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.

Recommended Posts

Maybe we will bump heads this weekend Steve. My buddy and I will be there Saturday for sure. I am not sure if we are staying the night or just doing the day thing at this point. Either way, it would be nice to connect. BC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 100
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Steve Foss

    33

  • Great Outdoors

    13

  • fishgutz77

    13

  • lakerunner

    6

 Originally Posted By: Big Country
Maybe we will bump heads this weekend Steve. My buddy and I will be there Saturday for sure. I am not sure if we are staying the night or just doing the day thing at this point. Either way, it would be nice to connect. BC

(218) 235-1147. grin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Originally Posted By: stfcatfish
lakerunner, no fishing for me today. Had meetings with clients this morning and I'm prepping to fish tomorrow. Supposed to be pretty rough out there tomorrow, though, with lots of wind, so we'll see.

Good luck out there! grin.gif

stfcatfish, your day with your clients probably was a little better than the fishing. I fished from 1 to 5:30 and had 2 lookers--I played with each one for about 2 minutes all over the water column. I just couldn't get them to hit the jigging rap. I tried long sweeping lifts, I tried quickly reeling the rap away, and then drop it, etc. I have been doing that all year but I just can't seem to get them to hit. That has esstentially been the story of the year for me on b-side. What am I doing wrong? I was fishing a ver steep break and you are right about the lakers pushing the smelt in there--I could attract smelt all the way from the bottom to about 10' under the ice--I imagine that I was attracting smelt that were on the bottom but further up the break. Good luck today--hopefully the high pressure doesn't shut the fish down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lakerunner, I would say you are doing nothing wrong. My first year fishing Burntside I had the same thing happen countless times. All you can do is keep trying. It is very frustrating I know, but once that first one smacks it and your rod doubles over, all the hours of jigging and no fish to show for it seem to disappear.

Cory

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any of you fishing donkeys wanna stop by the highway2 crew camp we'll be fishing between oliver and brownell look 4 2 ford supercrews and about 30 tipups. We'll make ya'skis famous. Stop by fer a beer and a bump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope, Sag closes on the 16th, its partially outside the BWCA (albeit its a darn small part thats outside!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cory's right, lakerunner, you're probably not doing anything wrong. Just keep doing it until one of those stupid fish makes up its mind. Also doesn't hurt to keep a second rod rigged with something very different so if you can't get the fish to go you can reel one up and drop another one down. I generally have a rap on one, a flutter spoon on another and some other lure of my choice on the third. Burntside is so well known for lookers rather than takers that they should rename them Tease Trout.

H2A, what day you going to be out there?

fishermn, thanks for the correction! grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif

By the way, my report for Bside today: fished from 8:30 to 3:30 and saw three fish from 9:30 to 10:30. First was too cold, second was still a little too cool, third one was warm but not hot, and I couldn't get anyone to go. Never saw a fish the rest of the day once the wind picked up.

Oh well. Did catch two smelt, and a trout ripped the shiner off my tip-up right as I was about to quit for the day. The spindle on the tip-up had gotten cold and sluggish, and the flag popped but no line played out. So I picked it up and began to reel and it was really stiff. No bait left on the end of the line when I got it in. That kind of day. grin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was no prob, Ken. There was some drifting from last weekend's snow, but the drifts in open areas were scattered and easy to avoid. My downsize 4x4 SUV had no trouble and never had to go through more than 6 inches of snow. I haven't found any slush anywhere I've driven or fished for quite awhile, either.

Shoot me an e-mail, will you? We've got some things to discuss. grin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey lakerunner one last thing I try is realing up to 10' under the ice and just lightly jig in one spot once you have them chasing. Make sure they chase 20-30ft before you do it. the last nice one up there went like that. have your drag set right and be ready though, a nice one thats green and real close to you can be a handful. Make sure you got some meat on that hook for scent as well. you'll pound one soon enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be fishing burntside for the first time in a couple weeks, and I guess this question doesn't really matter since the season will be closed by then anyway, but curiousity has gotten the better of me. Does anyone ever fish for or catch walleyes or northerns out of burntside? Do they just disappear in the winter?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JBMA

The last day of trout season is March 16th on lakes outside of the BWCA, so if you're here within a couple of weeks from your post, they're legal to fish.

Yes, they do get an occasional northern and walleye in the winter, but not tons of them. I haven't used my camera yet this winter, but honestly believe that many of the lookers people are getting on their Marcums/Vexilars, are walleye.

