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Any help would be great.


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I'm pretty new to lake ice fishing (grew up on the Mississippi) and a long time lurker here. I want to thank everyone for posting all their info. I've learned alot.

I'm trying to get my wife into ice fishing and now that its supposed to get warmer, I want to take her out on Sunday. She is from the South and is excited to try it. We have only been able to get out a few times in the past few years and never really caught much.

As we are newer to the area, are there any North Metro lakes where I can take her to catch some pannies, perch and set up a few tip ups? Even if we catch dinks all day, she can learn the techniques and maybe get hooked!!

Thanks for any info and if you want to keep it off the forum my email is [email protected].

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Bald Eagle? I'm on the SW side of the city. I fish Tonka often and could point you in the right direction if you wanted to go there. I'll check back.

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Bald Eagle can be a bit frustrating for me anyway. Big, loud crowd. Trash all over the ice, etc. White bear can be fun. I catch walleyes there right off of manitou island. 28-30 feet. If you want to try a lake I used to enjoy when I lived in the n. metro, try lost lake. its on the mahtomedi side of white bear l. lots of panfish and northerns to keep you busy, also, its very small so you dont need to chase all over to find fish! The dnr keeps it stocked well as it is a kids fishing pond.

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Not really north metro but take a look at the Medicine thread on this page. They had a FM gathering this past Sunday and it sounds like everybody did well catching gills and some found the crappies as well. I've sat and fished a bluegill spot on this lake while somebody had tipups flying within 30-40 yards of me so in the right spot you could do both easily. The best tipup area on this lake probably isn't the best for pannie fishing though. This is my fall back lake when I want to hit something fairly close that I know decently.

Check with Joe Harty at the bait shop and he'll send you to the right spot(s).

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Joe Harty will will help ya out. Tell him MedMan said so. \:\) Plus he has bait and pizza. Hi Joe!!

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Decide how far you want to go and then stop at a local bait shop to get the info on where they are biting and the lure and bait advice. Hansen's at 61 and 96 in White Bear for White Bear and Bald Eagle. Frankies up in Center City for Center, and Chisago area lakes.

Another thought is to go to the DNR website and download the map of the lake you chose. They aren't the most detailed but it's better than nothing.

Be prepared for a zoo. There's a lot of pent up desire out there and so the lakes will be crowded. You can read a lot of advice on this website about staying in or out of the crowd. In my experience it has more to do with your tolerance for noice and foolishness than whether you catch fish or not. Sometimes things get a little crazy out on the ice.

Be sure to be careful where you drive. This cold weather should have solved most of those problems but there's always the risk of a hidden spring. Again, check with the locals.

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South side of Chisago or the A-frame areas are usually a no miss option as is Pancake island on South Center. Should be able to drive on at both locations. Good for fast action on the pannies and an occasional pike on the tip-up. Stop in at Frankies to check ice conditions and get an up to date report. Should be a nice weekend weather wise, now all you have to do is get out and catch some fish! Good luck, ole

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Thanks for all the input. We ended up going to Green in Chisago. We were there from 2-6PM in the SW area in about 5-6 FOW. Caught alot of little sunnies, about 5 keepers and a few crappies, 2 just under the 9" slot and one almost 10". All CPR.

My wife had a great time learning how to use the spring tip bobber, setting the hook and baiting. Still iffy on getting the fish of the hook, though. It was a nice day out, didn't have to fire up the heater until sunset. The only negative was hand drilling the holes with 20+" of ice. Oh well, Santa got me an FL-8 this Christmas, maybe he will get me a power auger next year!

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