I dont get many opportunities to go fishing in the spring, however, I got a call from Ben with H&H Guides to see if I wanted to hop on his boat while he did a little prefishing yesterday.

Miltona has some great walleye fishing opportunities and it is very enjoyable to spend a few hours with a pro! I always learn a few things!  I was certainly happy that I spent the time with Ben, not only is he a nice guy, but he also put me on my fish walleye of the season - a 26" brute, caught on a lindy rig and shiner in about 16' of water.

Memorial Day weekend was beautiful on Lake Miltona!  The weather was perfect and the fish were very cooperative!  The Schoeler group caught tons of big Sunfish and Crappie with the kids and grandkids, while the Biermas did the same. The Crappie were still up shallow and offered nonstop action.  The Bierma guys managed to find some nice eater walleye in the evening, as well.

The real story, however, came from the Cullen guys who spent a few days with Drake from H&H Guides. They found lots of walleye, ranging from the 16-17" eating size, all the way up to a few 27" walleye.  Last year, while they were fishing with Ben from H&H Guides, they got a 29" walleye that they had mounted. This year, they added a 19.5 " smallmouth Bass that will go on the wall, as well.  The Cullen guys are now planning a fall trip to hit Miltona with Brad Hoppe of Muskie Mayhem, in search for one of those 50" Miltona Monsters.

Check out our Picture Gallery where a few pictures of the walleye from the weekend are posted.

The second weekend of the fishing season was a tough one!  A strong cold front moved through the area on Friday, bringing in a big drop in temperatures and extremely windy conditions, making fishing all but impossible through Saturday afternoon.  Temperatures Saturday morning dropped to the low 30's with a wind chill into the teens, and winds gusting to over 40 miles per hour.

However, all of our fishing groups did get out on Saturday evening. The reports were varied, with the Krieman group finding a 1/2 dozen 14-16 inch walleye on the deeper drop-off.  A few nice crappie, including a 14.5 inch fish were caught, as well. 

The forecast is for an "up and down" week, with some nicer weather finally settling in by Memorial Day weekend.  We are looking forward to some warmer temperatures! 

More Springtime Crappie! Sunday was another successful day on the lake!

The Walleye Opener on Lake Miltona was a huge success - and not for the reason you might think! The Crappie fishing was amazing! The Peterson Guys took the new Pontoon Boat out for the afternoon and came back with a 40+ Crappie 12-14 inches.  Jeff said it was the best fishing they had ever experienced!

The Poor Group and the Beardsley guys got plenty of action as well, with everyone catching thier limit of the huge slab Crappie.

Spring time crappie fishing on Miltona can be outstanding and we are in it right now!  Focus on the northern bays with pencil reeds and cat tails, use Twister Tails, Flu Flu's and Mop Tops, all tipped with a minnow.

Of course we had rain yesterday - it is a tradition to have foul weather for the opener, however, the sun is out this morning and it looks like a nice day... now I just need to convince Michelle that it will be a nice Mothers Day event, if we try a little Crappie fishing ourselves, this afternoon!

Here is a pitcure of Dan and John with a board of 14" Crappie:

The ice left Lake Miltona yesterday evening. We returned from Alexandria just in time to see a beautiful sunset over Lake Miltona and for the first time in about 4 1/2 months we saw the open water all the way across the lake.  There is still some ice piled on shore, but the forecast calls for lots of sun and wind today and rain over the weekend. There will be no sign of old man winter by Monday.

We enjoy the change of seasons on Miltona so much!  We look forward to the ice forming on the lake in the fall just as much as we do watching it leave in the spring. 

So after a pretty cold and average amount of snow this last winter, the ice left Lake Miltona on April 22, in the early evening - which is pretty normal. Last year we scrambled to get the docks and lifts in before the walleye opener and the ice was as cold as I had experienced, even with the heavy duck hunting waders. We will plan on the docks and lifts going in by the 1st or second of May. Crappie fishing anybody?  It should be fantastic along the north shore in the bays!

It should be a good opener for walleye, as well. We were a little worried because the opener comes early this year, but the lake should be ready to give up a few by the 9th.

Oh, the creeks are running full of suckers and northern, right now.  I stopped to take a look yesterday.  Walleye will be next to start running in the next few days or so.

Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa and Boston, Mass, we never understood "Mud Season". However, we have come to accept it living on the shores of Lake Miltona.

Mud season occurs in places where the frost runs deep in winter, is covered by snow, and then thaws in spring. The snow melts but the frozen ground prevents water from soaking into the soil and so the top layers of soil become saturated with water and turn to mud. I have actually had my shoe come off in the mud, it sank so deep!  Forget about driving on it - what a mess!

Well, I am happy to report, the mud is now gone - until next year. now, the grass is starting to show signs of life and the ice is starting to pull away from shore. Before we know it, we will be putting in the docks, taking boats out of storage, getting the swings out for the kids and completing those fun tasks to get ready for the summer to arrive!

I will stop by the creek today to see if the fish are running. It just one more sign that winter has lost again!

The renovations have started in Vacation Home #4.

Vacation Home #4 is Woodland Resort's largest unit, with a great view of Lake Miltona! We like to think there is no better sunset view in the Alexandria Lakes Area, and even in the State of Minnesota, than from the deck of a cabin at Woodland!

New Porcelin Tile was installed last week in the bathrooms, kitchen and dining area.  It looks great!  The new dining set arrives on Wednesday, countertops and vanities will be another 10 days or so, before they are installed. Then, carpet and lighting will go in toward the end of the month.  We are excited to get this unit updated, as so many of our "regulars" call this one "thier" lake home.

We also have plans to do some updating in Vacation Home #6 later this month - we will keep you all informed!

Hopefully the snow will disappear this week!  Its hard to believe that its spring!

Thanks for taking the time to stay up to date on the happenings at Woodland!