2017 Vermilion Ice fishing reoprts and ice conditions

[Cliff Wagenbach]

14 minutes ago, elyfishunter said:

cliff, did you ride from your home or the landing?

I went out from a friends cabin on Echo Point.

I have heard reports that there is a lot of slush and water on the ice in Pike Bay so I did not go that way.

Cliff

[Spearing Machine]

Thanks Cliff! Good news. I'll give it a shot tomorrow evening out there at McKinley. Things really healing up nicely now down on south end pike bay. Walked out half mile or so and ended up in front of pike bay lodge (walked across bay towards them). Found nothing less than 5.5 inches in the snow covered areas and on the big bare patches of ice up to 9 inches. Everything seems to have about 3 inches frozen solid slush. Drilled probably a dozen or more holes tonight and never found any slush about 50/50 bare ice from flooding over and refreezing and small drifted areas with couple inches of snow much that was really beginning to firm up too losing its insulation value. Hope to run all the way up pike to big bay next week with the sled

[Jighead4914]

Thanks Cliff,   McKinley Park or Stuntz Bay which is the best spot between the two to fish? Im new to fishing Vermillion but love the lake just need a little extra help. Thanks alot.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Jighead4914

[Cliff Wagenbach]

McKinley probably is the most consistent bite area. Also a lot more area to fish out of there.

Glad to hear that Pike Bay is re-freezing the flooded areas! Much easier to run from home then hauling the 4 wheeler every day!

Cliff

[Jighead4914]

Thanks again Cliff, for all the great info on the lake.

[Finnish Flash]

Hey Cliff - I checked the ice in Pike Bay today in front of my place and found 8" of good ice in the holes I drilled.  Looks like if there was any slush it has all refroze solid in those areas I checked, patches of snow and patches of ice from where the slush froze up.  Noticed a few sleds go by today and looked like smooth sailing for them. 

[JerkinLips]

Fishing at McKinley Park has been fairly steady for me the last two days. Have not caught a fish in the morning yet. Caught plenty of 14-16" eaters, one 22" slotter pictured, a couple of dinks, 9" perch, 22" northern, and a partridge in a pear tree. Had 7" of ice yesterday and 8.5" in the same spot today. Took the sled over to Stuntz Bay an the traveling was great. Lots of ATV running around today, and one small pickup drove all the way out of the bay. Lots of ATVs and permanent houses going out by Birch Island. Good luck and be safe. 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Thanks For the Pike Bay ice condition up date F.F.!

Cliff

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Moved out into deeper water yesterday with my Munchkin house.

Good decision!

I fished most of the day today in 28 f.o.w. and iced 27 walleyes and a pout!

Hammered gold/perch spoon and a rattle wheel. Pike sucker on the rattle wheel and crappie minnow on the jig.

Most of the fish were between 14.5" and 17.5 inches. Largest was a sumo 28 incher! That one came on the jig and crappie minnow!

Cliff

 

[Slobslayer99]

Coming up durning New Years weekend just wondering how's the nite bite on vermillion and any body fishing birch lake?

[JerkinLips]

Walleye bite seems to shut of at dark on Vermilion.  I've caught very few walleyes after dark, but haven't fished after 3 hours after dark since the 1980's.  I think the stained water in Vermilion limits walleyes feeding at night.

 

Cliff - glad you made the right decision, but that is why you are a professional and I am an amateur.  I almost went out deeper yesterday but stayed in close in 19 FOW since the bite had been decent.  I fished from 3-6pm and caught two 9", 13", and a 17½".  Lost one other decent fish half way up.  Best bite was from 4-4:30pm like the other two days, and the bite ended at dark.  75% of the fish I caught on shiners and the other 25% on chubs.  Could not get a bite on rainbows or suckers (my go-to bait).  Next week I'm taking my semi-portable house out to big bay.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I agree, the night bite on Vermilion is usually very poor. I have had a rare night of good fishing but not many!

Cliff

[SkunkedAgain]

It's a gentlemen's lake.

[goalieman01]

Hello all, New to these forums and it looks like you have some good people on here.

 

Nice work Cliff and Jeff, Wish I was up there fishing right now. 

 

A good friend and I are heading up Monday after Xmas to his in-laws cabin. We have only tried the lake one other time with very little luck, mainly due to only 4 inches of ice and us being cautious of where safe ice was. Hoping this time we wont have to worry as much.

 

His cabin is in Frazer bay, by the islands. If anyone can help with directions on where we might have some good luck we would be eternally grateful. Not looking for your hot spots and we will keep the spots quiet and share our success or lack there of with you. 

