2020 Lake Osakis Fishing Reports

[Fredd]

We were out on the north end on Sunday.  SSSSLLLLLOOOOWWWW is an understatement.  Some crappies were going through suspended but very finicky.  I am used to the sunnies being tight lipped, but not the crappies.  We tried three different areas before going to a different lake.  I am guessing the ice was around the 5- 6" mark with some wheelers and a snowmobile testing things out.

[timjones]

Good advice from sartellangler. Battle Point is a good walk on spot. Lots of people out and about. A few small permanents have been pulled out with atv's between the Moon Bar rock pile and Battle Point. Today I have found around 6 inches of ice every where I have been where it is snow covered. Found a couple of spots where it was 7 inches where the ice was bare or had very little snow cover. Haven't been over to Manthey's Bay since last week so not sure how things are going there.

[Weathertite]

Thanks for the Information Fredd , Please keep us updated as we move through the season. I am hoping to get up that way soon and maybe do some fishing with my man Papa D

[sartellangler05]

21 hours ago, Fredd said:

We were out on the north end on Sunday.  SSSSLLLLLOOOOWWWW is an understatement.  Some crappies were going through suspended but very finicky.  I am used to the sunnies being tight lipped, but not the crappies.  We tried three different areas before going to a different lake.  I am guessing the ice was around the 5- 6" mark with some wheelers and a snowmobile testing things out.

^^This is my exact report for yesterday. I was out before sunup and fished sundown, not one walleye....was thinking about walking out from Town Access, until a guy I talked to at the landing tried bringing his house out towards 2 mile. He got about a mile out, drilled a hole and water came spewing up fast all around him, so he quickly returned to shore. He mentioned someone he knew tried to go out with the yesterday from similar area on south shore yesterday as well, and they fell through, grabbing as much as they could before going down. Not sure how deep, and/or if they managed to retrieve belongings or atv. All in all, ice is not safe for wheeler anywhere, but north side in my opinion. Caution to snowmobilers on the north end...went flying by my house and there were big waves underneath the ice that came through my hole. Ice is not safe to be going that fast quite yet.

[Weathertite]

Thank you so much for the update , People really need to start using some common sense !!  If someone He knew went through yesterday then why on gods green earth would anybody think it would be safe today . do people really lack the judgement to make smart decisions ? I don't want to believe that is the case but sometimes I wonder. Be careful out there SartellAngler as sometimes the people around are the ones that cause the accidents.  Mike

Edited December 30, 2015 by Weathertite

[TMF89]

Hey guys, sorry for the late report. We were out on Tuesday from about 8-7, and ditto on the slow fishing. Caught a 7 and a 10" crappie when a school moved through out in deep water, but other than that, just a few small perch. Tried all over Schultz (at least I think that's the right bay), in depths from 16-50 fow. Marked a few suspended fish aside from the two I caught, but that was it. Saw a bunch of guys out on wheelers, didn't look like anyone was catching anything. Ice was 5-7".

[TheTuna]

Out and about on north end of lake osakis and found 7-9" of ice. Found lots of fish but most didn't care for what we had.  Ended up finding active fish in 16-21'. Still a limit or two left in the lake. 

[Fishing Frenzy]

Anybody been out recently? Wanted to know how the bite has been.

[IceHawk]

Rumor has it from the guys I fish with is tough. Seems like a lot of sniffers and not many takers. Man that lake has been good last few years but it might be a off year out there. I guess we will see as the winter goes on.

[timjones]

Marking a lot of fish. Like IceHawk said, lot of sniffers. Takers are few and far between.

[ZachD]

Anything picking up? @timjones you marking them in the Northern part? I am heading up Friday going out a cabin from miller bay.  What fow you seeing them in mostly?

Hopefully they turn on if not Will have to hit some smaller lakes in the Brandon area

[osakis cabin]

It is beyond slow !! Can't even get the perch to bite I tried fishing crappies , walleyes and perch since first ice  and have bought every jig in town with no luck if you find crappies they don't even bother looking at your bait .which is fine by me maybe the lake  needs a break from the fish house mess last year !!!! I'm headed to another lake to catch something I have fished  osakis all winter and have a couple keeper walleyes 3 crappie 1 northern and 2 perch to show for it all winter 

[Moon Lake Refuge]

On 1/28/2016 at 4:37 AM, ZachD said:

Anything picking up? @timjones you marking them in the Northern part? I am heading up Friday going out a cabin from miller bay.  What fow you seeing them in mostly?

