Ice Fishing Rocks!

[curt quesnell]

I was fishing Saturday morning in one of my best hot spots and fished for 3 hours and got nutting.  Moved to spot B and got one right away and then that was it!  Then I saw a post on FB from a friend of mine fishing 100 yards from hot spot and and in 3 hours they caught 4 keepers, a bunch of dinks and had 3 nice fish get off on the way up.   So, was fishing bad or was fishing ok? 

[TooBusy]

Saturday I put about 25 miles on my sled in search of fish.  Spent 2 hours in each of four locations I tried.  Everything from edges of reefs, on the rocks themselves, to deep mud.  I only managed a 12"walleye and a 14" sauger.  The fish are somewhere, but they are doing a pretty effective job of hiding from me at this point.  I talked to another guy who was part of a group of 8, and between them they caught 2 perch and a sauger.  

[fisherjmb]

I agree with several posts on this thread that something has happened over the last few years to the fishing on the south side of the lake. It just isn't as good as it used to be. Go back and read some of the posts from the Lake of the Woods fishing reports thread. It goes back as far as March of 2009. You read so many more posts about people getting limits and catching nice fish than you do now. According to the DNR test netting the walleye and sauger numbers are great, but where are they? They are obviously not in large numbers on the south side of LOTW. You do hear of good reports near the NW angle and in Canada so are all the fish on that side of the lake? Why? I would assume it has to do with more bait fish on that end. Why is there no bait on this side of the lake? Folks eluded to poor fall shiner runs the last several years. Why is that? Are there simply just less shiners than 3-5 years ago? I wish I knew but one thing seems more certain, fishing just isn't as good as it was several years ago.

I have fished the lake since I was 6 years old in the mid 80's and have fished it more frequently since my parents bought a cabin on the lake in the spring of 2001. Last year (2015) was probably the worst fishing we have experienced in the 15 seasons since they have owned the place. It wasn't even that long ago (2010-2012) where we had some of the best fishing ever in my lifetime. So what happened in 3 short years? Hopefully it isn't a Mille Lacs situation. The protected slot has been in place on the lake since 2003, did we get to a point where there were too many large fish in the lake and they "ate themselves out of house and home"? I certainly hope not. Or is it all due to the increase in fishing pressure, particularly in the winter, on the south end?  I would hope this is a cycle and we are just in some down years and it will get better but only time will tell.

I was considering coming up to the cabin to ice fish this winter but after reading so many poor reports I am probably going to forego it and wait for the spring Rainy river run or possibly wait until the May opener. I understand the LOTW tourism bureau has a job to do and they need to get folks up to the lake to fish so I don't fault them for "stretching the truth" a little bit. Folks just need to understand that when they read the posts from them. 

Good luck to all that fish the lake and I hope to start reading more positive reports in the next few months/years.  

[CANOPY SAM]

Couple thoughts about this topic.

1) Curt is spot on.  This is a tough time of year to catch fish.  Period.  People SO quickly forget that we MISSED the early ice bite this year.  We didn't have good ice until REALLY late, and by the time we did the biomass of fish had moved out into the deeper flats.  They're out there, guys, but take one glance at where 90% of the houses are located right now?

2) The shiner numbers are down, but I've personally been very encouraged by the numbers of "clouds" of baitfish I'm still seeing move thru the electronics.  I've only been up a few times this year, but I've marked many fish on my electronics all day long.  They just don't always commit to a bait presentation.  In fact, MOST of the time they don't.  They are in mid to late winter mode right now, and they just aren't exceedingly active.

3) Hot on the heels of that last comment, please keep in mind that the water temps are as cold as they are gonna get for the year right now.  Have any of you noticed how spooky the fish are right now?  If you are making noise in your house, or out on the ice, they know you are up there, and they will most often move off without biting if they can "hear/feel" something out of the ordinary.  Here's a tip you should really exercise when the bite gets tough like now.  BE QUIET!  I mean be as quiet as you possibly can.  Even if you're in 34 feet of water off the deep edge of a reef, if you're making a lot of noise, they know you are there, and you're killing your chances of doing really well vs. simply catching a fish or two per day.  That's why getting a couple hundred yards away from the crowds can pay huge dividends at this time of year.  DON"T go where everyone else is fishing.  Get out on the periphery of the crowds, and try to keep your distance.

