Ice Fishing Rocks!

[LakeofthewoodsMN]

Ice fishing has remained steady throughout the weekend with the each day being different. Some days the morning bite was better and others an afternoon bite. Ice roads are letting half-ton pick-ups pulling 20’ houses on the lake. 3/4 ton pick-ups are being let out with portables. Contact your resort for more specific information. Ice averages 15-19”. Fishing in 25-35’. Some larger walleye being caught in 10 - 15’. Glow orange and pink are hot colors with a 1-2 punch of jigging and dead stick. More walleyes starting to be caught on south shore with saugers. Lots of good eaters.

The Rainy River is iced over and being fished in spots but mainly by locals who know the ice. Decent night bite in 16’ with sturgeon and eelpout mixed in with walleye. For safety, work through resorts.  Safety first.  Most anglers fishing the lake.

Up at the NW Angle, fishing is picking up each and every day. Ice is 23” where resorts like to fish on the Minnesota side and 15” on the Ontario side. Guides are finding mixed species all over. Finding walleyes on or near reefs around 26’ and saugers in the mud around 32’. Jumbo perch, monster pike, and a few eelpout in the mix. Large crappies are being caught around the 33’ mark with snowmobiles and guides on the Ontario side.

Edited February 2, 2016 by LakeofthewoodsMN

[PRO-V]

That's interesting. We spent the weekend on the south end of the lake and everybody we talked to thought it was about the worst bite we have seen. We had to agree. And so did the resort staff we talked to. They said it started dropping off earlier in the week. Friday was pretty bad and Saturday was worse. Another crew we know was farther northeast and had the same report. Sunday we didn't even bother to fish and went home.

[Vexilar]

I agree prov I heard and experienced all the same things   I am tired of the LOW tourist site lying or at the minimum exaggerating terribly.  Last weekend fishing was terrible

(Nice first post Vexilar. We won't let anyone call you a liar)

[eyeguy 54]

Interesting.  Anybody else have reports from up there?

welcome to FM Vexilar

[curt quesnell]

We got some fish on Saturday.  It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either.  Like always someone is gonna set up on top of fish when many others may not be. It gets to luck of the draw and those fishing off by themselves get a couple extra entries into the drawing.  If you want a better chance to catch fish this time of the year get out near some rocks and be ready to move around.

I also remember the wind switched directions 3 times on Saturday a bite killer on most days.  RIver Bends guides said it was better Thursday and a little slower on Friday.

One more thing, if you want the fast fishing right on the road, fish in Dec and early January.  This time of the year it requires a little more effort most days.

[BlackLabGuy]

I agree, last weekend out of Morris Point was the worst few days of fishing I have ever had on LOW in 15 years of going there.  The resort wasn't to blame as the fish just would not bite, washed most every lure in the tackle box, tried every color, big minnows, small minnows, fathead, shiners, rainbows, heads, tails, two minnows... but still fished all days Sat without a single fish and only 3 for our house the entire day (and those early morning).  The resort guys echoed this same 'luck' in all the houses last weekend.

[huntercj]

We were out fishing over the weekend on the Ontario side and fishing wasn't to bad.  We have been fishing reefs in 19 to 22 feet of water. The fish we have been getting are really nice. On Friday we moved  3 times before we found fish.

Edited February 3, 2016 by huntercj

[Vexilar]

I apologize for harshly saying lying but I have been looking at this site for years and it used to be more about areas people fished, depths they were at and more realistic reports.   I have fished 8 days in the last 14 and trust me I move around, different areas, different depths and spoke to many people, overall fishing has been very slow.  Then I see the picture on the first post and I had enough.  It is very deceiving at best.  The good thing is the saugers are very nice and if you jig hard/long enough you get something but it is far from the glory years.  I get the resorts and LOW areas have had a late year and money is an issue but exaggerating the truth is frustrating.  Curt I do want to thank you for keeping it more honest and I have valued your input for many years. This is the strangest weather year in my life and this may be the issue but the last few to find walleyes consistently has been a lot more effort than anything 5 years and before.     

[huntercj]

We were fishing about 4 miles from three sisters.  All the reports I have been hearing have been fishing deeper but we have had the best luck at the 19 to 22 feet the last couple of weekends. And this past weekend  we had to work at getting fish but still were able to limit out . My kids even got some nice walleyes right on top of the reef in 13 feet of water.