Hopefully they turn on if not Will have to hit some smaller lakes in the Brandon area

Hit a few crappies, a perch, a sunny and a northern out on moon.  Sat sun up till well after sundown friday- sunday.  The bit was really slow and they were pretty timid even when they did show.  Usually always see fish there all day but it was definitely slow picking as of last weekend.  Crappies came in one wave of about an hour or two and I hit my limit but other than that it was a slow moving weekend.

[ZachD]

Well we picked up some pretty nice ones got checked by the dnr around 8pm and he was surprised we had so many from what he said no one was doing much of anything. I think between the two of us we had 12 at the time. Fishing 21 fow they wanted nothing to do with jigging. Caught one small sunfish jigging. All others were on floats with a small white and green demon and crappie minnow. Or dead sticking a spring bobber as soon as it moved at all I would set the hook. They wouldn't take the float down hardly at all maybe a inch below and I had them cut so it would barley stay afloat.

All crappies were between 11 1/2 to 13 3/4 that we caught
 

[ZachD]

[IceHawk]

 Nice Fish Zach! Was there today and got into a great crappie bite. U have to look for them but once you find them game on    Nice year class of pies in the Big O this yr.

[timjones]

Nice bunch of fish Zach! Sorry couldn't get back to you earlier. Doesn't look like you needed any info from me anyway.

[osakis cabin]

Way to go Zach !!! It was just starting to get thinned out so we could fish the lake without people all over ! I don't know why you would post that here maybe should of put it on ice fishing pics and not name the lake but maybe your trying to sell bait I was in that spot last weekend and I'm not sure if your one of them but a bunch of guys drilled holes all the way around my house between my truck and house I moved out of there to get away ! Fishing slowed big time after all the people showed up 

[chaze44]

Hello

I would like to bring the family this weekend, how much ice  is on the lake? I have a big wheel house

Thanks 

Chad

Edited February 4, 2016 by chaze44

[theharvester]

Cabin, you learn the hard way i guess . Its really hard on lakes.

[osakis cabin]

Ice is unsafe and scary on osakis I would probably head to a safer lake I heard good ice on reno and maple lake and much better bite there

I'm sitting on osakis and I have hit every spot on my GPS from linberg point to 3 mile and all I have found is a few pockets of 10 inch crappies and small numbers in those pockets ,a few pike ,alot of small perch and the occasional walleye . my kid is showing me pics of 10 to 12 inch crappies ,nice walleyes one wich is 20 inches and lots of nice bluegill and I have not seen him fish in years ! Go figure

 

And he is on maple

 

 

[247outdoors]

Thinking about heading up there this Saturday. How's the ice and north end launch holding up? TIA

[ZachD]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:26 AM, osakis cabin said:

Way to go Zach !!! It was just starting to get thinned out so we could fish the lake without people all over ! I don't know why you would post that here maybe should of put it on ice fishing pics and not name the lake but maybe your trying to sell bait I was in that spot last weekend and I'm not sure if your one of them but a bunch of guys drilled holes all the way around my house between my truck and house I moved out of there to get away ! Fishing slowed big time after all the people showed up 

Sorry didn't mean to try to bring more people in to the lake or anything... Normally I don't post on lakes that are smaller and not known but I thought pretty much everyone and there mother knew about Osakis, Kinda like if I posted pics of millacs I wouldn't think that someone would see them and be like wow I need to go there. But I did say that the dnr was surprised we caught what we did because everyone else did poorly.

 

As far as drilling holes No that wasn't me I don't crowd people when I am hole hopping and this particular weekend I was with an older gentleman so I just drilled for holes put my house up and was in that spot all weekend.

Tight lines hope the rest of your season goes well

[timjones]

Just made a run into Long Prairie so I went past Manthey's Bay. Still a lot of houses and vehicles out there. Stopped at the 145th Ave access and they are still driving on. They are also still driving on at Battle Point, Miller Bay, and in town.

[noska]

Are people still walking on or is the access open water?  

[timjones]

Don't know about Head of the Lakes. Haven't been by there for a few days. There were 3 people that walked out from Battle Point access today. They are far braver than I.

[IceHawk]

Foot traffic and a few wheelers in Mantheys bay today

[Fishing Frenzy]

Is anybody been out? Can you even get out anymore?

[Fredd]

You can get out.  It has pulled away from shore 4' or so by the landing but still accessible.  Fish still aren't the most willing biters yet.  Things can only get better!  

[timjones]

Saw two guys out in a boat fishing a little bit ago. First boat I have seen out this year.