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Fish Lake, Island Lake Boulder Lake Fishing Reports


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Can anyone who's been out on rice the last few days confirm how much snow the lake has? Did you notice if it was bonded? Thanks!

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It's the only public boat launch on the east side of Island lake. Its past the Island lake Inn.

Alright thanks for the info.

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The bite was not hot and heavy put I was able to pull these babies up today. I lost some nice ones at the hole as well mad I've noticed that the fish have been muc more finicky and disinterested when trying to jig them, so i decided to throw out my tip up and it was going off non-stop..

The Key: to immobilize the minnow enough for sluggish fish to want an easy meal. I:m still fishing in 12 FOW and also caught one in 6 ft. I used just a single red hook with a 3ft. fluorocarbon leader and had a couple 1/8 oz split shots roughly 4 inches above the minnow.

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I don't think he was on Island. Sherpa and I got up toward Brimson area. Hit a couple lakes and in the end found walleye gold. No big ones but we did keep. We were 1 shy of our limit, with a perch and a pike to top it off. Fish came at dark and continued until we left at around 8. Could of say out there and caught eyes all night, but it's a haul and we had to get ready for today! Most fish we caught came on live minnow dead sticked with a glow green demon. Fish were in 10 FOW... Fun night

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took kids to grand. ewwwww. CROWDED! managed to convince the boy his sucker minnow was a little fish, (the girl was a lil to wise 4 that lie). only action we had other than playing.

It's become the new Fish Lake. Loud rude people. Guy's doing doughnuts on their wheelers at prime time, racing their sleds up and down the lake, F bombs being dropped all over. Trash being left everywhere. Not a good "family" place to take the kids anymore IMO. BC

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BC I hate how people can pollute a nice enviroment. Feel for you man...sorry to hear that about Grand..

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Grand, fish, boulder, rice and pike are all getting worse. Seems like there is just a lot more people on the ice that think only of themselves and the next drink.

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Yeah, too bad. People want to get out and party, just like deer season. My son was down there on the wheeler by himself a few weeks ago. When he came to the landing, there was a guy in a car that tried to go over the heaved concrete pad and was stuck. He helped him and another guy push it off only to watch the fella dump it in the ditch on the way down the road. Son said all were heavily intoxicated. Not cool. BC

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only to watch the fella dump it in the ditch on the way down the road. Son said all were heavily intoxicated.

Probably a good thing......

Better than killing an innocent kid, parent, or family.

.

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Fished all over the east side of Island today and got 1 little walleye and about a 7lb pike. Did the same thing I did my first time at Island and just followed my gps to dropoffs and other structure and fished anywhere from 10-25ft of water. I think next time I will dry the dam.

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I'm thinking of hitting up the afternoon/moonlight bite tomorrow on boulder. Haven't had a chance to hit it up since last winter. Curious how the ice is. Curious what's safer bet, truck or snowmobile/wheeler? Any tips would be great!

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Boulder has over 20" of ice. People are driving full sized trucks out there. I would still use caution though. If you have a wheeler, i'd rather be safe than sorry.

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Thanks Guys.

We're going to take the wheeler. Any help on areas to try first. I was thinking 11 FOW - 15, but not sure if its worth punching a lot of holes in the basin. Is the water level down from what dnr lake maps say?

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Small walleyes but a few monster jumbos. I would set up somewhere near a few permanents out from the landing. Stay deeper than 10 FOW and you'll mark fish.

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Got one nice crappie out there. I was in 12FOW and marked a ton of fish and missed quite a few eyes or jumbos. They were big marks. Hit both dead and jig, but just ever so lightly that we were pulling hooks out. Frustrating but at least we were on fish. We fished away from people in a nice little pointed weed line.

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I was out there braving the cold and wind on the 21st looking for Walleyes but these pesky buggers kept running into my baits. Fished between 12-15 FOW. These 2 piggies were the largest (14-15"ish) and are still swimming.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Went out after crappies this weekend with fair success. Threw A LOT back, one being 14 inches. I also lost a monster yesterday morning cry Caught all of them in 10-12 FOW with artificial bait. Used a Custom Jiggs and Spins Clear/white Ratso tail and a small pink jig. With this cold weather pushing through, I can definitely see the action starting to pick up mid week.

