May 11  MN Fishing Opener 2017

May 13-15 2017

Congrats!  We have made it to everyone’s favorite time of year, Soft water season!!!  Corn Belt Outdoors will be out opening weekend in search for the elusive trophy walleye.

We will have one pair of fishermen in the Longville lakes area (fishing multiple lakes) focusing on mainly the elusive walleye.  We will update you afterward for the presentations that worked well and the ones that made us shake our heads in frustration.

We will also have another group on a Emily local lake hoping to find success on large, early season walleye or pike.  This group will also be hitting the crappie spawn about perfectly so some good fishing will almost certainly be happening. 

In Emily, we are going to be trying our hands at many different presentations.  The weather outlook is calling for sunny, clear skies and 70 degrees.  This might make it a struggle on some of the clearest lakes in the region.  We will also have our fishing kayaks ready to go into the shallows to find the crappie spawn.  This year we will be trying our luck with Gulp Crappie Nibbles and BerkleyRipple Shads in multiple colors as well as the tried and true live crappie minnows.

Hope you all have a great opener!  Be safe and patient as opening weekend brings a lot of traffic (many who have not been out in the boats yet this year).  Remember that sometimes the memories of having a good time with friends are more important than the number of fish we can boat. 

Thank you for reading and GOOD LUCK!!

CDN

March 30 

Trout fishing preview

Spring Caddis Hatch SE Minnesota

by Joyce Kolbet, SSND

News was out! There were daily insect hatches on one of our favorite trout streams in the Driftless Area of SE Minnesota. I called my nephew, Kyle, who lives and works in Rochester to see if he had time to head down to the stream with me. “Sure! Meet me at my house and we’ll drive down together.”

It was about 11 AM when Kyle and I arrived at our spot. A couple other vehicles came at about the same time. In the pool nearest the road we noticed the trout already setting up or “staging” for their feeding lanes in the stream, i.e. larger trout chasing away the smaller ones so they would be in the best positions to feed.

Hurriedly Kyle and I assembled our fly rods, put on our chest waders, boots and fly vests in order to claim our favorite spot on the stream. More anglers were arriving now, also vying for their casting positions on the stream. Guess you could say we were “staging” too! The annual caddis fly hatch was about to begin.

Off we walked to a favorite pool about ½ mile upstream where we knew there were lots of large brown trout. We were the first ones to arrive, so we set ourselves up at the foot of the pool so no one else could infringe on our spot.

As always, the challenge of trout fishing is to match the hatch, i.e. find the appropriate fly that will match what is hatching on the water, which, on this particular day was a size 18 gray caddis.

Gradually as the insects starting rising to the surface, so did the trout, and the hatch was on! Kyle and I stood in water up to our waist, casting to unsuspecting fish that were so focused on these caddis flies they barely noticed our presence in their pool.

One cast after another yielded a catch of brown trout…anywhere from 9-16 inches…trout after trout. Kyle caught the first fish and started counting. He proudly caught the second one too. Then it was my turn. After that, we alternated for the most part, catching and carefully releasing each fish, thanking each of these beautiful creatures for giving us such joy.

About an hour and a half later there was a second hatch – this time of blue-winged olive mayflies, also size 18. So, we changed flies and once again were into the trout.  

As the insects emerge from the water, they immediately look for a place to land. At one point Kyle looked at me and exclaimed, “Joyce, you’re covered with bugs!” And I was, but so was he! They were on our clothes, crawling across our polarized sunglasses and clinging to the grass and rocks along the riverbank. It was a sight to behold!

After about 70 trout, we stopped counting and just enjoyed catching and releasing fish. From every direction, upstream or downstream, heads of trout were breaking the surface to capture these minuscule insects. It was truly an amazing sight!

 

Kyle and I cast and caught fish until our arms ached. It was a day like no other I had ever experienced on the water. Some anglers say you’re lucky to get one day like that in a lifetime!

We were among the last to leave the stream that day. As we walked back to the car and packed up to leave, I recalled a scene from the movie, A River Runs Through It. The father (who was a minister) and his two sons are displaying all their trout on the grass. With pride, the father says, “God was very good to us today.” Then he took the biggest catch of the day from his creel and added, “And God was particularly good to me!!”

