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

So, what's everyone's thoughts for opener? Ice going to be out? Are shiners going to be available? Are the Walleyes going to be hungry?

Looking forward to yest another opener on Gull. I'm heading up Thursday to open up the cabin, get the boat ready and fish some Walleyes!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its going to be "touch and go" - meaning, the weather will dictate if ice is gone or not.

I think we will still have ice on the majority of the surface on all classic lakes in the Brainerd Area. Went out scouting for lakes to see which ones might be candidates for gettin a boat in next weekend.....doesnt look too good right now - BUT again, it will all depend on what happens this week.

Best of luck if you find a lake....go shallow with a jig/minnow. Shiners will be tough to get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TBW, sorry my man, Gull is going to be froze over for opener. I had a college buddy on upper hay lake (20 min north of Gull) and they ice fished this weekend. 16 inch of ice on a small lake.

Save your gas for the next weekend.

I am disappointed as well, I have a place across from the 371 access and will not be on Gull for opener. Also, if you plan to use the 371 access, only 1 ramp is going to be open as the ice has pushed one of the ramps on shore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow....ice fishing on Upper Hay...thats awesome!

That lake use to be great but has been dealt a major blow. Got pounded....Still fish to be had, but not like it use to be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I don't need to ask if the dock is in at the landing by Zorbaz.

You folks up in tha area please keep this link updated if possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TBW, I believe the dock is in on that access. I'm heading that way tonight so I'll double check but I believe it was when I drove by yesterday. The channel is pretty open, the ice is not open at Bar Harbor though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Drove by access by zorbaz after work today, the dock is in at the landing. as far as ice goes its open by bar harbor and most of the channel is open now. saw Margret is half way open on north end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

drove by round, North long and Gull and looked to me that round will open sooner then gull and north long, but i don't think any of those lakes will be even half way open for this weekend.will see i guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the update guys. Our place is on the channel between Gull & Margret. Hopefully I'll be able to get my boat in the landing across from Zorbaz, and get down the channel to my lift. If anyone drives through that area please update.

Thanks again for the comments!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't be surprised if the smaller lakes are open by Sat. Nisswa Lake seems well on its way. Round has taken a beating thanks to the inlet. White Sand and Whipple seem close. Just need a little wind.

I think we will see a lot of sinking ice this year instead of moving ice, but who knows. All the lakes are definitely unsafe for travel from shore as they are green and black and honeycombed all the way through.

No way Gull or WFC will be ready.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TBW,the channel was open yesterday. There's a strip of open water heading out a ways into Booming Out Bay. Should see some good progress today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TBW,the channel was open yesterday. There's a strip of open water heading out a ways into Booming Out Bay. Should see some good progress today.

Thanks so much for the update! Looks like I'll be going North after-all!

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 :)

