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

Are the whitefish worth targeting in the winter?   I've thought about giving Head of the Lakes a try as I have marked a bunch in there during the summer months.   I know some lakes whitefish can be tough to catch in the winter.  For anyone who has tried it on the V, did you have good success and what tactics worked?

I know there can be good tulibee fishing but last year we got a boat load of them and they all had worms.  We did catch one whitefish along with the tullies and it wasn't wormy.  

Thanks

Posted

I have never been able to catch very many white fish in the winter, (or any other time)!

Catch one occasionally fishing for walleyes but that is it.

Caught a ton of Tulibees today while searching for crappies. NO crappies today!!

Cliff

Posted

I wasn't aware there were Whitefish in Vermilion. I have heard people mention them in the Fall but I assumed they were referencing the Tullies (I guess I was wrong!). I haven't caught a Whitefish from there but a bunch of Tullibee's were caught this weekend while we were Walleye fishing.

Posted
2 hours ago, OhioVike said:

Whitefish are not in the most recent Lake Survey. They were probably there a long, long time ago.  

Check this link. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=69037800

 

There are still a lot of white fish in Vermilion.

Lots of them netted every fall by white fish/tulibee netters during the fall netting season!

Cliff

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

Do you have any idea why they don't show up in the surveys?

Posted

Ohio,

I have no idea why they are not listed on the lake survey report as whitefish are certainly a part of Vermilion's fish population!

Cliff

Posted

There are lots of species that do not show up in lake surveys.  It is typically one of two reasons, either their nets aren't designed to catch that particular species of fish or the nets aren't placed where the fish live.   It is probably the later with whitefish since they live in very deep water where the DNR is unlikely to place nets.

Thanks for the response Cliff.  For you, or any others, have you specifically targeted whitefish on the V?  When we caught the one that was with the tullies I think we were in about 30 feet of water.  I am guessing you'd need to get out in the 40+ foot mud to get in to them.  That seems to be where we mark the most during the summer months.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

The few that I have caught in the winter were caught in 14' to 30' of water while fishing mainly for walleyes.

I have caught a few in around 32' while fishing for crappies.

Quite a few years back, when I used to spear, I set up in a shallow weedy bay one day (6'). I was amazed at the number of big whitefish that I saw that day!

This was during the first couple weeks of the spearing season.

I did not spear any of them because I was targeting pike. As it turned out, I should have speared a couple because I saw no pike!

Cliff

 

Posted

Yeah, I am guessing that it has to do with low fish count or concentrated areas of fish away from sampling errors. I have seen Whitefish on lake surveys for Kab, LOW, Namakan and Burntside.  I am sure they are using the same tools and process for each survey.  Either way you have to agree with consensus is there are probably a lot better places for Whitefish than here. 

Posted

If you want to see Whitefish come late in the fall when they are spawning in the shallows.  There are still plenty of them around if you know where and when to look.

"Ace"

"It's just fishing man"

Posted

Thanks ace.  I'm well aware of the fall spawn but if I'm on vermilion in the fall I'm going after the fish feeding on the Whitties.  

Ohio, there are plenty of whitefish in vermilion.  My question was more so whether or not they are catchable and worth chasing since they can be a tricky species to catch in the winter.  

If I make it up to try it before ice out I'll report back. 

  • 1 year later...
Posted

Nice whitefish!! Pound for pound an awesome fight right to the surface!

  • Thumbs Up 1

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 :)

    • 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.