 
 

February 9


Central Minnesota Ice Fishing

Corn Belt Outdoors got out for a weekend of ice fishing on a Central Minnesota private lake north of Brainerd. The recent warm weather and rain made the ice conditions less than ideal.  We were sitting on approximately 2 inches of water/slush over 14-18 inches of ice.  

The goal was to try to and find the elusive crappies in the lake. It is quite the crappie fishery, especially in the summer.  We had read in other blogs that we were going to find them in the deepest part of the lake and they would be suspended up from the bottom. Sadly we failed in our quest to find them.  The bluegill did cooperate and we were able to get into some in approximately 28 feet of water. The structure of the lake was a transition from sandy to weedy bottom. The conditions were perfect to try our Marcum Recon5 underwater camera.

The Recon5 was great, my only complaint about the product was with the smaller thickness of cord it is hard to get camera to stay still.  It tended to drift and spin slowly.  We got some great small perch images on the cam and were fortunate enough to watch a 30 inch Northern Pike take our bait.

Overall a great weekend, we caught enough fish for a fish fry and we got to test out one of Marcum’s great products.  We are hopeful that our next trip out to find crappie yields some better results.

CN

November 3

Iowa pheasant opener recap-Minnesota and Iowa Rut Outlook-Fall Fishing Report

Iowa pheasant opener recap:

North Iowa received two inches of rain the week prior to the weekend pheasant opener.  This made for wet and muddy conditions and tough hunting with lots of crops remaining unharvested due to poor field conditions.  The large, unpicked corn fields create an ideal sanctuary for pheasants to feed and elude hunters.  We did have some success both on private and public land hunting the edges and transitions from grass cover to the crop fields.  Pheasant numbers were very encouraging.  Once the crops are harvested late season hunts show promise.-KK




Hunt #9 October 30

Temp 43F Wind SSE 4 mph Barometric Pressure 30.23 (falling) Moon Waning Crescent

I went back to the Oak Ridge stand in hopes to see some of the same bucks that I saw a week prior and detailed in Hunt #7.  I also wanted to see if the "spooky doe" would come back into the food plot and present me with an opportunity.  Early in the hunt, a group of turkeys fed in the woods immediately behind me.  The initial sound of rustling leaves and sticks breaking made me think that a big buck was working his way towards my stand.  At about 5:30 pm I happened to glance toward the edge of the woods where I expected deer to enter the field.  My eyes were met with a second pair of eyes starring right at me! The "spooky doe" was back and had spotted me in the stand again.  I stood motionless in the stand, hoping she would not ruin my hunt again.  She remained calm, and proceeded on the trail to my food plot.  When she stepped behind a tree, I drew my Mathews bow back and waited for her to present a shot.  At 17 yards I released an arrow tipped with a Rage broadhead which found its mark just behind the front shoulder.  The "spooky doe" was down within sight of the stand. I finished the hunt and saw two more anterless deer and a nice tall 8 point buck a half-hour before end of legal shooting on the opposite side of the overgrown pasture.  A great night on stand and I feel fortunate to harvest a nice mature doe for the freezer.-KK

Minnesota and Iowa Rut Outlook:

The Minnesota firearm season opens this Saturday.  I have purchased a gun tag and will likely hunt the first two days of the season with a gun.  I am vehemently against a gun season during the "seeking" phase of the rut (a topic for another day), but with limited time and an Iowa tag also to pursue I will be joining the orange army.  This Saturday also marks the first day of my annual "Rutcation".  I have tried to take a week of vacation time to hunt the rut since my last year in college.  This is an exciting time to be in the woods and something I look forward to every year.  I will be spending most of my time in Iowa trying to fill my Iowa archery tag.  I just recently received permission to hunt a very nice piece of private land that I had hunted for shed antlers 2 years ago.  I will be hunting this property with zero prior scouting and minimal knowledge of the land layout, so it will be an exciting challenge to put a plan together on a new piece of property.-KK

The rut can be brutal. Local wildlife technician Andy, found this dead buck on public land with his eye gouged out.  A life-ending traumatic injury suffered in a fight for dominance.