[kfk]

My wife and I were out on Cyrus's road on Saturday and set up in about 34 ft. of water or so about 8 miles out (as far as their road went).  We didn't move at all, but went about our first 2 hours without a bite.  The fish then just moved in and we constantly had fish on the finders for the rest of the time we were there.  We only caught one on a dead rod and the rest we caught jigging with the most coming on 1/4 oz. Clam Glow Red Rattlin Blade Spoons tipped with fatheads. We really had to work them to get them to bite and many times they'd come up and look at a lure only to move away without biting.  Eventually we coaxed two limits of mostly saugers with a few walleyes mixed in to bite.  It was a lot of fun.  The walleyes we got were only 14 to 15 inches long, but some of the saugers were nice for saugers.  We were on our way home again by 3 pm with two limits.  We didn't catch any slot fish like we commonly do on LOW, but saugers eat very well and we had plenty of action. I certainly wasn't disappointed. 

[Vexilar]

I moved my wheelhouse three times over the weekend out of Zipple (was really tired of ATV fishing and needed my house)  and the depth I found best was around 28 ft, deeper were many small saugers.   24 feet there was some nice fish but not many and I found 28ft  was a balance. Two guys in a day and half and we left with 11.  our rule is to keep a walleye it must be a minimum  of 15 inchs and 14 inchs for sauger.  Overall we had a good time, the resort owners are great with awesome road ways but I was a little concerned as I had 11 to 12 inches of ice under my house and truck at 28ft.  I decided to pull it off as some flooding was occurring and I did not want to come back to a mess.  Other places we had over 18 inches of ice. 

[live4chrome]

We were up a week ago and it was terrible fishing, much like the last 3 years up there for us. 4 of us kept 3-4 walleyes and about 7-8 saugers in two days of hard fishing. we moved 4 times and hole hopped most of the week. We didn't catch a single keeper on Sunday. Most fish were small biggest was 15". I honestly think the south side of the  lake is getting fished out, and may need to see some regulation changes to reverse the downward trend. Maybe close the season in march like the rest of the state and have C&R only on the river? Whatever is happening its no good. It wasn't that long ago that it was an almost guaranteed walleye limit every trip. Now its hard to find more than a couple a weekend. That lake has been getting absolutely hammered with thousands of houses up there pulling thousands of fish out everyday in the winter. 

[Ballyhoo]

I talked to two different friends who only fished about 3 miles apart on the south shore between MP and Zipple.  One ended up with their limit for a couple guys and the other only kept 3-4 for a couple guys.  Was one more picky than the other?  Possibly.  What I am trying to say is that on any given day there are people out there that have good fishing and others do not. 

I do agree with live4chrome about the lake seeing too much pressure on the south side.  Something needs to be done sooner than later so LOW doesn't end up like Mille Lacs.  I have fished the lake for 30 years and have seen plenty of ups and downs but the pressure the lake sees in the winter and summer is starting to concern me. 

[bturck]

I recall back when I first started fishing up there and the limits were 14.  This was back in the day when Glen and Pam owned Riverbend. It was not all that difficult to put some fish in the bucket.  The new limits are better in my opinion considering the increased pressure that lake has gotten over the years.  Some days you just gotta keep moving and drilling...it's still a great walleye/sauger factory. I agree with posts above, keep it honest..some days it just doesn't matter what you throw down it doesn't produce results...that's fishing.  At least be objective, especially when this many good fisherman are posting totally opposite results.  As Curt mentioned sometimes yo just set up on an active school and your results will be better than the norm  Good luck and hang on

Edited February 3, 2016 by bturck
Forgot info

[aczr2k]

1 hour ago, live4chrome said:

We were up a week ago and it was terrible fishing, much like the last 3 years up there for us. 4 of us kept 3-4 walleyes and about 7-8 saugers in two days of hard fishing. we moved 4 times and hole hopped most of the week. We didn't catch a single keeper on Sunday. Most fish were small biggest was 15". I honestly think the south side of the  lake is getting fished out, and may need to see some regulation changes to reverse the downward trend. Maybe close the season in march like the rest of the state and have C&R only on the river? Whatever is happening its no good. It wasn't that long ago that it was an almost guaranteed walleye limit every trip. Now its hard to find more than a couple a weekend. That lake has been getting absolutely hammered with thousands of houses up there pulling thousands of fish out everyday in the winter. 

I agree wholeheartedly with this.  I haven't been ice fishing as long as most but used to be on a two day trip you were almost guaranteed fantastic fishing at least one day and good fishing the next day.  Last few years on the south end, area of zipple bay and west its been down right bad.  My friends were just up at the angle, fishing was poor, resort owner said he has never seen it so bad.  So where are all the fish?  I think its going to turn into Mille Lacs and Red....fished out.  Look at all the resort pressure with people just pounding out the fish over the years, eating daily limits and sending limits home.  All you see on the horizon around Rocky Point is RED resort houses, there has to be over a 100 with 3-4 people in per day and that's just one resort add in all the other smaller operations and its a lot of fishing pressure.

