St. Croix River Fishing Reports

[RiverChuckNorris]

Going to head out tomorrow for the day, will be curious to see how much ice there is. Did fairly well a couple weeks ago.

[draleckson]

Is anybody aware if there is currently a shore area to park on the minnesota side near the usual entrance spot to the river near that marina in bayport? Thanks!

[john.wells]

Wondering where all the recent fishing reports are. Hopefully people will post some fishing updates. We fished last Sat. pm from 3 to 6 and had 2 bites with 4 people!

That seems to be the norm for me every time I went out to the Croix ice fishing in the past.... I don't know why I kept going out there, but I did. I guess for me it was the pursuit more than the result that brought me back.

[Cheetah]

Is anybody aware if there is currently a shore area to park on the minnesota side near the usual entrance spot to the river near that marina in bayport? Thanks!

Park in Bayport at Lakeside Park to walk out. They have a couple parking lots there. You'll see it on google maps.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

Park in Bayport at Lakeside Park to walk out. They have a couple parking lots there. You'll see it on google maps.

Yep, just don't have a heavy load to push/pull up that hill at the end of the day.....

[RiverChuckNorris]

Got out yesterday to enjoy the sun. Fished away from folks and explored some different areas on the sled to little availe. Ended up catching 1 white crappie and 1 mooneye/whitefish.

Definitely disappointed in not being able to find some new "secret spots" but it was great to get out mid-week and already my third trip of the year!

Ice was fantastic (dark black) measuring 9.75" consistently. 1 guy had a small car out. Won't be long till the hooligans are out driving pickups 50 mph down the middle....ugh

[MN BassFisher]

Yep, just don't have a heavy load to push/pull up that hill at the end of the day.....

Haha that is so true. I've done that before!

[Tdubbers]

Fished yesterday evening south of shanty town, marked lots of fish but only managed to ice one white bass. Got out this evening on MN side with similar luck, one crappie. They dont seem to be interested in minnows or anything else i'm offering for that matter. Anybody having any better luck than I?

[Tdubbers]

Also, Found a round frabill tip-up on the hill going down to the water at Bayport lakeside park, let me know if its yours and I can meet you on the water sometime.

[ESSGuy]

I grew up in Bayport and have fished the Croix for over 30yrs, my dad taught me how to lead line troll back in the early 80's. My dad said he used to have no trouble catching limits of walleyes in the late 60's-late 70's with big fish 8-10 lbers pretty common. I remember catching limits as a kid, was very few people fishing then, few huge cruisers. The last 10 yrs at least for me has been horrible, both for early season walleye and crappies thru the ice. Sure you may have a day here or there where you can do ok, but the croix is and has been in decline for years.

[Tdubbers]

My father-in-law has lived in Lakeland for many years and has said similar things about how good the fishing was in the 80's and early 90's. He tells me all his hot spots and great tactics, but they never pan out. The St Croix decline seems to be undeniable, unfortunately. Won't keep me from exploring new areas and keeping my stick on the ice though!

[iiccee63]

Welcome to overpopulation! Poachers and all kinds of stuff kill everyone's chances of catching fish. The St. Croix is a dead sea of sorts. Opening the boarders and what do you think happens? 14" to 17" crappies used to be common 15 years ago. It will never be like that again ever. I better not see anyone littering this winter. I will be all over you!

[RIPN LIPS]

Maybe all the limits of fish that came out of there 10-20 years ago did not help the cause either. That was the era of "keep everything". The fish are still there in my eyes, ya just got to find them. Good luck.

[MidCoast]

It's just not the Croix, you can pretty much say how good any lake was in the Metro area in the 80's and early 90's. Time has changed. Gotta work for your fish more often then not these days.