Fall Fishing Report:


Fly fishing for trout in Northern Iowa:
The water was high and slightly stained from recent rains.  Fish were not in the usual runs, but holding in slower water against the bank.  Smaller nymphs were totally ineffective so we started using zonkers and wooly buggers with a jerk retrieve that stimulated strikes.
Flies were never struck on a down stream retrieve but when stripped across or up stream.
Landed 15 rainbows in the 11-13" range.-JK

October 27

Iowa Pheasant Opener Outlook/Central Iowa Archery Update/Fall Fishing Report

Iowa Pheasant Opener Outlook

Pheasant season opens this Saturday in Iowa, and roadside survey reports indicate increased pheasant numbers in Northeast and North Central Iowa.  This is encouraging news after several consecutive years of harsh winters and wet springs drastically decreased pheasant numbers throughout the state.  Corn Belt Outdors will be hunting a mix of private and public land in this area of the state opening weekend.

Hunt #7 October 22

Temp 65F Wind NW 3 mph Barometric Pressure 29.95 (steady) Moon Wanning Gibbous
 

"Bedroom" Stand

I drove to Iowa again for another morning hunt and also to check cameras.  I had the slight SW wind which I needed to hunt a new stand that I had placed in a bedding area.  This spot has historically held mature bucks.  The small woodlot is still surrounded by a large standing cornfield which I suspect is the reason why deer movement was slow in the timber.  The card pull on my camera did reveal a a solid 10 pt buck I am naming "Herky" (I was watching the Iowa football game while I checked the pictures).  

"Herky" 

That evening I was back in Minnesota to hunt the Oak Ridge stand.  If you have been following the blog closely, you will remember that on Hunt #6 I witnessed several deer, including 3 different bucks, walk by that stand at last light.  I had just the wind I needed, and I got into the stand early with high anticipation.  An hour before the end of legal shooting time I heard some movement behind me.  I gave a soft grunt and a small 8 point buck and yearling buck poked their heads out of the timber.  It is always exciting to call deer to your stand, but they were not age-class of bucks that I am hoping to harvest.  Fifteen minutes later, a doe and fawn started walking down the trail adjacent to my stand on their way to the food plot.  It was still early in the evening, and I suspected that more deer would be coming out to the soybean field so they were given a free pass.  The doe and fawn fed briefly in the food plot, and then suddenly the doe looked up in the tree right at me and proceeded to snort and stomp the rest of the night.  The wind was perfect, and this stand provides me with lots of camouflage so I feel I was just extremely unlucky getting busted by the wary doe.  With 15 minutes left of shooting light, a high and tight racked 8 pointer stood on the edge of the timber to monitor a different small 6 point buck chasing does in the soybean field.  From a distance, this 8 pointer looked like a mature buck which gives me a target for the upcoming rut.  The deer moved back to the timber as light faded, but a great night filled with lots of action.

Hunt #8 October 23

Temp 51F Wind NW 15 mph Barometric Pressure 30.05 (rising) Moon Last Quarter

The Oak Flat stand was my location for my first Minnesota morning hunt of the season.  Action was slow until 9:00 am when I noticed a yearly buck eating browse on the edge of the tree line 75 yards to my north.  Thirty minutes later, just as I was contemplatinging ending the hunt a small 2.5 year old 8 point chased a doe right past my stand.  The rut activity is really starting to increase.  I went back to the Oak ridge stand again for the evening hunt in hopes of action similar to the night before but deer movement was limited to one lone doe at last night feeding in the soybean field.-KK


Central Iowa Archery Update
 

The excitement that builds over the summer months and leading into fall is one of my favorite parts of the “whitetail season.”  All of the anticipation and dreaming of how the season could unfold seems to scratch the itch of deer hunting prior to archery season opener.  Whether it’s planting food plots and envisioning a mature buck frequenting your new food source, or slogging through a gigabyte of trail camera photos and coming across a new bruiser, it all feeds the animal inside of us that is waiting to be unleashed on October 1^st.

