Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Cattin the Chain 2013


Recommended Posts

With the recent post of ice up there, I figure it was time to fire er up!

Who else is ready to ice some cats?

For those who haven't followed along, we've been doing this thread annually for the past 4 or 5 years. It always turns out to be a great source of info and tips for icing some cats on the chain.

Good luck to everyone this year, it won't be long now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 525
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Rick G

    122

  • DTro

    51

  • aanderud

    40

  • Horseshoe_Don

    37

I was wondering when you were going to start this again. Like Darren said this is a very good source for information and conditions on the chain. maybe you should put links to the past years threads on this so people can get a idea of the good info that is in the thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here we go again, this is by far my favorite anual topic grin I'm lookin to beat the 33 incher I got last year. Should make my first trip out there late this week or next weekend for sure wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We plan to make it out there a few more times this year as well. Looking forward to getting those first ice cats!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here we go again, this is by far my favorite anual topic grin I'm lookin to beat the 33 incher I got last year. Should make my first trip out there late this week or next weekend for sure wink

Rick, you make me jealous this time of year. I'll be anxiously waiting for your reports. It's a monster truck show for me and Adam on Saturday, but depending on ice thickness, Sunday might be an option. Has to be thick enough for me to bring out the 5 year old though...none of the regular sketchy early-ice for me this year. I've a feeling I'll be waiting one more week at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually checked the St Cloud thread solely in the hope that this thread would be up and running. Good to see it's that time of year again.

I can't wait for another year of cattin' the Chain. Especially early ice. A few of my favorite trips from last year happened on the Chain. Heck, the significant other is already asking about when I can get her out there again. smile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the weather forecast holds, there should be at least 4 -5 inches by this weekend in a lot of the non current areas, not enough for me and the kidlet on that potentially ever changing system, but am sure we will be seeing Rick and others out there enjoying some great early season action. Looking forward to the reports!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the weather forecast holds, there should be at least 4 -5 inches by this weekend in a lot of the non current areas,

What current areas wink Finding an area with some flow was a challenge this fall. Pretty low flow this year but still lots of ares I wouldn't go near for quite a while yet wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the weather forecast holds, there should be at least 4 -5 inches by this weekend in a lot of the non current areas, not enough for me and the kidlet on that potentially ever changing system, but am sure we will be seeing Rick and others out there enjoying some great early season action. Looking forward to the reports!!!!

Where I generally fish out there, current is not an issue. Yes, there's a river flowing through some areas, but then again most every lake in this state has rivers and creeks feeding it smile

I'm putting odds that the first I'll have Adam out will be mid-month, but only time will tell. I'm sure I'll find a way to sneak out before that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where I generally fish out there, current is not an issue. Yes, there's a river flowing through some areas, but then again most every lake in this state has rivers and creeks feeding it smile

Yep, and know you know the chain better than many, but to someone new to this thread this is essentially my annual warning that there are a lot current areas out there. As, Rick mentioned, this year the flow is way down but caution, especially early on is advised. Used to live by a bottleneck and the resulting eddy/backflow would circle current to the point that it would be just skimmed the entire year while there would be 30+ inches 25 yards away......found that out the hard cold way one year wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Used to live by a bottleneck and the resulting eddy/backflow would circle current to the point that it would be just skimmed the entire year while there would be 30+ inches 25 yards away......found that out the hard cold way one year wink

Lol, Pb I would advise against swiming in the river durring the winter months. Thats a darn good way to catch a nasty cold or even a bit worse grin

Seriously, folks the ice is still real this on most of the chain yet. I was talking to a buddie that lives on the lake year round, he said the bay I normaly fish has about 1.25 in on it. This is usaly one of the first bays on the system to get good ice so I would bet we are still a few days away from good ice yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made my first trip out in search of some cats with TraderLee today. The bite was likley good, we just couldn't get to the right depth due to all the open water yet frown Deepest we could get to was 24-25ft, not what I wanted to fish frown Would have liked to be out in the 28-35 ft range this time of year. I guess the day wasn't a total waste, some less desirable species were biting wink

I will be back out there tomorrow for some redemption , going to try to find some deeper water.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Rick, I'm heading out today to my early spot. I think I talked to you a couple times last year at that spot. You say no cat action in the shallow channels? Hmmm I was bringing two newbies to cattin' with me hoping we could pull a couple. I brought my brother in law to that spot for his first time fishing ever this summer and we caught over 30 cats, he had a blast! I was hoping to replicate that today with my co-workers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kind of good news, Rick...good to know you're getting something out there, even if it isn't the pretty ones. smile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got some redemption tonight wink Still could only make it out to 25ft, but that was good enough for some multi species action. Ended up getting in the mid teens for numbers myself on the cats. Never ran into any pods or big schools just 1 or 2 lone active romers. Got enough "other" fish mixed in to make things intresting. Now with a few outings under my belt this year I have noticed that my rather impressive streak of no rock bass is still intact :), I have now gone more than a whole year without catching one of them out there grin. Best bait tonight was my old faithfull 1/16 pink Lindy Frostee tiped with a minnow head.

