depth rocks. Lindy rigging during day with six foot snell and red hooks. Crawlers with spinners also working well. Althought he hasn't been doing it, he said other guides tell him open water trolling is also working well. Smallmouth are hitting hard in 3-5 feet of water on tub jigs and spinner baits. Musky are slow and still in bays. Northern bite has been hot. Water temp is highest today of season at 72 degrees. To get a trip lined up with Jeff Hanson, call him at 763-477-8553.

Mike Christensen: Bite is Hot Right Now

2008-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Guide Mike Christensen of Hunter Winfield's called in this report Tuesday morning. He said the weekend bite was great as his trips netted about 25 walleyes each. He said of that number about 8-12 have been keepers, meeting slot requirement. The mid range gravel has been good and fish have been biting in shallows with big winds in about six feet of water. The walleye bite has been best in 15-26 feet of water. He has also had success deep trolling with reef runners and planer boards. Some smaller Muskies have been landed in the high 30 to low 40 inch levels. Some big northerns have been caught just off the weed beds in front of Hunter Winfields. The smallmouth bite has been good on rock reefs with tubes, top waters ans some spinner baits. Leeches continue to be the best live bait and lindy rigging and slip bobbering are the preferred methods, according to Mike. Mike is offering a 15 percent reduction in his Guide fee for anybody booking a trip in July or August. Contact him to setup a Guide Trip at 320-266-0397.

Christensen: Bite is a "6" out of "10" right now

2008-06-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hunter Winfield's Guide Mike Christensen is having success with a huge variety of techniques and locations. He had a great morning today (Tuesday) with slip bobbers in 13-19 feet of water on the rocks. He has had good luck pulling some spinner and rigging in the gravel from 24-30 feet and hit some huge fish on the mud flats lindy rigging. He says long leaders are better with pink hooks and a chartruese bead working well. Smallmouth are also biting in shallow rocks and even with some top water baits. He has caught some big pike in the shallow weeds right out from the resort in Isle. "Fishing's not great yet, but it's been pretty good," he said by phone from a Guide Trip Tuesday afternoon. To setup a trip with Mike, contact him at 320-266-0397

We Welcome Guide Mike Christensen!

2008-06-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

We think we've found a pretty special Lake Mille Lacs Guide to bring you weekly reports, assisting Jeff Hanson on this blog. Meet Mike Christensen. We'll him and guide Jeff Hanson the Make It Mille Lacs.Com Dynamic Fishing Duo. Mike and partner Eric Neisus are in 6th Place after Day 1 in the prestigious Wave Wacker Walleye Tourney out of Fisherman's Wharf. Mike is and wife Margie, own and run Hunter Winfield's out of Isle and are some great people. Mike is sporting a brand new 2008 Triton 21.5 footer with 250 Suzuki, 9.9 kicker and all the electronics you need. His Guide Service has done extremly well so far this season on Mille Lacs. Contact Mike to set up a Guide Trip at 320-266-0397. He guides for Walleye, Smallmouth and Musky. His personal bests in those fish are: Walleye--29.5 inches; Musky 50 inches; Smallmouth 22.5 inches. Mike has also been at or near the top of several recent Minnesota Tournament Trail Walleye events on the Big Pond. Check him out!

Jeff Hanson: Bite Continues to Improve

2008-06-12T05:23:00.001-07:00

Fishing is nearing the "peak" summer bite in the next couple weeks. Water temps are still in the high 50's and walleyes in Mille Lacs are dispersed to all of there summer locations now. We are catching fish in deep water on mud and gravel flats. Even the open water trolling bite has heated up and some people have really put the hurt on them out in "no man's land".On the windier days, the mid-depth rocks are putting out slot fish by bobbering and the evenings have continued to provide fast action in 6-10' on almost any rocks.Smallmouths are in the process of making nests and spawning. I watched a 20" smallie for 10 minutes the other day as she brushed out a nest w/ her tail and chased off any other bass that got close to it. In a couple weeks these bass will have finished the spawn and set up on shallow rock reefs providing anglers with the exciting mid-summer bass catching action

