Lake Miltona Fishing Reports - Ice Conditions

[troutmankp]

Can anyone tell me how much ice is out there and if it is safe to drive my ranger. Also a little help on where to start for some wallies we have a cabin on there but have never ice fished it.

thanks

[eagle_3464]

Everywhere I have checked there has been at least 11" but there is a pressure ridge to cross out from each access. There have been a number of cars and trucks on the ice but I would not recommend it. There has been alot of wheeler traffic across the entire lake.

As for a place to start, I would look for some transition areas away from other people and in the 15 to 18 foot range. Good luck.

[hhguide]

eagle said it.

[troutmankp]

What do you think about the west end i have had good luck in spring for walleyes ?????????

[troutmankp]

Hi all looking for a little help on where to start on the lake, i have fished it for years in the summer but never in the winter any tips would be great to find some walleyes and crappies. Has anyone ever fished the west end in winter i know i have killed them in the spring. Any help would be great.

thanks

[nortin1962]

Hey Toutmankp, there is very limited ice on the west end of the lake! I would just fish the point. there is plnty o ice there! forget about the west end till spring when u take all your buddy's up.

[Musky Buck]

Ask the locals troutman, the musky ate or is currently eating all the walleyes out of Lake Miltona, that's what they yell at me anyway, but I did enjoy eating mine and my brother in laws limit of walleyes from there last weekend. He's on the east side someplace there, we released 2 over 20" also so there's at least 2 in there yet.

[Chad Peterson]

Ask the locals troutman, the musky ate or is currently eating all the walleyes out of Lake Miltona, that's what they yell at me anyway, but I did enjoy eating mine and my brother in laws limit of walleyes from there last weekend. He's on the east side someplace there, we released 2 over 20" also so there's at least 2 in there yet.

LOL. There is enough walleyes in Miltona. You just have to find them.

Sniffer

[troutmankp]

Wow skunked musky man i catch plenty of them in the summer there at my cabin i also catch those slimy musckies i do fillet and release on them meaning i slit there throats they eat all the fish.

[eyehead]

Fish about any weedline on Miltona and your gonna catch a couple walleye's.....It wasnt the big bad muskys fault you got skunked LOL.....

[eagle_3464]

i slit there throats they eat all the fish.

I am rather new to the area but have been told that locals are doing this because they don't like muskies. There has recently been a 48" plus muskie laying dead under the ice in the bay here. We saw one of similar size roaming the bay while gill fishing so I am sure it is the same one. I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone purposely speared it and shoved it back down.

I don't understand why muskies have taken so much criticism. How do explain the premier walleye fisheries such as LOW, MilleLacs, Leech, Vermillion, Miltona and the fact that they all have muskies. It would appear that muskies don't really have a huge impact on the walleye population as some want you to believe.

Back to the OP, find the transition areas in 15 to 18fow with adjacent deep water. The deep edge of the weeds on the transition seems to still attract some fish.

[hhguide]

Its a huge joke that people think the muskie's are eating the walleyes. Yeah they are eating a few but their are studies out there that say bass and specially smallies that eat more walleye fingerlings that muskies. Miltona is one of the best fisheries in the area and I think the muskies have helped with the walleyes. The walleye fishing on Miltona is unreal. Anyone that think the muskies are harming the walleyes on miltona dont have a clue. I apologize if I offend anyone but I fish on miltona alone for probably 50 to 75 days a year and I truely believe that the muskies have helped the walleyes!

[walleyeman1]

hhguide and his clients take more walleyes than the muskies! Walleye fishing on muskie lakes seem to keep getting better and better, because they stock the heck out of them to keep the locals happy.

[Grainbelt]

Lakes need those big predators to keep the small northerns in check. Without them a lake gets over run with little hammerhandles. Those aggresive little buggers will affect your walleye population.

[RawHog]

I'm new to this site..I apologize in advance for the long post, but right now I can't believe what I am reading... people spearing muskies and slitting throats I fish miltona habitually and I can tell all of you that the muskie and walleye populations either have been steady in numbers and size or increasing numbers with LOTS of LARGE fish in each species. The smallies have greatly increased in size and numbers too and they're easy to find if you know the lake.

Not only do I fish habitually, but I scout that great fishery every preseason and before Ice and I have seen such large schools of adult walleyes (amongst other fish) that people might not believe me.

When scouting..I ran into the DNR shocking muskies late one weekday night in april last year. They we're in the middle of measuring a 56 inch muskie in the lily-pads in the west bay. I trolled over closer and watched them release this 'ski. It was so disoriented that it swam directly upright with its head sticking above the water like a dolphin at Seaworld. I regard this as one of my favorite outdoor experiences.

