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HSO's 2010 Mille Lacs Lake Early Ice Throw Down Get Together Dec. 18th


Shack

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The What: 2010 "First" and Possible Annual:

HSO's Mille Lacs Lake "Early Ice Throw Down" Get Together

The Where: Mille Lacs Lake, East Side, Appeldorns Resort.

The When: Saturday December 18th.

The Time: I am thinking around 7:30am. This can be discussed between now and then.

The Species: Walleye, perch & even trophy northerns

More videos at HSOshow.com

Things you will need: MN valid fishing license. Jigging sticks (with reels preferred) and jigging spoons like the Lindy Rattlin' Flyer spoon in a verity of colors. If you are coming fro any side of the lake, there are multiple (can not miss them) establishments that can get you hooked up with the basic, to being all tricked out status with being outfitted with the latest stuff catching fish. Warm clothing and anything you have to prevent your feet from getting cold and/or wet. Any food or beverages you will need during the fishing hours. Also if you have to ability a portable fish house should be brought. This would make a cold day much nicer and open seats can be filled up quickly. If we are driving all around the bays safely by the 18th, a car or truck (snow drifting should be considered) has worked for me in the past just fine. I am hoping for a mild break by what is predicted in the next 7 days and this could happen.

Optional Items: Everything from a bag of chips to the kitchen sink. You make the call. grin

The Agenda: This is an open invite and newcomers are encouraged and welcome to attend. If you never have been out on Mille Lacs Lake ice fishing, here is your chance. The theme of this Get Together is low key and casual, with some hardcore fishing on top, but what ever you want to do is just fine.

Meet up at Appeldorns Main office, meet Paul and work him over for the latest hot bite info. Then after, get the annual deer in the head lights look/feeling once again when pulling out on Mille Lacs ice for the first time of the season. Have an itinerary hashed out, but hit some early ice traditional spots while planning the real assault. Break for noon lunch, but your welcome to bring anything you would like to eat out on the ice. If the past is any proof of the future, I go for broke and stock up on gas station goodies prior. Fish the after noon and get mobile if the bite ain't happening with our late morning spots. Go until we you have to, then give it another hour is my motto. Stop in and say thanks to Paul.

The incentive: Thanks to Appeldoorns and Paul, anyone who is coming to HSO's Mille Lacs "Early Ice Throw Down" will receive 50% off their lake access fee (darn near free) and 50% available cabin rental for the that weekend. I am sure this would pertain to the standard double occupancy and not good with doubling down on any coupons or special offers that were out their, but give Paul a call at 320-676-8834 and he will fill you in on the details.

or check them out here (Appeldoorn's Sunset Bay Resort) for further details. That is and one of the best deals off I can remember for any place that caters to ice fisherman, let alone rents out any type of room. These are cabins also! Double also, if you are new and would like to make sure comfort is had, check with Paul on some of the lakes best guides and guide services Appeldoorn's offer

Hope to see you out on the ice and if you have any further questions just ask in here and they will be answered. smile

Original posting:

Well, since the ice is here to stay and by Paul's report we should be good to go any day after last Saturday.

Just seeing if any interest is out their. If there is then I would further one I have planned and set up. Not looking for a crowd to decide the yes or no about this. I have been and hosted small below 5 guys HSO GT's in the past that have been really cool. My idea on the date(s) right now is either the 18th or 25th.

Sorry for the short notice, but with "early ice" you just have no clue and I would rather not hype anything up if there is a chance it gets pushed back. Not even hyping this up and it will be very laid back and just a day to get out ice fishing on Mille with fellow HSO members. And of course with my luck and if I had started to openly talk about this a month or two back, we would be just walking on good solid ice by Jan. 1st... grin

Just respond back in this thread and we will see if things work out.

Thanks.

Also Paul check you PM's if you have time. smile Thanks dude.

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  • Shack

    13

  • Paul Waldowski

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  • Chimp

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  • broman

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I am interested in helping out but neither of those dates work for me. The 18 is my daughters birthday party and the wife would kill me if I stuck her with it, and the 25th, well thats the date I would like but, well you know the fam damily thing.

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LOL you dang right. laugh At this point the 18th is sounding like the day it is going to be on. Looked at the calender and everything. The original date that was set was on the 18th. When make some contacting some sources last weekend I just gave out a couple dates, look at the calender and say the next Saturday's date. laugh

Actually that day would still work for me.

