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Posted

Heading up to Island Lake Reservoir this weekend. Wife and company aren't interested in holding a rod all day for naught so I'd like to find them, and myself some action. 

I can't seem to find many recent reports on this lake so I'm hoping some of you can point me in the right direction. 

Looking to get into pretty much any fish. Bass, walleye, crappie, sunnies, pike.

I was thinking I'd jig and worm the walleyes, bobber and minnow for crappies, plastics for bass.  

Possibly crank or rig walleyes as well.

Any particular area to stay away from? Any areas to target for each species?

 

Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance. 

Posted (edited)

The walleye bite has been good on Island.   Fished there on Monday afternoon/evening and did very well.   Fished off a main channel island shoreline in 15 to 15 feet of water.    We were pitching jigs and minnows and cranking them back slowly.   There are a couple of good year classes in the lake now.   I caught lots of 15 to 16 inch walleyes since mid June.  Walleye fishing has been good all season.     Island Lake crappies is a secret that I've only been able to crack a few times.  Pike are around and are caught,  but I think they have way too much food in the lake to be interested in the fisherman.    The lake has musky and they are willing if you work at it.  The picture  is a couple of limits we caught a couple of weeks ago.  

 

IMG_0511.jpg

Edited by Down Deep
Posted

Nice. Thanks for the info.  Fishing 15 to 15 fow? lol so 15fow is the place to be? 

Not asking for specific spots but what do you mean by "main channel island"? Where are the channels?

Posted (edited)

Main Channel means  any large point  or island along the original river bed.  Start and the dam and head by the most direct route to the Hwy 4 bridge or vice versa.  That is the main river bed.  Any big point or larger island on either side can be good especially if there are some shallow weeds adjacent to the deeper water.   There are also lots of mid channel reefs along the way.    The deeper edges of the reefs are a good place to run some cranks.  You might even pull a musky doing this.   You will see where the other boats are.  These areas are big so there is usually no problem with crowing in on someone. 

Yep 15 feet of water is great unless the fish aren't in 15 feet of water.  Sorry about that.  We hit the walleyes pretty good yesterday  (Thursday) in 10 to 20 FOW pitching jigs and minnows.   This is the time of the year the walleyes should be deeper and off the sides of the reefs.   They may well be there, but we haven't needed to fish them there.   I'd offer to show you around, but I'm headed to Canada on Saturday. 

Edited by Down Deep

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • 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~~
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    • JerkinLips
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