The regulars. The ones that make you late for supper and early for the landing. These are species guides, not live bite reports — we are not going to invent a walleye meeting on a Tuesday. Each page has a What to throw tray and a Rod & reel note for the stick you actually bring.
Minnesota's state fish and the reason a lot of us own more rods than dining-room chairs.
What to throw: Jig and minnow, Lindy rig, shallow cranks.
Rod & reel: Light-medium spinning with a fast tip — jig sensitivity first, ego second.
Meet the fish →Green torpedoes with opinions. They will eat a lure the size of a snack and then look at you like you owe them rent.
What to throw: Spoons, spinnerbaits, big soft plastics.
Rod & reel: Medium-heavy spinning (or light baitcast) with a leader — teeth included, TED Talk not required.
Meet the fish →The fish of ten thousand casts, plus the one you replay in the truck.
What to throw: Bucktails, glides, jerkbaits — and a lot of follows.
Rod & reel: Heavy casting gear for long days of follows — celebrate the swirl, then figure-eight like you mean it.
Meet the fish →Largemouth in the salad. Smallmouth on the rocks. Both will make a weekday feel like a rumor.
What to throw: Soft plastics, spinnerbaits, topwater, jigs.
Rod & reel: Spinning for plastics, baitcast for cover — Minnesota salad and granite both count.
Meet the fish →Sunfish, crappie, perch — the fish that taught half the state how to lose a bobber and still have a good day.
What to throw: Small jigs, soft plastics, tiny cranks.
Rod & reel: Ultralight to light spinning — small reels, light line, maximum cabin-dock joy.
Meet the fish →