[bltbowhunter]

I fished up there on the 29th and 30th.  We were in Ken Mar Ke's houses North of Morris Point in 32' of water.  Friday we kept 14 walleye and sauger for 3 of us.  Saturday we kept 18.  It was about half and half of walleye and sauger.   Biggest fish was 25".  Smallest fish was 4".  We kept mostly 13-15" fish.  Through back LOTS of 12" and unders.  The bite didn't start until 9 AM for us.  Best bite was in the early afternoon.  You did have to work for them.  A lot of fish would follow you up and down without committing.  Green seemed to work really well.  My bobber rod with a plain pink hook was hot as well.  

 

[kfk]

The DNR's studies all say the walleye population in LOW is fine.  It's definitely not fished out or even close to it.  There are never any guarantees for fantastic fishing anyplace on any fishing trip, even at LOW.  There never have been and there never will be.  Expecting to catch large walleyes and many walleyes on every trip to Lake of the Woods or any walleye fishing destination is completely unrealistic. It's a very large lake with many, many square miles of water that never even  see anglers.  The south shore area  in the U.S. is but a mere fraction of the area where walleyes can be in the lake.  Look across the lake. The lake goes for as far as you can see and much further in more than one direction.

Just because you don't catch fish don't automatically assume the population is bad.

Edited February 3, 2016 by kfk

[TooBusy]

I do not doubt the overall population in LOW is in fine shape.  At the same time, I do believe the South Shore has seen a significant increase in pressure - particularly in the winter.  Does the increase in pressure lead to increased harvest in those areas?  Logic would indicate that is has.  It is not my intent to bash the way anyone fishes, so please do not take this as a slam in any way.  The increase in the number of permanent houses, typically in the form of wheel houses does lead to an increase in the number of overall man hours spent fishing on the lake.  In days past, most people left LOW alone at night and headed towards shore.  They may or may not have returned the next day.  Now it is easier than ever to sit tight for two, three days with lines in the water.  The resorts have continued to expand many of their operations as well.  I personally have struggled to find a consistent bite this winter.  This is despite trying a number of different areas.  I hope to eventually figure it out.  Is the reason pressure, changes in bait fish populations, or some other factor that remains a mystery to me?  Either way, i am going to take another shot at it this weekend.   

[wookie24]

I remember being one of the only sleeper houses on the lake 25 years ago, now its a different story.  Has pressure increased? Sure it has, but i still think our perspective of good/bad fishing up there is drastically skewed.  We joked the other day that a buddy and myself only caught 11 keeper eyes/saugers, and it was a slow day.  99% of other lakes in the state, that would be a day to remember for a long time.

[live4chrome]

The population has certainly skewed towards smaller fish. I didn't see a single fish over 15" in the cleaning shack at long point, nor did I last fall out of baudette. 

[Weathertite]

7 hours ago, kfk said:

The DNR's studies all say the walleye population in LOW is fine

Isnt this exactly what they told us about Mille Lacs not that long ago ?

Just Sayin !!!!!

[slammer]

There is way more pressure on the lake than 10 years ago.  Just look at the wheel house explosion.  Like Toobusy said,  More lines and more fishing hours.  You also have a lot of people that would probably fish MilleLacs but instead are traveling north to Red or LOW.  It is a huge body of water and almost seems impossible to overfish but I do believe the increased pressure has and is having an effect.  Open water season seems like you have to go further north to get better fishing the last few years.   I would also support closing season the same as the rest of the state and/or no spring river fishing.

[kfk]

Any body of water can be overfished, but there can be many reasons why the walleye bite seems slower on the south shore than it used t be.  I'm speculating, but the presence(or lack of) of large schools of shiners may play a large part in it.  The past several years I haven't seen the large schools of emerald shiners that I once did out on the mud while fishing in the summer.  Perhaps their population is down or perhaps something has changed in the lake to keep them in the deeper water areas of the lake.  I'm not a fisheries biologist, but I'd have a lot more information than "the fishing has been slow" before I'd start crying "wolf",

[curt quesnell]

Anyone who is wondering "where the fish have gone" lean toward "all those fishermen are just hitting it too hard".  I just don't think that is the right way to go. Like everything else there are probably many reasons why it is tougher right now. There is one that I think it THE big one.  There are not many shiner minnows again this winter.  The run was weak again this fall, hopefully the bait guys got enough but it was not a shiner minnow bonanza.  These shiners minnows have been the reason for the lights out fishing from a couple of years ago that we all remember.

Fewer shiners, fewer Walleyes.  I fish almost every weekend all summer and we had tons of fish in the slot, lots of great keepers and good fishing most of the summer, normal stuff.  Winter rolls in and fishing is decent in December and the first half of January and then the bottom falls out on the south end of the lake.  The big fish are few and far between now....you wonder where they went?...I am sure they will be back on opening day in May but where are they now?  They are where ever the shiners are.