Sunday Mud Wrestling: Jeff Hanson Style

2008-06-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

Folks asked me where I was Sunday morning. I told them I was mud wrestling. I got a few strange looks at first, but after they saw a couple photos, they got the message. I had a chance to tag along with Guide Jeff Hanson Sunday morning and geez we had fun! Don't let anybody tell you the bite is slow or the waves not big enough or the sun is shining too high. Jeff will put you on fish as simple as that! We went out of Buzzy's (Mac's Twin Bay) Sunday morning around 9:30. In little less than three hours, Jeff and I caught 10 walleye, 1 in the slot and we had some hogs to show for it. We headed out to the vicinity of Fisher's Flat in the mud. A few folks were out in that area, but we quickly laid into fish with Jeff circling around his known spots looking for "pods" of walleye. Once he spotted one(a pod is group of walleye), we shutoff the big motor and he backtrolled into the area, whispering, "Get ready." Sure enough he nailed one right off the bat and I wasn't too far behind. Talk about a great way to spend a Sunday morning. I was feeling like I was in heaven, sitting on a calm, beautiful Mille Lacs Lake hearing Jeff's sermons about catching walleye. Watching Jeff in action is like getting a great golf lesson from a pro. You get to practice, see your improvement and feel like a stud as you "tee off" on a lunker, watching your pole bend nearly to the water as you pull in a 7-8 pounder. And instead of talking down from the pulpit like some guides, Jeff is easy-going, informative and fun to be around. A great guide with a great 20-foot Yar Craft Boat, ready for big water but nimble enough to manuever with ease and find those "pods". I am reserving my next paid guide trip with Jeff. If you're coming to Mille Lacs, I can tell you first-hand, you will do great with Guide Jeff Hanson. The Hanson Bio: Age-27; Biggest Walleye-31.5 inches in 2001; Biggest Smallmouth-22 inches; Biggest Musky-50 inches. Best Day on Water Guiding: 133 fish boated in 8-hour trip; Fishes in 2095 Yar Craft BTX with 135 Mercury Optimax.

For more information on reserving a trip, contact him at 763-477-8553 or see his web site at hansonguideservice.com. That's me, Mike Wehking, in the pictures showing off a near 27 and a 24-incher. Hitting the slim fast after seeing myself. "When You're At Mille Lacs, You're Living The Dream!"

Hanson Guide Service Report: Bite Improving

2008-05-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here is Jeff Hanson with a pair of nice walleyes that had to be released. A 24-inch and 27-incher.

The bite is picking up and the fish are starting to transition to some deeper water. We are catching fish at shallow and mid-depth (5'-15') rocks bobber fishing. 17'-20' lindy rigging in the sand is catching fish and even lindy rigging the deep water flats in 25'-30' is starting to produce fish. Leeches are still the bait of choice. Fishing is slow in the mornings when it is cold, and the afternoons have been the best time of day. Alot of nice 20'-24' fish is still the norm w/ slots mixed in there...

The Big Chill: Water Temps holding down catch

2008-05-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Jeff Hanson clients pose with a nice walleye from weekend of May 17-18. Water is still pretty cold (48-52) as we are 1-2 weeks behind schedule.
Some fish are starting to transition to deeper water but most are still shallow and close to shore.
Leeches under slip bobbers on the shallow rocks in 4-10' is best...Still lots of really nice 19-24 inchers!! Information provided by Jeff Hanson of Hanson Guide Service. Send in digital pictures of your trophy walleyes to mlwehking@comcast.net for posting on the Trophy Wall of Fame on Make It Mille Lacs.Com fishing page.

Opening Day Pictures of Jeff Hanson

2008-05-13T10:56:00.001-07:00

Just two of the many fish Jeff Hanson and his customers boated on Opening Weekend at Lake Mille Lacs. Jeff said that with warming water temperatures that the sand should be hot this weekend. Snell length isn't as important as using minnows and crawlers and moving around alot. Stay tuned for more reports from Jeff.

Mille Lacs Opener Notes from Guide Jeff Hanson

2008-05-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Mille Lacs area fishing Guide Jeff Hanson is one of handful of guides who have agreed to share their reports with Make It Mille Lacs.Com readers. To setup a Trip with Jeff, see the link on this page. Very unlike the openers we have become accustomed to lately...
We ended up catching 16 on sat. on my guide trip.
Yesterday was slower w/ only 9...of those fish, most were beautiful 20-24" fish...
Shallow 4-8' was the key and moving alot...using slip bobbers...
We need that water to get warmer, it's at 43-47 right now, warmer in the south end.
Things should heat up here in the next week and I expect a lot better bite by next weekend.