The 18th it is then. Gives you almost two weeks to see. Thanks guys.

As of now it sounds wheelers and sleds are A.O.K., but for what we would be doing people who are up for walking are welcome to come. This will be bay fishing as I assume the main lake is still open now. Who knows? With this cold and if we do not get dropped on, we could maybe be driving. I figure at least out on the ice. I will have a dual (2-up) sled with a hitch also.

Who knows with this cold and snow, mix in some wind and just good old Mille Lacs lake and anything can change wary ice time.

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Id be interested in joining. I was thinking about heading up around that date anyways. Hopefully the temps stay cold and make more ice though. I dont have a wheeler or sled.

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OK Paul will do. Craigums that sounds cool and I will have more about the details up hopefully today yet this evening some time. smile The one thing nice about early ice on Mille Lacs is the 98% of the lake has not locked up yet and bay fishing is what it is unless you slide a 12-14' Alumacraft out while wearing a life vest.

You do not have to go out far and actually the people with out wheelers or sleds (I ain't running bay to bay unless I have to on the ice) have an advantage because you are mobile to move to any bay if no fish are being caught. I think driving will take hold by the 18th (I am sure someone is driving somewhere even now).

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Shack, this sounds like it would be a goodtime. Let me check the calandar and see if this will work.

Also ley me know if I can help in any way.

Sifty

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I think am going to join the event. But like Craigums, I don't have Sled or wheeler. It sounds like a fun idea and opportunity to learn from fellow FMers.

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Update In First Post!!!!!!!!!!!! Check it out!

Thanks Sifty! smile That would be very cool if you could attend dude!

Westsidefishing, like Paul said, if anyone shows up, we will make sure they out fishing. Again, the nice things with early ice on Mille Lacs, you are limited on where you can go. grin IMO with this time of year and target fish locations, you really almost want to be around the bays anyways. No 3 Mile or 9 Mile runs will be had, just a short distance and believe me, I have walked from shore to Doe Island reef and back, then back our and back again and maybe one more time during the early weeks of December. I think we will be driving with no prob by the 18th. I will keep a close ear and eye as to ice conditions the next week.

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Shack -

Great initiative on getting this all together! Many thanks to Paul for always being so supportive and informative of all things HSO. I'm headed up this weekend so if the wife will let me go two weekends in a row, I'll plan on joining the group with my old man.

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Update In First Post!!!!!!!!!!!! Check it out!

Thanks Sifty! smile That would be very cool if you could attend dude!

Westsidefishing, like Paul said, if anyone shows up, we will make sure they out fishing. Again, the nice things with early ice on Mille Lacs, you are limited on where you can go. grin IMO with this time of year and target fish locations, you really almost want to be around the bays anyways. No 3 Mile or 9 Mile runs will be had, just a short distance and believe me, I have walked from shore to Doe Island reef and back, then back our and back again and maybe one more time during the early weeks of December. I think we will be driving with no prob by the 18th. I will keep a close ear and eye as to ice conditions the next week.

Thanks, Paul for the offer. Thanks for organizing Shack. Let me know if you need any help. I'll be bringing my X2 and will have one open seat. I can also bring my pop up if needed.

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Very sorry guy's I won't be able to attend.

My daughter has a dance recital on Sat at 1:00 kind of mess's the whole day up,but I would'nt miss it for anything.

You guys have a great time Shack and Paul will for sure show you a goodtime.

Sifty

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Hi All,

Would like to attend. Will check with my fishing partner. I have been to millacs a few times and have yet to catch a walleye. Hope i can make it and change my luck. John

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I'm in. Since the weather tonight has resorts closing their access I am changing plans and coming up next weekend instead. It will be fun to meet everyone.

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Me and a fishing buddy will be making it. Looking forward to it. Not much experience fishing early ice on millacs, so hopeing for some tips. Thanks John

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It will be cool to meet you also broman and John it would be very cool if you could make it.

Since we are all sitting around waiting to see what officially happens with this front moving, and it sounding worse by the minute, I figure I would write some feelings I have about what is going on now and the effects it could have with the get together being next weekend. First off, I am no expert and I am not a fishing guide but I will say I have seen my fare share with on the lake water time pertaining to Mille Lacs.

