Minnesota Trout Fishing

The following article is from the Minnesota DNR site on trout. I've been trout fishing in southern Minnesota since the early '60's having grown up in the area. If someone mentioned fishing opener to someone down there it was assumed you were talking about the Trout Opener, which was always the first Saturday in May. Some years ago the DNR changed that to an April opening date. Some of my favorite streams are Diamond Creek, which is largely surrounded with State Forest land, so this is a good choice if you want to combine a Turkey Hunting trip with some trout fishing, Big Springs, which flows through mostly private land but which the DNR has easements and Rush Creek. I don't know what Rush looks like after the floods last fall, but it used to be one of the better large trout streams with fish up to 7 lbs. being caught.

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Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

INTRODUCTION

* Trout fishing is a sport for everyone. You don't need a boat and motor, a depth locator, a pH meter, a guide, or any expensive tackle. All you need is a spinning or spin-casting outfit in working order, a box of hooks, some night crawlers and a pair of hip boots. (The hip boots are optional if you don't mind getting your feet wet.)

* If you are 16 or older you will need a fishing license and trout stamp.

* As with most types of specialized fishing, a few anglers seem to catch most of the fish. This is not luck. They know how to catch trout. You can be one of those "lucky" anglers.

* This pamphlet will not make you an expert, but it may help you catch your first trout. From that point on you just need to go fishing and learn from your experiences.

TROUT HABITS

There are three species of trout that live in southeast Minnesota trout streams. They are the brook trout, the brown trout, and the rainbow trout.

Brook trout (the only native of the three) thrive in smaller streams of good water quality, occupying pools and riffles that seem quite shallow when compared to the pools brown trout frequent. In-stream vegetation provides adequate cover for the brookie. They are very aggressive and relatively easy to catch. They normally are smaller than browns and rainbows, a 14 inch brookie is a trophy. In large and medium sized streams you will find them near the headwaters and in major springs.

Brown trout (from Europe) are the most abundant and most sought after trout in southeast Minnesota streams. They are wary and must be stalked with patience. Your shadow on the water will "put them down" for an hour or two. They require overhanging cover like undercut banks or fallen trees. They will be found in the deepest pools, moving into the shallows (riffles) to feed in early morning and late afternoon. They feed actively on emergent insects like caddis flies and mayflies. Brown trout get larger than rainbows and brookies; 14 to 18 inch fish are common and browns over 25 inches have been taken in the southeast.

Rainbow trout (a west coast native) do not commonly reproduce in southeast Minnesota streams and must be maintained by stocking. They occupy the fast, big water of the Whitewater streams (and others), utilizing different habitat than the brown trout. Famous for their acrobatics (tail-walking), rainbows will give any angler quite a thrill.

* There are a number of methods used to catch trout, but most novice trout anglers begin by learning to catch trout on light spinning tackle.

* Many good trout anglers make fishing more of a challenge by using a fly rod or fishing wild trout in crystal clear streams. Some anglers spend many days trying to catch a trophy. You may want to get into this type of trout fishing, but for now we are going to stick with basics.

GETTING STARTED

Get a map of the area you are going to fish and make sure that you are actually fishing in trout water. The map "Trout Angling Opportunities in Southern Minnesota" is a good map to use. It is available free at local fisheries, parks, and wildlife management offices.

One of the biggest mistakes novice trout anglers make is using the wrong equipment.

Use monofilament line no heavier than 6 pound test in cloudy or muddy water and no heavier than 4 pound test in clear water.

Fill your reel spool with backing (some heavy line) and put about 30 yards of lighter line at the end. Note: It may take several hundred yards of light line to fill your spool. Most of this line is wasted. Replace it after it becomes worn or is too short to fish with.

Use hooks in the #10 to #14 size range and do not use long shank sunfish hooks. You want your hook to be inconspicuous.

Clean your reel before you go so your line flows smoothly off the spool.

Get permission to access private lands that do not have easements. Most people are happy to let you fish on their property if you just ask for permission first.

