By John Cross
Free Press Staff Writer
May 18, 2008 01:28 am
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Anyone inclined to watch one of those rod-and-bullet channels on cable television might think that any serious bass angling pretty much takes place only south of the Mason-Dixon line.
And while its true that bassin’ looms large in the land of Bubba and grits, we Yankees are pretty fond of pursuing old bucketmouth ourselves.
Indeed, in many Minnesota anglers’ minds, next Saturday marks the opening day of Minnesota’s second fishing season — that for bass.
Bass fishing enthusiasts in these parts match wits with the dark green, broad-shouldered largemouth or bronze-backed, pugnacious smallmouth with as much enthusiasm and panache as their good ol’ boy counterparts.
But let’s be honest here.
At least on television, bass fishing is to angling as NASCAR is to driving.
It’s about excesses — excessively fast boats, excessively expensive gear, excessively competitive contests, excessively big personalities, excessive commercialism. ...
Indeed, NASCAR drivers have nothing over professional bass fishermen when it comes to finding spaces on their person and vehicles, to plug this product or another.
This isn’t a criticism of the sport — just an observation.
In Minnesota, we can hold our own in the bass arena. When it comes to fishing for smallmouths, we are a destination. On lakes such as Mille Lacs, the boundary waters area, angling for smallies is of world-class quality.
And when it comes to largemouths, while genetics and environment dictate that we don’t see 10-pounders like one might in Florida or California, Minnesota’s fishing also ranks as some of the best.
And right hear, in good old south-central Minnesota, it is about as good as it can get.
Need proof?
Back in the 1980s, a largemouth bass tipping the scales at nearly 8 pounds caught from Lake Washington, just a few miles north of Mankato, became the new state record.
Alas, the circumstances around the catch involved a bit of larceny — it seems the teenager who caught it did so before the season was open — so the fish was withdrawn.
More recently, an 8-pound, 13-ounce largemouth bass caught from Lake Tetonka near Waterville held the top mark for Minnesota largemouths.
That mark was only recently edged by a 8-pound, 15-ounce bass caught from Auburn Lake in Carver County.
While bass of such prodigious size only come along rarely, area lakes — virtually all which are classified as bass/panfish waters by the DNR — offer plenty of opportunities for action on plentiful, and nice-sized fish.
Classification as a bass/panfish lake usually means that DNR has no need to stock or manage a lake for that species. Assuming anglers practice a bit of prudence in catch-and-release, such lakes manage themselves quite nicely without DNR intervention.
Indeed, at the DNR’s Waterville Hatchery, hatching and stocking programs are limited to catfish, muskies and walleye.
Within a few minutes of drivetime of Mankato, there are literally dozens of prime bass fishing waters.
Washington, Madison, Elysian, Tetonka, Frances, German, the Jefferson chain are all prime waters for landing a few bass.
And if past history is any indication, a new state record might be just a cast away.
John Cross is a Free Press staff writer. Contact him at 344-6376 or by e-mail at jcross@mankatofreepress.com.
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