Staying quiet really will help you see more fish on your electronics, keep more fish near you below the ice, and ultimately offer you much better chances of coaxing more fish into biting.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but I've personally observed this many, many times at this time of year.  Example, last Friday and Saturday, fishing with a good friend, we fished and chatted for nearly two days, also listened to a couple Podcasts via cell phone, and "catching fish" was NOT GOOD!  I was still marking fish fairly regularly, but the vast majority would sniff the bait and disappear.  About 5 minutes after my friend drove off on Saturday afternoon, and it got REALLY quiet in the house, the fish turned on!  I could barely keep two lines in the water.  In about an hour and fifteen minutes I landed 15-20 keeper walleyes, saugers, and jumbos.  After fishing for two days with only a few fish on the ice (same report as everyone else), when I sat quietly, making no noise, I filled my limit of 16-17 inch walleyes and saugers, with 3 bonus Jumbos, in just over an hour!

The numbers are good, with a strong variety of year classes scattered throughout the lake.  There is absolutely no question that the fish are out there.  We're just sitting smack dab in the middle of the toughest time of year to catch good numbers of fish.  In a month, as we move into March, the days will get notably longer, and the fish will begin to put on the feedbag in preparation for spawning.  I typically wait thru late January, and February, until March each year, when the ice-fishing REALLY starts to take off!

The reports from the Lake of the Woods tourism folks probably are a little fudged, but in complete truth, there ARE people catching good numbers of fish out there pretty much every day.  It just depends a LOT on being on the right spot, at the right time, and presenting the right bait in a way that the fish desire (and DON"T spook em' away!).  And yes, at any given time the fishing is probably significantly better in the northern stretches of the lake, but keep in mind that those fish see WAY less fishing pressure, and most of those folks are being dropped on great fishing spots by top notch guides every day.  I've fished up there too, and if I could, I would keep fishing up there, but I simply can't afford the time, and financial resources it takes to get up there.  It is what it is.

With the rocky weather we've been having of late, and in consideration of the time of year, it's not surprising that fishing isn't going gangbusters right now.  Be patient guys.  Get away from the crowds.  Stay quiet, and you'll catch fish.  In a few weeks it'll start getting better, and by the tail end of March, if we still have good ice, you'll see the numbers of fish climb dramatically.  They are there.  You just gotta put the puzzle pieces together a little differently at this time of year.

Try being really quiet, and report back on how this affected your fishing success.

[SaintPaulPaul]

Great post, Canopy. The last several years have been "slow" when I go up for my annual trip out of Borderview Lodge. But they are there, and we seem to take fish home every time. It's a matter of finesse oftentimes, staying glued to the Vex and interpreting what the fish are doing. I think some people remember the days of dropping a line and bobber down a hole and pulling up 100 fish a day without much work at all...but things change and I think we need to adapt to a new way of doing things. Your comments on staying quiet are spot-on, and I've argued that point for years. I'll be going up Thursday for the weekend out of Borderview, I'll post my results (and hopefully pics, too) when I get back. Tight lines.

[fisherjmb]

Canopy, I definitely agree with you, this time of year is probably the most difficult time of year to catch good numbers of fish and doing certain things such as being quiet will certainly help your odds. What I was eluding to was the seemingly overall decline in the quality of fishing on the south end of the lake over the last several years. Not just in February but throughout the year. You just don't read or hear the multitude of good reports that you heard 3 to 5 years ago. I have noticed it first had as well. The good fishing just doesn't happen as often or if it does, it's much smaller windows of time (spring and fall for instance).

Some may argue that people need to diversify their approach and fish with different tactics and techniques and explore different areas of the lake, maybe you have to drive further to catch good numbers of fish, and while I agree with that, the main question is why? Why is it that just a few years ago you didn't have to boat 10-20 miles one way to go find fish? Maybe we were just lucky several years ago and the lake was just on fire and we shouldn't expect that to be the case each year. I can accept that if that is true. Hopefully we are in a bit of a "down cycle" and in 2 or 3 years the lake will be on fire. I truly hope that is the case. 

