Lake O'dowd ICE!!!!

[AceintheHole]

It's hit or miss. Crappies are there sunnies to you have to do some sorting. Walleyes are being really picky right now. Maybe the cold will kick them deeper.

[bassNspear]

hmmmm.

i was thinking of hitting it up on saturday for some slabs, might have to look towards a different lake?

[AceintheHole]

I heard thru the grape vine upper prior is poppin out by the sunken islands.

[DTro]

Caught quite a few Crappies tonight. Typical Metro size and bite.

[bassNspear]

really, how deep.

[DTro]

Let's just say we were near a bunch of other houses, and they were suspened anywhere at 6-11ft.

[bassNspear]

ok thanks for the information. I am going to try and get out there on tuesday

[AceintheHole]

Not to hard to figure out where that is

[frank's bait]

I hope you're right ace about the cold weather bringing em in... I'm gonna be spending alot of time out there this weekend in the blistering cold, even though my watch says to go on mon. thru wed. I suppose since my bite is off over in my old hot spot i can tell ya what i've found earlier this winter. Over behind the lil island you can basically walk to by the pier you may have seen my shanty sitting there since dec. I've personally caught 12 or so decent walleyes, nothing under 15 inches in about 10 feet. Every one of them down in the weeds. One of the last times i went out when i was still over there i stuck down a camera and saw only sunnies perch bullheads and a few bass hence why i moved but back in early ice when everyone was still by the boat launch the fish were literally lovin me. Due to a few whiny buddies who dont catch much i moved the shack but back in the heyday before xmas i'd go home with one nice one and one nice story of another who got away on an everytime occurence. If anyone who's reading this feels like trying it out I'd love to hear how ya did. Oh btw I've only caught one wally before 4:00 p.m there. Missed a few big hits really early in the morning before there but there's no way to tell if that was wally or norman. I use to think noise mattered when you're fishing shallow like that but with the group I bring with me out to the lake, with their loud chatter and radios and whatnot, we still caught fish. I remember a few times going out there drilling holes with the strikemaster and as soon as you get it cleaned out and drop a line BAM! you'd have either a norman or a nice crappie. Maybe walleyes react differently to noise than other fish but i cant figure out why.

[frank's bait]

p.s. sorry for the novel back there... I can get out of hand when i talk about my fav. subject.

[AceintheHole]

I will be out there sat afternoon. might move my house over closer to the pier. Problem is all the snow is so packed down its hard to get any to put around the house, still going to move anyways. Right now I'm deep 22-23' in the hole blue trap house. I'll be out all night with the wife who is already complaining about how cold it's going to be. Lucky me

[iFishMN.YT]

I also have noticed that noise can actually attract the fish at times, a few times I have drilled and put my tipup down to find a pike instantly, and then not another flag all day. Also when fishing very shallow, 3fow, I was catchin gills and perch, but once I sat in a hole for a few mins, the fish would be few and far between, but when I would drill a hole 5 feet away, the fish would be loaded again for another 5 minutes, the drilling was actually attracting them to the hole I am certain as I did this all day.

[AceintheHole]

Just got back from the day outing. Picked up a couple of pike and one walleye. All were caught on tip-ups with small suckers 3-4". Fishing 22' about 1'off bottom. Pike were 4-5lbs and the walleye was 19"

[AceintheHole]

Went out late last night, well after dark. Fishing was ok got some crappies and one walleye and a pike along with some perch

[TiNK3R]

Nice, I've fished here in the summer, not in the winter. gj

[AceintheHole]

Not a bad lake to hit in the winter regardless of what people say. Just have to put your time in to find the fish lots of nice fish in there.

[bassNspear]

there has to be a ton of ice by now?

[AceintheHole]

i got almost 17-18".

[shakojdub1425]

Gj ace i have lived in shakopee for a while but i always drive up to tonka to fish. But it sounds like you been doing quite well on odowds. Were exactly does it drop off to 20-25 feet? I did not think it was that deep. Any info would be cool thanks.

[AceintheHole]

Right now I'm in 24' edge of the hole before it starts to come back up. Me and TiNk3R went out sunday. We did alright but all in all it was a little slow. We managed 13 crappies between 8-10. Time to move house agian. They are putting the big bubble machine to make sure the fish make it throught the winter. They have a huge area staked of from the road to the pier.

[frank's bait]

I've been fishing 17' by the big island for the past couple of days... managed to get about 20 - 8 inch walleyes in three outings. Gonna have to move a lil deeper like ace is talking...

What's up with the large crack that appeared on the road? You think its from all the trucks driving by at 30 or is the aerator affecting the ice on the other side already after one day?

[AceintheHole]

I don't know if the aerator is on yet it was just sitting on the ice sunday. I saw that crack very nice. I have running by my house about 1"wide looks like it healed up pretty good. I'm in 24' right now going to try to move in to 18-20' maybe in between the big and little islands or over by the pier don't know have to do some scouting around tuesday afternoon. I know what I'm looking for but just have to find. How are the guys on the other side of the island doing? You people need to slow down on the lake its not a race track. You want to race around go over to Thole nobody out there.

[aanderud]

Aerator was on tonight. Fish was medium action overall. First tried in shallow before dark (16 FOW in front of pier), got tons of tiny fish, more than i cared to catch. Moved out deeper toward 4:30. Got some better sized crappies, 22-23 FOW. Bite was different than I've seen all year. Had to really work to get them, unless you were the guy I was with, he just randomly jigged now and then accidentally while reaching for beers, etc, and bam, he'd get a hit.

[AceintheHole]

Thats how it was last night. They were coming in at 15' in 24' and then just looking at it. They really like very small crappie minnows on white glow jigs and wax worms

[frank's bait]

Been doing alot of fishing and not a whole lot of catching ever since i moved out of my "glory hole". We'll be pulling back over in the 10 foot mud hole. Anyone know how 2 feet of ice might impact fishing in 10 feet of water. I've heard from people who fish other lakes and they swear by going shallow like 3-5 feet even in the thick ice. You'd think there wouldnt be much oxygen for the fish.

[Big Dave2]

I would think that you would need to find some semi green weeds to find fish in that shallow this time of year but what do I know!

[AceintheHole]

got to find a deep weed line somewhere in the 15-19' or just make your own weed out of somthing. I was thinking of tring this

[SpecialK]

I fished out there all last weekend in 7' - 8' of water looking for Walleye's and Pike with nothing. Minnows would get squirmish for a bit like something was eyeballing them but then settle back down for 30 mins. Need to find a better spot I guess or move the house in closer and find the weed line.

[AceintheHole]

It's a very tricky lake to fish sometimes but the weather being what it was last weekend fishing was tough. should be a good weekend to come with the warm front coming in.

[frank's bait]

Everytime i do this to myself... Listen to what my trusty fish timer watch and the newspaper says and go out early in the morning. Only to get fumed out of my own house by 2-3 oclock. Had one real nice hit around 10 oclock. Actually saw the bugger suck my minnow into his mouth. Another 1/2 an inch more into his mouth and he woulda been mine... Another bonus about fishing shallow. Its alot like fishing with a camera. The one that got away be it a pike or wally was about 2 inches across the nose. Man i really wished i went out this afternoon instead. All well there's always tomorrow. The fishing timer/watch and paper were right on as far as panfish go. well sunnies that is.