BAIT AND TACKLE

Everyone has a different idea as to which bait or method is the best for catching trout. Anything that works is good, but since you have read this far I will assume you would like a basic outfit to get started. An acceptable trout fishing outfit would include:

-an ultra light, fast action spinning rod between 4 and 5 feet long,
-a light duty spinning or spincasting reel outfitted with 4 to 6 pound test line. (I prefer 4. I would rather hook a good one and lose it than not hook it at all.),
-#10 to #14 regular shank bronze hooks
-a few small split shot for those rare occasions when you need to get your bait down in swift water, and a canvas creel and a small knife.

BAIT: It is hard to beat the nightcrawler for baitfishing trout. It has just the right heft for a long cast and they are easy to come by. Worms are too small and are difficult to cast. Hellgramites and water worms (insect larva) are also good. They are harder to obtain in mid summer and are difficult to cast long distances, but are ideal for drift fishing. Small minnows work well in early season when the fish are sluggish, but who wants to carry a minnow bucket around all day. Veteran brown trout anglers often use a chunk of chub or sucker meat when angling for the big ones. This also keeps other chubs and suckers from biting when fishing in poorer quality water.

HARDWARE: Spinners, jigs and other minnow imitators also work well for trout. Any color or style is apt to work, but match these colors and species for starters. Gold-Browns, Silver-Rainbows, Copper-Brookies

TECHNIQUE

First we will fish with the nightcrawler. Hook half of a crawler just once at either end. Approach the pool quietly from downstream keeping well hidden from the fish. Cast upstream over the pool allowing your crawler to drift naturally back towards you. Your line will float so watch it and you can tell when you have a bite. If you are careful, you might catch more than one fish from the same pool. Be patient and fish carefully. Learn to cast with accuracy. If you have disturbed the pool, move on to another. Stay out of the water when fishing. The boots are for crossing the stream. If you want to release a deeply hooked fish just cut your line. If the fish is bleeding, keep it. It will not live.

Hellgrammites and water worms are very effective when allowed to drift naturally into a pool. You can accomplish this with a gentle upstream cast or by drifting the bait down to the pool from upstream. This technique is also useful when fishing a pool that is protected by a fallen tree.

To sum up bait fishing:

-fish natural (natural drift, no bobber, no sinker, light line)
-keep hidden
-don't walk in the water,
-make accurate casts, and
-fish afternoon hours in springtime, early morning hours in summer.

When casting hardware you don't have to worry about an unnatural drift. Minnows swim in all directions. You still must make a cautious approach to the pool. A favorite strategy is to bait fish a stream, working your way upstream, and then cast spinners to the same pools on the way back.

Good Fishing!

Gulf Dead Zone

Ramping up ethanol production for alternative fuels will worsen the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, a stretch of water unable to support aquatic life, according to a report co-written by the University of British Columbia.

The U.S. Senate's recently announced plan to triple production of ethanol made from corn starch by 2022 will increase the zone by 10 to 19 per cent from the 20,000-square-kilometres — an area roughly the size of New Jersey — it has recently occupied, the report said.

The U.S. Senate wants to ramp up ethanol made from corn starch in order to alleviate the country's dependence on oil.The U.S. Senate wants to ramp up ethanol made from corn starch in order to alleviate the country's dependence on oil.


"This rush to expand corn production is a disaster for the Gulf of Mexico," said Simon Donner, an assistant professor in UBC's geography department, in a statement. "The U.S. energy policy will make it virtually impossible to solve the problem of the dead zone."

The problem stems from the nitrogen and phosphorus found in agricultural fertilizer, which can cause excess growth of algae in bodies of water, the researchers said. When that algae decomposes, it can consume much of the oxygen in the water.

Fertilizer being used in much of the U.S. agricultural heartland, such as Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin, is the primary source of pollution in the Mississippi River system, which drains into the Gulf of Mexico. Every summer, that nitrogen is deposited in the Gulf, where the dead zone forms.

Donner and Chris Kucharik of the University of Wisconsin came to their conclusions by combining agricultural land-use scenarios with models of terrestrial and aquatic nitrogen cycling. Their work appears in Monday's edition of the Proceedings of the National Journal of Sciences.

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"The nitrogen levels in the Mississippi will be more than twice the recommendation for the Gulf," Donner said.

