Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota

Location:
The site of this lake is within close proximity, 20 minute drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota. This lake is one of the favorite destinations for all for fishing, boating, sailing and all water sport activities. It had many marinas for dry and wet boat storage. There are a number of boat launches scattered throughout the large lake. The lake itself consists of many bays and coves, with a carefully planned out inlets and canals that give easy access to the next bay. The lake size is 14,528 acres, with 125 miles of shoreline. This lake is feed by the Minnehaha creek, It?s maximum depth is 119 feet deep.

Conditions:
Due to the hot summer, some of the bays experienced high water temperatures, some reaching highs of 90 degrees F. These conditions put stress on its natural inhabitants such as walleye, who for this September 3 2012 day of fishing, were in water depths of 60 + feet deep, ever searching for cooler water. The Muskie and Northern pikes also enjoy the cooler waters however hunger prevails and will be found lurking close to the reeds and bulrushes close to shoreline coves. These fish were being sought after by a select few.  We had better luck with sunfish and bass sizing in at 1 to 3 lbs this day. The fishing gear consisted of Quatum rods, bottom bouncer jigs, interestingly, the sunfish and perch are so plentiful close to shoreline that live bait is soon nibbled away.  The ?slow death? lure with artificial bait is probably the best type of lure for this lake, sure to catch the big one.

Fish species and habitat:
The lake contains  black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskie, northern pike, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch. Some fish consumption guideline restrictions have been placed on the lake's bluegill, carp, largemouth bass, northern pike, and walleye due to mercury contamination. This lake is stocked every other year with 1200 Muskie fingerlings and Walleye. This autumn will see approximately 96,000 walleye fingerlings. The largemouth bass seem to be a favorite fishing choice with approximately 12 bass fishing tournaments throughout the year. Average size of 2.75lbs and largest was 6.06 lbs. There is said to be in winter, ice shack cities, where if tired of fish fries, one can order a pizza and other amenities, delivered to the ice shack! My my!

According to a popular legend, a sturgeon in excess of 10 feet (3 m) in length has been sighted on more than one occasion in the lake. These sightings have persisted over the last 30 years. The sturgeon is often referred to as "Lou?. Have you seen him?

History:  Frank Loyd Wright vacationed at lake Minnetonka but in October 1926, Wright and Olga Lazovich Hinzenburg were accused of violating the Mann Act and he was arrested in Minnetonka, Minnesota. He later married her. And the US President William Howard Taft made Lake Minnetonka his summer home in 1911. Enjoying the abundance of beauty and fish, catching and releasing I?m sure.

Enjoy the history, beautiful shoreline cabin/home views from the lake and have a safe and a plentiful fishing experience! Good luck seeking out the 10 ft Sturgeon called ?Lou? too!

By Genevieve van Oers