st cloud St Cloud Fishing Reports

[Rick G]

Have been out and around the area the last couple days. Saw a few guys out on Clearwater, was told there was 3-6 inches out there depending on where you were. 

 

Have been on parts of the Horseshoe chain, finding 5-6 inches. Seeing quite a few people on all the lakes out there. Some brave and energetic individual walked out across the river and over to Becker already

Was on The Lower Spunk on Friday,  found roughly 8 inches out there.

I think the ice fishing season has officially started

 

[smurfy]

good hearing from you again Rick!!!!!!!!!

[Rick G]

Spent the day fishing the Horseshoe chain today. Drilled out a bunch of old "hot spots"   Would like to say that I put a ton of fish topside, truth is....I struggled most of the day to not only find fish, but to trick the ones I did find into biting.  They were tough, I saw 10 marks on the vex for every fish I caught.I did learn  something valuable though..where the fish weren't, lol. The hot spots that produced in years past have dried up, that's why it's important not to live on fishing memories I guess. 

On a positive note, the ones I did end up catching were all pretty darn nice.

Found 5-8 inches pretty much everywhere I drilled

[The Chemist]

So went out from the cabin on Rice and found 4 or so inches of water on top of the ice from shore to 50ft out. 

Has anyone else been seeing this?

On other areas of Rice or on the chain?

[The Chemist]

Thinking of hitting long this week.

[Rick G]

Took advantage of the warmer day we had today.... Lol. 

The fresh snowfall seems to have insulated the ice somewhat. I don't think we gained any ice depth since I been out last. Did find quite a bit of water in places, the deeper the snow, the deeper the water on top the ice was. Hopefully this artic blast we have coming in this weekend helps thicken the ice and freeze the slush layer we have.

Action was decent today, lots of quality fish were caught and released.  Found the better fish on the edge of a mid lake basin. Basin bottoms out at 30 ft, fish were holding over 20-22 ft, coming in 6-8 ft off bottom.  Got most of the bigger fish off a jointed pinhead mino. I threw down some plastics through out the day, but got more small fish on those.

[whateverisbiting]

Do you tip the mino or fish baitless?

[smurfy]

  On 12/31/2021 at 2:50 PM, whateverisbiting said:

Do you tip the mino or fish baitless?

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Rick is a fish whisperer, he don't need no bait!!

[Mike89]

zoom in on the pic, I see no bait..  looks like a jigging lure he's using...

[monstermoose78]

No bait but it takes practice to get the right cadence down.

[Rick G]

  On 12/31/2021 at 2:50 PM, whateverisbiting said:

Do you tip the mino or fish baitless?

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I have tried using bait on the pinhead... I find that it doesn't have quite the same action. That little flipper attached to the hook is the "bait"   This spoon has really become a game changer for me once my confidence in it grew.   Baitless spoon means you can get back down to the fish just a little quicker....and never worried about the fish I just missed stealing my " bait" is always nice 

My favorite has been the jointed 1/32 in gold and black.  

[Rick G]

  On 12/31/2021 at 8:29 PM, monstermoose78 said:

No bait but it takes practice to get the right cadence down.

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Yep, but once you get it down it is deadly

[smurfy]

  On 12/31/2021 at 11:31 PM, Rick G said:

I have tried using bait on the pinhead... I find that it doesn't have quite the same action. That little flipper attached to the hook is the "bait"   This spoon has really become a game changer for me once my confidence in it grew.   Baitless spoon means you can get back down to the fish just a little quicker....and never worried about the fish I just missed stealing my " bait" is always nice 

My favorite has been the jointed 1/32 in gold and black.  

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Let me know when you throw then in the garbage like ice hawk used to so I can go shopping again 

[monstermoose78]

  On 12/31/2021 at 11:32 PM, Rick G said:

Yep, but once you get it down it is deadly

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Agreed 

[whateverisbiting]

  On 12/31/2021 at 11:32 PM, Rick G said:

Yep, but once you get it down it is deadly

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Any chance that one of you no bait whisperers could post of video of the technique    ?

[Rick G]

  On 1/1/2022 at 1:55 PM, whateverisbiting said:

Any chance that one of you no bait whisperers could post of video of the technique    ?

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It's not really one jigging style. It's seeing fish react to how I'm jigging, and adjusting my technique as needed. Most of the time I'm jigging fairly aggressively when trying to call fish in, and taming  down to a slow and subtle shake once fish are present...just enough to get the little flapper attached to the hook moving.  

It might take a little bit to figure it out,  but once you have caught a few fish on them your confidence in it will grow

[monstermoose78]

  On 1/1/2022 at 1:55 PM, whateverisbiting said:

Any chance that one of you no bait whisperers could post of video of the technique    ?