A large amount of snow dumped on new, less than 10" of ice is not very good. Even worse to hear is the predicted upcoming above 20mph winds being mixed in. If we get smacked hard in this area of the state this weekend, it could mean off road travel would be for months with cars and even trucks (possibly). Enough snow and related conditions could make things tough and even impossible for wheeler travel. Heck, this system could even break up the bays for all I know and depending on the weather that follows this system, it could (a big "could") change things up pretty quickly from what started this years ice season. This sound pretty cruddy doesn’t it? Well read on for the positives.

Even with the above, I am still very stoked about next weekend. Do not want to push Murphy’s Law too much, but my gut feeling (which has had a pretty good success rate lately, knock on wood) with what is happening this weekend could translate into very good things next weekend. Yesterday and today I feel (and right now and into evening), with following where the barometer, would have been a killer for being on the ice and a good bite. Even if today was two days ago and this system had missed the weekend, most likely the bite IMO would be down. Just a hunch of mine.

This weekend for most was already in the books before it even started. Let’s look into next weekend now and how the Mille Lacs bite should be as far as it being hot or not. This time of year fishing Mille Lacs has one major rule that comes with it. Moon phase! If it was a normal or mild year, with this falls reported bite in Oct. & Nov., the get together weekend is looking very good:

full-18196-4171-moon.jpg

The Mille Lacs fall-time and early winter full-moon bite does not only apply to fishing during the night. wink This time of year, with it being the active (well 'pre' essentially because the full-moon is Tues. and better than the 'post' but the post is still good) full-moon weekend, if this system moves out without causing too much concern towards ice conditions, things stays clear but not too high on the pressure side, full-moon benefits canceling out weather pattern negative figured in, the weekend of the 18th has some huge potential as being one of, if not "the" best weekends to be on the ice all season. My fingers are crossed for another low, yet mild system moving for the weekend or bigger one on the radar for Sunday or into Monday.

Still on the positive flip side here, but even if we are pulled back into the bays instead of pushing out, still no place I would rather be than to be shallowed up during a full-moon. Death marching while iced over with a foot of snow or busting skim to 1” ice with the bow of your boat, this means little to the walleyes as far as feeding and schooling up in their traditional spots. If you were able to see our full-moon trip from several weeks ago, it showed that if you were deeper than 9' you were out of the money. wink

The Full Moon’s power IMO holds trump no matter what the weather throws down. What trumps all, except for the Mille Lacs the bite, is the ice conditions. I will be check in and adding anything I get daily because I want to be on Mille Lacs this weekend no matter who, what or where happens if I can. You guys that are bummed not getting up this weekend and are switching up towards next weekend could be in for a treat. In the end it is fishing and hence the "early ice" within the name of the get together.

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I am bummed, I cannot make this one, something about a friends Wedding.

I don't understand why people have to get married on fishing opener, during Bow Season or anytime there is Ice on the lakes... grin

I will be watching for other GTG's and will hopefully make some of them.

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never been to mille lacs would love to. have a few spoons that have never hooked an eye yet! so keep it simple... rooms at appledoorms? how much? where and times we would fish? 6 lb test to light? bait? help a rooie out!

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Chimp,

Lodging is 1/2 price for any one attending this event, it also includes access. If just coming up for the day, access is also 1/2 price, so $5.00.

We will be heading out about 8:00 and fishing approx 2 miles out on the lake.

6 lb test will be just fine, small jigging spoons tipped with a smaller minnow or minnow head.

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Chimp,

Yep, you can reach me at that number. The event is actually on Saturday, I'm thinking that there will be a couple that will stick around and fish Sunday also.

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what are the odds one will be driving out by next friday

i understand its just a guess and weather releated

so half price that would be cabin 4 for 90$ for fri and sat

how much snow did you get ocer there

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Paul im also curious what you guys are measuring for ice thickness on your roads... I don't have a wheeler and im far to lazy to walk out 1-2 miles

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Quote:
what are the odds one will be driving out by next friday

i understand its just a guess and weather releated

so half price that would be cabin 4 for 90$ for fri and sat

how much snow did you get ocer there

At this point I'm not even going to hazard a guess. It's going to be close but she ain't making ice that fast right now.

$90 for both Friday and Saturday is correct.

At max we got 3 inches

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Quote:
Paul im also curious what you guys are measuring for ice thickness on your roads... I don't have a wheeler and im far to lazy to walk out 1-2 miles

9-11 inches right now.

If we are not driving by then we will be shuttling people back and forth so no need to worry if you don't have a quad or sled.

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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