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.

Recommended Posts

Posted

Lakers don't stack up like cordwood in the shallows in May and early June in Burntside like they do in a lot of lakes up in Canada. You can catch them shallow until the shallows warm, but they aren't usually there in concentrations. And I've had far better luck targeting Burntside lakers in deeper water in May and June compared with fishing the shallows.

We've had quite a few 8-10 fish days on Bside, with sometimes 2 or 3 over 30 inches. On average, the lake yields 2-3 lakers per day on open water for us when fishing a full 8-9 hours. That means some full days yield 0 fish, and some days yield 8-10. Most days it's in between.

Burntside is a fishery turned on its ear, however, since smelt were introduced in the '70s. Most native inland laker lakes in Minnesota do not have the smelt factor, but have the traditional forage base of cisco/tulibee and whitefish.

Posted

Burntside lakers are tough to catch consistently. If you are able to this consider yourself a great fisherman! The smelt movement on the lake probally dictates the time of day they usually go on the prowl.

Posted

We dodged a lot of rain today, but ended up fishing in a lot of rain as well. The fish continue their activity upswing. We had two releases and landed the 10 lber in the pic. It went right back in the water . . . CPR.

Rod was a VERY happy guy fighting this fatty. Great to be out with Dan (a repeat guy and great fella who owns a sports bar in Fargo) and Rod, who went to UND and played DE for the Sioux Football team during my era. Good times, good memories! Not to mention, they were good sports when I showed them the Packers protective case for my iPhone. smile

Small purple/gold spoon down 35 feet over 70 FOW. We saw active fish in 40 to 130 FOW today. Lots of fish well off bottom, some very high flyers, and good numbers coming up to look at the DR balls. Surface temps 72 to 76. Spiny water flea on the downswing compared with the last couple of weeks. About half as many on the lines as there have been. Strong constant read on both electronics units from 20-25 feet down makes me think we have a thermocline.

full-635-35028-rod.jpg

Posted

Pretty much same type of day as yesterday. Had a half-day afternoon gig that turned into a bit over 2 hours fishing because of the rain, but Bill and Harriet, who traveled from San Francisco for some Bside laker action, were able to nab supper with this 2 lber. Cleaned it for them and left them planning a gourmet meal. smile

Fish came on a silver/gold spoon fished 30 feet down over 70 FOW.

Hats off to Harriet, a New York City girl who was not very interested in fishing (or rain) but who held out for a couple hours. smile

full-635-35050-hsosupper.jpg

Posted

Laker activity continues to pick up. We landed some nice smallies, including a 3-lber, first thing this morning, then transitioned to lakers at 10 a.m. before getting chased off by lightning about noon.

Caught two lakers in those two hours, the largest this 13-lb 31 incher. Definitely a fatty! Ed was surprised by how hard the fish fought, and how tough it was to gain line on it. smile

Surface temps were 73-76, lake was flat calm until the storms blew in. Again, very few spiny waterflea on lines and cables. Both fish came on a silver/gold spoon fished on a downrigger 35 feet down over 75 FOW. Both were immediately CPRd. The 2 lber had a clipped fin.

full-635-35123-hsowebed.jpg

Posted

Went laker fishing on B-side for the first time with Foss guide service. Awesome lake. Sadly we didn't catch any but it's fishing not catching. Me ,wife and youngest daughter went half day then in laws and oldest went in afternoon. We all had a good time and I will definitely come back again. Thanks a lot Steve.

Posted

Waterfowler inland laker fishing takes patience. You can troll your gear all over lake twice without a bite. I just use a 3 way swivel put 2-4 ounces of weight on and a gold color crawler harness on work the bottom in 30-60fow. If its dead calm out troll 25-35 foot down over suspended water. The walleyes are heating up so no more LT for me until late September.

  • 5 months later...
Posted

Any ice, snow, slush report for the lake just wondering what to bring next weekend to get around on the lake.

Posted

Took a ride around bside today. found 17in of ice. the top 2-3in was cloudy. found very little slush. the slush i did find was tight to the shoreline.

Posted

Mike,

How much snow was on the ice?

Posted

The most I found was 10in. Most areas had 8in-9in. There are some drifts that might have a little more.