    • JerkinLips
      41.6°F in Stuntz Bay Thursday morning.  Left my boat in the water to hopefully fish more before the lake freezes.  Caught four 9-11" walleyes in 2½ hours before I gave up due to the strong west wind.  Water level has not gone up more than a couple of inches at the most.  May be a good winter to jack my boathouse out of the water on the deep end.
    • Troy Smutka
      The calendar migrators from the Dakotas have been passing through central MN in trickles the past few weeks, and the recent cooler weather has some Canada ducks starting to show up. We have been harvesting mallards, pintails, gadwalls, wigeon, shovelers, greenwing teal, canvasbacks, redheads, bluebills, and ringnecks in decent numbers.
    • SkunkedAgain
      It doesn't look like the lake level has gone up at all. I was up a week ago and struggled to get my boat in and out of the public landing on the west end of Head O Lakes. I used my paddle to push the boat further out to deeper water. I could hear the hull moving over the sandy/muddy bottom near the launch.
    • JerkinLips
      Pretty tough.  Was catching about 2 walleyes per hour and the biggest was only 13".  Back up Thursday so I hope I have better success.
    • smurfy
      the kid and I always check our stands prior.......i'll go back to check the conditions of said stands before he gets there to see what we need. while i'm at it if i can i shoot at grouse with shells that appear to not have bb,s in them!!!!🙄
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  With unseasonably warm weather, there are still some anglers hitting the water and most have been rewarded.  Limits of walleyes and saugers being caught, and the forecast looking ahead is favorable. The best bite on the south end of LOW has been in 22-28 feet of water. Water temperatures are dropping and as the temps cool further, the bite has been excellent.     Vertical jigging with frozen emerald shiners has been the program for most anglers.  Bring plenty of bait, as you’ll need to sort through some smaller fish and short biters.  Plenty of eater fish to be had, just have to do a bit of sorting.  Anglers are also reporting very good numbers of jumbo perch and occasional pike mixed in with the walleyes.     For those fishing structure, if you slide up on top of a rock pile, don't be surprised to catch a big smallmouth bass, there are plenty around.   This week’s hot colors have been gold, gold/glow white, gold/chartreuse, gold/orange, and gold/glow white/pink.     One tip, a stinger hook on your jig will catch you more fish if you start missing too many fish. On the Rainy River...  Bait dealers are reporting good numbers of shiners in the river this past week.  Interesting, each night is different.  Some areas have the small shiners called pinheads.  Other areas have the larger minnows.     The river is producing some nice walleyes in various spots from Four Mile Bay to Wheeler's Point, to Baudette all the way to Birchdale.  There are 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale with plenty of public boat ramps along the way.     Walleyes are being caught in various depths, but 15-25 feet of water has been good.   Jigging with live or frozen emerald shiners has been highly effective. Some anglers are also trolling crankbaits to cover more ground and find fish. Both methods are producing solid results. Sturgeon fishing has been 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...  Fall fishing continues to be excellent. Points, neck-down areas with current, shoreline breaks, and transition zones from rock to mud are all productive locations for walleye right now.   It is traditionally a mixed bag up around the many islands in this part of the lake and this fall is no different.  In addition to walleyes, pike, jumbo perch, and crappies are in the mix.  A jig and minnow has been the most effective presentation. Good muskie fishing is the norm during the fall of the year and area reports have been good.  In addition to casting, trolling shorelines, points and neckdown areas has been effective.  Muskies are often targeting schooling tullibees this time of year. The weather forecast for the next couple of weeks is conducive for fall fishing.  If you don't deer hunt, or if you have harvested your deer, consider some bonus walleye action before the ice forms.  The bite continues to be excellent.    
    • leech~~
    • gimruis
      I'm not one to leave that to chance the day I need it.  I always check on my stands prior to the season.  Just like I always shoot my rifle before the season and I always run my outboard motor before fishing opener.  Too many things to go wrong without confirming it ahead of time.   I guess it could have been beavers but the house itself didn't appear nearly big enough along one ditch.  It was about the size of chair.  I've seen beavers houses many times before and they appear much bigger than that.
    • leech~~
      Good thing you made a check run.  That would have really suked walking into opening day.  Why do you think muskrats and not beavers?  
    • gimruis
      Well I checked on stands over the weekend.  Kind of a disaster.   All the ditches are plum full and twice as wide becauase muskrats have clogged an area.  I spent an hour unclogging it and the water is slowly moving again, but our bridges and planks were underwater.  The back portion of the land where the best stand is was inaccessible.  Hopefully that changes by Saturday.  I have a feeling the muskrats are just going to clog it back up again.   Tons of standing corn still too.  They've started on it, but being so wet now with more rain coming, whatever's there will remain there for the foreseeable future.   All the grassland is completely flattened like a pancake due to 3-4 inches of heavy wet snow.  That eliminates about 75% of the pheasant habitat in this spot.  Total buzz kill.  And this specific spot was one of my better producers last season because the grass was intact and lush through December last year.
×
×
  • 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.