Explore Minnesota Weekly Fishing Update, Jan. 9, 2015
Jordan’s big pike pulled from Fish Lake – image courtesy of Houston's Guide Service.
Forty-one inch northern pike taken in early 2015 by a family fishing from a permanent fishing shelter in Zippel Bay on Lake of the Woods.
The cold temperatures and lack of snow cover have caused ice to develop rapidly on lakes throughout the state. Fishing slowed a bit during the cold spell but the bite should heat up this weekend as temperatures turn warmer. Please remember that ice thickness can vary greatly from lake to lake, and from one area of a lake to another. Refresh your knowledge of ice safety by consulting the Minnesota DNR's Ice Safety Guidelines website. Before heading out, please contact a local bait shop or lakeside resort for the most current ice conditions.
Northeast Minnesota
International Falls - Rainy Lake & the Rainy River
The recent cold temperatures have not put a damper on the Rainy Lake walleye bite. Anglers are doing well when getting our early in the day and jigging with minnows in 20-30 feet of water. Sand Bay is the most popular spot, however, access has opened a bit further from Black Bay on to the east. The Rainy Lake City area of Black Bay is generally good for some large northern pike, and the area around Dryweed Island tends to hold walleye. 800-325-5766;
www.rainylake.orgKabetogama
Winter has arrived with 12 inches of new snow and sub-zero temperatures. Ice fishing has been great, and the snowmobile trails are in good shape. The ice road from Kabetogama to Ash River should be plowed this next week, giving good access to most popular fishing spots. Anglers have found a fairly steady walleye and sauger bite, along with a great jumbo perch bite. For the most walleye, use a jig and minnow in depths of 30-35 feet. Northern pike are being taken from shallow waters by line and spear anglers, especially in bays offering weed growth that holds bait fish. All sports enthusiasts should use caution near and around pressure ridges when traveling on the lake. Snowmobile lake trails are staked some, if not most, of the land trails have been groomed. 800-524-9085;
www.kabetogama.comEly
The walleye bite remains erratic, but crappie action has begun to pick up. Crappies have been suspended a few feet off the bottom with fish responding well to live bait and small jigs, as well as soft artificials on jigs and tiny spoons. Northern pike action remains steady with fish weighing up to fifteen pounds being reported. Live suckers have been best, but some anglers using rattle baits and spoons tipped with a minnow are also doing well. It's time to get the lake trout gear ready. With the excellent ice conditions, this should be a spectacular year since anglers will be able to travel just about everywhere. The trout season opened in the Boundary Waters on January 1st, and the season will open outside of the Boundary Waters on January 17th. 800-777-7281;
www.ely.orgDuluth
The cold temperatures have caused ice to build rapidly, and anglers are starting to use vehicles to travel on area lakes. Ice measurements range from 8-14 inches or more on inland lakes. It is hard to know whether Lake Superior will freeze up again this year. Cold temperatures have affected fishing and the fish need to be worked. When it’s unseasonably cold, use a dead stick for the walleye. On the St. Louis River, watch your bobber closely since it’s not uncommon to catch a sturgeon when bobber fishing! The eelpout bite has been great on the St Louis River. These fish are making their annual spawning run up the river and can be caught almost anywhere in the river after dark. Anything that you would normally use for jigging large walleye should work. A big rattling flyer or buckshot tipped with a few minnow heads should do the trick. The river has firmed up and ice conditions are now considered good. Please note, however, that extreme caution must be used, and vehicles should not be used anywhere on the St. Louis River. 800-438-5884;
www.visitduluth.comGrand Rapids
