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Posted

HI I am new to this board and only been ice fishing for a few years with little success. I got a nice tip from an individual on this board which gave me my best day ice fishing to date last weekend (thanks again). The problem is I have to drive for almost an hour to get to any good lakes. This is fine on the weekends but I would like to sneek out occasionally during the week when there may not be as many people out on the lakes. I live in St. Paul Park (near Cottage Grove) and would love to find a lake worth putting some time into closer to home. I have tried using the DNR sight but I can't seem to find anything. The St. Croix isn't too far from me but I am a little nervous about going on river I ce without any experience. Any tips would be appreciated. Maybe there just isn't anything around here but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. This is a great site and I have learned a great deal. Thanks,


Johan

Posted

Johan, the St. Croix is usually pretty slow near Prescott. The only decent fishing is near Bayport but if you are going to drive that far, there are several other lakes at about the same distance that are more consistent producers. There are some smaller bodies of water closer to home that hold fish. Do you have an email address?

Posted

Johan
I live in Cottage. I usually end up driving-to the fish. Most of the lakes I fish are more north/north-east.

Posted

Bigvlover, I live in Eagan and is looking for the same, close lake to give a try. My email is [email protected]. Thanks.

Posted

Big V

Are you refering to woodbury. If not, which lakes?

Posted

I'm originally from Cottage Grove and there no lakes to fish within city limits. Demontreville and Lake Jane are decent for some panfish, and bass in the summer. There may be a few lakes in South or West St. Paul.

I know it's winter, but I do have a pretty good spot to fish in the summer. South St.Paul boat launch on the Miss., right below the 494 bridge. It takes 5 mintues to get there from SPP.

There is a fishing area which is basically a big concrete slab with a railing around it. There's a culvert under the slab that drains runoff into the river. The water coming out attracts baitfish and you can sometimes see walleye, sauger and bass going after the minnows. The water is only about 6' deep, but you can use a crappie minnow and a plain hook and get some good action, especially after it rains and the culvert is running good. It's catch and release in that pool though. Some kid caught an 11' walleye on a worm when I was down there.

Posted

My e-mail address is [email protected] if anyone would rather get in touch with me directly. I have tried Powers Lake in Woodbury, I did just ok there 2 years ago and nothing since. I have also been to Demontreville/Jane but that is almost as long of a drive as other lakes I have had better luck on. Maybe I just need to work on my fishing techniques more than worrying about which lake im on (lol!). Thanks to all for your responses,


Johan

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      It's kind of sad. The two lakes I loved the most in this state are Mille Lacs and Burntside.  And I think we broke them both!  😕
    • JerkinLips
      Went back to Burntside on Tuesday and I got "skunked again" (LOL).  Looked like the lake was a mess over the weekend, but it was all frozen solid by sunrise Tuesday when I arrived.  The new ice cleats I got worked very well on the glare ice.  Was a beautiful sunny day but cool and quite windy.  I had a nice view of my tip-up from my warm fishhouse but the flag never went up, and I didn't mark a fish while jigging.  May have to try North Arm next, or go back into the BWCAW if the ice conditions improve.
    • JerkinLips
      Yes, eagle swoops are awesome.  Had one happen when I was duck hunting one year in Stuntz Bay.  Stole the only duck I got that day.   Vermilion got very wet over the weekend.  Tower Cafe posted a video of a SxS driving into McKinley Park landing going through water that went over their floor board.  Burntside Lake was frozen nice and solid Tuesday morning when I was there.
    • Wanderer
      Or the other book that said: The bitterness of poor quality outlasts the sweetness of a low price…   Dang, what a mess to have to deal with.
    • leech~~
      When it said. "The foolish man, builds his house upon the sand"? 🫣   Just got back from 10days on the golf of America.  By Panama city Florida.   
    • smurfy
      Venny backstrap and the fixins!
    • SkunkedAgain
      Running on empty at dark on a sled is definitely stress-inducing. Been there, done that. Glad that you made it out.
    • SkunkedAgain
      Eagle swoops are always a hoot to watch.   The snow is mostly gone on the lake. Ice melt made things pretty wet but the ice is obviously still very thick. 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The big question:  "How is the ice up at Lake of the Woods?"  That is for each individual resort or outfitter who operates an ice road or trail to answer, but overall, ice conditions are still very good and ice fishing is going strong!  As always, stay on the marked ice  roads and trails for safety.     Being up on the Canadian border, the colder temps Lake of the Woods enjoys vs much of the region combined with three feet of ice makes a big difference.  Fish houses are allowed unattended overnight through March 31st and it sounds like a good number of resorts will be fishing through the month, but ultimately, Mother Nature will determine that.     Regarding the fishing, overall, very good reports for walleyes, saugers and perch.  There is a strong population of smaller walleyes and saugers in the lake which bodes well for the future, but in the meantime, anglers are sorting through them to catch their keepers.   The one-two punch of jigging and deadsticking remains the most effective technique. Jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head or a lipless crankbait on the jigging line is the ticket.  On the deadstick, a live minnow a foot off the bottom on a plain red hook or medium sized ice fishing jig is catching a lot of fish.   Using electronics is super helpful.  Many nice walleyes are swimming through suspended, keep an eye out.   Anglers tip-up fishing for pike have had a great week and it should continue to get even better.  Suckers, frozen alewife and smelt are working well. Putting baits 1 foot under the ice or right off bottom seems to be effective this week.  Most common depths, 9 - 15 feet. On the Rainy River...  The Rain River is still frozen with no signs of open water yet.  Every year can be different, but on average, the Rainy River will start opening up around the third week of March.  The first boat ramp suitable for larger boats is Nelson Park in Birchdale.  We will keep you posted.    As of March 1st, walleyes and saugers are catch and release only on Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River.     Make plans now for sturgeon season.  Once the open water appears, the fish are super active.  Here are the seasons...   -Catch and Release Season: May 8th – May 15th and October 1 – April 23rd. -Harvest Season: April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – September 30. -Closed Season: May 16th – June 30th.  Up at the Northwest Angle...  Fishing remains very good up at the Angle and the ice is in good shape as well.  As on the south end, resorts monitor ice roads and trails daily and there are still some great ice fishing opportunities available.     Walleyes, saugers, perch, and pike are showing up in good numbers.  Those targeting crappies are reporting good numbers of fish.  Work through a NW Angle resort for ice fishing opportunities on this part of the lake. The walleye and sauger season is open through April 14th. Pike fishing never closes, and perch and crappie remain open year-round as well. Whether booking a day house rental, sleeper fish house, or resort stay, there is still plenty of time to plan a late-season ice fishing adventure. 
    • Wanderer
      Looks like a shallow lake with some potential.  Keepable crappies, decent bluegills and some nice perch according to the last survey (2015). Susan Lake   With a max depth of 10 feet, I’d want to know a little more about it before I’d start drilling holes.  Could be a nice little adventure though.  
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