Posted

Anybody plow any roads.with that snow cover truck travel is not out of the the question wheelers are questionable imo hope to have sled up and going smooth sailing then

Posted

Hey Mike Stark:

I remember reading somewhere on here that you rent an ice house on Burntside/Shagawa? Just wondering if you have 2/22/14 or 3/1/14 available for rent? Also is it a sleeper or just a day rental? Thanks, I'd love to get out there this year!

Posted

Hey Mike Stark:

I remember reading somewhere on here that you rent an ice house on Burntside/Shagawa? Just wondering if you have 2/22/14 or 3/1/14 available for rent? Also is it a sleeper or just a day rental? Thanks, I'd love to get out there this year!

I do have an ice castle for rent on Burntside/Shagawa. Both of those dates are booked at this time tho. I have two cots for the house. It will sleep two people.

Send me a message for more info.

Thanks.

Posted

Thank you for the update and wish everyone luck this weekend

Posted

Took another ride around Burntside today. Found some areas off the Passi access that had only 11in of ice and half of that was cloudy. There was a lot of fluffy snow back there too. Also found a couple spots further out from there with 14in of ice with 4in of that being cloudy. There is less ice in that area vs. the main lake. Main lake the least I found was 16in with 12in of that being clear ice and 4in cloudy. Not far from there I found 19in of solid clear ice.

So the ice thickness varies depending on where you are at.

There are quite a few roads being plowed to the usual areas.

Posted

Thanks for the update is there any slushy areas that u found

Posted

Mike Stark.

Is your ice castle or day use only? Or is it available for overnights too?

Posted

Thanks for the update is there any slushy areas that u found
Posted

I was out yesterday. The lake had drifted over pretty good with the snow we had. It blew pretty much all day yesterday with snow on and off. Some are calling for 1-3in of snow tomorrow. I will be getting my house out today and will see what the lake looks like. Snowmobiles are going to be the best bet for getting around. I'm not sure about trucks. If you do take a truck off the road be prepared to get stuck. You will need 4x4, good clearance, and good tires.

Posted

Thanks for the reports Mike!

Posted

The lake had FUN snow conditions for getting around by sled today. I wouldn't have wanted to stray too far off a plowed road without one. Very soft with a nice float feeling. Some slush but not crazy bad. Many times today though, I heard the snow just compact. Walking around the fishing area would cause it to just drop and settle.

Fish sightings were few today but a good percentage of lookers were turned into takers, leaving us with 4 fish iced between 17 and 24 inches. Two released and two kept. 3 of the 4 came while jigging and the fourth was on chub under a tip up.

Pretty standard fare.

Posted

Had a great weekend fishing with a couple buddies. Fishing was good. Yesterday we caught 2 fish. 26in and 24in. Lost a nice fish at the hole. Guessing it was in the 26-29in range.

Today we iced 7. 4 were all around 24-25in. The other 3 were smaller. Lost two others on tip-ups and had three others drop the bait. It was good action. Even had a double! A cisco on the bottom in 57fow produced most of our fish.

Posted

Here are some pics from this weekend.

photo4_zps676c0e71.jpg

photo31_zps9b0141e9.jpg

photo21_zps60a2f213.jpg

photo1_zpsf030a1af.jpg

photo3_zpsa4ac46b3.jpg

photo5_zpsb99f0f35.jpg

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

Great way to start the season Mike! wink

Posted

NICE Mike!!

Cliff

Posted

Nice fish Mike!

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

Very nice Mike!

Posted

Love those unclipped fish!

Posted

smile

Looks like fun to me, a real Groovy good time.

T

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.