The ice was 3.5 yest and a bit thinner today eek Yesterday it was solid and made no cracking noise, today was a whole different storie. The whole basin where the meth hole is located is now wide open except for some shoreline ice. The bay the winter access is located in is pretty thin too with a good bit open water around. I would advise against anyone who is planning on heading out there in the next few days to rethink your plan! I will not be going back out there till it gets cold enough to firm things back up a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the report Rick. I think we might have been jinxed (weather-wise) by someone. Someone who shall remain unnamed. However, I think you may have just jinxed yourself about the rock bass. Those things are thick out there, I can't believe you have gone a whole year without one. I'm predicting that you get a handful on your next outing smile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just want to make sure, aanderud, that you're not referring to some slanderous comments Rick's made in the Catfish forum...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just want to make sure, aanderud, that you're not referring to some slanderous comments Rick's made in the Catfish forum...

I have to blame this rather warm and balmy weather on someone grin Oh well I'm going to make the best of this, I can't icefish so I'm headed to the river for primetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I just about went up to Mille Lacs tonight to do some trolling....with my boat put away for the year, I'm dependent on others now, and my buddy's gf apparently has more important plans for him tonight than to go putz around on the Pond.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats a women for ya, always makin' plans and such crazy What could be more important than fishing?

I took advantage of the 50 degree weather, hit the river for like an hour or so. I didn't catch a thing but it sure felt good to get to open water fish in Dec without getting cold grin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I must admit to doing the same thing off the dock out back. I caught as much as you (not even an eel pout!!) but at least I threw out a few minnows and hooked a few rocks. I even thought I had a bite for a second but realized it was a floating chunk of weeds. smile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello gentlemen, I fished the chain for the first time last year. I always saw this thread and started to read it to see why it was so popular. Then it started to really interest me so I called a buddy of mine from up there and he gave me an area to try. Went out a couple of times and caught some nice fish and finally got a cat on my last trip out. Lots of fun and a great fight, I know why you guys are addicted to catching them.

So this brings me to my question. Can someone put a map up or at least point out some of the danerous flow areas? Or is there somewhere I can find a map of where the rivers main flow is? The spot I went to is no secret, it was hard to find a spot to drill through that didnt already have a hole or 2 from before. I would like to explore the lake and find some new spots but I dont want to go swimming. Im not planning on going till there is plenty of ice but just thought it might be a good tool to refer to. Thanks for any info or help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the main flow, and in general the inlets and outlets between the lakes can ramp up some current. These can be some of the best fishing areas though wink Also notice that if you use the DNR access you will have to cross it and for sure should not be used early on.....

Untitled-3.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally I wouldn't recommend using the DNR access that goes into horseshoe lake (summertime one that is on the river) even in the dead of winter. Drive the extra mile south on 22 to the winter access and get on horseshoe from there or turn the other way and get on cedar island. the other dangerous area that is on horseshoe is the "Meth Hole" area that is west of the point that forms the horseshoe shape of the lake. this area will normally be open year round but will skim over in really cold years. the name meth hole came about because of a area on the bottom of the lake that releases methane gas and this gas keeps the lake open in that area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like Brad and Pushbutton said, dont use the river in the winter. Couple other spots to watch out for are the inlet from Long to Horseshoe and around the shallows spots between the islands on Horseshoe. For the most part Cedar Island and Horseshoe are the two safest lakes to fish on the chain. Just watch for tire tracks, if someone hasn't drove where you want to be there is likley a good reason wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well gentlemen that is exactly what i was looking for, thank you. Now we need some nice cold weather. I have been patiently waiting to get back up there and catch some more kittys. I may be hooked for life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well gentlemen that is exactly what i was looking for, thank you. Now we need some nice cold weather. I have been patiently waiting to get back up there and catch some more kittys. I may be hooked for life.

there is a saying in the catfish world and that is "once you go cats, you never go back" and walleyes become white tipped bait stealers since they like to take the minnow you have down for the cats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I dont know if I will ever go that far. smile Im still a huge walleye guy but its nice to mix it up a bit. Its nice being able to catch a good mix all in the same spot, never know what that big red line is on the vex until it bites. I was pretty surprised on the first kitty. Tiny little bite (like a crappie) and i set the hook and the rod just bent. It was a great battle and I look forward to many more. smile Thanks again for any and all info. Maybe I will run into some of you out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just got back from a 12 hr day on the ice grin. The lakes are in pretty rough shape right now. Found 3 solid inches to get on but couldn't get out to the depths I wanted, or even the spots I wanted. None the less the fish bit wink I think it had more to do with the front that came in more so than any skill or luck I might have grin We ended up getting more cats than I could keep track of, all but a handfull were on the smallish side. Had plenty of fun with the trash fish too, they wouldn't leave the live bait alone tonight. Best lures were the 1/8 Forage spoons durring the day and the good old Frostee after the sun set.

I sure hope we don't get near as much snow as they are talking about. The thin layer that is out there might not hold up so well if we do get dumped on. Found from 1-4in of ice but it's pretty inconsistant in thickness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.