Looking for some Northerns

[cableguy80]

I have made a couple posts on here before regarding northerns and have tried almost every lake and almost ever tip that anyone has mentioned to me, but I have had ZERO success. I am trying to catch some northerns. The only way I have tried is with tip-ups and chubs. I also have an underwater cam and have seen them come into my rods but never gotten any takers, (but LOTS and LOTS of interested lookers.) any advice?

[river huntfish]

Honestly that sounds a little weird because on most of the lakes that I fish a person would be able to catch some northerns. They may not have the greatest size but usually some good numbers. Have you looked at the lakefinder on the dnr website that will tell you were to find some northerns.

Good Luck

[cableguy80]

I have looked at lake finder and even printed out the maps to some lakes. I am going out all day on Friday and Sat. to try my luck again. Prolly trying Pearl in the morning (first time ever) and maybe Beaver later in the day.

[Sgtroc]

Was on Beaver this afternoon and there are northerns there. Just watch the weather and barimeteric pressuers to see if they bite or not. They didn't this afternoon, not hungery.

SgtRoc

[murfdog13]

Sagatag on St Johns campus is loaded with small northerns and nice bass i catch both on sucker minnows and tips ups regularly in 12 to 15 fow but you will need a sled for your gear and a hand auger if your thinking about fishing it (no gas powered augers and no four wheelers out there)but it is always worth the work when i go, and ive been fishing that lake for years

[nater]

I was on Goodners last weekend for 2 hours and got one on a tip-up and other guys I talked to were catching them the day before. I hear you though, I have had tip-ups out most of the season and have very few flags.

[Borch]

Try setting you minnow higher in the water column. If you're in 10 fow set 5-6 ft down. Seems to help with better action. Sounds like you're in areas whre they are at but just aren't getting them to commit.

[cableguy80]

thanks for all the tips guys. I know when i go out fishing i like to put my camera down and see where all the northerns are at in the column. Every time i see the northerns within a foot of the bottom. Borch, you would know this better than I (for the simple fact this is my first full winter of ice fishing) but am i wrong in thinking that way? In thinking that if i am seeing the fish on the bottom i should set my bait at the bottom?

[muskie35]

Northerns will often feed up(look where their eyes are). Alot of avid northern fisherman will put their tipups halfway up the water column like Borch said.

[cableguy80]

thanks, Muskie. I guess i did not realize that.

[HUNTFISH69]

I uaually will set up a tip up using the strategy that Borch stated. Some lakes that are good for northers are: Pearl, Goodners, Beaver, the Horshoe chain has some pretty good sized ones. Haven't really done much tip up fishing yet this year but it's a great way to kill a few hours.

[mrklean]

Is there much structure on Beaver? Only been out there once before.

[NELS-BELLS]

This is going to sound strange but 2 different people have told me that they have had better luck for Northerns fishing with dead minnows this year. I haven't tried it yet and they didn't tell me if they had the minnow laying on the bottom or a couple of feet off the bottom. Maybe try one tipup with a dead minnow and see.

Nels

[bimbo]

head to cedar lake in annandale im all fished out wiht northerns they'll bite over by the 24' hole by the pennisla ive had constiant action all year just using suckers and shiners

[Windfalljon]

We often fish dead minnows off the bottom in shallow water in the spring up on Kabetogama/Namakan/Rainy with some success. Have not done so on Pearl, however I have seen northerns on the AquaVu in the local St. Cloud area, as well as on Mille Lacs this year feeding perpendicular to the bottom. Have assumed they were feeding. They look very strange though; nose into the silt and body standing straight up. Some have held this position for half a minute or so and moved slowly forward as if sifting through the bottom material. A first for me. Of course none of these were interested in our live minnows, but a few have hit lures tipped with just a minnow head.

Not much insight, I know, but food for thought.

[Sartell Angler]

if you're really set on getting some flags poppin', splurge and buy some big shiner minnows (if you can find 'em). Make sure you're not running the black tip up line all the way to the hook (I used a 14lb test mono leader). As others have said you don't want it right on the bottom. I like about 15 feet of water and usually make sure the minnow ends up about 3 feet off the bottom (or if it is quite weedy, a couple feet above the weeds).

Follow this advice and regardless of how active the fish are you will get flags...if you want to stack the odds in your favor bring some buddies who have fishing licenses so you can set out more lines. And taking one or two smaller ones for a meal is fine, but C&R is the way to go to ensure our kids and grandkids get to experience the thrill of seeing that first flag and bringing in a toothy northern!

[cableguy80]

Windfall. All winter long on Goodners lake, the northerns do exactly what you are saying. They point themselves downwards at about a 45 degree angle and basically sift through the sandy bottom. I know when I did have a northern interested in my buck shot lure, he was only interested in it if it was on the bottom. The weird thing was that when it was on the bottom, he would push it around with the tip of his nose. Basically toying with it. I don't know fish behavior at all, but I thought that was really weird.

[YummiYammis]

I never use tip-ups first off. 10-12 ish ft of water is a great depth for them! I usually seek this depth out for pike and pan fish. Deeper has been tough for me but certainly possible. Shallower has been tough due to the spoke factor.

If I see a pike come in and turn around I give the bait good motion after the pike has gone. Often they will return to at least check the bait out again. If they still don't hit...This is where I absolutely agree with Borch " raise your bait higher!" Set the depth a good 2-3 feet higher. Be sure to do this after the pike has gone off of its own accord. I'll often take the bait all the way out of the water to reset my depth. It is amazing how many times I have had pike hit(destroy) that bait on re-entry into the water this year.

Nothing is as cool as watching a pike agressively attack your bait just feet below your hole...good luck!

[Dooley87]

just a thought about the northerns sifting through the bottom, i read somewere on here that northerns will sift through the muck on the bottom of lakes to search for hibernating frogs? sounds like an easy meal to me. maybe that is why dead minnows on the bottom produce over live minnows. live minnows will still dart and swim away from an approaching northern so there is more work for the northern when they are trying to eat a live minnow, when if there is a dead minnow just sitting there it is way less work for the northern to eat.

makes sence to me but what do i know

[river huntfish]

I fished Osakis this last weekend for panfish and couldn't keep the northerns away from me. I had my camera down and there were two to three northerns there all the time until I moved a ways away. If you want to drive that far I would bet you could get into some fish and maybe try for some sunnies even though the bite last weekend was probably the toughest I have ever had.

[murfdog13]

Ya know it can be hard to catch pannies when you got northerns camped out under your holes. thanks for the info i was planning on making time for one more day of flag chasing this winter and that might be an option.