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2017-2018 Vermilion Ice Conditions and Fishing Reports


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It's setting up for a spectacular fishing opener for those who can get to the honey spots, assuming that the ice is still peeling off of the lake!

Edited by SkunkedAgain
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2 hours ago, SkunkedAgain said:

It's setting up for a spectacular fishing opener for those who can get to the honey spots, assuming that the ice is still peeling off of the lake!

Yup. I hate ice fishing and think the odds of ice out before opener is very slim. I'm already taking days around the following weekend and Memorial Weekend off expecting that will be my opener. Depressing 

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jparrucci,

The second weekend is usually better fishing and better weather and less people then the opener anyway but still a bummer to miss the OPENER!

Cliff

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At least the odds are looking better for shallow water lake trout in Quetico first week in June.  :D

  • Yayyyy 1
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No water that is visible! Must be some running under the ice on the dam though because there is a little area of open water in front of the bridge and by the Hatchery.

Cliff

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We're going canoeing in Quetico first week in June.  Will the Ice be out?   World record for Vermilion is 5/23....   For that matter how about the opener?    Global warming my patoot. 

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DEl,

I think it is a new Ice Age! Should be seeing glaciers any day now!

Cliff

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-2 degrees here this morning! Certainly not loosing any ice yet! I would bet that we will have ice on much of the lake for the walleye opener at this rate!

Cliff

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Cliff/others-

I’m thinking about dodging the storm down here in the cities and heading to the cabin. Wondering about current travel conditions on the lake.  Any report you can provide would be appreciated! 

 

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Brian,

Lots of ice yet!

6" to 8" of hard snow on top of that. I was out on the lake yesterday with my truck and came close to getting stuck in the hard pack a couple of times! Snowmobile or 4 wheelers would have no problems.

Cliff

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  • 2 weeks later...

The ice on the Pike River between the dam and the lake is opening up fast! Should be wide open in a couple of days at the present rate of melt!

The DNR will be trapping walleyes soon!!! :D The walleyes are already starting to move in!

Pike Bay ice is  also starting to deteriorate quickly!

Finally starting to look like we may get some open water for the fishing opener!

Cliff 

Edited by Cliff Wagenbach
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18 minutes ago, Cliff Wagenbach said:

The ice on the Pike River between the dam and the lake is opening up fast! Should be wide open in a couple of days at the present rate of melt!

The DNR will be trapping walleyes soon!!! :D The walleyes are already starting to move in!

Pike Bay ice is  also starting to deteriorate quickly!

Finally starting to look like we may get some open water for the fishing opener!

Cliff 

I always wondered,  are the walleyes coming over the dam?   or are they swimming in from Pike?

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Here are a few photos taken off of my dock which is straight across the Pike River from the Hatchery.

Only a day or two more before it opens up here on the river!

The second picture is looking toward the dam.

4/24/2018.....There is now a 50' plus channel open from the dam to out past the Hatchery!

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Edited by Cliff Wagenbach
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Thanks Cliff for your Pike River deteriorating ice reports and pics . I. Really want to show my wife the hatchery when the action is really happening this year , I would assume you will be right on that when this happens , is there any way that you can give a shout out on here as to just when this scenario is happening up there . With the warmer temps being quite steady now , I would think the run will be rather strong this year when things get going ..  

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I will certainly keep you informed about the progress of the hatchery.

I expect to see the nets and traps go in within the next two to three days.

The run should be very strong as the fish are already moving into Pike Bay strongly.

Cliff

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Have a couple spots that are 10' open, I live on north side of Pike Bay, large rocks along shoreline helps heat water. Hard to see the ice condition on the Bay as there is a lot of slush on top, once that melts and the warm sun hits the ice it will go quick. Our new Chesapeake pup discovered she lives on a lake yesterday.

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We drive by the stripping station on Cutfoot weekly & try to keep people up on that too. I think it may be a bit later here, will check it out tomorrow

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The Pike River is almost wide open today!

It will not be long now before they start the walleye netting!

Cliff

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I saw Timbuktu posted open water in the narrows, someone put in a flat bottom to boast first boat in the narrows this yr!  Stay safe! pray for ice out!

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
    • jim curlee
      I had a guy hit me with a lightly used 1969 BAR, he wanted $1650 with an older Leupold scope. More than I think they are worth, I made an offer, he declined end of story.   You know if you look at the old brochures, a grade II BAR sold for $250 in the late 60s, $1650 would be a good return on your investment.    Why would anybody want a 50 year old gun, they are heavy, have wood stocks, and blued metal.  I guess mainly to keep their gun safes glued to the floor. lol   You can probably buy a stainless rifle that you never have to clean, with a synthetic stock you never have to refinish, is as light as a feather, and for half as much money, perfect.   I'm too old for a youth gun, although I've shrunk enough that it would probably fit. lol   No Ruger 10/44s.   Jim      
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