Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Tonka Report (2/24)


JBMasterAngler

Recommended Posts

Made it tonka (1 day later than planned). Fished the narrows, and to my surprise there really wasn't that many people out on the ice considering it's the last day of walleye season.

Caught about 40 perch...most being right on the borderline of keeper size. Hooked in to 1 18" walleye that I lost at the top of the hole. Made a desperate attempt to hand grab it to no avail...my glove is in the bathroom being dried with a heater as I type this. crazy.gif

Wanted to come out on saturday so I could stay late and fish after dark...couldn't do that tonight because of work. Oh well, there's always next year. I think I will try to squeeze in 1 more panfish trip here before ice out though.

How'd everyone else do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent a good part of the weekend out on Tonka guiding. Ran through a tank of auger gas on both days but ended up finding fish a on few spots each day. The target was crappies for the most part. Sorted through a bunch of smaller ones but eventually tied into some larger fish. The deeper holes held a lot of fish but it ended up being the shallower weeds that held the more consistent numbers of larger fish. Depths from 9-13 feet seemed to be key. Fish were caught on size 8 Ratsos, pink head and white body. They would hold tight in the weeds and then slowly rise out to take the bait. About 2-3 feet of weeds on the bottom is what we focused on.

A great weekend to be on the ice weather wise. Not much wind and a lot of warm temps! \:\)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 11 y/o son and I had a hoot fishing for sunnies on Saturday. We were out for about 4 hours and caught 50+ sunnies, kept 20 for dinner. From what I observed everyone seemed to be catching fish. We drilled holes from 30 to 12 FOW just a little away from the main group of houses. I think we found a nicer class of fish than the folks in the main group were catching. These fish seemed to be thicker and had that "hump" that some sunnies get behind their head. At times there were so many fish on the flasher it was hard to tell where bottom was. Didn't matter what depth we were at, all the holes were active.

My son really got into sight fishing for them inside the portable in about 12 FOW. He was using a small "Jig-A-Wopper" tipped with a waxie. He stayed in the shanty for quite a while working on the sunnies. Every now & then I'd hear a "Got one!" For a kid who didn't like ice fishing a month ago, he sure is into it now.

I stayed out in the sun and fished in the open. The warm sun felt good. I switched around for a while and tried a number of baits, but it seemed the hands down favorite was anything tipped with a waxie. Lots of short strikes on baitless hair jigs and plastics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
    • monstermoose78
      How is everyone doing? Holy moly it’s chilly this morning I stayed in bed and will hunt later today when it warms up.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.