 

Thanks everyone and I look for to participating more in the forums here.

 

Dan

 

 

[Spearing Machine]

Just a quick Pike Bay ice update. Gained 3-5 inches from last Thursday evening. Holes I drilled tonight had 8.5 ( snow covered areas) up to 13.5 (bare ice areas). For those traveling this way good going with ATV or snowmobile (patchy snow up to 3-4 inches). Early signs of a potential strong winter storm Christmas day/night so have to keep eyes on the track of that the next few days if it'll stay south or come our way. 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

SM,

Thanks for the ice update!

I think that I will start driving my side by side out there tomorrow!

Cliff

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Dan,

Welcome to FM!

Frazer Bay is a good winter fishing area!

Lots of deeper water there to try!

I suggest looking at a map or use a GPS for a deeper hole next to a reef or shoreline and fish the base of the drop off.

26' to 32' depths.

Pine suckers under a bobber or tip-up and smaller jigging spoons with a crappie minnow .

Keep your bait about 12" to 16" off of the bottom.

Cliff

[goalieman01]

Cliff, 

Thanks for the welcome in tips.

We are excited to get up there an fish(12/26 to 12/29), Wish I could stay through the new year but the wife wants to host some friends.

 

I think last year we tried about 20 to 22' with jigging spoons and dead sticking with just a hook and shiner. We got a few but didn't get out past the islands as there was only 5" of ice in the bay even. 

 

We will head straight out to the bigger lake and find a few edges of humps and shoreline in that range. I will keep everyone posted on how we do throughout the week next week.

 

Dan

 

 

[Villa5]

Cliff,

 

I will be heading up there the 25th-28th. How is the ice usually in the bays like Frazier? Any currents or areas to avoid? I drive an ext cab Tacoma so I am hoping that there will be enough ice to drive out, other wise I will be hoofing it!

 

Nick

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Villa5,

You will probably be hoofing it!

Not enough ice yet for a truck anywhere!

Stay out of the narrows when heading North from Frazer!

Cliff

[BulldogInTC]

Cliff,

 

Thanks for the advise you gave my buddy Dan.  We'll try and update as the week moves along, but my Verizon is pretty shotty at the cabin (another reason I love this lake).  I've had some decent luck during the summer around the narrows in the past.  Is the ice questionable most of the time through there with the current?

 

Thanks,

Josh

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Yes, the narrows can be bad at all times!

Stay on established trails when going that way.

Cliff

[Raven77]

Coming up to my cabin in Richie Bay on the 26th.  Have the snowmobile clubs put trail markers on the lake yet?  Think the ice is thick enough for my Ranger with tracks?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I saw a few markers on the lake today. Not sure if the lake trails are marked though.

My friend had his tracked ranger on the ice in Big Bay today.

Cliff

[Spearing Machine]

Fished last night out on big bay. Picked up a slot 22.5 and missed a couple. After dark picked up a couple nice lawyers on a jigging spoon. Cliff, was that you banking up a little house when we drove by on the 2 up sled? We measured 11.5 inches of ice in our holes. Couldn't beleive someone even had a half ton pickup on the pike bay mouth. We noticed the sledding trail signs were up on the lake but no reflective markers were posted last night yet.

[CigarGuy]

Neighbor and I were out from about 3 to 530 today, missed one walleye in the transducer cable, got a wet arm-still missed it. Chad, I think you know where I'm at, we had from 5" to 7" of ice-two docks down from me toward Black Bay.  We were only out about 40' out from shore.  Neighbor had his side-by-side and I had my wheeler.  I thought there would be more ice, since it iced over Thanksgiving wknd.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

S.M.

That may have been me. I had my orange Kubota with a plow!

Cliff

[CigarGuy]

Cliff, I thought you had a post about Elite 7, ice settings a while back.  Been looking for it and cant find it.  Can you help me out? Had mine out today and had a tough time trying to get it dialed in.  Thanks

[Cliff Wagenbach]

12 minutes ago, CigarGuy said:

Cliff, I thought you had a post about Elite 7, ice settings a while back.  Been looking for it and cant find it.  Can you help me out? Had mine out today and had a tough time trying to get it dialed in.  Thanks

I have never used my Elite 7 on the ice. Sorry!

Cliff

[CigarGuy]

6 minutes ago, Cliff Wagenbach said:

I have never used my Elite 7 on the ice. Sorry!

Cliff

Ok, thanks. I remember you talking about ping speed-must have been summer settings..