            This year has been full of change for me.  My family has grown, I took a new job and we moved across the state in July.  Though all of this change was positive and has been a blessing, I couldn’t help but to hear this voice in my head alerting me of the struggles ahead in my hunting pursuits.  As all of you know, gaining access to deer hunting properties is becoming more and more difficult.  When I search for new places to hunt, more often than not, I encounter land owners who think the deer are their pets, land owners who hunt themselves or land owners who already have given permission to other hunters.  It is a time-consuming grind to find a reasonable property and gain access.  In leaving eastern Iowa to move to central Iowa, I knew I would be challenged to find hunting land.  I knew that I could still return to my eastern Iowa parcels to hunt on weekends and early November, but I would not have the opportunity to scout and prepare the way I typically do, which I feel is in large part the reason for the success I have had.  Nevertheless, the balancing act of becoming a father and settling into a new job began, and time was scarce for seeking permission to hunt on land in the area.

            By mid-September and after hours of driving gravel roads and knocking on doors, I had found one small, ten acre property to share with the owner.  I resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be a transitional season and I shouldn’t get my hopes up for harvesting a mature buck.  At the same time I kept reminding myself of the old adage “It only takes one deer and five minutes for everything to come together.”  I had decided to take my week of vacation in early November to head back to eastern Iowa and see what happened.  I was sharing my woes with a co-worker who divulged that he lived on a wooded lot and he would be willing to let me check it out and hunt there if I thought it would be worthwhile.  The area seemed appealing and I was running out of options, so I put a stand up and set a trail camera out to see what was in the area.  When I checked the camera two weeks later I couldn’t believe it, but there was a mature buck!  My hope for the season was instantly renewed.  It’s amazing what a single picture of a single deer will do to inspire a whitetail hunter.  I was lifted, energized and ready to start the game of figuring out this deer’s patterns and try to intercept him.

            Although all I have is a picture, and the real work and test of my skill and luck is ahead, this one deer has changed my attitude about this season.  I have had seasons in the past where I became discouraged, but persistence paid off in big ways.  I need to keep reminding myself that rarely do we as whitetail hunters have the perfect season.  There are always going to be difficulties and challenges that arise throughout pre-season preparation or in-season execution, but there is always a chance for the tides to change and to find yourself at full-draw with a beast standing broadside at ten yards.  Ok, enough writing, I need to get back into the woods…-JM

Fall Fishing Report

Longville Area Lakes 10/21-22/2016

Friday:  High 50 degrees Stiff/ bone chilling wind from the south all day.

A late start due to a late night sitting by the fire with the neighbors led to a very cold experience.  The fish seemed to be hunkered down in what would seem to be great weather to have some luck.  However not much luck was had on the lake for anybody venturing out in the brisk wind.  Thankfully, a warm cabin and a warm meal at the Anchorage Inn in Longville made up for the less than premiere fishing.

Saturday:  High 60 degrees Wind Light if any

Following up on advice garnered on the previous Corn Belt Outdoors blog we went straight for the spot specified.  However we were a bit late to the party as 8-10 boats sat in a steady line over approximately 150 yards of real estate on the lake.  It was a demoralizing learning experience to say the least as two boats not 40 yards away were catching fish after fish while my colleague and I sat along with 5 other boats without a bite.  Crappie were steady in the 12-16 inch range for the other boats and plenty were thrown back.  Each boat limited out efficiently and switched to keeping only Sunfish as they were also prevalent.  People were fishing sunken weed beds in approximately 6 feet of water and had the slip bobber set 3 feet deep using fatheads and crawlers.

