Minnesota Fishing Report March 12,09

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Minnesota Fishing Report March 12,09

Although the walleye and northern pike seasons have closed on inland waters, the gamefish season remains open on some border waters. The crappie, sunfish and perch seasons are continuous, and anglers enjoying lots of excellent crappie, perch and sunfish action throughout the state.

Anglers choosing to venture out are encouraged to call ahead for the most current ice conditions. 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 note that ice is never considered totally safe. For more on ice thickness guidelines and ice safety tips, check out Ice Thickness Guidelines by the Department of Natural Resources website.

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


Northeastern Minnesota

International Falls

Rainy Lake walleye anglers are pulling lots of fish from 25-35 feet of water when jigging with a minnow. Some good-sized northern pike are coming from depths of 10-15 feet near the submerged reefs. Portable gear has been very helpful to reach the best fishing holes. Ice conditions remain great, and it has been easy to access many of the best fishing spots east of Dryweed Island. Crappie fishing has picked up, with good numbers of fish coming from Sand and Black bays. Border regulations allow the walleye and sauger season to remain open until April 14. The possession limit and slot size differs for Rainy Lake and the Rainy River–please refer to your fishing regulations guide. For more information, dial 1-800-325-5766, or check out www.rainylake.org

Ely

Anglers are reporting lots of great crappie action. The hot spot this past week was Birch Lake, with anglers able to drive almost anywhere on the lake. For the most fish, use small minnows on a jig at the 20 foot breaks. There has been quite a bit of snow melt this week which could draw the crappies into the shallows in the near future. Lake trout continue to be taken from Burntside and Snowbank lakes. Bucktails and tube jigs are working best for most active fish. Some anglers are also having success using ciscoes in 45-70 feet of water. For further information, dial 1-800-777-7281, or visit www.ely.org

Duluth/Lake Superior & inland lakes

Minnows and glow jigs continue to produce crappies on Fish Lake in 15 feet of water, and on Island Lake in depths of 22 feet. Most of these fish are being taken during low-light hours. Bluegill activity remains very limited, with just a few fish coming from 8-10 feet of water on Fish Lake. On Lake Superior, ice recently reformed, with anglers fishing from the Knife River to the Lester River area where 6-9 inches of ice is being reported–please contact local bait shops for the latest ice reports before venturing out. Anglers are catching lakers, coho, and herring when fishing in depths ranging from 5-100 feet. Herring and cohos are coming from the shallower waters, and lakers can be found deeper. Use chunks of ciscoes on airplane jigs for the most success. To find out more, dial 1-800-4-DULUTH, or check out www.visitduluth.com
Northwest Minnesota

Baudette/Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River

This is an excellent time to venture out in search of trophy fish on Lake of the Woods! Anglers are coming in with some huge walleyes, northern pike and perch, as well as nice limits of keeper-sized fish. Houses are spread out from the south shore to Garden Island over depths of 20–35 feet of water. There is currently 36 inches of ice on the lake so anglers should be ice fishing through the very end of the month. And riders report that the snowmobile trails are groomed and in great condition. For more information, dial 1-800-382-FISH, or visit www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com

Park Rapids

Fishing has been inconsistent this past week with some anglers enjoying great fishing action, and others having trouble even locating fish. A few fronts and great variations in temperature have probably added to the confusion. The bite should become consistent once again after a few days of stable conditions. Bluegill anglers have seen the greatest success over the past week. Most fish are congregating in 12-24 feet of water. For the most fish, and some bull bluegills, use a jig and waxworm combination. Crappies are staging at the edges of the deep basins, with anglers taking the greatest number of slab crappies when suspending crappie minnows high in the water column just before dark. Try charging a glow-in-the-dark jig for a few seconds to attract more fish from a greater distance. Perch anglers have had lots of success, and the bite should progressively improve as the ice gets thinner. Since perch are one of the earliest to spawn, they are busy filling their bellies to gain sustenance and energy to develop their eggs. At present, anglers are finding the greatest numbers and size along the steep drop-offs adjacent to large flats when using northland forage minnow jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head or waxworm. Some anglers are taking nice-sized fish on soft plastic presentations such as northland bloodworms. To find out more, dial 1-800-247-0054, or check out www.parkrapids.com
Central Minnesota

Miltona

Warm temperatures early in the week led to some great fishing action on Lake Miltona. Eurolarvae and waxworms seemed to work best, especially during afternoon hours when the temperatures were the warmest. Anglers moving away from the crowds seemed to do better than those fishing near large groups. Depths ranging from 10-13 feet of water gave up the most fish. The perch bite has also been good, with some nice jumbo perch being pulled from 6-7 feet of water on minnows. For more information, dial 1-877-833-2350, or visit www.VisitLakeMiltona.com

Isle/Onamia/Lake Mille Lacs

On Lake Mille Lacs, crappie fishing at Isle Bay has been inconsistent. Despite frustration with the crowds and the bite, groups of twenty to one-hundred anglers continue to try their luck. For the most success, hit the outer edges of the crowds and fish early in the morning or during evening hours. Crappie minnows and Eurolarvae on a small pink jig is the best approach. Perch action continues to improve, with fish coming from the deeper waters–for jumbo perch, hit depths of 25-35 feet. Anglers report that the jumbos are on the move, and a fathead and jigging lure fished near the bottom is the key to success.

Willmar Lakes Area

Lots of local anglers are hitting the ice and enjoying all of the great panfish action. One of the recent hot spots has been the area near Robbins Island on Foot Lake. Anglers are also taking good numbers of panfish from depths of 10 feet on Eagle Lake. Another great location has been the northeast side of Green Lake. And, Norway and Games lakes are giving up lots of sunnies and crappies in 10-20 feet of water. For more information, dial 1-800-845-8747, or visit www.seeyouinwillmar.com
Twin Cities vicinity

White Bear Lake

White Bear and Bald Eagle lakes remain in good condition for ice fishing, with ice averaging 22 inches thick. Anglers report lots of good panfish action which is common late in the ice fishing season. For some nice-sized crappies, use a minnow or Eurolarvae–for some large sunfish, use Eurolarvae or a waxworm. Both are being pulled from the weeds in depths of 8-11 feet. Anglers are having the most success using demon jigs with a green or pink top. To learn more, contact Explore White Bear at 651/429-5393, or visit www.explorewhitebear.org
Southern Minnesota

Lake City

Most ice fishing opportunities have ended on this section of the Mississippi River due to uncertain ice conditions caused by recent warm temperatures–anyone choosing to venture out must use extreme caution. Now is a good time to switch gears and try some open water angling in the upper reaches of the Mississippi River’s Pool #4. The Baypoint Park area and the dam area are two areas currently giving up fish, however anglers are having to sort through lots of smaller males for a few larger males and females. Expect the larger fish to show up in the next week or so, and the action to become fast and furious, just as it does each year. For more information, dial 1-877-525-3248, or check out www.lakecitymn.org

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