Explore Minnesota Fishing Report 1.14.10

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January 14, 2010 Explore Minnesota Fishing Report
   
Last week's cold temperatures resulted in a decrease in slush, and improved travel options and ice conditions in many areas of the state. Warmer temperatures are in the forecast for this weekend, which will increase the number of anglers venturing out and possibly increase the bite!

Please note that the Department of Natural Resources reports that 4 inches of new, clear ice is the minimum thickness recommended for travel by foot. Ice safety guidelines also recommend a minimum of 5 inches of new, clear ice for snowmobiles and ATV's, and 8-12 inches of new, clear ice for cars and small trucks. Please call ahead for the most current ice conditions - ice is never considered totally safe.

Anglers may obtain fishing licenses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by dialing 1-888-665-4236, or accessing DNR License Sales.

Northeast Minnesota

Kabetogama

Anglers reported limited success this past week. Some of the usual winter fishing hot spots just haven't produced as they have in past years. Luckily good travel conditions allow access to most areas on the lakes. Last weekend, some anglers chose to visit some of the favored summer locations, such as Martin Islands, Chase Island, and the mouth of Blind Ash Bay. Milder temperatures will attract anglers and hopefully the fish will respond. Walleye anglers should check depths of 32-35 feet. Northern pike anglers should fish just outside of the shallow bays. The crappies are moving around and have been difficult to locate. The lake trails are all staked, with grooming to begin this week. The land trails have been groomed, and are in great condition. For more information on lakes Kabetogama and Namakan, and the surrounding area, dial 1-800-524-9085, or check out www.kabetogama.com

Ely

The upcoming trout opener on January 15 has been a hot topic, and anglers are eager to try their hand at trout fishing. The ice conditions are exceptional when compared with the last couple of seasons. Fishing shacks are claiming their spots on Burntside Lake, and a local resort recently reported that all rental shacks were booked. Tactics that worked last year should still be effective this season, and include chubby darters and jigs with white tubes. For anglers wanting a more relaxing technique, suspend a ciscoe under a tip-up. Work all levels of the water column, and pay special attention to the upper tier since these fish often hit right under the ice. As always, please remember that lake ice is never considered totally safe - please check on the most current ice conditions before venturing out. To learn more, dial 1-800-777-7281, or visit www.ely.org

Cook & Tower/Lake Vermilion

Warmer temperatures have brought out the anglers. There have been many reports of anglers seeing lots of cruising walleyes on underwater cameras, confirming that the fish are still there. Unfortunately, they seem reluctant to bite. The recent warm-up could trigger some excellent action. There have also been reports of schools of sunfish moving through spearing holes, which is encouraging news for panfish anglers. Ice thickness ranges from a foot to sixteen inches in some areas. Getting around on the ice has been easy due to very little snow covering the ice. To find out more, dial 1-800-648-5897, or check out www.lakevermilionresorts.com
Northwest Minnesota

Baudette/Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River

The bite remains steady on Lake of the Woods. The mud flats north of Pine Island have been the hot spot, with walleyes and saugers being pulled from 30-34 feet of water on anything that glows. The afternoon bite has been a bit better then during morning hours, but there are plenty of fish being caught throughout the day. Warmer temperatures are in the forecast, with daytime highs in the 20's. There is currently 22-24 inches of good ice on the lake, and the ice road is in great condition. The snowmobile trails have been marked and groomed. To learn more, dial 1-800-382-FISH, or visit www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com

Bemidji

Last week's cold temperatures have improved the ice conditions and lessened the amount the slush. Most area lakes are now covered in 14-18 inches of good ice. The larger lakes, such as Winnibigoshish, Bemidji and Pike's Bay generally have the best ice conditions and less slush than the smaller panfish lakes. Jumbo perch have been tough to find in most areas. The strongest age class of jumbos in lakes such as Bemidji, Pike's Bay and Winnibigoshish are only about 9-inches long, which are marginal keepers for many anglers. Walleye fishing has been best during morning and evening hours, with more of a night bite on the shallow and/or clear lakes. Most walleye anglers have been fishing in 23-28 feet of water on most lakes. Jigging spoons, such as the mach minnow or buckshot rattle spoon are good choices, especially when tipped with a minnow head. Try smaller sizes for both perch and walleyes when the bite is slow. Crappie fishing typically slows down in January as the fish start to scatter because of fishing pressure and noise on the ice. Some of the anglers that were able to locate these fish early in the winter have had to change locations during the middle of the season. Sunfish may share locations with crappies in many lakes, so anglers should try both minnows for crappies and wax worms or Eurolarve for sunfish. For area lodging, attractions, and other travel information, dial 1-800-458-2223, or check out www.visitbemidji.com
Central Minnesota

Miltona

Recent cold temperatures caused fishing to slow down. With the upcoming warmer temperatures, expect fishing to pick up in the near future. Currently, the best action has been reported by crappie and sunnie anglers using minnows and wax worms. The most productive colors have been chartreuse and purples. Some perch are being pulled from depths of 5-6 feet, with the crappies and sunnies taken from 7-15 feet of water. The walleye bite has been best during low light periods, especially in depths of 15 feet. For the most fish, use jigging spoons with fathead minnows. To find out more, dial 1-877-833-2350, or visit www.VisitLakeMiltona.com

Brainerd Lakes Area

Walleye anglers are having success working the shallows during the day, and in deeper waters at night. For the most fish, try golden shiners or rainbow minnows under a bobber. A northland rattle spoon tipped with a piece of minnow is also working well. Pelican, Crosslake and Whitefish lakes have all produced fish this past week. Crappies have had a light bite, with the majority of fish taken at dusk. The best approach has been a small glow jig tipped with a waxworm or minnow worked in 12-16 feet of water on Mission, Clamshell and Little Pine lakes. Northern pike anglers are taking fish on tip-ups and pike minnows worked around the points and at the weedlines. To learn more, dial 1-800-450-2838, or visit www.explorebrainerdlakes.com

Isle/Onamia/Lake Mille Lacs

Local anglers expect the upcoming warm temperatures to heat up the perch action. While you may need to sort through lots of smaller fish (the future Jumbos!), it should be worth the effort. If you find yourself pestered by too many little ones, stay mobile and move to another area. The deeper basin areas of the lake seem to hold fewer baitfish and more predators. Road conditions are great! The ice is fine, but the warm-up may change lake travel conditions - as always, please call ahead for the most current conditions. The rentals are ready and warm - come check them out! For more information, dial 1-888-350-2692, or check out www.millelacs.com
Twin Cities Greater Metropolitan vicinity

Waconia

For information on where the fish are biting on Lake Waconia, dial 952/442-5812, or check out www.destinationwaconia.org
Southern Minnesota

Lanesboro

Daytime air temperature will be in the upper 20's to low 30's the entire week, and now is an excellent time to get out and hit the local trout streams. The southeast Minnesota stream conditions update per the Lanesboro Fisheries Office as of January 12 indicates clear and low conditions for the East Beaver Creek at Beaver Creek Valley State Park, at Camp Creek, Duschee Creek, and the South Branch of the Root River at Lanesboro. To learn more, dial 1-800-944-2670, or visit www.lanesboro.com

 "The information in this report is provided courtesy of community organizations throughout Minnesota. This report is brought to you by Explore Minnesota Tourism."