I am going add one last item to think about. Each summer since the early 90's my family would take a week long vacation and stay at Arnesen's in mid July. We generally always fished the reef's near the resort and most days had good to very good luck fishing the reefs around there. The main tactic was a bottom bouncer and spinner with a night crawler. We caught a lot of fish that way. We continued to do that even after my parents bought their cabin except we moved to some of the reefs further east of Arnesen's. The good fishing continued each summer on those reefs as well up until about 4 years ago. Each year since then we continued to fish those reefs mid summer but had a hard time consistently getting into good numbers of fish on them. Often times we wouldn't even mark fish on or near them. I have also not read as many good reports from the reefs around Rocky Point and Long Point reefs as much as I used to. Why is that? What has changed? It is probably simply a food source issue but why? Why is the food no longer around those reefs in the summer? 

I wish I had all the answers and maybe I am just being overly concerned but I am just that, concerned, and I hope we don't see a continued downward trend in the quality of fishing on LOTW. 

[CANOPY SAM]

fisherjmb.  As a whole, you are right.  Fishing the big lake, particularly in the south basin, has been generally less then great since the flood occurred up there 2 or 3 summers ago?  I can't remember now exactly the summer it happened. Can someone who is up there more regularly help recall the summer the lake levels jumped up?  Was it 3 summers ago?

Anyway, that summer, when the Rainy River was basically at flood stage for the majority of mid to late summer, and it was gushing millions of gallons of silty, debris filled water out far into the lake everyday, that summer seemed to be the real turning point.  The high, dirty water seemed to have pushed the biomass of fish, and likely the biomass of prey fish (followed by the predators) up into the northern reaches of the lake, where the water was still reasonably clean.

The DNR net counts confirmed what most anglers were experiencing that summer, and for a couple years after.  The southern basin had lost the majority of the fish.  They'd moved north....for whatever reason.  It was that first winter following the flooding when the southern basin seemed almost completely devoid of life.  Ice fishing was awful that winter, except if you were making the run up to the northeast side of the lower basin (up where the islands begin).

All the resorts weren't even bothering to set up anywhere in the southern basin.  They were running all their clients up north, and they were paying the price for this in multiplying their fuel expenses many times over again plowing roads, and shuttling clients up there several times a day.  That was a BRUTAL winter for ice fishing for almost everyone....in the southern basin.

Fast forward a couple years, and last fall the DNR net counts showed the biomass of fish (walleyes, saugers, and perch) have moved back to the southern basin.  Personally, I don't think we're quite back to where we were prior to the high water, but we're most certainly moving in the right direction. 

There wasn't a big Rainy River shiner run last fall, but there were more then we've seen in a number of years, and the fishing was really quite good outside the "Gaps" as it was in years past.  If we can get a late summer, early fall pattern of cleaner, slightly higher water flowing out of the Rainy, I would expect to see the shiner run up the river improve dramatically, and the predatory fish will follow accordingly, and overall the southern end of the lake should rebound nicely.

Honestly, I think we're almost there.  But I also believe that fish are creatures of habit, just like most wildlife.  Just like our lack of ducks each fall in Minnesota, first we have to get back the water we had here years ago.  Once we have the habitat again, it will take the birds at least a few years to "pattern" BACK to Minnesota in their flyway.  These things don't, and won't happen overnight.  But at least with the fish in Lake of the Woods, I think we're headed in the right direction.

Personally, I'm not too sure the overall numbers of fish harvested by anglers each year is having THAT big of an impact on the lake.  However, I do truly have concerns about the number of shiners harvested for bait each year out of the river MAY be a large contributing factor in the declining run of shiners we've been witnessing over the last ten years.  When one considers the shear number of bait fish pulled out of the system each fall the impact HAS to be staggering!

Ten years ago one only saw a few lift nets set off the docks each fall along the river.  Now there are lift nets on nearly every dock along the river's edge!  And I don't blame them.  If I could lift 10, 15, or 50 GALLONS of minnows out of the river each night, pack them into little baggies, and sell 2000+ bags of shiner minnows at $5.00 per bag each week, why wouldn't I do it???  It's a bait dealer's dream come true, and the cash that's involved is phenomenal!  But are there any systems/laws/regulations in place to protect this resource?  Or is it just another gold rush like we've seen so many times in the past, where everyone who can will jump on the band wagon, grab as much as they can while it lasts, until it dries up, and we're left with a ghost town in the end?

