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

Caught a 27 incher yesterday about 10am, just before the temp started dropping and the wind picked up. Hit a tip-up with a good-sized shiner on a red hook in 42 FOW, about 30 ft down. I hook em just behind the dorsal similar to Steve. My setup is similar as well, old school braid with 6-8 ft of 10lb mono with a sinker 12-18 inches up from the bait.

Nothing the rest of the day. Kept marking fish right near the bottom (within 6 ft). They would come and look at the jig, but never hit and never followed up the column. I'm guessing pout.

It was windy enough I had to put the outrigger stakes on my Quickfish6 for the first time!

Oh yeah, and it was not clipped FWIW.

Posted

Been getting all my LT's anywhere from 90fow to 25fow. Sunny days have a flurry between 9-11am then again at dust. Warmer overcast days they tend to feed 25-45 fow. Haven't caught anything over 10 lbs yet all 3-8 lbs'ers. Ran into quite a few 10-14 lbers last winter all native fish. I also old school it with tip-ups and live bait, suckers, rainbows, chubs, shiners, etc it all works when they go on the prowl. Been getting walleyes in a few spots that produce after dark. Happy hunting stay warm.

Posted

Caught a 27 incher yesterday about 10am, just before the temp started dropping and the wind picked up. Hit a tip-up with a good-sized shiner on a red hook in 42 FOW, about 30 ft down. I hook em just behind the dorsal similar to Steve. My setup is similar as well, old school braid with 6-8 ft of 10lb mono with a sinker 12-18 inches up from the bait.

Nothing the rest of the day. Kept marking fish right near the bottom (within 6 ft). They would come and look at the jig, but never hit and never followed up the column. I'm guessing pout.

It was windy enough I had to put the outrigger stakes on my Quickfish6 for the first time!

Oh yeah, and it was not clipped FWIW.

We had nearly the same deal, only ours was a 2-3 lber. Hit about 10:30. It was a tough day for everyone I talked to, especially once the wind switched direction and came up. We only saw four lakers, which is really slow. Three were in the morning.

Often when the lakers are not in a biting mood, the bait rigs do better than jigging, but we didn't get a sniff on any of our four bait rigs all day. It appears the fish just weren't moving around much, which is not a surprise at the tail end of a two day weather front. That period, as well as the day after the front, tend to produce tougher fishing for lakers. Not always. Usually.

Fishinsfun, if that was you in the white pickup, topper and red Quickfish, you were about 1/2 mile west of us. We were in the silver Chevy w/trailer and electric blue Dodge. When the CO came over to check our licenses, he said you (if it was you) caught a ncie one. smile

Of the 14 fish for us so far this season, only one was fin clipped.

Posted

Yep, that was me. Those darn CO's spillin the beans grin

I'm planning on taking a friend and his son from down by the cities out next weekend. Hopefully we get some action anyway. Sounds like the temps will be better at least.

Posted

Yep, that was me. Those darn CO's spillin the beans grin

I'm planning on taking a friend and his son from down by the cities out next weekend. Hopefully we get some action anyway. Sounds like the temps will be better at least.

Good luck this weekend. Always nice when you can get your buddies on fish. smile

Posted

its been pretty slow for me the last couple days. i have managed to miss a couple fish and have had some chasers.

it's easy going for 4x4 trucks. measured 16-18in of ice.

it has been pretty quite on the lake the last couple days. smile

Posted

My guys had a good day Sunday. Three fish in 40 FOW. The 31.5x17 got put back after a quick measurement and before a camera was ready. There also were a 25.5 inch and a 21.5 incher. I did not get pics, though the guys did.

It's been a VERY good January so far. smile

Thanks, Mark and Ben. You guys were a pleasure to be with!

full-635-29225-one.jpg

full-635-29226-two.jpg

Posted

Heading up Friday with a buddy. 1st time for both of us. Been trying to find some threads and info but I'm just not finding much. What I have found is 40-50 fow seems to be the popular depth and some sort of jigging spoon seems to be the popular lure. So far so good?

I've fished sagnaga for lakers many times and love pulling lakers through the ice. Is there any other fairly obvious tips I might be missing? Also, I'm not looking for anyones gps coordinates but are there "areas" or islands that are good places to start?

I love trying new lakes. Thanks guys.

Posted

Heading up Friday with a buddy. 1st time for both of us. Been trying to find some threads and info but I'm just not finding much. What I have found is 40-50 fow seems to be the popular depth and some sort of jigging spoon seems to be the popular lure. So far so good?

I've fished sagnaga for lakers many times and love pulling lakers through the ice. Is there any other fairly obvious tips I might be missing? Also, I'm not looking for anyones gps coordinates but are there "areas" or islands that are good places to start?

I love trying new lakes. Thanks guys.

Around 40-60fow is popular but don't be afraid to try deeper or shallower. You can use a lot of different baits. When a trout is hot it will hit about anything. Use what you have confidence in. Rattle baits can be very good at times.

There are fish everywhere on Burntside. Point, humps, saddles, walls, gradual breaks. If i were you i would move around until you start marking fish.

Posted

Excellent. Hopefully I'm not opening up a can of worms here but what is your opinion on line? I've been using no stretch. My thought was u'd get a better hook set. But I've lost many fish and found my hooks to be bent after I real up. Maybe regular mono is better? Any thoughts?

Posted

I use braid on warm days or when fishing inside a house. I use mono when im fishing outside on cold days. Both work great. My guess is that you are bending hooks because they are weak hooks. Change them out with gamakatsu hooks or another high quality hook and you will be good to go.

