Dec. 17 report

[hondavxr]

I was on the river from 8am-12pm. It looked like I was the only one on the river. I was fishing in about 27ft of water on the MN side. I was fishing at the deep drop off. Ice where I was at was 2 inches of slush and snow, and about 5-6 inches of ice. I had many lookers on the Marcum, but only one taker. It was a 18" smallie. Man you think catching a smallie on a boat is fun, try catch one through a hole with a light action pole and 2 lb test. Oh almost forgot, I was using crappie minnows and tried jigging but there were no takers. Good luck yalls.

[bgreen82]

nice report. ive never ice fished the river b4. where exactly do you guys go out at where the ice is the safest?

[john.wells]

Man, I miss fishing down there. I keep threatening to icefish above the dam some day (been there in the past, just a LONG time ago) Maybe I'll sneak out there this year. I just might have to make the drive to Bayport if the fishing picks up.

[hondavxr]

I always go out at the Bayport area. There is a city park that most people park at. From there to could drag your ice house or use a atv to fish on the river. In the Bayport area the current is not a fast moving as some other parts of the Croix. The Croix had more ice than some of the metro lakes I went to. Once you are on the river there are two spots that most people fish. There will be 30 ft drop off and a sunken island on the MN side that people fish. On the Wis. side there will be a little town of shantys. It is directly across the river from the city park. Don't be scared of shantys across on the WI side, that spot is hot when it on. The WI shanty town is just starting to form. i have tried a few other spot but the MN and WI shanty town have been my best bet. Some days you get nothing and other days you get a bunch 14" crappies. You cant beat Red Lake sized slabs without the 5 hour drive. And when you are done fishing, you can make it home to the GENERAL(wife or girlfriend) in about 20-30 mins, and say, "Look honey, see what I caught." Instead of facing a mad one after the 5 hour drive from Upper Red Lake. C-yalls on the river good luck.

[b1gf1sh1]

hey bgreen. i don't ice fish and can't say where to go but if you go back (forward?) a few pages to last year around this time you may get a good idea of where hot spots may be. . if you don't know the ice your fishing wear a life preserver. they still float when it's cold out. amazes me every year when i read another ice fisherman/woman fell through the ice and drown, and never a mention from the law about wearing one. just a word or two about making sure the ice your on is safe. anybody ever hear on t.v. a sheriff say wear a floatation device on the ice? i can't remmember ever hearing it. mabe theres a reason they don't work? i rack my brain and can't see a reason why not. also people who would'nt dream of letting their youngins' in a boat without one go on the ice when ice is almost never safe for sure , i'd think it would even be a little warmer.

[FISHINGURU]

if you park at the park how far is it to drag a portable to the mn or wi shanty towns?

[hondavxr]

Mn side is about 2 to 3 blocks and the shanty town on the WI side is about 1/4 mile. I haven't been there in a few weeks so I don't know if the town has resurrected yet. Stay safe and good luck fishing. Thanks

[Hudson_Fisherman]

The shanty town is up on the WI side of the river. I've seen them gathering out there the past three days. (12/23,24,25).

Happy fishing!

[slipperybob]

I dragged myself out to the WI side...didn't get any keepers. A few/maybe a lot of light bites. My line would swim about but I couldn't get a hook set on them. Caught one little walleye and one mooneye...

[hondavxr]

Those light biters a lot of the times they are crappies. I have cut my foam bobbers down so small that a fish can take it down easily. It will have just enough resistance to float the minnow and sinker, that way you tell if a fish has taken your bait. I will probably be there this weekend. I might drag myself over to the shanty town. If you guys see me out there, I will probably be there with my Eskimo Traveler portable and my black dog. If you see me say, "HI". Good luck yalls and stay safe.

[fishkaholic]

first time ice fishing on the river, always been ice fishing lakes. where would you recommend to start and what to use? any info would help. planning to try saturday morning.

[john.wells]

How thick was the ice?

[slipperybob]

Where I hand drilled it was 10-12 inches of hard clear ice. The lazer pratically had the screw down to the snow/crusty layer.

[hondavxr]

If you have a map, try the sunken island on the MN side, also there is a sharp drop off on the MN side that has produced a mix bag of fish for me. If you are trying to chase some slabbers look across the river on the WI side, there will be a shanty town. Stay around that area, you are bound to catch something

[fishkaholic]

thanks for the info.

[LivingTheDream]

Where is the best place to buy bait over by Bayport? And what type of jig are the crappies biting on or is it just plain hook bite?

Dreaming...

[slipperybob]

It's been years since I lived in town... but I remember a bait shop just out of Stillwater on Hwy 36 going into downtown, where the road bends and going back the other way is Bayport, umm state hwy 95?.

I was using my forage minnows, didn't use plain hooks. Maybe I should've used plain hooks.

[rosspj59]

There is a bait shop on the south side of stillwater right by the river called jimmys. It is right on hwy 95. You can take 36 from the west and go right to it.