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If you are willing to head east I can show you, but I am no where near as good as the Great Rick G. It takes practice I know it took me a while to get success with no bait, but now I don’t carry live bait. Maybe I could head over to the Briggs chain or something to show you.

[rundrave]

  On 1/1/2022 at 1:55 PM, whateverisbiting said:

Any chance that one of you no bait whisperers could post of video of the technique    ?

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Here is a recent video with the pin head minnow from @Matt Johnson

https://youtu.be/rBhugKNgZ3U

 

The wonder bread he is talking about is only available at our local bait shop as far as I know. It’s been deadly for eyes, perch for me around here but I have yet to fish it bait less 

Edited January 2, 2022 by rundrave

[jigginjim]

I have not heard if JB's will be plowing this winter,  On Clearwater lake?  I talked a guy tonight at Buffalo lake, his boys were 3/4 mile South of the north access with a frozen ATV. Hope things worked. Not know ice conditions at night really stink.

[whateverisbiting]

  On 1/2/2022 at 4:09 AM, monstermoose78 said:

If you are willing to head east I can show you, but I am no where near as good as the Great Rick G. It takes practice I know it took me a while to get success with no bait, but now I don’t carry live bait. Maybe I could head over to the Briggs chain or something to show you.

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Great offer maybe later in Feb will work.  I split my time south and west of Princeton so somewhere near Princeton would be fine as well.

[smurfy]

  On 12/31/2021 at 8:29 PM, monstermoose78 said:

No bait but it takes practice to get the right cadence down.

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it took me years to get confidence in using plastics over live bait........i'll be dead before i have that kind of confidence to not using any kind of bait!!!!!!! 

[monstermoose78]

  On 1/2/2022 at 2:38 PM, smurfy said:

it took me years to get confidence in using plastics over live bait........i'll be dead before i have that kind of confidence to not using any kind of bait!!!!!!! 

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It’s ok smurfy it takes time.

[monstermoose78]

  On 1/2/2022 at 1:51 PM, whateverisbiting said:

 

Great offer maybe later in Feb will work.  I split my time south and west of Princeton so somewhere near Princeton would be fine as well.

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I have a lake in mind that has aggressive fish most the time.

[Rick G]

  On 1/2/2022 at 2:38 PM, smurfy said:

it took me years to get confidence in using plastics over live bait........i'll be dead before i have that kind of confidence to not using any kind of bait!!!!!!! 

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Lmao.  Too funny! 

Don't get me wrong, live bait definitely has its place... Hard to fish tip up or a set line with plastics and that rare occasion when the big panfish won't touch anything except a giant gob of waxworm snot.... I pretty much will feed the fish whatever they want... It's just more of a satisfying feeling when I  can trick them with something that isn't natural.

[Rick G]

The -20 temps really improved ice conditions locally. Drilled quite a few holes today, only a few flooded over.  All of the slush pockets we had late last week have now froze solid.  Guessing we will be seeing vehicle traffic on SOME of the area lakes very soon.   

Fishing action continues to be good when Mother Nature lets us have a day above 0

[Wanderer]

  On 1/4/2022 at 1:53 AM, Rick G said:

  Guessing we will be seeing vehicle traffic on SOME of the area lakes very soon.   

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Yah it’s coming to a lake near you.  Starting to see some on the Brainerd lakes.

[whateverisbiting]

  On 1/2/2022 at 3:54 PM, monstermoose78 said:

I have a lake in mind that has aggressive fish most the time.

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Sounds good I have to firm up my Feb calendar I know one weekend is gone, just not sure which one yet.

[Dash 1]

 Made it out to small lake north of Eden Valley Saturday. Managed a couple sunnies and 2 14 inch walleye. Fish were very scarce compared to last Monday. Probably due the changing weather this week. Has about 10 or 11 inches of ice and saw 6 vehicles on lake. My truck needs a washing but not that way. There crazy.  Looking forward to EV sportsman fishing contest Saturday. Always a good time seeing old friends.

[The Chemist]

Rice has quite the vehicle traffic and large wheeled houses. Finding it odd with the water/slush I have been finding and all of the holes I have been drilling aren't over 12" thick.  Be careful out there driving as I seen several areas where the ice blocks from spear holes are sitting on the ice and don't appear to he marked.

[Rick G]

Finding most of my better late January fish out deeper than I was earlier this month. With the snow cover and thicker ice we have on most of our area lakes, a lot of the shallow green weeds are starting to die off or already have died off. 

With conditions getting tough in the shallows on some lakes, this will push the fish a bit deeper looking for food and more comfortable habitat.  

Tricked this beauty and a few of his buddies into biting today.