[Hook'emhard]

The problem for walleyes on the St.Croix, is they have moved both south and north. Had good luck catching them north of the Stillwater bridge all summer long and south of the Kinnie. BUT the biggest problem is the slot. Any guy catchin a 23-incher keeps it. 15inches and over Is a HUGE problem in my eye's. People keepin 18-26inch fish are taking all the strong breeders out of the river and it has got to stop. Sure they make good fillets and a nice fry but when 1000 people keep 1000 22inchers, where do you replace them? YA CAN'T, takes 5yrs for a 15inch walleye to become a 20inch and that fish has got to dodge an awfull lot of land mines along the way. SO if it was up to me, I would install a slot on the Croix for a minimum of 10yrs and see if the population comes back.

[shiltsy]

The St. Croix is by far my favorite place to fish and just hang out on the water in the metro, but if I actually want to CATCH FISH I don't bother with it anymore. It's really too bad.

I'd be completely in favor of a catch & release walleye and smallmouth fishery until the population rebounds! Cub Foods sells tasty walleye fillets for not much $.

[budboy]

Anyone know how thick the ice is?

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

The St. Croix is a dead sea of sorts. Opening the boarders and what do you think happens? 14" to 17" crappies used to be common 15 years ago. It will never be like that again ever.

Oh my gosh, I won't get into it on a public forum too much, but the last 2 years of the spring, summer & fall, I have caught SO many more 13-14" crappies & 9-10" sunfish as I've ever seen in my whole life on the Croix! Yes, I have pictures.

I easily catch my limit of 25 of each in 3-4 hours or less (C&R too of course), I just don't say where or what I'm using.

Hint: It ain't your normal combo jig or method. THAT don't work.

[fivebelow]

Welcome to overpopulation! Poachers and all kinds of stuff kill everyone's chances of catching fish. The St. Croix is a dead sea of sorts. Opening the boarders and what do you think happens? 14" to 17" crappies used to be common 15 years ago. It will never be like that again ever. I better not see anyone littering this winter. I will be all over you!

wonder what you mean by the part of quote that's bolded? are you inferring that the immigrants are taking all the fish out of the st. croix?

[old timer]

Out yesterday, 8:30 am - 11:30 am. Slow for me. 3 nice crappies. Crappie town, 38 fow, 6 feet off the bottom, white fiska and minnow, 10 inches of good, clear ice, no snow cover, so ice cleats are real handy.Great to be back out!

[mrscott]

Hello I live near Forest Lake. What section of the river is a decent entry point?

[DonBo]

Hello I live near Forest Lake. What section of the river is a decent entry point?

Here's everything you need to know:

http://fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthr...oix#Post1765774

[iiccee63]

No...not at all. Glad I saw this post. I was merely talking about the rampant overpopulation problem. Nothing more...

[maxpower117]

Overpopulation? Are you talking people? Really? How is that different than 10-20-30-40 years ago?

[RiverChuckNorris]

I think he's referring to the mosquito community

[Badger77]

Anyone been out since it cooled off again?

[old timer]

We were out for a few hours in the morning yesterday. Crappie town, 38 fow, 5 - 6 feet off the bottom. Not much marking. A group of guys close by were working hard, moving around, jigging plastics and catching fish. We, on the other hand, stayed put in our warm house, drank coffee, ate cookies and caught fish, though not as many. To each his own.

[RiverChuckNorris]

Got out with my 7 yr old nephew for his first ever ice fishing trip today from 11-4. No dice first spot, found them at the second spot. Caught a couple silvers and a half dozen crappies, also lost a half dozen and missed about 10 lol. Kept 4, biggest was a little over 11". 33 fow, 2-5' off the bottom.

It was so terrific to be able to get into some fish. If you know a young boy/girl, I can't emphasize enough what a great experience taking a kid fishing is for you and the kid. The smile sais it all

[GeluNumber1]

Went out today from 1-5. With no vexilar it was tough to tell where the fish were. Had 5 bites, 2 on a firetiger jig with waxies and 3 on a minnow under a bobber. Caught just one, a white crappie about 9 inches. Heard the fish were suspended anywhere from 2 feet off bottom to 15 feet down.

[th64]

Great pic RCN