Cooler temperatures and additional snow are opening up opportunities for winter sports, with trails starting to form nicely! Ice fishing remains good on area lakes, and northern pike and crappies have been especially active. There have been reports of nice pike coming from Spider and Pokegama lakes. Big Winnibigoshish has been good for pike and yellow perch. Crappie fishing has been good on Big Balsam, many of the smaller lakes north of Grand Rapids, and on Big and Little Cutfoot Sioux lakes. Remain mobile and drill several holes when looking for active fish. Use caution when venturing out, and remember that the wind chill that make it dangerous; dress in layers and always wear thermal gloves when out enjoying winter activities. 800-335-9740;
www.visitgrandrapids.comNorthwest Minnesota
Baudette - Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River
The bite on Lake of the Woods is picking up and more anglers are taking home limits of walleye and sauger, with some jumbo perch and trophy walleye mixed in! Some resorts have placed fish houses 8-20 miles north past Pine Island, with nice numbers coming from depths of 21-34 feet. Heading west towards Zippel Bay, anglers are doing well fishing depths of 13-15 feet during low light hours, and 24-26 feet of water during the day. Long Point and Arnesen’s are giving up fish at the reefs in 23-34 feet of water. Good jig colors are gold and pink. A plain hook with a live minnow has been effective. Ice is averaging 18-20 inches thick, and the snowmobile trails have been groomed following an additional 10 inches of snow. On the Rainy River, anglers are finding fish in 16-18 feet, especially when using a light presentation. Pink and white colors are working best with shiners. Most walleye are close to the bottom, with some fish found suspended by anglers using electronics. Up at the Northwest Angle, there have been consistent reports of good walleye fishing in 24-30 feet of water. 800-382-FISH;
www.lakeofthewoodsmn.comBemidji Area Lakes
Ice conditions are good throughout the Bemidji area, with lake ice averaging 16-22 inches thick. Still, anglers must stay aware of current ice conditions, along with possible ice heaves, areas with current and random ice chunks that can create potential hazards. Bitter cold and dangerous wind chills have plagued anglers on the lakes this past week, with the Bemidji area receiving only a couple inches of additional snow from the most recent storm. Ideally, anglers would keep moving until they find an active pattern for the fish species they are pursuing but this is hard temperatures are so cold. Instead, anglers try to set their fish houses between the resting areas and the feeding areas. A GPS with lake maps helps anglers choose the "spot on the spot" on the lakes when putting out a fish house, whether it is a portables house or a wheeled fish house. Walleye usually spend their time between feeding movements resting in deep water adjacent to structure, with the fish moving towards structure when they are actively feeding. Most lakes in the Bemidji area have a mixture of fish species. Anglers can fish walleye, perch, northern pike or eelpout in most of the large deep lakes, while crappies and sunnies are present in most of the smaller lakes. Anglers can also fish different species during the day like sunfish, perch and northern pike, then switch to species that prefer low light conditions such as walleye, crappies and eelpout later in the day or after dark. 800-458-2223;
www.visitbemidji.comBena -Lake Winnibigoshish
As of late last week, anglers were having lots of success on Lake Winnibigoshish. Perch were active throughout the lake with fish set up on the shallow side in 6-12 feet of water at the shore drops, feeding on minnows. A good secondary area has been the main lake bar and hump drops in depths of 20-35 feet of water. These fish are bug eaters. Moxey's Hole on to the east, Snag Hole and Sugar Bar on the west, and the humps north and west of Third River Bar have all put fish on the ice. The walleye bite has improved since the cold front. For the most fish, look towards the tops of the structure in 15-20 feet of water. Minnows and plain hooks have been best. Northern pike are extremely active throughout the lake. Sucker minnows have been best for the larger fish, with the other pike will attack anything set out for the walleye and perch. Ice conditions are very good, with 17-19 inches of ice on average. Please note that there are a couple of ice heaves, but the resorts have established safe ways around them. Please use the ice roads established by area resorts and bait shops for the best access to prime fishing areas.
