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Metro Area Minnesota Fishing Reports & Ice Conditions


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  • 7 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
  • The title was changed to Metro Area Minnesota Fishing Reports & Ice Conditions
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

How is the ice looking on Metro area lakes and Lake Minnetonka/Waconia?

 

Anyone out ice fishing?

 

I heard a few have been out catching panfish. Any truth to the rumors?

 

Be careful out there. Very careful.

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56 minutes ago, Rick said:

How is the ice looking on Metro area lakes and Lake Minnetonka/Waconia?

 

Anyone out ice fishing?

 

I heard a few have been out catching panfish. Any truth to the rumors?

 

Be careful out there. Very careful.

I got out on Silver Lake in Columbia Heights yesterday. I found 4 inches of clear ice and a few other fishermen out on the lake at the same time. I got some sunnies, a crappie and 2 small bass. Most importantly, I got on and off the ice dry!

 

I wouldn't dream of going out on bigger lakes (like mtka, waconia) yet. Just from driving around, I can confirm that White Bear Lake, Island (Arden Hills), and Long Lake (New Brighton) all have open water still.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Thank you @popriveter

 

Let's get a group going to share info.

 

We can pick from members who share information in this area and add them to a private forum where we can share even better information privately.

 

Anyone else got good info to share?

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Lol I am shocked anyone would fish that lake. Having grown up in New Brighton 68' to 81'... That lake glows in the dark with chemicals. At least it back in the day. Carp and bullheads were the norm. Cool ya caught anything!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Me and buddy took these in 2 hours . Little lake west of the metro.  Threw away over 40 fish each.  Had a blast

Snapchat-1769577586.jpg

Edited by HoleHoppingGills
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  • 1 year later...

Time for some new ice reports around the Metro I know Battle Creek has been iced over well over a week I'm expecting to see people walking on it real soon every year I see if you guys go out long before I would go out

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  • 4 weeks later...

Any new Ice Reports around the Metro?  I am supposed to be going out in the West Metro tomorrow with a friend, with the unsettled weather we have had, just wondering how the ice is doing.  Already had to cancel one outing a week or two ago.  Going to be cold Tuesday/Wed which should help.  

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On 1/6/2020 at 10:43 PM, Storm said:

Had 7-8 inches of ice where I was on the Minneapolis chain of lakes this weekend. Panfish were biting decent.

 

I was on a small W Metro lake last night and there was 7in of clear ice with 1in of slushy ice on top.  The lake was popping and making ice while we were out there.  Caught a bunch of crappies that weren't quite big enough to keep, definitely more negative with the cold front coming in, but fun regardless.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

 

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I was bass fishing in the west metro on Medicine Lake and caught all the bass and a pike on a chatterbait fished slow too.  It wasn't a jackhammer but the concept is the same.  Those jack hammers are nice but they price is pretty steep and getting bit off by a pike is hard to avoid in a lot of lakes I fish.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Minnesota twin cities metro area bass, sunfish, bluegill and crappie fishing. Pike out.

 

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Bass fishing has been the best its been to start a season in the first month I've maybe ever had.  I've been out 6 times and its been fantastic in terms of both numbers and quality.  Lots of pike by accident too.  My biggest is a 20 inch prespawn largie that weighed 5.21 pounds.  Its bound to slow down at some point...

5-30-20 big bass horizontal.jpg

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Nice...very nice!

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  • 7 months later...

8 inches or so on Turtle today. Few dozen folks pan fishing in shallows at the break a couple hundred yards off landing. Got a tip on some eyes in 13-18 out a couple hundred yards further but got skunked. Group just shallower than us to the east pulled in 2 eyes while we were there. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been hearing the bite on Waconia is not great.  Have not been on Tonka yet.  Anyone finding the sunfish on Tonka yet or another lake.  I have relatives that do not really fish wanting me to take them out Sunday as it has been about a year since we did a fish fry.  Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Pikeguy

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@pikeguy2003 the bite has slowed all over from what I’ve been seeing and hearing.  Pretty easy to blame it on last week’s cold front and now we have another, but we’re getting into the harder part of the season.

 

That said, someone is always on them somewhere and hopefully they’ll let you know!  I’m replying for 2 reasons: one, so you don’t just get crickets ? and two, my interest in Tonka has been reignited lately.  
 

Looking over the maps last night I was reminded of the holes on flats and the basins outside the many coves where they frequent in the spring.  Drill some of those areas out from shallow to deep.  If you find good weeds shallow they could still be in there but will head to the basin if not.

 

Sorry, that’s the best I can do without being there!

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You could always just make a quick trip to the seafood case at the grocery store.  They won't have fresh caught sunfish but they'll have a wide variety of other seafood including fish.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/22/2021 at 8:02 AM, gimruis said:

You could always just make a quick trip to the seafood case at the grocery store.  They won't have fresh caught sunfish but they'll have a wide variety of other seafood including fish.

Where's the fun in that? ?

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  • 10 months later...
  • 4 months later...
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

Metro Area Fishing Report 2022

 

 

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

 

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