One quick note: I've been stopped by a Conservation Officer twice this year, so make sure your licensed and legal...just sayin.

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  • 1 year later...

1st time user here, great info here and thanks for the forum. I have a few ?s about ice fishing on Island Lake. It seems as though Fish and Boulder lakes get more attention in the forums and newspapers etc, I would like to ice fish on Island. Does Island lake get good enough ice on the far west side to safely travel by sled, atv etc? I will be very mobile and have all the electronics to find diff depths and structures to fish on, so I am not looking for any hot spots just some basic info on presentation etc. I will be looking for walleye, crappie and perch. Due to the water clarity is it primarily a daylight bite or is it worth bringing along the led lights?

Thanks in advance for any help.

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I'm not the expert when it comes to hard water fishing on Island lake, but I can give you a some insight. First and foremost it has the Cloquet river flowing through it. This makes the channel a place to stay away from. Also I've heard reports over the years of ice not always being real consistent in areas you normally think would not be bad. I know a lot of shore owners fish for crappies and walleyes. Fairly stained water. I would think it would be a dawn-evening bite, but you could probably manage a few during the day. Not sure about the night time. I'm sure some of the more experienced Island Laker's will chime in.

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With the cold temps travel should be good all over the lake, but you know what they say about ice. You will find snowmobile tracks all over the lake so stick to those and you should be good. These cold temps have hampered my desire and I haven't been out there since early Jan. The walleye bite was very slow and fish were small. Late afternoon and evening are usually best. Set up on island points or reefs located just off of islands. Pinch points between islands also hold walleyes. Crappies are anybody's guess when located them. I usually reserve crappie fishing for March when the days are longer and temps are warmer allowing for easier travel. For some reason crappies move around this lake and I rarely find them in the same location two days in a row. I usually move several times before locating the crappies. Overall my best luck has been to fish shorelines with quick drops to 30 FOW or more. If you can locate the large bays with this type of structure all the better. I start at the shoreline and drill holes every 10 feet checking the depth at each location. Then I start deep and work inward till l locate a crappie. I usually have to move on several times before locating a fish. Then it can be game on or more of a long day.

Welcome to FM. I hope you contribute often.

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I like crappies in March and early ice on Island. I snowmobile out to spots we catch them late fall. When you get on them they are usually hungry and big.

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Thanks for the info guys! I have a few spots pinned on the GPS and most of them require crossing the channel so I will most likely just walk out there. If I get out I will post a report.

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  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

The parking lot at the dam is probably plowed.

No reason to not take the sled out there. On the Western end stay clear of the dam.

The water level drops in the winter. Where there are humps, bars, points the ice will hang there

as the water drops. That might create and gradually rise or a step break off. Easy enough just to go around.

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Frank, When you say go around, I assume you mean follow the southern shore for a distance before crossing the channel? I was thinking maybe .5 miles or so? Thanks