www.lakewinnie.netWalker - Leech Lake
While the cold front did not bring much snow, it did create lots of ice on Leech Lake. As of last weekend, Walker Bay ice measured 16-19 inches on average, with ice up to 21 inches thick on the main lake out from Trappers Landing Lodge. Many anglers are reporting “sleepless nights” due to lots of late night runs. Good numbers of fish are coming from the 34-45 foot humps, but the shoreline breaks seem to give up the nicest fish and the most variety of species. And lots of a trophy-sized fish are coming from the south end of Leech Lake. 800-833-1118;
www.leech-lake.comDetroit Lakes
The cold temperatures and lack of snow cover have caused ice to develop rapidly on Detroit Lakes area lakes. Traveling on the ice is currently very easy so anglers have had access to mid-lake hot spots that don’t get plowed. Most lakes ice ranges from 16-20 inches thick. The panfish bite remains the most consistent, especially during midday hours. The best walleye bite is generally the last hour or so of daylight and the first hour of dark. For the most fish, use a jigging technique. 800-542-3992;
www.visitdetroitlakes.comCentral Region
Brainerd Lakes Area
As of late last week, the ice conditions were very good. Trucks and big wheel houses were scattered all over Gull Lake. The best fishing was taking place at the weed edges, with anglers catching fish when using small jigging spoons tipped with minnow heads. 800-450-2838;
www.explorebrainerdlakes.comIsle/Onamia - Lake Mille Lacs
The walleye bite has been pretty good on Lake Mille Lacs. There’s a strong year-class of 10-12 inch walleye and they seem to be very hungry! Mixed in have been an assortment of 24+ inch throw backs and a few bonus "keepers." For the most fish, start in 22-28 feet of water over bottoms with hard rocks or gravel and jig a spoon in red and orange tones tipped with a minnow. Perch action has been sporadic. Northern pike has been great on the south end. While spearers are still taking fish, most agree that they aren't seeing as many fish now that people are driving throughout the bays. 888 -350-2692;
www.millelacs.comWillmar Lakes Area
Fishing was exciting last weekend during the weekend warm-up! Walleye and crappies were very active off the Robbin’s Island beach area on Foot Lake. Fish were also active on Eagle, Diamond, Norway and Florida lakes. The best action for panfish has been during midday hours, with the majority of walleye being taken during the last hour of daylight. The ice is thickening at a great pace during this cold spell, with the ice on most area lakes ranging from 14-18 inches thick. Fishing has slowed a bit with the cold temperatures, but the bite should heat up this weekend as temperatures turn warmer. 800-845-8747;
www.willmarlakesarea.comTwin Cities Greater Metropolitan vicinity
Waconia
The cold January temperatures have certainly helped the ice grow on Lake Waconia! An ice check on January 5 showed a range of 8-15 inches. Specifically, ice measured 9.5 to 11.5 inches at Cemetery Reef, 10 to 14.5 inches at Waconia Bay, 8 to 11.5 inches at Kegs Reef, and 11 to 15 inches at Pillsbury and Center reefs. The plowed road to Center Reef now has 14 to 15 inches of ice, with 11 to 13 inches on the sides of the road. 952/442-5812;
www.destinationwaconia.orgAnd don't miss the Minnesota Sportsmen’s Boat, Camping & Vacation Show held Jan. 8–11 at the St. Paul RiverCentre! The 45th Annual Minnesota Sportsmen’s Boat, Camping & Vacation Show highlights the best of the great outdoors with hundreds of exhibits featuring new model boats, RVs, motors, docks, marine electronics, fishing gear, and hunting and camping equipment. Also enjoy the Great Bear Show, free seminars by well-known hunting & fishing pros, Kids' Fishing School, and Live Trout Pond. 763-755-8111
Southern Minnesota
Lanesboro -Southeast Bluff Country Trout Streams
As of January 5, fisheries staff reported lots of successful anglers earlier in the week. Midge larva patterns were expected to be the dominate fish-catchers from here on out. Scuds and Brachycentrus caddis larva imitations may also work well. Some anglers caught trout on dark streamers just last week. Check out the news release regarding the expanded winter trout season which began January 1, 2015. As updates on stream conditions become available, they are posted on the Southeast Minnesota Stream Conditions web page. You are also welcome to call the office for updates at 507-467-2442. Before traveling, please check out the new detailed fishing easement maps. 800-944-2670;
www.lanesboro.comFairmount Area Lakes
Fishing has been really good throughout the Fairmont area. While lots of the fish are small panfish measuring 6-8 inches, occasional schools of larger fish are coming through, offering up a few keepers. On Amber Lake, hit depths of 11-14 feet for crappies, perch and walleye. Budd and Hall lakes are producing crappies, bluegills, walleye and some perch in depths of 15-18 feet. The north end of Sisseton Lake is giving up lots of crappies and bluegills in 11-14 feet of water. Anglers are having the most success using red spikes or waxworks during the day, and minnow towards evening into the night. Don’t miss the 1st Annual Fairmont Lakes Foundation Ice Fishing Contest this January. 24 with more than $3,000 in cash and prizes to be given away! 507-238-9461;
www.fairmont.org Anglers may obtain fishing licenses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by dialing 1-888-665-4236, or accessing DNR License Sales.
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