The small fish seem to stay put and scrounge out what ever the mud has to offer.  The resorts keep moving deeper all winter to get into new schools of fish and quieter water.  If you are relegated into fishing on the road it will be tougher for you than most of the others because you are fishing where most of the pressure is...I dont believe all the fish get caught but they might just spread out and look for a quieter areas to spend the winter.  A person who can be portable has a pretty big advantage.  BUT, I am portable and on the days when it is tough you can move around a lot and it doesn't seem to matter.

I think I mentioned this before but the wind changed directions 3 times on Saturday, 3 front came through and that is a bite killer on a good day. The fish recover but about the time they are ready to bite another front comes through and you start all over again. Fishing was pretty good Weds, Thurs. It slowed down Friday a little more on Saturday and Sunday it was toughest yet.

The best winter fishing is in Dec and Jan...if you wait till February you are coming at the time when the easy fishing is done, you can't blame the fish for that.  We had it pretty good for about 6 years running and the last couple of years have been a different...That's the way it goes.

[jerkbait]

I am with Curt. Seems that the better bite follows the shiner run in the fall. When we get the big shiner runs the bite seems to stay go longer. I can still remember the first time I ever fished LOTW. I think it was 1990. It was long before I lived up here. I came up here with my Grandpa and 2 of his buddies. Gene kept telling us how great the fishing is up here and how you will catch at least a 100 fish a day. I don't remember the resort, but we took the bomber ride up to the reefs. And then to the fishing, we were skunked. My Grandpa and I did not get a bite and on the bomber ride back the ones that did the best had only caught 2. Guess that is why they call it fishing. You want guaranteed fillets on the table go to the store and buy them and stay home. You want the adventure then come up fishing.

[PRO-V]

My intent in replying to the original post was this - Don't blow smoke with these reports!! Us that fish alot know the ups and downs of fishing and take it in stride.  I've been working nights since I posted so didn't reply until now. 

Just wanna say that Curt's theory is shared by me also. I began fishing here in the early 80's when the limit was 20. Back then and for years January was the toughest fishing but could still be good. You would look with binoculars and not be able to see more than 100 people. The fishery took a beating since there was no slot and liberal limits and downriggers were mopping up and keeping 10# fish right and left. The current rules took hold and the fishery rebounded nicely although the sauger size is down due to being the main winter fish kept.

For quite some time live or dead emeralds were almost all they would touch. We used lures twice the size we do now and had great luck. Now you see them eating fatheads regularly. The 3 years previous to last fall the water in the rivers was way down and the shiner run was non-existent. The fish used to hang near the Gaps and Pine for a month before slowly moving out with the bait. Now after the spawn they head for the high seas in search of food and they can move quite a ways. All the launches and bigger boats head to the far north and do great because that is where the fish are. I've been out to the reefs and the fishing can be as good as ever. If we get normal shiner runs again I believe you will see the fish hold in the south basin again in winter. March is good to as they mass in preparation for the spawn. Time will tell.

So once again my main intent was don't embellish the reports. I hate to see some guy from farther south who only get's to go a few times get all jacked up for the big bite. They travel a couple hundred miles to find out it ain't so. 

Good fishing guys.

[magnum mike]

Does anyone know the current snow & ice conditions around the reefs?  We are thinking about flying there this weekend and have heard conflicting reports of snow depths and ice conditions.  Is the snow wind packed & hard or somewhat "fluffy"? 

No skis, only tundra tires.

Deep snow or rough ice = unhappy pilot & broken airplane.

[stjoeguy]

I just got back this afternoon after fishing two days out of Cyrus Resort and have to agree with PRO-V.   Fishing was very slow with nothing like the picture in the original post.  We had 9 guys in 3 houses at 33'.  The largest fish was a 17" walleye followed by a 16" tullibee, 15" sauger and 1 nice perch.  That 17" walleye and 15" sauger  were definitely the exceptions, however.  Mostly we got small saugers and not very many of them.  A 6" sauger won our small fish contest.  We came back with 4 fish each.  Talking with guides and other guys at the bar it sounded like fishing was slow all over.  It was still a fun trip but a few more fish would have been nice.  Still looking forward to going back up in June, however!

[curt quesnell]

For all who travel from a long way away for their annual ice fishing trip and want the best easiest fishing possible come before January 15th and fill the pails.  In the summer come before the 4th of July.  If you want to come and fish and explore and enjoy come anytime...fishing is always a blast.

[jigemup]

Is this guy for real i will fish no matter what the action is like but come on man an honest up to date report would be nice those pictures are from two weeks ago up at sunset lodge in the angle