That is my MAIN concern for the lake right now.  Guess what happens when all the baitfish are gone?  Could this be a possible explanation as to why we haven't seen a really strong fall walleye run into the Rainy in many years?  Could this be part of the equation as to why it is apparently taking SO long for the biomass of predator fish to return, and REMAIN in the southern basin?  I certainly believe it MAY be part of the problem.

We have to learn to protect ALL our resources, not just the big obvious stuff.  I would very much like to see the DNR get involved in the annual harvest of shiner minnows from the Rainy River.  I would very much like to see some "limits" placed on how much one bait dealer, or one bait shop, can harvest and sell each season.  I truly believe if this harvest was much more closely regulated we would see the southern basin fishery fairly quickly rebound into what it was 15-20 years ago.

I can only imagine that I just opened up a VERY big can of worms!!!!

Edited February 9, 2016 by CANOPY SAM

[Hoey]

SAM - Interesting point on the high summer water levels potential impact on sport fishing.  If I recall correctly, that high summer water level was 2014 - so not that long ago.  A couple years prior, there was a very large spring run-off that brought in a remarkable amount of stuff from the lowlands of the rivers.  

I have been fishing LOTW pretty regularly for the past 18 years and have noticed a decline in the quality and quantity of the catch.  I do not believe there is a silver bullet, but more of multiple causes for what has/is occurring.  In my opinion, one of the main contributors is the lack of management of the slot fish population followed by increased fishing pressure and sportsman that bring in their limits, day-after-day.  

[aczr2k]

I do know one thing when the fishing is this bad I sure don't care to make the 3 hour drive to get there.. there I'm doing my part by staying home!  Lol...

[fisherjmb]

Canopy, that is a good point on the big flood, I didn't even think of that. It was June of 2014. I remember it well, my parents lost some of their shoreline in front of their cabin because the water got so high. They had to bring in larger rocks that fall to reinforce their shoreline. They also lost their stairs going down to the waters edge during that high water period. It was crazy, waves were coming right onto the lawn. Their lawn is probably 8-10 feet above the normal water line too, it was nuts. There is probably some truth to that big flood causing some lingering issues.

I also agree on the number of shiners taken in the fall and the effect it has on the numbers of fish on the south end, while it's nice to have a good supply of (frozen) shiners all year, it is concerning the sheer numbers that are taken each fall. I also think the new VHS laws that were put in place several years back to prevent the spread of that disease has also had an effect on the number of shiners taken. I think in years past before those laws were in place, shiners were imported in from other states and from Canada too. Now, I don't think that is allowed so the local bait providers are being forced to get their supply of shiners from the Rainy and LOTW exclusively. While I certainly don't want VHS to spread to the LOTW basin, I wonder if "relaxing" those rules a bit might take some pressure off the local bait supply? Just a thought.

I hope you are correct and the south end comes back to more of a level of "homeostasis" soon, maybe it is and in the next year or two, barring any major natural occurrence, we will get back to where we were 5-10 years ago. 

[wookie24]

Anyone have any input on the seemingly huge increase in the number of tulibee that seem to be there.  We used to catch a few random ones here and there years ago, but now we have days of 20 plus fish in the same spots quite frequently.

Also, seems that the number of bourbot is near non-existent these days.  Don't think I caught one last year, when we used to be guaranteed to find a few during each trip.  My dad once caught 22 in a day, along with his limit of eyes/saugers.  But that was 30 years ago.

[jerkbait]

Not sure about the tullibees, but the DNR had said a few years back that the bourbot population has been declining for many years. Me personally I have always throw then back down the hole instead of throwing them on the ice. I believe now the CO will give a person a ticket for wantin waste for leaving them on the ice. it has always bothered me when I hear of people throwing them on the ice just to kill them and pike too!

[Walleyehooker]

Just read an article that says there are 2 MILLION hours of angling pressure in the winter up there. That might have thinned them out a little over the years.

[CANOPY SAM]

Yeah, the Tullibee issue is a head scratcher for sure.  Just like the seeming lack of huge numbers of walleyes and saugers in the south end, I'd bet the farm this is a multi-faceted issue with the increase in Whitefish.  Seems like simple population fluctuations though.  Walleyes, saugers and perch come down in number a bit, and whitefish numbers climb up?  Maybe?  Maybe not?  I really don't know for sure.  One nice thing though, those whitefish/tullibee are excellent cleaned up and cold smoked!

