USMC89's Rifles

[usmc 89]

Jeff -
Aren't there any muskies in Montana? My buddy in Glendive catches a ton of walleyes every year in the Fort Peck area.

I will be contacting you next time I am out there as well. First thing will be some shooting lessons from you from what I have seen! :lol:

Yeah there are but there tiger mukie. They were introduced to keep trash fish in check. Good idea to have a sterile hybrid to keep numbers in check. Ft peck is thick with huge walleye 10 pounds and big pike 20 plus pounds. But you don't have the big weed lines and lilly pads to swim the suicks through. Nothing better than seeing a big natural musky come up behind a jerkbait in my opinion. I lived in wis until I was 14 then moved out here my dad lives in wis still and I go back to the eau claire area and fish with him. He is a die hard crappie fisherman but he's 81 and gets tired easy, perfect for evening musky fishing alone.

 

[257 Ackley]

Jeff -
not being a muskie "hunter", I'm not sure what the best lakes are in Minny. I know Milacs lake has had a few nice ones caught, but that is a big lake. I grew up in the Detroit Lakes area and we never caught any around there. I was always looking for walleyes, crappie and big blue gills.

Speaking of hunting...are you having trouble getting tags in your area for goats and deer? My buddy said it is really tough getting the tags they have been getting in past years around Glendive.

 

[usmc 89]

No worries on the lake but fort peck is huge also more coastline than california. Yes glendive is in region 7 for antelope usually there are 13000 surplus doe tags available for antelope" I hunt that district by jordan but did not draw a tag this year" there were only 2000 offered this year by drawing only and zero surplus tags. I did get 2 doe tags for a different area. Region 7 is also down on deer tags this year I could only get 2 for whitetails. You can still get 7 doe tags for montana but you will have to do some driving to fill them.

 

[257 Ackley]

I talked to him on Saturday and he said there was a few over the counter tags left at some regional office he was going to check out today. What is the problem...did a disease go through the herd in that part of the state?

 

[onesonek]

That's kind of funny, I was going to mention Detroit Lakes, and near by Pelican as one area. My great aunt and uncle had a resort on the north shore. I didn't try for muskie back in the days, as there were lots of Nothern Pike in the 40-50" class, just up theshore from the resort. But Muskie reports on the 2 lakes as well as other in the general area are good.

Alexandria area lakes are good as well for Muskie. Most all right near Alex are connected and have Muskie's, and Lobster, not far away is one of thop top in the area. 15 mins. south is Minnewaska, spent many of times for walleye there. But seldom do I go north for walleye's now. A couple of lakes near me, consistantly show wall mount quality 10-12 lb walleyes being caught in the early season. And reports from the DNR survey seins, having record walleyes in them. And plenty of good eating size to boot.
back to Muskie, the Nisswa area is very good as well. As is the Park Rapid, Nevis area.
Then of course there are the big lakes of Mille Lacs, Leech, and Winnibigoshish

But for an experience of a lifetime in Minnesota with fishing in general, and going more a hardcore outdoorsman route, the BWCA is something I believe is worth considering.

As you likely well know Jeff, early season full moon is best, specially for Muskie,,,,,plus you beat the bugs for the most part.
I guess if it were me, I would head for the Alex area and LobsterLake, or head to Nisswa. But then again The BWCA is something every outdoorsman should experience once in their lifetime.

 

[257 Ackley]

That's kind of funny, I was going to mention Detroit Lakes, and near by Pelican as one area. My great aunt and uncle had a resort on the north shore. I didn't try for muskie back in the days, as there were lots of Nothern Pike in the 40-50" class, just up theshore from the resort. But Muskie reports on the 2 lakes as well as other in the general area are good.

Alexandria area lakes are good as well for Muskie. Most all right near Alex are connected and have Muskie's, and Lobster, not far away is one of thop top in the area. 15 mins. south is Minnewaska, spent many of times for walleye there. But seldom do I go north for walleye's now. A couple of lakes near me, consistantly show wall mount quality 10-12 lb walleyes being caught in the early season. And reports from the DNR survey seins, having record walleyes in them. And plenty of good eating size to boot.
back to Muskie, the Nisswa area is very good as well. As is the Park Rapid, Nevis area.
Then of course there are the big lakes of Mille Lacs, Leech, and Winnibigoshish

But for an experience of a lifetime in Minnesota with fishing in general, and going more a hardcore outdoorsman route, the BWCA is something I believe is worth considering.

As you likely well know Jeff, early season full moon is best, specially for Muskie,,,,,plus you beat the bugs for the most part.
I guess if it were me, I would head for the Alex area and LobsterLake, or head to Nisswa. But then again The BWCA is something every outdoorsman should experience once in their lifetime.