  • Similar Content

  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Nope!  But it’s more funner!
    • smurfy
      I don't need no livescope to catch fish....🤔🤪  It's all in how ya wiggle the worm!😜 Just sayin  🤣
    • Kettle
      Obviously this is more of a hot topic due to forward facing sonar. With that being said, I know people who have pulled crappies out of basins 40+ deep since the fl-8 and zercom flashers came out. That's over 30 years ago. I do think there's a push to ban these in MN and I could see them doing it here. They'll have to pay my livescope from my cold dead hands 😆 on days I can't catch a walleye jigging or rigging it's nice to turn it on and throw corks at individual fish
    • Kettle
      It wasn't just you, I was fishing west of you about an hour on Monday. Fished 8am-4pm, no fish, two keeper walleye and one small one from 4pm-630pm. Marked a lot of fish, they would come up to a jig and swim away. They were skittish to the dead stick too
    • leech~~
      I wonder like divers, if we let them decompress every 10' for 1/2hr. If that would help?  🤔  It would slow the bite down a bit!  🤭
    • carlsonmn
      That was a better study compared to last winter when they setup the vertical tube nets and tried to release exhausted fish from being studied and expected them to be able to swim straight down a 3' hoop net.     That lake's crappie population from this latest video was pretty deep at 40-50', and no doubt from those depths that is barotrauma for most.  That is deeper than most crappie holes but certainly how some are. However from helping give fish a good release from the 35' and less range and tracking them with live sonar most of them swim at a shallow angle back to the depths and I watch them rejoin the school and be active.  Uncut Angling's video helped counter some of the initial narrow findings.  
    • SkunkedAgain
      If you fished with me more often, you'd never have to make this statement...   38" of ice - love it. I'm really going to have to dig around for my auger extension. I don't think that I've needed it in over a decade.   Too bad nobody has a locomotive chugging across the ice to do some logging, like the good old days.
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  Ice fishing remains strong across the south shore of Lake of the Woods out on Big Traverse Bay.  Resorts and outfitters on some parts of the lake have ice roads extending over 16 miles staying on nice schools of walleyes and saugers.  Many fish houses are over deep mud.  Some are on structure.  It is always fishing of course, but overall, February has been very productive for most anglers.   Extensions are being used on ice augers as the ice continues to thicken.  The thick ice this year will be good for the extended ice fishing season Lake of the Woods enjoys with fish houses out through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes. Most fishing activity is taking place in 26-32 feet of water.  Anglers are finding a healthy mix of walleyes and saugers, with a good number of jumbo perch in the mix this year.  Some big eelpout are also showing up.  Anglers are reporting plenty of fish for fresh fish frys and usually extra fish to bring home.   The one-two punch of a jigging line and deadstick is the way to go.  On the jigging line, jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head have been consistent.  Lipless crankbaits and jigging rap style lures also doing well.     Lures with a light have been working well in the stained water.  Please remember, in MN, lures with a light or water activated light can be used as long as the battery is mercury free and the hook is attached directly to the lure and not as a dropper line.     On the deadstick, a plain hook or a small jig with a live minnow 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom.    Some days, mornings are better, other days, it's the afternoons.  There is no distinct pattern, they could come through at any time. On the Rainy River...  The start of the day and end of the day have been best for those targeting walleyes on the river. A jig and minnow or a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is also producing some fish. Some big sturgeon being iced by ice anglers targeting them.  It is a catch-and-release sturgeon season currently.   Although ice conditions on the river are good, they can vary significantly due to the current, so anglers should always consult local resorts or outfitters for the most up-to-date safety information and fishing advice. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing has been strong in the islands area of Lake of the Woods. Resorts continue to move their fish houses around, staying on the best schools of walleyes.     Anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, saugers, and jumbo perch with an occasional pike or tullibee as well.     Big crappies are still being caught just over the border.  Fish houses are available, check with a NW Angle resort for info on crappie fishing.   Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season with fish houses on the ice through March 31st and walleye and sauger seasons open through April 14th. Perch, crappie, and pike seasons remain open year-round.    
    • leech~~
      Maybe you should put rattle wheels down, if your going to sleep for 6hrs! 🤭 😆
    • JerkinLips
      Monday was my worst day of winter fishing on Vermilion in the last 4 years.  Caught only one 14" walleye in nearly 8 hours of fishing.  Missed two other bites and was marking very few fish.  Maybe the fish were taking Monday off after a big weekend.   No more water came up on the ice under my house.  Think it was because I haven't banked snow around it for a couple of weeks so the bare ice around the house is getting very thick.  I measured 38" of ice under my house and the Ion barely made it through even with the extension installed.  Needless to say I banked around the house this time.  Another lesson I learned today is don't drill holes if ice is frozen on your blades.  I did that on one hole and it didn't center properly and drilled at an angle on the edge of the opening.  Hope I can correct the location and angle on my next trip up.   Not much change in the surface lake surface conditions.  The drifts may be a little higher and are definitely harder.  There are still a few bare ice spots on the lake.  Very little activity on the lake today.  There are about 3 dozen houses from McKinley Park out to Birch Island.  Another person pulled there house off today, and I am sure many more will pull theirs off this coming weekend.  Only 13 days left of walleye season.    
×
×
  • 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.