[Northeast] [Northwest] [Central] [Minneapolis-St. Paul] [Southern]
Northeast Minnesota
International Falls - Rainy Lake & the Rainy River
Rainy Lake ice anglers are catching walleye and crappie in the morning hours around Sand Bay; access to other areas of the lake can be a bit of a problem. Although the Park Service has temporarily closed the ice road, the snowmobile trails remain open. The ice road will reopen when the slush that formed last weekend firms up. The current cold spell should remedy this soon. Anglers report that jigs and minnows are working best. Anglers using snowmobiles and portable gear are doing well in areas east of Black Bay. 800-325-5766; www.rainylake.org
Ely
Most anglers are concentrating on the great trout action, with nice numbers of lake trout and rainbows coming from lakes throughout the area. Most lake trout are responding to artificial baits such as jigging raps, slender spoons, chubby darters, and soft white bait tubes actively jigged. The key is to work the entire water column while paying close attention to the electronics. Rainbow trout and splake are cruising the shallows, with most responding to small spoons or jigs tipped with wax worms set roughly 10 feet under the ice. Northern pike are responding to suckers fished near the bottom in depths down to 20 feet near submerged structure such as islands and deep reefs. 800-777-7281; www.ely.org
Duluth - Lake Superior and inland waters
Fishing has been good, but the ice has been bad in some areas. Several vehicles fell through the ice last week. Also, snow machines and wheelers had difficulty getting around. Everyone needs to remember that ice is never 100 percent safe. Warm temperatures mixed with rain has been the perfect recipe for unsafe ice. In some area of southern Minnesota, anglers discovered open water. With that said, there is still a lot of fishable ice in the Duluth area, and anglers just need to be very cautious when venturing out. Since it’s only late January, there is a good chance that the ice will rebound nicely. Currently, the Lake Superior ice is sketchy in a lot of areas. When venturing out, use extreme caution. We do not encourage anyone travel off the beaten path until temperatures remain more seasonable for a while. Anglers have been catching white fish and trout when aggressively jigging spoons tipped with minnow heads. Thin ice areas are also abundant on the St. Louis River so extreme caution is necessary. Some decent walleye are biting at sun up and sun down. Spoons tipped with whole minnows have been producing best, with some perch and northern pike also being taken. Inland lakes have offered the most consistent bite and ice conditions. Although walleye action has slowed a bit, the panfish, pike and bass have been active off the weed edges. Clam tungsten tipped with maki plastics has been the best presentation with the most success. Tip-ups are also getting some fish when used with whole shiners with tails cut off. 800-438-5884; www.visitduluth.com
Grand Rapids
Anglers enjoying all of the great panfish action, and Grand Rapids offers a large number of excellent crappie and bluegill lakes. Often, the best locations are the more remote bodies of water. Please note that several of these don’t allow motorized travel so check regulations before heading out. Also, designated trout lakes that are stocked with rainbow, brook, and brown trout require anglers to use artificial bait only. Light tackle is the preferred equipment with #4 test line and small bait. Small spoons and jigging raps are typically best when chasing trout. Electronics can make it much easier to locate fish since trout have tendency to occupy many levels of the water column. When you hook a trout, it can make the whole trip worthwhile! Anglers are also enjoying great perch action, with several area lakes giving up lots of 10- to 12-inch fish. Once you catch a perch, expect many others to take the bait, and these are great eating fish. A small lure tipped with larvae or a minnow head is often all you’ll need. The best locations can vary, with the rocks, mud, gravel and weed beds all producing fish at times. Try drilling a number of holes and try to locate a school of fish -- move along if the first area doesn’t produce fairly soon. Area lakes that offer excellent perch fishing are Bowstring, Sand, Pokegama, Big Winnie, and Trout lakes. www.visitgrandrapids.com
Northwest Minnesota
Baudette - Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River
It has been another great week of fishing on Lake of the Woods. Most anglers are catching fish in depths of 29-31 feet when using glow red, chartreuse, pink or gold jigging spoons tipped with minnow head or tail. A plain hook or smaller with a live minnow has been best on the dead stick. Jumbo perch, eelpout and sturgeon have been mixed in with the walleye and sauger. Electronics have improved the catch rate since most fish are following jigs presented 4-5 feet off the bottom. Most of the lake has 20-plus inches of ice under 3-6 inches of snow. Full-sized vehicles are being allowed out onto the ice roads. The Rainy River has had a great morning and evening bite. A fair amount of slush covers the ice making travel more difficult. If you do not know the river well, be sure to use a resort or guide to learn the most current ice conditions and safest locations. The snowmobile trail is staked from Wheeler's Point to Baudette on the river -- do not deviate from the trail unless you are very familiar with the ice conditions. Up at the Northwest Angle, anglers continue to take their limits despite temperatures rising into the 30s and periods of rainfall! One angler even caught a 31-inch, 11-pound walleye! Ice houses are scattered over 22-28 feet of water, with anglers taking quite a few perch and sauger along with their walleye. Gold, pink and green jigs tipped with a minnow or minnow head have been best. 800-382-FISH; www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com
Bemidji