There are way too many of them around to just disappear, and they have this same tendency in the summer of "Just looking" \:\(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would agree that some of the fish are walleyes that chase but I don't think you will get a walleye to go from 48 fow to 10 fow in about 3 seconds and back down to 35 and chase again to 15 fow. the kind of chasing I see is done by fish that can deal with the whole water column in seconds. I don't know of any other fish besides a laker that can do that in Bside. An eye might chase from 28 fow to 20' but past that I'm not sure of. I would guess the just looking only fish (stare at the bait)below 35 ft are still trout but above that are walleyes and northerns. the other thing to consider is are there whitefish in B side? if so those fish will chase and look as well. the camera is the only way to verify.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, yeah, I'll be going up there to fish for lakers. When I said the season would be closed I was refering to walleye. Like I said though, I was just curious...last year I went to gunflint in march (border water so walleye season was still open) and asked about the walleyes, everyone told me they disappear in the winter. Wonder where they go?

Fishgutz, according to the DNR and local anglers the smelt have eradicated the cisco and whitefish out of burntside. The lakefinder does show that there are still a few old whitefish swimming around though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fishgutz77,

Guys have seen walleyes in 40+ FOW with a camera in Burntside this winter.

The ones I suspect of being walleye are the ones that come up from a school of smelt slowly, sniff the hook, then drift away.

I have seeing this happen many times.

I'm taking the camera when the weather gets a bit warmer and less windy to try to verify this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JBMA

The smelt have eradicated everything out of Burntside, except the crummy bass, mad.gif burbots, & northerns.

Any whitefish you pull out of the lake now will probably be from 6-10 pounds, and have scales the size of a nickel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

G.O, that is a subtle distinction. I've wondered about that, because lakers tend to rise quick and steady on the flasher, while smelt, as we know, flicker in and out and wax and wane. I've also wondered if those red bands that seem to behave mid way between the flickering perch-like readings and the aggressive laker readings were something besides smelt.

Sounds like a good thing for a camera to look into.

Wanna bring a German/Irish/Bohunk along to interpret things for you? I know Finns aren't that good at moving pictures. grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mmmmmm, maybe YOU can fish while I look at the camera! I suppose you found a way to write off an underwater camera purchase for your photography business. grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ken,

Don't let that camera see steve's mugg, because it will blow up the screen out of self defense!! grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve,

These aren't smelt I'm seeing rise up, they're fish.

I've got a Marcum, and it may differ from a Vexilar in readings/color, etc.

Stop in the shop in the morning and I'll let you know what my impressions are of this "stuff" I'm seeing.

Then we'll run it with a camera at a later date, and see what it be!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

I've thought about using a camera just to see how the Lakers are relating to my presentations. Then I thought of how they'll have snagged the camera cable at those depths plus, all one has to do is look down the hole when you tease them up.

BTW OD, my son won one of your candles at the Bash. Thanks !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have only witnessed one walleye coming out of Burntside through the ice. I caught it in 50 ft of water at about 11 at night (don't ask what we were doing out there). The fish hit a dead cisco off the bottom. We thought for sure it was a pout coming up but it was a walleye about 24 inches. It came in like dead weight with not even so much as a headshake. Needless to say it was very dead when we got it up and the meat on it was very disgusting looking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On one particular lake up the trail here this winter I have been marking a lot of fish that act like lakers at first. They fly right up to the bait then stare at it and don't hit. I had my suspicions that they were not lakers but wasn't sure. I finally was able to tempt one up to withing 10 feet of the hole all the way from the bottom. It was acting very aggressive the whole way up but wouldn't bite. I shut all the windows in the shelter and looked down the hole to see it was just a whitefish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see how the smelt eat all the walleye and whitefish eggs/fry, how they could not eat any of the bass...but how come they don't get to the pike or eel pout eggs?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The northerns usually spawn in shallow, weedy areas, just as the ice is coming off, and they may have trouble finding them???????????? confused.gif

The eel pout is easy to explain. When you take a look at the face of one of those things, the smelt probably lose their appetite! \:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I,ve caught 2 walleye on tip-ups set for lakers in the last 5 years on Burntside. Both wre about 5 lbs and hit live minnows (from Grt Outdrs) a couple feet off the bottom in about 50' of water. One right at dark, the other at about 3 pm. Just an FYI.

Great Outdoors- What do the "native" burntside trout look like?

Also, anyone happen to go by the N Arm access today? Can you drive a truck out from there?

Huey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I checked out the N. Arm (Slim Creek) Access yesterday. It is only wide enough for a sled or ATV as it is right now. I think with a shovel and little digging it could be wide enough for a truck.

pict0001gf1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Casey. I'd say you're right. Five minutes with a strong shovel and a strong back would make that good to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve, If you could please keep an ear out for how this access is doing. It could be real time saver when I come up. Thanks

If you don't get dumped on between now and then this looks like it's usable. We can always take the old yahmies.

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.