Nonetheless, the old adage was true.  A bad day fishing is still better than a good day working, so great camaraderie and fun was had between the groups of boats.  The only fish I caught were three small Bass when I was getting frustrated and went to the shallows in front of the cabin just so I could catch and release something.  With the Dock pulled out of the water and the Cabin closed down for the winter, we bid adieu to the open water season on our little lake.  Hoping the hard water season turns around an up and down (more down) year.-CN

October 20 

Mid-season Archery Update

My Minnesota archery season started out very promising.  Late September produced lots of action and glimpses of several bucks that I would be proud to put my tag on.  As summer faded and we ushered in fall, the number of mature buck sightings have definitely dropped off in my hunting areas.  October often brings a decrease in mature buck movement.  This is especially evident in the middle portion of the month.  Hunters refer to this period as the "October Lull".  Many experts analyze the cause behind this lull, but I tend to think that changing food sources, crop harvest (especially in the Midwest), and hunting pressure play a big part in this decreased movement.  I think the warm, humid temperatures in October have also played a significant part this fall.  Deer simply do not want to move when they have their winter coats on during 70 degree weather.  Although deer movement has been discouraging lately, I am committed to the plan of hunting conservatively, but aggressively when the conditions and deer movement are favorable.-KK

 


 This picture was sent by a friend of Corn Belt Outdoors.  He was hanging a new stand, and found this skull from a buck he saw during the 2015 season.  An unfortunate end to a great buck.  He would have been a dandy to hunt this year!






 Hunt #6 October 15

Temp 64F Wind SSW 13 mph Barometric Pressure 29.74 (steady) Moon Full

I traveled to Iowa for my first morning hunt of the year.  I sat in a new stand that I had placed in August on the intersection of 2 well used trails in a natural funnel for deer.  The weather was warm, but the corn field surrounding this small funnel of woods was still standing so I new I could get in and out of the stand undetected.  My main goal for the day was scouting, I wanted to check the trail cameras in these areas to see what deer I would be hunting.  My sit was uneventful with no deer movement, and my camera unfortunately also revealed very little action or mature bucks to get excited about.  I came back to Minnesota and sat in the oak flat stand for an evening hunt.  This stand also doubles as a great observation stand as I can see two large crop fields, one also being the large bean field (now picked) adjacent to my oak ridge stand. At last light 6 deer (3 bucks) walked right by my other stand.  At first I was discouraged that I had made a poor decision, but I quickly realized that the wind would have been bad for that stand.  I am confident I know where the bucks are bedding, and with the right conditions I think it will produce some opportunities.-KK




Fall Fishing Updates

It's no secret that fall is a great time to be on the water fishing.  Cooling water temperatures can trigger a hot bite for many gamefish species, sometimes producing the best fishing of the season.  Friends of Corn Belt Outdoors had some great fall crappie fishing in Longville, Minnesota area this past weekend.  These slab crappies were caught near the weedline in 4.5 ft of water using a simple presentation of a bobber, sinker, and floating jig head.  Green and yellow jig heads produced the best results tipped with minnows and worms.  Minnows seemed to catch the biggest crappies and were also productive for sunfish.  Worms seemed to produce more sunfish, but also caught several of the large crappies.  A key technique was in the hook set.  The fish were biting very lightly so quickly reeling in line versus a hard hook set put more fish in the boat. -KK

September 29:

MN Deer Archery season Week 2 update-
IA Deer Archery season Outlook-
Fall Fishing highlights-


Minnesota Archery season week 2 update:


Hunt #2 Sept. 22
 
Temp 70F Wind NE 5mph Barometric Pressure 30.05in (steady) Moon Waning Gibbous
 
I was back in the oak flat stand over looking my brassica food plot. Early in the evening a doe and two fawns fed in the the standing bean field to my west. After feeding on beans, the deer made their way to my stand. They were very wary in their movements, and I think they may have noticed me in the tree. They cautiously worked their way past me (in bow range) back to the timber. At last light, over my right shoulder, I saw one of the bucks that had been showing up on my cameras. I think this was the bigger-bodied 10 pointer but legal shooting light was fading fast. The buck started to walk in the direction of the big bean field so I gave a soft grunt to see if he would alter his path closer to my stand. It turns out that there was a smaller buck with the 10 pointer that I could not see. The small buck also heard the grunt and quickly pin-pointed my location making the 10 pt very cautious. Both bucks changed direction and turned back into the timber. So close, yet so far away!