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Kettle
      Walked today and yesterday, flushed 9, shot at two and got two. Hopefully next year I'll have a dog to hunt with. Still warm up here, skim of ice on ponds. Weather has been nice. Hopefully walk a bit more the next few weeks. Been pretty cautious walking for birds to not interfere with deer hunters. There sure are not the deer hunters there used to be 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The focus for many this week is the ongoing deer hunting season which is a big tradition in these parts, even for avid walleye anglers.  There were some that either already harvested their deer or are more into catching fall walleyes than hunting.     Those that are fishing are taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and excellent walleye and sauger bite that is happening across the lake.  Cold weather is in the forecast in the upcoming days and weeks so that is also getting many excited. The best depths on the south end of LOW are 22-28 feet of water.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners is catching most of the walleyes, saugers and jumbo perch.  Depending upon where on the lake you are fishing, some slots and big trophies are in the mix as well, but most reports are talking about good numbers of eaters.    Jumbo perch are coming in good numbers this fall which will serve ice anglers well.  Watch out for an occasional pike or even lake sturgeon mixed in with the walleyes.      There are good numbers of walleyes and saugers across the south shore which is setting up nicely for early ice.   On the Rainy River...  There continues to be good numbers of shiners in the river, and consequently, there are good walleyes in the river as well.     Walleyes along with saugers, pike and some sturgeon are coming in up and down the river.  Most walleyes are being caught in 10-25 feet of water in various stretches of the river.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners is the key. Some anglers are also still slow trolling crankbaits upstream to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing remains strong.  The catch-and-release sturgeon fishing is open into the spring when it changes to the "keep season" on April 24th. Up at the NW Angle...  As temps are getting colder, most are in the woods hunting and not fall fishing, however, for those who bundle up, fishing continues to be excellent.     A nice mixed bag with walleyes, saugers, perch, pike and crappies being caught. Very good muskie fishing with the colder water temps and shorter days.  Some big fish and some good numbers are being caught amongst the islands.  Both casting and trolling is getting it done.  
    • gimruis
      I hunt in the rifle zone so I don't have a need to use a shotgun to hunt deer, but I would be looking at this if there was ever a need to.   There could be state legislation introduced next summer that eliminates the shotgun zone completely.  It has bipartisan support.  Wisconsin removed theirs years ago and MN is usually later to follow.  They've tried to pass it more than once and it came up just short both times.  Probably just a matter of time.
    • Wanderer
      Oh, h e l l no! 
    • leech~~
      Screw that, here's whatch need!  😆   Power-Shok Rifled Slug 10 Gauge 766 Grain Grain Weight: 766 Shotshell Length: 3-1/2in / 89mm Muzzle Velocity: 1280
    • Wanderer
      20 ga has become a real popular deer round in the last 5 or so years.  The rifled barrels are zinging those sabot slugs with rifle like accuracy out to 100 yards easily.  Some go so far as dialing in for a 200 yard shot but really, by 150 they’re falling off pretty low.   I have a single shot Ultraslug in 20 ga that shoots really well at 100 yards.  Most everyone I know that has bought a slug gun lately has gotten the Savage 220 in 20ga.  Problem can be finding the shells you want.
    • leech~~
      My son always bugs me about getting a nice light over-under 20ga for grouse hunting.  I say Heck no, I'm getting a 3 1/2" 10ga so I can put as much lead in the air that I can!!     So, I'm keeping my 12ga.  
    • 11-87
      That’s almost exactly what I was thinking.  Have slug barrels for both   One for turkey and one for deer.      I have a 20ga mosseberg as well. (Combo came with the scope but never used.   I always liked the 12 better
    • leech~~
      Wanderer is right on the money and covered it well.  I was wondering too if you had a slug barrel for one of your guns?  If so you could make that your slug gun with a scope, and the other your turkey gun with the Red dot.  As you can afford it. 
    • Wanderer
      Kinda depends on if you want magnification or quick target acquisition.   More magnification options and better accuracy with a scope.  You get what you pay for too so get comfortable with a budget for one.  Tasco and Bushnell work but I find they lose their zero easier, have low contrast and don’t gather light well in low light conditions.  That said, I’m still using one I haven’t replaced yet.  Vortex has been the hot brand for the past several years for bang for the buck.  Good products.  Nothing beats Swarovski though.  Huge dough for those.  Burris is another decent option.   There are some specific models for shotgun/slug hunting in the economy brands and bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticles.  Based on experience I’d recommend not falling for that marketing ploy.   Red dots are usually lower magnification and easier to get on target.  Reasonably accurate but don’t do well with definition, like searching the brush for your target.  I put a HAWKE red dot on a .22 for squirrels and it’s been good.  For turkey, that’s probably the route I’d go.     If your slug shots are normally not too far and too brushy, I’d think a red dot could work there too if you’re only buying 1 scope.  You’ll be better off dimming the reticle to the lowest setting you can easily use to not over shine the target and get a finer aim point.   If you don’t have a slug barrel, you might appreciate one of those.  I had a browning with a smoothbore slug barrel that shot Brenneke 2-3/4 inch well.  The 11-87 would well fitted with a cantelever rifled barrel. 
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