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.

Ice Report


JBMasterAngler

Recommended Posts

I checked Sag on Wednesday this week. There were some scattered pockets of open water (towards the beach and off the point the trail runs out on for sure. I didn't have a chisel to check thickness of the ice that was there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 81
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • mrklean

    7

  • Borch

    6

  • Tippman

    5

  • JBMasterAngler

    5

Regarding Sag at SJU, I don't know if anyone else has seen this, but last year I saw campus security ask guys to leave for using power augers. I would have thought it was a fluke except I saw them do it on 2 seperate occasions. I always use a hand auger when I go out there and haven't had any trouble.

I was checked by the DNR once out there last year as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmmm...I can't say I ever had a problem, but the lake is a no-motor lake, so I suppose that could apply to hardwater as well.

I've heard that there are crappies in that lake, but I've never caught them. Is the rumor true, or is the lake devoid of the critters?

Carl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have caught many crappies in there in the spring but only in a couple located spots. My biggest is a 13 incher so I guess you just need to know where to look.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i actually work for life safety on campus this year, and power augers arent allowed on campus. They usually just ask people not to use them, but i know that they have confiscated them in the past too. The fishing club is trying to get this changed. nobody likes drilling through 18 inces of ice with a hand auger!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

in theory the monks dont allow it because they want their serenity, as sag is right on the monastary. I really am not a big fan of the policy, and really dont see any solid reasoning behind it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

i actually work for life safety on campus this year, and power augers arent allowed on campus. They usually just ask people not to use them, but i know that they have confiscated them in the past too. The fishing club is trying to get this changed. nobody likes drilling through 18 inces of ice with a hand auger!


What is the verdict on an electric auger?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think they will ever allow gas augers on campus. A few fishermen aren't lkely to sway the monastic community unless a lot has changed since I went to school there. The quiet out there is what makes the fishing enjoyable. The size or quantity of the fish to be caught in winter is not the draw for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree, and I like the policy of not allowing gas augers. The fact that people don't like to hand drill the holes keeps the fishing pressure low, the air and ice clean, and the noise level down. Hand drilling the holes, and walking halfway across the lake is part of the exprience for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Horseshoe has enough ice if you're carefull and know the lake. The cats are hungry.


Cats?? What about the walleyes! wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Quote:

Horseshoe has enough ice if you're carefull and know the lake. The cats are hungry.


Cats?? What about the walleyes! wink.gif


Yep, they were biting also though they were not targeted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Upper Spunk has a solid 6" in the bays, very little ice on the main lake. Lots of anglers on Lower Spunk but i havent heard any reports.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the idea of catching cats through the ice...is it pretty much the same approach as walleye fishing? They go after frozen cisco on the bottom? Never been to the chain before...what would be the best starting point?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

I like the idea of catching cats through the ice...is it pretty much the same approach as walleye fishing? They go after frozen cisco on the bottom? Never been to the chain before...what would be the best starting point?


Hey JB, catfishing on the chain can be a lot of fun. Set up like you are walleye fishing and you'll catch em'. My favorite lure is a buckshot jig with a minnow head, always seems to do well out there. For your second rod, deadstick it with a live minnow.

If you really get into an active bite, you'll be busy enough with just one rod.

Unless you know the lake/river portion where the cats are, I'd wait until the ice got a little thicker. I'd call out to the bait store in Richmond to get a decent report before you venture to far from shore out there or wait to hear from IceHawk on an updated report.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Captain BRK, thanks for the info. Yeah, it'll be about a month or so before I go there, so hopefully conditions will be much better by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

With all of the snow on the ice is there any ice being made?


OF COURSE!

I don't care if ice radiate heat itself, when the temperature is hovering around 0 at night, ice is being made. frown.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Quote:


With all of the snow on the ice is there any ice being made?


OF COURSE!

I don't care if ice radiate heat itself, when the temperature is hovering around 0 at night, ice is being made. frown.gif


Well it's gotta freeze the 2-4 inches of slush between snow and ice before it canmake good ice. It's gonna take a while. We've had this happen before in fact I had one winter that I never drove a vehicle on the ice in the St Cloud area due to simuliar conditions and cruddy ice.

Once the slush is frozen solid then we can get back to making ice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Borch, Icehawk: What's the general thickness of ice in the area? I'm guessingit is in the 6-8" range, True?

Also who drives the Black Chevy w/ the Large FM decal on the drivers door? Saw it on saturday. Just curious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've been up obviously? Went up to pick up all my gear but my house. Have to get it all straightened out. Haven't used it for almost 2 yrs. Just hope I can make it out this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Also who drives the Black Chevy w/ the Large FM decal on the drivers door? Saw it on saturday. Just curious.


Shhhhh! grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Quote:


Borch, Icehawk: What's the general thickness of ice in the area? I'm guessingit is in the 6-8" range, True?

Also who drives the Black Chevy w/ the Large FM decal on the drivers door? Saw it on saturday. Just curious.


I haven't ventured out yet this season. I like my ice thick and clear. I'm biding my time. I've ridden in that truck wink.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.



  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      Nope not me.  May want to go nextdoor and ask around?  
    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • 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
×
×
  • 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.