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

Has anyone targeted whitefish on Vermilion, specifically Frazer Bay? Any tips?

Posted

Hard to catch. Always been by accident for me.

Posted

I've fished tulibee in Frazer once and we caught a bunch.  Unfortunately they all had lots of nasty looking white worms and had to be tossed.  We did catch one whitefish and it was worm free and good eats.   Deep water mud out from Thirty Six is where we got them. 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Posted

Thank you.

  • 5 weeks later...
Posted

I still have never seen a Whitefish from Vermilion yet. Hoping that changes one of these years. Multiple times I've been talking to people who were fishing near me who said they got some nice Whitefish - only to look at them and see that they were just large Tullibee.

  • Yayyyy 1
Posted

Most people do mistake Vermilion tullibees for whitefish!

All of the tullibees are full of grubs! White fish are clean and large when you get one!

Cliff

Posted (edited)

I'm guilty.

 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/baudette/whitefish.html

I've got this bookmarked so I can pull it up when I'm trying to identify them. Even with this info I have trouble identifying what I've got on my hook. I pulled one through the hole last weekend that was almost 20" and I'm not confident in what it was. I have heard rumor of 5lbers coming out of vermilion. However, I have never caught any of these things that had any noticeable skin defects or abnormalities. 

Edited by LBerquist
Posted

My rule of thumb is if you can’t tell for sure, it’s a tullibee.  When you get an honest to goodness whitefish you’ll say, “Oh, so that’s what they look like”.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

LB,

The grubs are in the meat of the tullibees. They can not be seen until you cut them open. Otherwise they look very clean and healthy!

Almost all of the whitefish that I have caught on Vermilion have been at least 4# fish. I have seen a few that had to of been close to 7#!

Cliff

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

those grubs stretch out to about a foot long. yikes!  great smoked. :) 

  • Yayyyy 1
Posted

Not a cisco...

whitefish.thumb.jpg.a7aa20f643b7407a445e1b3be237c77b.jpg

 

  • Thanks 1
Posted

I think that the 4 I caught this winter were tulibees, including this one yesterday.

IMG_6203.JPG

I think that the 4 I caught this winter were tulibees, including this one yesterday.

Posted

IMG_2744.thumb.JPG.d9af5bb748216cffbf21fcbd282552c6.JPGTulibee? Last February on Frazer Bay

Posted

The size and color says 'whitefish', but the only way to tell for sure is if it had an under-bite to it's jaw - and that just isn't something this photo allows us to see very clearly.  In any case, nice fish!  Nice photo!

Pat, question for you...ever 'bleed' your fish on the ice before bringing them in to fillet?  Make a world of difference in both the fillets you get and the mess the fish makes when cutting them up.  Maybe you bled this one in a different way from how I do it though.

Posted

Brian, Under-bite = whitefish?

I have not 'bled' my fish. What's your basic process?

Thank you.

Posted
1 hour ago, Pat McGraw said:

Brian, Under-bite = whitefish?

I have not 'bled' my fish. What's your basic process?

Thank you.

Under bite jaw = whitefish!

Cliff

Posted

Thanks Cliff

Posted (edited)

Cliff is right. If the upper jaw extends past the lower jaw or lip (aka an underbite), then it’s a whitefish. If the lower lip is even with or extends past the upper lip, then it’s a Cisco.  This according to the DNR website. Cisco’s also seem to have an irredescent hue to them vs. whitefish, which in Lake V have a slight brown/yellow hue to them. Hard to explain in words.

Bleeding fish...plenty of YouTube videos on how to do it.  I gill them. Leaves your fillets pearly white and creates way less blood and slime during the fillet process. Many say the fillet tastes better too. 

Edited by BrianF
Posted

Thanks guys.

  • 1 month later...
Posted (edited)

Mission accomplished...  

Folks who saw me on the ice this weekend - and there weren’t many of us - may have wondered what I was targeting.  This is it.  Released her and a bunch of perch and tullibees as well.  Would have made a fine meal, but this was her lucky day.  Thought I’d share the photo with others on here who think whitefish are an amazing and under-appreciated sport fish. .

60DB3834-085D-44C9-A06F-372F5D4204A9.jpeg

Edited by BrianF
  • Thumbs Up 4
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

dandy! thx for sharing. 

Posted

Nice! How deep?

Posted

I was in 24 feet of water. She came in above my spoon and immediately engaged when I lifted to her.  

  • Thumbs Up 2
Posted

Nice fish Brian! There are some real bruiser whitefish in Vermilion!

Mud bottom?

Cliff

Posted

Interestingly, she was on the tip of a rock reef.  It drops into mud though. 

Posted

Thank you for sharing. Depending upon conditions maybe I'll give them a try this weekend.

 

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.



  • Similar Content

  • 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~~
      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.    
    • leech~~
      A good start for never picking up a bow!   IMG_1910.mp4
    • leech~~
      Um, #metoo   leech~~ Author 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders Posted January 26 My whole goal for the rest of this season.  Is to watch KC lose and Taylor cry!  🥳
    • smurfy
    • Wanderer
      Smurfy is happy.
    • Dash 1
      Great looking food. So far not much of a game and I thought the halftime show was worse I've seen. 
    • leech~~
      Oh is there a Superbowl game? 😋😋
×
×
  • 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.