Warm temperatures over the past week have melted at least half the snow on the lakes and made the surface of the lakes wet, rutted and very bumpy. The more seasonal temperatures over the next ten days or so should cause the surface of the lakes to firm up, with potentially better ice conditions than before the mid-January thaw. Fishing has decent for most species, anglers taking walleye and crappies during low light hours, and northern pike, sunfish or perch during the day. While anglers have been driving on most area lakes, the melting snow has caused many accesses to start to break up and become unstable. Most accesses will be okay once they have had a chance to refreeze. Many larger lakes have one or more pressure ridges (ice heaves) that have become unstable and even more dangerous due to all of the run-off from the melting snow. Anglers are encouraged to use bridges to cross ice heaves whenever possible or use access points close to their desired fishing locations, to avoid crossing ice heaves. Anglers are allowed to use two rods when ice fishing in Minnesota. Many anglers like to use a jigging rod down the same hole as their sonar, so they can see their lure and know how the fish are reacting to their bait. A stationary rig is typically used for their second line. This usually consists of a bobber rig, dead stick, or a rattle reel. Most dead-stick style rigs are set up with either an ice jig or plain hook with a lively minnow. The dead-stick rods have been out-fishing the jigging rods for many anglers, so anglers may need to downsize their lures and vary the cadence of their jigging motions until they find the best presentation. Start planning for the Hardwater Classic Ice Fishing Tournament held Feb. 4 on Lake Bemidji with over $30,000 in prizes to be given away! This fishing tournament is held during Bemidji’s Winterfest Celebration so bring the entire family! 800-458-2223; www.visitbemidji.com
Park Rapids
A really good night bite is being reported throughout the area, and anglers fishing from a sleeper fish house are having a blast! Both walleye and crappies are coming from the deep holes of most area lakes, with fish usually suspended 5-10 feet off the bottom. Walleye anglers are having success using shiner minnows and larger glow-in-the-dark hooks. Crappies are responding best to tiny hooks tipped with crappie minnows. The best depth for the bait has been 25-35 feet below the surface. 800-247-0054; www.parkrapids.com
Detroit Lakes
Conditions have been a bit sloppy on area lakes due to recent warm temperatures. The ice conditions remain good and travel conditions have actually improved now that the snow has condensed, and below freezing temperatures have solidified the lake surfaces. Sunfish, crappies, and perch are the most active species currently. Anglers are finding some sunnies and perch, along with a mix of crappies in the green weeds in the 9-16 feet of water. Better quality and larger numbers seem to be closer to deeper depths of 22-32 feet. Anglers having the most success are using brightly-colored jigs and jigging spoons tipped with plastics or wax worms. Walleye action has been hit or miss, but a few anglers have reported a hot bite during the last hour of sunlight into the night, especially in the last few days. Some small northern pike are biting in the weeds, with some larger fish relating to the outside weedlines on the deeper edges. For the most action, use a bobber rod with a larger minnow, a tip-up with a larger sucker, or a large jigging spoon. 800-542-3992; www.visitdetroitlakes.com
Central Region
Otter Tail Lakes Area
The surface of the lakes have transformed from snow-covered to water-covered. Walleye fishing became more difficult when the temperatures turned unusually warm, but the panfish action grew stronger. Anglers have found that when they locate a school of panfish, the northern pike and bass aren’t too far behind. Many anglers are having a blast with the fast action! Try to find a group of sunfish or perch then set up your tip-ups with 5- to 6-inch shiners or spearing decoy-sized suckers since large northern pike may be right nearby. Use a quick-strike rig and steel leader with the large minnows, either on rattle reels or tip-ups. For panfish, merely drill holes and start fishing. There are so many lakes in Otter Tail Lakes Country that you may find panfish in the deep holes in a lake’s basin on one lake, and panfish stacked on mid-depth flats on the next lake. The panfish have really enjoyed the extra sunlight and brighter water due to reduced snow cover so if you aren’t catching them at a good pace or marking them often, you should move. 800-423-4571; www.ottertailcountry.com
Brainerd Lakes
Join 10,000 anglers on Gull Lake as they compete for more than $150,000 in prizes during the annual the Brainerd Jaycees $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Saturday, Jan. 28. Arrive a day early for the popular Friday night Kick-Off Party at Grandview Lodge featuring a social hour, plated dinner, and music by the Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos. 800-450-7247; www.visitbrainerd.com
Isle/Onamia - Lake Mille Lacs
Lake Mille Lacs anglers report some of the best fishing so far this season, with some saying it’s the best it’s been in a very long time! Last weekend’s warm temperatures melted almost all of the snow on the ice. The wet conditions, however, caused some resorts to discontinue travel out onto the ice to protect their ice roads. The current seasonable temperatures are solidifying the wet and slushy areas. Before you head out on the ice, please call ahead for the most current conditions. 888-350-2692; www.millelacs.com
Willmar
Fishing slowed a bit during the recent warm spell. Water covers much of the ice, but the current more seasonable temperatures are freezing the water and ice conditions should improve quickly. Panfish action has been excellent on Green, Norway, Nest, Diamond and Big Kandiyohi lakes, and Lake Lillian recently started to produce nice numbers of fish as well. 800-845-8747; www.willmarlakesarea.com
Twin Cities Greater Metropolitan vicinity
White Bear Area Lakes
As of late last week, White Bear Lake was giving up lots of crappies, especially on the VFW side of the lake in 14-18 feet of water. Anglers were having the most success using a fiska jig. On Bald Eagle Lake, anglers were taking walleye and crappies west of the island. Rip raps or demon jigs were recommended for the most walleye. Ice measurements averaged 15 inches in most areas. 651/653-5122; www.ExploreWhiteBear.org
Southern Minnesota
Lanesboro - Southeast Bluff Country trout streams
As of Thursday, Jan. 26, most area streams and rivers are fairly clear and returning to normal following the heavy snowfall on Tuesday. Anglers are having success with the brown trout and rainbows when fly fishing with small nymphs. Earlier this week, lots of winged midges were noted, and more were expected to hatch early next week. While the area received roughly 8 inches of snow, cooler temperatures have condensed the snowfall. The streams within parks and running through area towns have been the most accessible. 800-944-2670; www.lanesboro.com
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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