Trout fishing in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area

Randy Johnson posted on July 15, 2005 23:53 :: 5695 Views

Trout fishing in Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
by Randy “RandyMan” Johnson

Trout fishing is excellent in the many stocked mine lakes in this Crosby area. Here you can angle for rainbow, brown, brook, and even lake trout amid natural surroundings with no development and little competition. If you are looking for a fun fishing experience in an unusually quiet environment, try trout fishing in the mines located in the Crosby area. They are all located in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. This is a large area covering land between the towns of Crosby, Cuyuna, Trommald, Riverton and Ironton. Each of these towns is rich in history.

Mine Lake Fishing for Trout

The mine lakes provide a unique fishing experience where shore fishing, boat fishing fly fishing can be used to catch trout and other species. Only three of the mine lakes have improved boat ramp accesses at this time, they are Pennington (Ironton), Section Six (Trommald), and Sagamore, near Riverton. Pennington opens into other mine lakes including Mahnomen Mines 1 and 2, Arco and Alstead.

Fish are stocked every year at varying rates in selected mine lakes depending on access and size of the body of water. Up to date information can be found from area bait shops, especially those around Crosby, Deerwood, and Ironton. Call the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area Headquarters at: (218) 546-5926

When to fish

Mine trout fishing season opens with the Walleye opener in mid-May of each year and closes at the end of October. No winter angling of any kind is allowed on the mine. Live minnows are also prohibited in mine lakes. Dead minnows, wax worms, worms and leeches are allowed.

Trout Fishing Techniques

In the spring and fall shore fishing is best because the surface water temperature in the 50 degree range have the trout up in shallower. Anglers can drive to a specific mine lake and then walk one of the many trails to find a comfortable spot to fish. It's wise to bring a chair and to other items such as bug spray to make your time enjoyable. Since the mine lakes drop off very quickly, I would also recommend water floatation device, the water this time of year is very cold.

Anglers fish with and without bobbers and use worms, corn, marshmallows and some of the newer bio baits. Other anglers prefer to walk from spot to spot casting baits or spinners and spoons. Small plug-type baits also work well early and late in the season such as Rapalas.

Fan casting - starting with a long cast and progressively working it in allows you to cover a lot of water with the spinner. The key to successful spinner fishing is to fish a lot of water effectively - I like to use polarized glasses (providing we have sun) it helps in seeing concentrations of fish.

Drifting with jigs and live bait rigs are deadly. Use electronics or try different depths to find fish. Cast out about twice the depth of the fish, using 1/4 oz weight to get deep quickly. For example, if you see fish around 25 feet, cast out about fifty feet and let the wind or trolling motor take you slowly over the fish. Experiment with bait types, i.e., worms, dead minnows, etc.

Trolling with bait behind spinners and even cowbells are used. Plugs and other crank baits are also cast and trolled. Stick baits can be smaller, around three inches. This size is effective on stocked trout which are typically 12-14 inches. Larger plugs will take the larger "hold-over" rainbows that can be two to five pounds. Most fish are perfect pan size.

Spinners

Spinners will produce lots of fish. I have found the best action when working the trees, stumps, and shore line structure that provide cover for trout. My retrieve is based roughly on the depth you find fish at that given time. I like to cast the spinner and reel it in slowly, just enough so that the blades vibrate and spin. If you find they are in deeper water, simply cast out and let the spinner sink before slowly reel in.

Floating Plugs

The floating Rapala is the classic example of this, the basic stick bait. A slim plug of, it is made to dive beneath the surface and wiggle when retrieved due to a plastic lip at the underside of the head, that simultaneously submerges the lure and causes it to shimmy from side to side. Casting or trolling this lure will provide plenty of trout action.

Jointed Plugs

These are normally floating plugs, as well, though there are sinking models available. Rapala Jointed and Rebel Broken-Back Minnows are effective for trolling. The lure is essentially the basic floating version, separated into front and rear halves which are connected by freely moving, interlocked metal rings. The result is a lure that tracks and trolls in the same manner as a straight plug, but with a wider, wilder wiggle as the two halves swing back and forth. A great alternative when standard plugs are not producing.

Husky Jerk

One of the more "high-tech" plugs offered by Rapala, This model neither floats nor sinks, its neutral buoyancy causing it to suspend when stopped at whatever depth its lip has pulled it to during a retrieve. Trolled, it has characteristics similar to floating Rapalas, with some key differences. The additional weight required to create a suspending lure causes it to run slightly deeper than a floater of the same size, and it has a slightly wider wobble as well. It also has a bit more flash and shine in its finish than most painted plugs, and contains metal balls in an internal chamber that give it a loud rattle. This lure stays tuned longer and can take more abuse than a balsa Rapala, and the fish are not striking a standard minnow plug, this is a must try.

Count down

Yes, you certainly can "count-down" this sinking lure, casting it out and letting it drop, at one foot per second, then retrieving it at a desired depth. It is also a deadly trolling. Its ability to run deeper, and to drop rather than rise during turns, gives it a unique action, producing fish that would not move upward to strike a floating plug.

Tuning

This is achieved by bending the metal loop to which your line attaches at the lure's nose. Needle nose or surgical pliers are helpful here. A quality minnow plug usually comes out of the box properly tuned, however, one good impact with a large fish can put it out of whack. An out-of-tune plug on a long line will track across other trolled lines, tangling them, and may even flip over repeatedly as it swims, causing tremendous line twist. I suggest checking the plug's action at the start of every troll. A correctly tuned plug should dig straight down in the water and in line with the boat. If it digs or tracks to the left, bend the nose-loop slightly to the right. If it tracks right, bend left.

Trolling speed

Once you have made sure your lure will track straight while trolling, you need to decide how fast or slow to pull it. As a rule, the longer the plug, the higher the trolling speed necessary to bring out its best wobbling action. The smallest floating Rapalas work well at slow speeds, and can be trolled at very low trolling speed. Experiment with different speeds, looking closely at the lures movement to determine the best speed for that particular bait.

Depth

One of the biggest factors in catching trout in a mine pit is the depth you find them at. Trout do not relate to structure as much as the water temp and oxygen levels. So by trolling or allowing your bait to reach the depth they are at is the biggest factor in success. When you have the correct depth - lets say 5 feet down. Make sure to keep the baits at this depth - if they seem to suddenly slow down, try deeper.

Fly Fishing

In the spring and fall fly fishing can be excellent as the fish will move to the surface in search of bugs. Surface flies in a size 12 or 14 are my favorite. These are stocked fish so they are not terribly selective.

If surface flies don't work try sinking them. Then employ various speeds of retrieve until the fish tell you what they like. Keep the rod low, pointed directly at the fly. If you feel the line stop, set the hook and enjoy.

Fly fishing on mine lakes can be a lot of fun with peace and quite as an added bonus. It is largely undiscovered here and awaits the sportsperson willing to experiment and explore. A thermometer is extremely useful. As long as the surface water does not exceed 65 degrees, trout can be found in the top ten feet of the water column.

Below are some additional sites to check out before visiting this area.

Map Info

Park info

Cool Stuff to know

Lodging