Ice Reports

[vman11]

I am also looking for reports on some of the larger lakes (Lida, Big D, Pelican, Lizzie).

I have to believe that if lakes locked up last weekend there has to be 4+ inches of ice with the bitterly cold days and nights.

[Fat Fishie]

It looks like it will be pretty hard for a guy to get a perm. house out on the "no wake zone" on Leif. I drove past today and notice that there is a large dock section and No Trespass signs on the area most guys drove on and off with houses... Bummer

I guess I can't blame the guy if he had damage to his property in the past.

[Brade4]

Will any perms be going out on Lida, Crystal, Lizzie this weekend? Or not for another week?

[deadsea]

fished big sugar bush tonight 5 inches of ice got fish on gragh and caught perch and couple snot rockets but they shut off at dusk and nothing would bite. fished 20-24' of water.

[JigginIsLife]

Was on silver today there were 4.5 nches of ice caught some perch and a Walter

[JbuZZo]

jiggin-

You caught a walleye on Silver...that must be the only one in there...lol. Any size to it or just a dink? The only fish of any size I've cuaght in 1 full season of ice fishing (last year) and open water (this past summer) in my 16' Alumacraft was a 2-3 lb. smallie along the south shore in the weeds...

[vman11]

How about snow cover on the lakes? Has it all blown off or is there a few inches of hard, crusty stuff?

[Dahitman44]

You caught a smallie?

no way.

Didn't know they were in there. Or was it a small largie?

[Dahitman44]

snow cover? mostly blown off.

[Bran32]

Just got off of silver, there's a little snow on it and about 4 1/2 inches of ice! No fish,and I didn't take my portable and froze my butt off!

[Dahitman44]

Only 4.5 inches huh?

That figures on that lake - -u may have been near a spring.

[curtistodd]

4.5 to 5 inches on Lee Lake by Hawley. It held my 300lbs up. Nice to get out there and "practice" on the guppies. Lots of little gills and perch. I also saw a small permanent on Middle C. I could hardly believe my eyes.

Not much activity anywhere else that I could see. Everyone must've been working! I might try Little C tomorrow, wherever I go, ill post a report.

[JigginIsLife]

walleye was a cigar no size to it at all can anyone track down a location of the springs in the lake??? or at least anyone have an idea. Caught a bunch of perch would like to try the lake again... i also need to get out on Lee lake and tlak to the property owner on hwy 32 about getting around the back side through his property so i can get down to the lake easier, great old guy, cant remember his name though, but would like to know more about him any got any idea who i am talking about>?

anyone have any ideas on ice on 11, 13 or 15??/ or have ice fished them before???

[dayton_1313]

Was out on silver yesterday. Ice was 5 inches in some spots and up to 6.5 in others. Didn't have much luck but will pry go back here in the next week to try again.

[fisherdog19]

Got out on Lida today for a few hours with a few friends. Ended up with about a dozen keeper slabs and another 20 or so throw backs. Got a few gills as well, but they were a little finicky. It was good to get out again and ice some fish. Probably won't get out again until Thursday when I'll be chasing Greenbacks up in Selkirk until Sunday

[rcatcherman]

By the looks I saw on minnetonka today you will have the whole lake to yourself. From mound to Excelsior not one fisherman to be seen on the ice anywhere PERIOD....

[Skitterpop]

Fisherdog, what area of Lida holds the crappies in the winter? Not lookig for exact spots but would like to be steered in the right direction. If you don't want to give out the info. over the site I can shoot you an e-mail. Is it deep weed edges, flats, holes, north end, south end...I'm puzzled as to where they are as I sure never find them and you appear to be the local Lida crappie expert.

I myself tried Grove. Had 7 inches of ice but only caught a few bass. Same with another guy I talked to. The lake was horrible last winter so I am not sure why I bothered trying it again. I feel the lake was pounded too hard and the sunnies just aren't there in numbers anymore.

[vman11]

guys do we have any wheel houses going out yet? i'm getting antsy to get mine out of the alley...

[jacobj12k]

Fisherdog - Was there enough ice to get out to where we were catching the slabs and gils last year?

[fisherdog19]

I would hardly consider myself the Lida crappie expert, I was actually shown the spot where we have great luck with our permanent. The early ice panfish are caught in 10-13 fow water during the day in a deeper hole surrounded by shallow water. At night, they usually slide out deeper; we weren't in an area with deep water near by so the crappies turned off or move out of the area. Closest deep water was about 50-75 yards from us and we didn't want to move so we packed it in. As the season get's older, the crappies will roam deeper water and suspend, just look for deeper basins around areas where there are other shacks, they are there for a reason!

There was plenty of ice and some small permanents with wheelers out where we got them last year. 6-7 inches of good ice.

[Paul]

Was at Longbridge today, had 3-4 inches of ice only. John at Quality told me heard they were driving on the main part of Little DL. Said there was 8" of ice. NOT ME. not yet. I would wait at least another week or two.

[Brade4]

Went out on Prairie tonight. 9 good inches of ice. There are some perms out there. Bite was alright.

[WildFan10]

Anyone know how thick the ice is on Big and Little Detroit? Are there any perms out yet? Coming up from the cities so any info. would be good. Thanks.

[Paul]

Was on Little Detroit on Sunday near long bridge, had only about 3-4 inches of ice. I heard that the main part of LIttle Detroit had close to 9 inches as of sunday afternoon and there were some idiots driving on it.

[lovfs]

Does any one know the ice thisckness on grove lk?

i'm somewhat new to the forum, so how would i send pm messages to the people who post on here to ask questions/ answers?

wheres good fishing on the lake. and any houses out yet?

lake by pelican, not hawley.

?

[Skitterpop]

7 inches of ice on Saturday. Lake has dropped about 3 feet since they put the drain pipe in to lower the level. Good luck trying to drive on this winter with all of the rock now exposed next to the road not to mention the drop to the lake. No houses out yet, just portables and the guy I talked with had the same results I did. Bite was horrible. Just bass in 7 hours of fishing. Lake was pounded hard over the last 3 winters. My suggestion, find a different lake and let Grove heal.

[lovfs]

is there any size to those bass or sunnies?

or any one catching any croppies, walleys, ect...

just looking for info about the lake, and its activity.

???

[Skitterpop]

Sunnies have become small over the years as harvest has been HUGE. Bass range from dinks to 18 inches. A few crappies but catch them mostly by accident. I personally wouldn't go there to target crappies as you will be disappointed. Very few walleye in the lake. I have caught a couple during ice season and my friend caught one out of his canoe.

The water is pretty clear and that tends to lend itself to a night bite.

Again, I would honestly try somewhere else but you can choose whatever you would like to do. It is one of those lakes where it is "you should have been here years ago"...kinda like the Red Lake crappie bite.

P.S. the fish usually have worms in there stomachs so don't cut them open if you don't want to eat them with the meat. Also, the sunnies can be pretty speckled with the black parasite dots. Some people can't eat them, others don't mind. They are harmless to eat, just don't look good.

[Matthew10]

Ya, I ice fished Grove last year quite a few times and never had any luck. The lake seems to be very spotty.

[vman11]

back to the ice reports...

pelican had 10" where i put my wheelhouse; however, there were 2 trucks on the ice from the sw landing where they said they had 12"

when it didn't look like ice until xmas has turned into drive-able ice pretty quickly