Dave -
BWCA is an annual trip for me either with family or friends. I have been sawed off by a few toothy things that I never got to see up there, but the walleye and smallmouth bass fishing is incredible if you know where to go. I tend to stay on the Gunflint trail side of it.

The Brainerd lakes area is a good area for muskie from what I have been told. I personally don't want to work that hard for a fish. I have a bro-in law that lives in the Morris area, so we have fished many of the lakes in that area for walleye through the years. Also one of the better counties in the state for pheasant.
One of my brothers lives on a lake about 5 miles from Pelican and does a lot of business with owners of homes and cabins around the lake including the 20 million dollar home that has over 1500 feet of lakeshore. One and only Mercedes Maclaren that I have ever seen was in one of the garage stalls ($500,000 car). The butler made me take everything out of my pockets to sit in it :roll: .

 

[onesonek]

I don't get up there near as often as I would like, and envy you on your yearly expeditions. It is one of those places, that words just can't do justice.


And I don't doubt one bit seeing some places on various lakes.
My brother is on Geneva at Alex. The property originated in his wife's family, which started out as a 1/2 mile of lake shore. 15 years ago, that was running about 1200 bucks per foot of lakeshore with a lot depth of 75 foot avg.. The family sold one parcel of a 160 acres, and 1300 ft of lake shore to a developer. Mostly big homes on the lake front, and some more modest ones one the inside, then the rest a golf course. Well to make a long story shorter,,, that in turn raised the price of my brother and s-i-l's property. Just proir to the developer deal, lake shore on that lake had increased to 3000 buck a foot (5 yrs ago). When the deal was cut, lake shore went to $9000 per/ft. I'd hate to guess what it is at now.

Now me, I would be happier in some remote spot by a small lake, with nothing more than lodgepole leanto. Hell,,,, I'd take a simple shelther in WY. or MT as well. Don't take much for me to be happy.

 

[usmc 89]

I talked to him on Saturday and he said there was a few over the counter tags left at some regional office he was going to check out today. What is the problem...did a disease go through the herd in that part of the state?

actually its not just this part of the state, the last two years have been pretty rough on them lots of snow and low temps accompanied by long winters took its toll. its either to hot and dry conducive to blue tongue or to much snow with little food. the snow got so bad northeast of here that antelope were using the railroad tracks to get around. one train took out 250 in one shot plus more that were injured the fwp had to shoot. just been pretty rough on alot of animals out here. the coyotes are doing well though you can still come out here non resident or not and shoot them without a licsense. that is my winter pastime shooting coyotes, actually if i had to pick one thing to hunt it would be coyotes.

 

[257 Ackley]

the coyotes are doing well though

We always seem to get a couple of them every year when I come out there to do a baldy hunt north of Glendive. With some of your hunting rigs, you must have some fun with the LR shooting on the yotes . Most of what we end up shooting at is the south end of a north bound version.

My buddy works in western ND in the oil fields now and said he is really starting to see some nice speed goats there.

 

[257 Ackley]

I don't get up there near as often as I would like, and envy you on your yearly expeditions. It is one of those places, that words just can't do justice.

You are right on Dave...It was a place my ex and I went to every year and made sure the kids were taken along as soon as they were old enough to enjoy it. It is getting more difficult to find camping spots that you have the entire lake to yourself, but if you are willing to portage and do a little work, there still are some pretty remote areas up there.

A buddy of mine shot a nice bull in a fairly remote lake up there 12 years ago and it took him and his partner 3 days to get it out...one of those "if I knew what it was going to be like before I pulled the trigger" moments :lol: .

 

[usmc 89]

the coyotes are doing well though

We always seem to get a couple of them every year when I come out there to do a baldy hunt north of Glendive. With some of your hunting rigs, you must have some fun with the LR shooting on the yotes . Most of what we end up shooting at is the south end of a north bound version.

My buddy works in western ND in the oil fields now and said he is really starting to see some nice speed goats there.

actually i am a caller i like them to get as close to me and my buddy before we start shooting. however i do get like the one that peeks over the ridge with no commitment and the one that sits down and looks at you from way out there. its the whole false sense of security and the suprise on there face when the bullet gets there that makes it fun.

 

[SJB358]

Jeff, that does sound like a great time! I will get out to your AO shortly. Sounds like a good time! Scotty

 

[usmc 89]

sounds good scotty hopefully i will have that gun built by the end of november, should have the barrel back next week will send a pic to post. spiral fluting 360 degrees should be sexy.