They told me they had shocked and measured multiple fish that night all over 40 inches, the biggest being that 56, and they said they we're expecting 57s and 58s during their study. They we're very excited about there catch.

So 56, and likely 57 and 58 inch muskies live with a healthy population of adult walleyes in miltona, So obviously the muskies aren't voraciously feeding on walleyes. Like HH said, the muskies have helped the walleyes, if anything at all.

In the past couple years I've seen a large population increase in crayfish too.. This definitely has something to do with the makeup of this excellent fishery.

[tolle141]

If some of those walleye anglers were as adamant as musky anglers about releasing their fish I doubt we'd need anywhere near the stocking that we do.

[mulefarm]

If they knew how good those muskies taste, I doubt they would release them!

[RawHog]

If they knew how good those muskies taste, I doubt they would release them!

I'm sure some folks love brown, chewy, rancid fish meat. I've eaten muskie once in my early childhood. Oh wait, actually no I haven't. I was peer-pressured into putting a bite-sized piece in my mouth. I spit it out after one chomp because it tasted like garbage.

It was caught and prepared by an expert hibachi chef, BTW.

Anybody who eats muskie is PROBABLY (not always) either born with defective taste buds or is doing it out of spite.

Excuse me, it bothers me when magnificent animals get killed for no good reason.

[mulefarm]

So eating isn't a good reason to kill an animal?

[RawHog]

Depends on the animal? As tax payers, we spend over $3 million annually on walleye stocking, and that doesnt even factor in private stocking like the Miltona Association does.

Muskies are a sport fish, like a freshwater tarpon. There is only about 110 known waters in MN (less than 1 %) either containing hybrids or pure bred muskies. Minnesota has arguably taken the title from Wisc. as the "Muskie Mecca of the World", and there is still barely any of them. C&R by educated anglers and the way our DNR manages muskies is what qualifies us for that title. Think of how many tourists dollars enter our state thanks to muskies.

Oh and guess what?!? I've never even caught a muskie!! I just have conservation ethics.

[northcountry24]

new to the area, love muskie fishing! was hoping for some general areas to start fishing muskie on lake miltona. i know people dont like giving specifics but any direction will help a ton!

[dafishinman18]

Deep weed edges of mid lake structure has been most productive for me this year. Hint, if you can find where sunfish are schooling at the surface the muskies won't be far away. Natural colored bucktails has been the best lure choice. Plenty of big fish in the lake.

[koonie]

Going to be up there next week for a few days. Looking to catch some walleyes and maybe some sunfish. How has the bite been?

[northcountry24]

just went up last saturday, found some sunnies on deep edges of weeds but focused mostly on muskie... saw two that were over 40+ and had a few small follows no hits though. too much weird weather!

[Chad Peterson]

Welcome to HSO northcountry24. Glad to have you here.

Sniffer

[PerchJrkr]

So 56, and likely 57 and 58 inch muskies live with a healthy population of adult walleyes in miltona, So obviously the muskies aren't voraciously feeding on walleyes.

Anyone thats ever fished for muskie will tell you that muskies arent voraciously feeding on ANYTHING, EVER. PERIOD. I've been chasing them for 3 years and maybe I just suck, but I've only caught one so far. Had some other close calls, near misses but the fact of the matter is they only feed during small windows, and from I've heard, these small windows probably only come maybe 2-3 times a week for a fish. The problem that feeds this myth is walleye anglers have a muskie follow up a fish or take it, and automatically assume all they eat is walleyes. Muskies are opportunistic feeders. When that walleye is thrashing around on its way up or at the suface it perks their interest. If someone dangled a ribeye in front of your face, wouldnt you eat it? Someone else stated that little hammer handles will do more damage and I can testify to that first hand. Caught a little 20" northern a couple weeks ago and it puked up a 7" walleye fingerling.

[Loosey]

New to Miltona this year. In what depth of water are walleyes biting now? We had luck early in the year at 12 feet on the NE side of the lake. what's been successful as of late? Thanks- Loosey

[northcountry24]

thanks crappiesniffer! just spent an all nighter out on the lake during the full moon... didnt see a muskie all day. too much boat traffic and weird weather i think, every weed flat was very churned up from people on the lake with the 4th being the full moon week. oh well ill be back, seen 4 fish the last trip before

[The_Commodore]

What are the current water temps looking like?

[MNMUSKIE50]

Bringing the wife and Kids up to Miltona this wknd. Looking for some tips on the Walleyes & panfish, not specific spots, just depth and technique for late August. Thanks for any tips!