Can't speak at all toward the eelpout population changes.  I too grew up fishing LOTW.  Almost shocked to publically admit I started fishing on the big lake 40 years ago!!!  Anyway, yeah, we used to catch WAY more pout' years ago, and WAY bigger ones!  Was pretty common to catch several fish well over 10 pounds on any given day of ice fishing.  We used to let them freeze on the ice and chase around a tennis ball (like hockey) using the borbot like sticks!  Called it Burbot Ball!  It was fun.  Back then wanton waste was a non-issue, but back then "soft" poaching (eating a limit of fish in a day, and taking another limit home) wasn't even considered an issue either.

I agree with JB on the catch and release choice nowadays.  Always kinda disappointed when I pull up a hefty borbot (thinking all the way to the top it's a nice walleye).  But they're really no big deal.  I don't eat em' so I just put em' back down the hole and hope they swim off rather than pestering other baits beneath the house...which sometimes they do if they are REALLY hungry.

I'd imagine the Burbot numbers are down a bit since more people are eating them now.  I know of many people who enjoy eating Burbot, and I know many of the resort guides up there really like to take them home for the table.  They even tell their clients to save Burbot for them if the clients themselves don't want them.  They're just not my cup of tea.

As for the increase in Whitefish, realistically it's more than likely an offshoot of slightly increased water temps, massive bug hatches due to the slightly increased water temps, and the whitefish simply booming in numbers due to the increase in bugs?  The vast silty mud flats of Lake of the Woods are perfect incubators for countless varieties of aquatic invertebrates.  When those critters go thru their life cycles, and during those major hatches, fishing can get really tough on the big lake as SO many fish have their bellies packed full of larval, and adult bugs. 

[kfk]

8 hours ago, CANOPY SAM said:

 

As for the increase in Whitefish, realistically it's more than likely an offshoot of slightly increased water temps, massive bug hatches due to the slightly increased water temps, and the whitefish simply booming in numbers due to the increase in bugs?  

It's difficult to say if a healthy population of Tullibee is tied to walleye or sauger populations,  but healthy populations of Tullibee are not uncommon on LOW.   I don't mind catching Tullibee at all myself.  They are one of the tastiest smoked fish there is. 

Edited February 11, 2016 by kfk

[curt quesnell]

I really love smoked tulibee but not very many people will eat more than the tiniest taste.  I bring a slab to happy hour and wind up eating most of if myself....(does it sound like I am complaining?  I am not.)  Yum

[fivebucks]

I also love smoke tulibee but when I break out a fish I have trouble getting any to eat.  Maybe I shouldn't clean the meat away from the bones and skin as good as I do

[Xplorer]

An increase in tulibee/cisco (different than true lake whitefish) would not be the result of increased water temps, as they prefer the cooler temps.  The increase in water temps in Mille Lacs is the best guesstimate as to the drop in tuly numbers there.

And yes, tullibee is great smoked (not quite up to fresh whitefish tho).  Brought back 12 the last time I was up with my son and they were great.  

 

[srj]

I recently had an interesting conversation with Tom H from the fisheries office. He is our Large Lake Specialist and a  treasure trove of information. I had called with a few questions: why are there so few fish on the south side and so many on the north side? What has changed? Specifically, the mid-summer time frame and most of the winter.

The answer: not sure but likely forage related. The DNR as little data on the shiner population bit is aware there are good numbers of emeralds "up north" and east into Sabaskong. Tom indicated there may be changes at the bottom of the food chain perhaps brought on by the eating habits in spiny water fleas. The water quality is not an issue.

Interesting thing....fisheries does there test netting in the fall. Even when they have been getting good (and normal) numbers of fish in the nets, anglers have not done well in the same areas. Odd.

Hopefully, whatever has prompted the masses of eyes to head north will reverse itself. Sure miss the great summer anchor or trolling bite we had before. Those huge, roaming schools of fish out in mud were spectacular.

And I have to agree with ProV---the misleading fishing reports are annoying.

And about those tulibees---they had a huge hatch in 2014 so expect even more in the future.