If you haven't already take a look at this thread. Tons of info about winter lake trout.

Inland Lake Trout Gear & Tactics

Posted

My laker setups have evolved over the last 10 years. I've used a lot of different combos, and have settled on mono, basically, whether baitcasting or spinning.

Now, all but a couple of my rods are spooled with 12 Trilene XL. Never know from one day to the next whether we'll be in heated shacks or out on the open ice, and mono is the more versatile of the two, since it works in all conditions and braid freezes up easily to the spool when fishing outside at anything much below freezing. I have a couple braid rods for when, like Mike, I know we'll be in heated shacks or it's above freezing out.

It's also easier for hooks to pull out of the fish with no-stretch, and rods blow up easier with it. No worries about stretch in mono, either. You rarely have more than 40-50 feet of line out when a laker hits. Make sure your hooks are very sharp.

Posted

Excellent. Hopefully I'm not opening up a can of worms here but what is your opinion on line? I've been using no stretch. My thought was u'd get a better hook set. But I've lost many fish and found my hooks to be bent after I real up. Maybe regular mono is better? Any thoughts?

I've pretty much converted over to all mono also. I started with it, moved to braid and went back. You don't need anything from braid that mono can't give you for ice fishing lakers IMO.

Another reason you may be straightening your hooks is possibly your drag is set too tight. Anytime using braid you should set your drag to slip on the set. Folks really tend to over set with braid.

Posted

Anyone drill a hole today? Wondering if i need to put the extensions on. Theres at least 28-30 inches by now I'd assume.

Posted

Thanks everyone for updating the travel condition last weekend. We ended up with 8 trout over two days, 6 Sat and 2 Sun. Most on tubes and the others on a dead bait rig. I ended up landing my biggest laker on Saturday which was an awesome feeling. We were only able to get the last half on video and one picture because it was so cold I didn't want to harm the fish. 30.25" was the length. Even though it was brutally cold, we had a really good time. Hope the fishing picks up for those big fish. The other picture is my buddies 27.5"

Youtube Laker Video

[]3025edit_zps80f41f59.jpg[30.25" Released]

275edit_zps78c05039.jpg[27.5" Released]

Posted

Sweet fish, Murdock!

We only got about 2-3 inches of snow at the house last night. Trucks, ATVs, sleds, all good to go on Burntside.

Posted

Fished from dusk ta dawn 2 flags with a total of a foot a line spun out. I assume a couple of drunken moonshiners ran into line after a a good night of binge feeding. Someone had a overnight tip-up out LOL. Flag was up 2. I threw everything at them includinga cowbell f or flash. Checked every spot fished today from the arm to the wolf lake landing. Seems nobody did good today. Tomorrow could be great cu hhf

Posted

Nice fish Murdock. Looks like you were rewarded for braving the elements and fishing outside.

Posted

Nice fish! I love watching those videos. smile

Posted

Congrats! You deserved that fish just for being out there.

Thanks for the pics and video.

Posted

We had a 6-fish day today on Burntside. Ranged from 2-8, with one significantly heavier fish that was on for about 10 seconds before tossing the hook.

Gorgeous day to be on the ice.

Everywhere I drove there was only 6-8 inches of snow on the ice. No need for auger extensions just yet.

Posted

Whew! Missed the jinx!! wink Congrats on another great day on the lake. cool

Posted

Fish where active all day. Might have to call in to work and hit again tomorrow. Someone forgot there tipup lol. Theres a fish on it 2.

Posted

I spent the day exploring new spots and/or revisiting spots that I hadn't hit for a few years. Always searching for more trout water. smile

Saw about 8 fish, landed two of them, a 2 and a 5. Got a bonus 5 lb pout just after 4 p.m. Of course, wouldn't you know it that while I was in the middle of shooting a promotional video and landing a pout on a bait rig, Great Outdoors would drive up, dominate the audio with the clatter of the motor from his Maki Traki, and then try to talk to me while I was narrating into the camera. shockedshocked

No prob. MANY days left on the ice this winter, and so far we'v had 26 trout in 7 outings. smile

Lake travel is easy. Never even put the truck in 4x4 out on the ice. Got some melt today, which will compact the snow even more. NWS is calling for 3-8 inches of new snow overnight by tomorrow afternoon. We'll see. They've been off significantly this winter so far. Have been consistently overestimating. Last 3-8 forecast we got yielded 1/2 inch.

Should be on the ice again tomorrow, and will update conditions at end of day.

Posted

Already they've dropped it to 2-6 inches. Yawn. Whatever happens, we'll be fishing. wink

Posted

How much snow?

3 - 4" on the west side of the range.

Posted

We've got an inch here at the house in Ely. THey say maybe 1-2 more before noon, but it's not snowing now. Looks like they overestimated again. Good!

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

Of course, wouldn't you know it that while I was in the middle of shooting a promotional video and landing a pout on a bait rig, Great Outdoors would drive up, dominate the audio with the clatter of the motor from his Maki Traki, and then try to talk to me while I was narrating into the camera. shockedshocked

Oh the down falls of being a ice fishing Star! laugh
Posted

Hey, give me a break! mad

I didn't realize what Foss was doing and just dropped by to say "hi!" smile

I've seen him kneeling down and talking to himself so many times before on the lake, didn't think anything was different this time! grin

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

Hey, give me a break! mad

I didn't realize what Foss was doing and just dropped by to say "hi!" smile

I've seen him kneeling down and talking to himself so many times before on the lake, didn't think anything was different this time! grin

maybe he was just kneeing down praying for fish again! laugh

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.