Ice reports

[mavshockeyfan]

Any ice reports around the Mankato area?

[monstermoose78]

I moved this here as you will get better info

[Zachary Cisar]

I was out on Hiniker Pond last night. Had no luck with fish but I was after dark. Straight out from the pier about 30 yards you got a solid 3.75 to 4 inches. Duck lake has about 5 inches. Henry had 4 inches last week. Not sure about this week.

Edited December 17, 2017 by Zachary Cisar

[Natew48]

I'm curious myself to know what the ice conditions are like. Checked out handle last weekend and it looked all frozen from the park access but I don't know how thick. It didn't look safe enough to even try walking on. I would have guessed at least 2 inches. Hoping to get out this week or next weekend.

[Natew48]

On 12/17/2017 at 5:21 PM, Nate Willinger said:

I'm curious myself to know what the ice conditions are like. Checked out handle last weekend and it looked all frozen from the park access but I don't know how thick. It didn't look safe enough to even try walking on. I would have guessed at least 2 inches. Hoping to get out this week or next weekend.

I meant hanska, not handle.  Lol autocorrect 

[JIvers]

Drove up to Elysian yesterday. There were several clusters of tents on the east edge of Lake Elysian, including a couple of ATVs that I could see. I drove on through town to Frances Lake, where there was no one at all on the east end in the bay. Since I don't like fishing in crowds I set up on Lake Frances.

There was at least six inches of ice there, maybe as much as eight. There was maybe an inch of snow on top, probably not enough to really slow down ice-making at all.

I was really hoping to get in to some eater Northern, and Frances has usually been good to me for those, but yesterday my flag never moved.

What I did catch was quite a few panfish. Mostly bluegill, but a few crappie as well. Nothing huge, but I got enough 7-8" bluegills and a couple 9" crappie to make a meal.

 

[mavshockeyfan]

Have you ever fished Ray's Lake just up the road from Frances?

[phishslayer]

I lived in Elysian for a couple years and I fished Ray's Lake a few times in winter. It's a fun lake with lots of little crappies. They're on the small side (5-9 inches) but they're numerous. It'd be a good place to bring kids or someone new to ice fishing because you're pretty much guaranteed to catch something. We used just a minnow on a hook. Fished right around the hole in the middle.

[Natew48]

I was curious about rays lake. I'll have to check it out and bring the wife and kid along. This is their first winter ice fishing and I want them to have some fun. Its always fun catching a ton of little ones. You barely get your line down and you got another one. I always get a kick out of that 

[JIvers]

Ten years or so ago, maybe more like fifteen, there was a very good Northern bite at early ice on Ray's Lake; very good if you liked 20" pike, anyway.

I make it up to Elysian maybe once every other winter, or two of every three winters. It has been years since I have seen anyone on Ray's Lake, so I haven't bothered with it myself.