Eden Prairie Area Fishing

[calli4120]

I'm fairly new to the area and I'm looking for a decent place to ice fish around Eden Prairie. I don't really care what I catch but just want to get on the ice since I've been too busy to head up north.

I've fished Bush lake in Bloomington in the summer and had decent luck for northerns but I've never ice fished there. Does anyone know how Bush is in the winter or have another lake to recomend.

Thanks,

calli

[fishking]

try giving mitchell or red rock a look i dont know how to get to the lakes the coupkle times i went i was a guest but mitchell has some ok to decent size sunnies and crappie also some monster bass and northern. red rock never fished it i just know its there and people do fish it. if you want to drive you can also go to medicine lake in plymouth

[R. Miller]

Calli,

Try Bush and let me know how you do. If you've summer fished it, you're already somewhat familiar with it. I've never made it that way for ice fishing, but I'd think tip up fishing off the shoreline breaks would produce some winter northerns and maybe even some Largies. For E.P., you could try red rock or mitchell. I'd even look into Riley in southern E.P. for some tip up pike. Good luck!

[Carp-fisher]

I lived in Eden Prairie for a couple of years and did quite abit of ice fishing in the area. If there was one lake in the area that I would concentrate on, it would be Riley. The lake has large pike, numbers of walleyes, and panfish that are well above the Metro average in size.

[HalloweenBuck]

Anyone know if there are houses or people fishing Riley right now? Ice conditions?

[calli4120]

Thanks for the info everyone. I might try and hit bush this weekend but will check out the other lakes soon.

Where is Riley? I checked the DNR website and couldn't find any info on it.

calli

[Lunker]

I've fished mitcell, red rock, staring, riley,round, bush(bloomington) in the area. Not too far you can reach medecine or bass(plymouth), normandale, etc. etc. There are a lot of smaller lakes in the southern metro.

I've pretty much caught fish in them all(except staring, and if you try it be careful ice has current and is not good)

Bush has a subpar size structure for panfish, I did better with tip ups there, but there are always people on the north side panfishing.

Mitcell and red rock are similar, ex-secrets that get fished quite a bit but there is still action to be found. Lots of panfish, and some pike in red rock.

Haven't found the panfish on riley, just pike. Deepest of the mentioned lakes, so if you have a vex it would help(i don't). Also has some walleyes in it, I've done well there open water for them.

Normandale is close to bush, and there is usually a group or two out there. Very shallow lake, just find a little deeper water and catch lots of panfish. I believe there are pike as well.

Good Luck