Where have all the fish gone? This question has been asked by many fisherman. For example:
Many years ago, three very good fisherman namely S.L. Johnson, Bob Moreau and Bob Hanson, all from Albert Lea, left from Albert Lea at 1 a.m. planning on having breakfast along the way and being walleye fishing on Mille Lacs by 7 a.m. They would have their limit of 18 walleyes by noon. Depart and back to Albert Lea for the evening meal at 6 p.m.
Departure time was okay and the fishing at 7 a.m. was okay. At 8 a.m. they knew their schedule was in trouble as they had caught only one walleye each. The decision was just to let the boat drift using the motor for steering only as they had tried all their fishing hot spots.
They left their lines in the water as the boat slowly drifted. They were slowly drifting when suddenly the boat stopped with the motor lifting up. They looked down in the water and saw the problem: the boat had drifted into rocks about a foot under water. Now what do we do to get away from the rocks? About then, Bob Moreau says, “I just caught a nice walleye.”
Bob Hanson replies, “I just got a nice walleye too.”
S.L. lifts the motor out of the water and throws the anchor into the water as he says, “This is it, we’re fishing right here.”
They caught their limit, lifted up the motor to discover a sheered pin thus using the trolling motor to get back to shore. At 6 p.m. they got back to Albert Lea right on time with their limit of 18 walleyes, plus one sheered pin on a motor to eat the evening meal at 6 p.m.
Another example of where have all the fish gone:
Two winters ago we were doing quite well catching panfish in Fountain Lake, out in front of the skateboard park in Albert Lea, through the ice. Last winter, catching a panfish was almost a miracle through the ice in front of the skateboard park.
People were ice fishing all over Fountain Lake, except where the dredging had been done the previous summer and on through late fall, as the lake bottom was very well stirred up in the dredged area. The ice was not safe to venture onto.
Fishermen were saying that because of the dredging, all the fish had left Fountain by either swimming upstream or else swimming over the dam on Bridge Street to escape into Albert Lea Lake.
The dredge area was the last area to freeze over and be safe to venture onto the ice. By this time the fact was accepted by all, “The fish had left Fountain Lake.”
Along comes Lucas Johnson and family that wouldn’t believe the fish had all left Fountain Lake. Lucas decides the fish are feasting on all the stirred up food from dredging. Yes, Lucas was right. And now you know why all the fishermen have their fish houses by highway 13.
The two examples prove that old fishing adage of “Fish are where you find them.”