 

 

 

[Boar]

i agree with curt an jb to. shinners need the rainy to have current for a good run, the last few years that has not been. funny thing is shinner spawn mid lake. and not in the river.  theyve found othe tributaries to run up north i suppect. every year is different. natures the boss.

[chris63]

Ive been on millelacs for most of the ice season this year.The average water temp has increased but so has the tullibee population.The idea that the increased water temps mean less bait mean less eyes isn't always correct.There is so much in an environment that is unexplainable.Im pretty sure when one source of food(bait)dries up(dies off)cycles the fish population takes some time(years)to adjust.Kurt,could you explain how wind changes(in winter time)effect the fishes feeding/movment/habits????I know lots of questions very few answers,Oh yea could you post some pictures of these tullibees being caught on LOW very interesting to see posts that tullibee are being caght rather than lake whitefish.

!!!......c63

Edited February 17, 2016 by chris63
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[fivebucks]

They are tullibees for sure with no overhang of the upper jaw.  I have yet to catch a whitefish on LOW.

[SaintPaulPaul]

Went up to Border View Thurs-Sunday for the annual trip. Fished Friday, extremely tough bite. Lot's of "drive-bys", it was next to impossible to get them to bite. Plain red hooks, glow red jigs and the old stand by, a red Macho Minnow with just a head on it got them to bite...but only if you were glued to the vexilar and knew how to react. Mostly saugers, occasional walleye...brought 7 back to shore, probably caught 40 or more. Lots and lots of dinks. -20 temp didn't help.  Saturday we were put in a shack sitting on old ice...1 fish in 3 hours! We were offered a chance to move to a new house on new ice, which had much better action. Lots of small walleyes with occasional saugers...most caught on dead sticks, jigging was tough. Lots of shoppers, not a whole lot of buyers. But we did manage to bring 13 more to shore, so we almost had our limit going home. Nothing worthy of a Kodak moment, though.  Sure, it hasn't been as fast and furious as a few years back, but it was still a blast and we took more fish home than we would have had we gone to Red or Mille Lacs.  Thanks to the Border View staff for another great trip...they are spendy, but always get us on fish, one way or another.

[curt quesnell]

For a thread that started off a bit shaky it has turned into a winner like the "good old days" here on HSO..

We get a lot more questions than answers but questions like "why arent fish biting" or "why are fish biting" or "where are the shiner minnows"  defy a real fer shur answer.  My best guess is still only a guess.

I think the big Walleyes are where ever the shiner minnows are.  I also think that maybe the shiner minnows didnt make the run into the river due to no or very little current...they may have stayed out in the lake and the big fish gorged themselves early and are just laid up some where not biting.  Even the saugers we are catching are fat fat fish. Fish full of shiner minnows already may be interested in looking at a new minnow in the area but really not want to eat it....(sound familiar).

I have seen the wind pick up and kill the bite..I have seen the wind pick up and the fish really start to go.

Fishing is an unsolvable puzzle most days, when you are lucky enough to crack the code once in a while fishing memories are made.

Thanks to everyone who posted here on this topic...great job everyone..

[wookie24]

Fished one of the reefs near rocky point yesterday, in about 31 feet of water.  Fishing was slow, lots of movement on the flashers, but fish were very lethargic.  I'm thinking the 40+ degree temp swing had something to do with it.  A couple decent fish but slowest day i've had this year.  However, I did see something I never thought I would, we pulled up a 13 inch crappie out there.  My family has fished that area for nearly 30 years, and its the first ever that we've caught.  Kind of cool to see one on this end of the lake.

[chris63]

On 2/19/2016 at 3:03 PM, wookie24 said:

Fished one of the reefs near rocky point yesterday, in about 31 feet of water.  Fishing was slow, lots of movement on the flashers, but fish were very lethargic.  I'm thinking the 40+ degree temp swing had something to do with it.  A couple decent fish but slowest day i've had this year.  However, I did see something I never thought I would, we pulled up a 13 inch crappie out there.  My family has fished that area for nearly 30 years, and its the first ever that we've caught.  Kind of cool to see one on this end of the lake.

 

Just wondering what the 13"crappie was caught on?Going end of the week and trying to cover all bases as fishing seems to be slow.....want to change the lookers to takers and/or the drive bys to stoppers and/or parkers!!c63

Edited March 1, 2016 by chris63
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