Northlong-Merrifield Bay Ice
By
centralmnguy
in Brainerd, Aitkin, McGregor Area Fishing Reports - Hunting - Events
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Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)
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By SkunkedAgain · Posted
Running on empty at dark on a sled is definitely stress-inducing. Been there, done that. Glad that you made it out. -
By SkunkedAgain · Posted
Eagle swoops are always a hoot to watch. The snow is mostly gone on the lake. Ice melt made things pretty wet but the ice is obviously still very thick. -
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By LakeofthewoodsMN · Posted
On the South Shore... The big question: "How is the ice up at Lake of the Woods?" That is for each individual resort or outfitter who operates an ice road or trail to answer, but overall, ice conditions are still very good and ice fishing is going strong! As always, stay on the marked ice roads and trails for safety. Being up on the Canadian border, the colder temps Lake of the Woods enjoys vs much of the region combined with three feet of ice makes a big difference. Fish houses are allowed unattended overnight through March 31st and it sounds like a good number of resorts will be fishing through the month, but ultimately, Mother Nature will determine that. Regarding the fishing, overall, very good reports for walleyes, saugers and perch. There is a strong population of smaller walleyes and saugers in the lake which bodes well for the future, but in the meantime, anglers are sorting through them to catch their keepers. The one-two punch of jigging and deadsticking remains the most effective technique. Jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head or a lipless crankbait on the jigging line is the ticket. On the deadstick, a live minnow a foot off the bottom on a plain red hook or medium sized ice fishing jig is catching a lot of fish. Using electronics is super helpful. Many nice walleyes are swimming through suspended, keep an eye out. Anglers tip-up fishing for pike have had a great week and it should continue to get even better. Suckers, frozen alewife and smelt are working well. Putting baits 1 foot under the ice or right off bottom seems to be effective this week. Most common depths, 9 - 15 feet. On the Rainy River... The Rain River is still frozen with no signs of open water yet. Every year can be different, but on average, the Rainy River will start opening up around the third week of March. The first boat ramp suitable for larger boats is Nelson Park in Birchdale. We will keep you posted. As of March 1st, walleyes and saugers are catch and release only on Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River. Make plans now for sturgeon season. Once the open water appears, the fish are super active. Here are the seasons... -Catch and Release Season: May 8th – May 15th and October 1 – April 23rd. -Harvest Season: April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – September 30. -Closed Season: May 16th – June 30th. Up at the Northwest Angle... Fishing remains very good up at the Angle and the ice is in good shape as well. As on the south end, resorts monitor ice roads and trails daily and there are still some great ice fishing opportunities available. Walleyes, saugers, perch, and pike are showing up in good numbers. Those targeting crappies are reporting good numbers of fish. Work through a NW Angle resort for ice fishing opportunities on this part of the lake. The walleye and sauger season is open through April 14th. Pike fishing never closes, and perch and crappie remain open year-round as well. Whether booking a day house rental, sleeper fish house, or resort stay, there is still plenty of time to plan a late-season ice fishing adventure. -
By Wanderer · Posted
Looks like a shallow lake with some potential. Keepable crappies, decent bluegills and some nice perch according to the last survey (2015). Susan Lake With a max depth of 10 feet, I’d want to know a little more about it before I’d start drilling holes. Could be a nice little adventure though. -
By Brianf. · Posted
Jeff and I fished Saturday and half day Sunday, targeting whitefish, ciscos, crappies, and perch. The bite was tough for us. We ecked out a few, but nothing special. Highlight of the weekend was the sled ride into Wolf Lake and having an eagle swoop in and eat a rock bass we had on the ice. All in all, not a bad way to waste time. -
By monstermoose78 · Posted
Yep just below the ice -
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By smurfy · Posted
just below the ice???? i was pulling crappies from 30 ft over 43 ft and 23 inches of ice this past weekend. nice going!!!!!! 👍 -
By monstermoose78 · Posted
Went fishing with my dad and we spanked them panfish again. Same set up as yesterday. Fish fry coming this Friday for the family!!
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