Boosting ethanol production without increasing the amount of nitrogen in the Mississippi will require "radical shifts in feed production, diet and agricultural land management," the report said.

Corn planting may have to be moved into other states or less of the crop would have to be used to feed cattle, which would also mean less meat consumption by people.

Kent and three of his buddies have gone fishing every Saturday for nearly forty years. One Saturday, the guys are fishing along a highway when a funeral processional drives by. Well, Kent lays down his pole, stands up in the boat, takes off his lucky hat and places it over his heart. This processional is huge and takes nearly five minutes to pass. Once it passes, Kent sits down, puts his hat on and cast out without saying a word. Needless to say his buddies are floored by his actions. One of em finally speaks up and says, "that sure was a respectful thing you did there when they went by." Kent replied, "It seems the least I could do seeing as how I've been married to the woman for over forty years!"

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Biodiesel Fuel?

Biodiesel fuel is a clean burning alternative fuel that comes from 100% renewable resources. It is considered the fuel of the future. Biodiesel does not contain petroleum, but can be mixed with petroleum to produce a biodiesel blend that can be used in a variety of vehicles.
Pure biodiesel fuel, though, can only be used in diesel engines. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, making it so safe that common table salt has been proven more toxic.
Biodiesel is not like vegetable oil alternative fuels. Biodiesel can be used in its unaltered form in diesel engines. Vegetable oil fuels must be modified and used only in combustion- ignition engines. This makes biodiesel one of the easiest alternative fuels to use. In fact, it is a great option for use on farms in farm equipment.

Biodiesel fuel is made through a process called transesterfication. This process involves removing the glycerin from the vegetable oil or fat. During the process byproducts are left behind, including methyl esters and glycerin. Biodiesel is free from such substances as sulfur and aromatics which are found in traditional fuels.

The unique qualities of biodiesel makes it unlike other alternative fuels. It has passed all the health effects testing requirements, unlike other alternative fuels. This means it meets the standards of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Biodiesel is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as a fuel that can be legally sold and distributed. Other alternative fuels can not be legally sold as motor fuel because they do not meet the EPA's fuel specifications.

One of the best things about biodiesel fuel is that is it not harmful to the environment like traditional fuels. Biodiesel is made from renewable resources which means it is safe for the environment. It does not produce the high emissions like traditional fuels. Biodiesel does not cause harmful effects to the environment that will produce lasting effects on generations to come.

Biodiesel is also good for the economy because unlike traditional fuels, the resources to make biodiesel come form within the United States. It is made with products grown in the USA without having to involve politics with other countries. The country can become less dependent upon foreign countries for fuel supplies and the money goes right back into the US economy.

Biodiesel is an innovative fuel that is rapidly becoming more available to the general public. It can be found around the country in select places or it can be bought directly from producers. It costs a little more than traditional fuels at the current time because the demand is not as great. However, as demand grows and the public realizes the benefits of a biodegradable, renewable fuel source, the price will drop.
Right now, though, the cheapest way to get biodiesel fuel is to make it at home yourself.

Minnesota Fishing Opener

Fishing Opener in Minnesota is 05/10/08. Lake Mille Lacs will, no doubt, be as busy as past openers with wall to wall boats. Follow the crowds if you're new to the lake. Big Winni is always a good lake for the opener. I've always had good luck at the Dugouts on the north shore or at the entrance to Cut Foot Souix. We have fished Round Lake at the town of Squaw Lake in the past on opener with great luck from the public landing north of Squaw Lake to the north shore. Another great opening day lake is Bowstring Lake north of Deer River. The south end between the duck camp to the river is good early in the year. If the water levels are high enough, fishing right in the river can be outstanding. Last year we fished Sand Lake near Bowstring and had great luck just off the SW side of the island bobber fishing in 12 ft. of water. Also, in the evening, fishing was good right up to the Anchor Inn bridge, with a couple of very large fish caught there.

Truman Lake Crappies

Crappies are starting to hit on Truman Lake. We fished last week near Clinton, Mo. at Bucksaw. Crappies were being caught in the mouth of the creeks.We fished Wednesday and had several nice fish. We fished the mouth of all the major creeks on the Grand Arm. Fish all the trees leading into the creeks in 12 ft of water or more fishing 10ft deep.We caught all our fish on 1/16th oz tube jigs in the blk/char colors. We covered alot of water and kept on the move .The bite was fair and with the water warming up, it will get better.