Hunt #3 Sept. 25

Temp 61F Wind W 15mph Barometric Pressure 29.9in (steady) Moon Waning Crescent

Sunday night I again sat in the oak flat stand over my food plot. I got into the stand early as I wanted to move my stand higher in the tree to help with concealment since I felt I had been spotted in the stand during my previous hunt. The wind was a constant 15 mph with strong gusts as small rain pockets moved through the area. Deer movement was slow and I only saw a doe and fawn on a trail to the standing bean field the last half-hour of light.


Hunt #4 Sept. 28
 
Temp 60F Wind NNW 10mph Barometric Pressure 30.23in (rising) Moon Waning Crescent
 
With a projected north wind I sat in a new stand on the inside corner of an oak ridge that pinches down to another bean field. Mid-summer I also planted Big-N-Beasty into a small section of the overgrown pasture near this stand. This was the first time I had checked this food plot, and it has also exceeded my expectation. A doe and fawn were already in the food plot as I made my way to the stand. I thought their quick exit might make for a slow evening, but I would soon be pleasantly surprised. Around 6:40 a 3.5 year old 8 pointer quickly walked right under my stand heading to the bean field. This happened so fast, I didn't have time to get a real good look at him let alone get drawn for a shot.  Twenty minutes later, I saw a deer feeding in the bean field to my east. I quickly raised my binoculars and realized that this was a buck, and the big 10 pointer from the other night! The deer was slowly feeding my way. With bow in hand, I was ready.  At the same time, a small dark cloud moved overhead and it began to sprinkle very lightly. The wind that had been consistently from the north all night became prominent from the west with the arrival of this cloud. This wind shift caused my scent to blow right in the direction of the buck. He quickly became alerted, turned around, and fed back to the east instead of in my direction. Disappointing outcome, but very exciting evening in the stand.


-KK

Iowa Archery Season Outlook:


October 1st marks opening day of the Iowa Archery Deer season. I was fortunate enough to draw a tag this year, and I am eagerly awaiting the chance to head to my favorite hunting areas in Northeast Iowa to chase big whitetails. My first camera pulls from over the summer were not very exciting, but I did find a cool mature 8 pt buck that has a large brown tine and some trash on his right side. I think "Dagger" is a fitting name for him.  He is my #1 target buck so far. I will keep you updated on my hunts in Iowa, but I am really focused on trying to tag a Minnesota buck before the gun season opens in early November.


-KK


Fall Fishing highlights:

Friends of Corn Belt Outdoors had some great fall walleye fishing in Southern Minnesota. Here is the report!

9/26/16
Limit of walleyes caught in a S Central MN lake. A shallow (7 ft max) dishpan slough during a strong NW wind. Fishing the shore line in 1-3 feet of water with 2-3" rattling lures. Small wally divers in green were also effective. Jigs and twister tails were tried with little results, although a couple fish were caught with paddle tails on a black jig head. Color preference seemed to be blue and silver with orange belly. A fast retrieve was far more effective than slow.

The walleyes were from two year classes, either in the 7-9" range or in the 16-20" range.

All the fish were caught by casting into the shore right against the bank. The wind had stirred up the water to only about one foot visibility and the larger walleyes were taking advantage of the forage fish (mostly small sheepshead by what the stomach content showed). The fish were piled up in certain areas where the water was stirred up the most. They fed from dawn until about 10 AM, then shut down.



Tonight (9/28): Evening walleye fishing in kayaks on same lake…

Using 3 ½ inch soft ribbed baits, perch color, limits of walleye were caught next to shore in ½ hour or less.







-JK

September 8-Lac des Mille Lacs Recap

 Labor Day weekend found Corn Belt Outdoors on a fishing trip to Canada.  We fished Lac des Mille Lacs near Upsala, Ontario.  Pine Point Resort welcomed us as guests, and the hospitality of Bill, Kris, and staff was first class.  We struggled to find a consistent pattern fishing for walleyes but a sliver scale Smile Blade Slow Death Rig tipped with a half crawler in 14-18 feet of water put several eater walleyes in the boat.  Smallmouth bass and northern pike action was fast and furious with  #5 Mepps Agila spinners being cast into the rocky shoreline.  A gold/red-white blade seemed to be the hot color.  Lots of laughs and great company was the recipe for some life long memories!

Jason with an 18" Smallmouth

Charlie with his first pike.