Ethanol Subsidies Are a Complete Waste

The full story 0f ethanol seems to be that ethanol subsidies are a complete waste. One can't expect a lobbyist to walk into a farm belt congressperson's office and say, "Sir or madam, ethanol subsidies don't reduce our dependence on foreign oil, alleviate air pollution, or benefit the country in any other demonstrable way. A large portion of the money goes directly into the coffers of a single multibillion-dollar corporation. Some experts say that manufacturing ethanol consumes more energy than the fuel produces. In fact, all the ethanol industry dependably generates is profits for itself and campaign contributions for you. Can we count on your vote?"

Corn belt states began subsidizing ethanol after the Arab oil embargo of 1973. The federal government joined the party a few years later. The Energy Tax Act of 1978 authorized an excise tax exemption for biofuels, chiefly gasohol (a gasoline blend containing at least 10 percent ethanol). Another federal program provided loan guarantees for the construction of ethanol plants, and in 1986 the U.S. even gave ethanol producers free corn. It's estimated that the excise exemption alone costs U.S. taxpayers as much as $1.4 billion per year.

The immediate beneficiaries of ethanol subsidies have been corn farmers and, more significantly, the Archer Daniels Midland Corporation of Decatur, Illinois, better known as ADM. The world's largest grain processor, ADM produces 40 percent of the ethanol used to make gasohol. As might be supposed, the company and its officers have been eloquent in their defense of ethanol and generous in contributing to both political parties. The politicians have been generous right back. The libertarian Cato Institute estimates that every dollar of ADM's ethanol profit costs taxpayers 30 bucks.

One might not mind spending the money if it bought us something--energy independence, say, or cleaner air. But based on current evidence, it doesn't. Ethanol contains only about two-thirds as much energy per gallon as gasoline, so cars using ethanol blends get lower mileage. Though ethanol can reduce carbon monoxide emissions, the fuel may well produce more of other air pollutants. True, the ethanol industry drives corn prices up, which helps farmers--but a 1986 USDA study found we'd be better off mailing the farmers checks rather than propping up an entire industry with tax dollars. (Ethanol has since been touted as a substitute for MTBE, an additive that makes gasoline burn cleaner but also causes groundwater pollution. However, skeptics claim that due to improvements in engine technology, it'd be better just to dispense with such additives altogether.)

The capper, though, is the claim that it takes more energy to make a gallon of ethanol than you get by burning it. One of the most vocal proponents of this view is Cornell University ecology professor David Pimentel. In an analysis published in 2001 in the peer-reviewed Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology, Pimentel argued that when you add up all the energy costs--the fuel for farm tractors, the natural gas used to distill corn sugars into alcohol, and so on--making a gallon of ethanol takes 70 percent more energy than the finished product contains. And because that production energy comes mostly from fossil fuels, gasohol isn't just wasting money but hastening the depletion of nonrenewable resources.

These findings were denounced by ethanol producers and their allies. Michael Graboski, a professor of engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, published a rebuttal of Pimentel's paper, saying he used obsolete data, etc. Pimentel in turn rebutted the rebuttal. The debate has gotten pretty technical. I make only a few observations: (1) Pimentel seems to have tweaked his calculations--in an August bulletin from Cornell, he says making a gallon of ethanol takes 29 percent more energy than it provides, not 70 percent. (2) That conceded, the guy is no flake, among other things having chaired a U.S. Department of Energy panel that investigated ethanol economics (and reached similar conclusions) in 1980. Graboski, on the other hand, is a consultant to the National Corn Growers Association. (3) Given that ethanol production involves the conversion of massive amounts of energy from one form to another, the contention that the process is an efficient way to make fuel seems to fly in the face of basic physics--so much so that I'm inclined to regard the subsidy program, and the fact that it has survived for a quarter century, with something approaching awe. Money-wasting government schemes are hardly rare. But how many do you know of that flout the second law of thermodynamics?