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Posted

Ok guys just a question not looking for places to go or tips. Just a question about the fish numbers. I've read multiple reviews that are good and bad, some say the Indians are over fishing it, others say all the sleeper houses are over fishing it. That and when the DNR does their number count. Walleye numbers are really low. Others say it's awesome fishing. But the bass and big walleye and Pike are eating all the young eyes. It's a huge lake it has to be good! Friend of mine went up with a portable Last weekend for the tournament and a 2.5 lb tullibee won the whole thing. And he didn't catch a thing. Long trip from Iowa to get beat down like that. I want to fish this lake so bad, with a portable or sleeper. But is it worth it? Fish numbers good or not? Thanks guys

Posted

Walleye numbers are strong. Unfortunate for the fisherman, the perch forage base on the lake has exploded. Lots of 3" - 5" food for the walleye = a tough bite....

 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

thank you tom sawyer good to know,

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

It’s still a blast to fish

Posted

That's what I want to hear. Thank you sir

Posted

Fished 4 days this last weekend. 1 tullibee, 1 walleye, sun up to sun down drilled and moved several times. Fun to fish but came home and limited out on sunnies on a small lake near me the allure of the big pond is over for me. Just my 2 cents good luck and have fun if you go.

Posted

Was out last Saturday and moved a couple times then into the house for the overnight. No luck on walleyes but did see a lot of small perch on the camera at multiple locations and depths from 15' to 33'. It was still a fun time and that is the allure of Mille Lacs for me more than bringing anything home for a meal. I guess it is all what you are looking to accomplish. Have fun regardless!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

Where else can you go and pull so many big walleyes? Just go in knowingly that you aren't going to keep anything. Sleeper option is better than portable . Limited action during the day anyway. Now sunset to sunrise can be game on all night long. We put back 14 over 22" last weekend. When I say we it was myself, wife and two kids under 7. This lake is a blast. Good Luck

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted (edited)

We made a day trip a couple of Sundays ago. Fished from about 9:30 to 3:30 and my kid caught 2 walleye- 21" & 25" with a tag. In the past two winters I've made a total of 3 day trips and have a total of 10 walleye from 19-25 inches. I think the numbers may not be a may, but the quality is great. Very similar to the late 90's not as many fish, but great size.

Edited by tcbow
Posted

awesome feedback! thank you so much for the info! Ill get up ther next year, i dont want to keep any i just want to catch some nice eyes and northern.....hell, whatever! ive been in a sleeper 5 times on LOW and we only had one real good trip. upper red lake once in a sleeper caught 3 eyes in 3 days. i dont mind if i catch one or two fish, its all about the experience for me on the big water. but the girlfriend is a hard one to convince at times for a return trip if the fishing is slow. were headed to fairbault this weekend, i hope we get into something. thanks again guys! ill post a report on our trip. good luck on the ice!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

Wait until open water season.  It was ranked #1 in the country for bass for a reason.  Its also ranked #6 in the nation for muskies too if you have enough patience to target them.

A recent review of Mille Lacs was conducted by an independent Biologist from Lake Erie and found that what the DNR has done with that lake has been fair, accurate, and appropriate in terms of regulation/harvest/restrictions.  Course, some business owners might say otherwise but the science and data has been found to be true.

  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Builders
Posted

There is a bunch of walleyes in Mille lacs and for the first time in a long time there is  bait fish for them to eat. Mille lacs is a son of a gun to fish if there is a bunch of bait for walleyes to eat. It’s still one the best walleye fisheries in the world. 

Posted

I have a skid house on Mille Lacs, the yellow perch has is no joke, camera all day long perfect sized perch for them to eat. The walleye numbers are strong, regardless what dnr says. The tough bite this year does kind of stink, but it's good for the lake. Every fish you catch is nice and healthy, and as previously stated usually big. We have been fortunate enough to get a couple slot fish (unicorns) out this year

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted

Thanks again guys! Much appreciated!

 

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  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Nope!  But it’s more funner!
    • smurfy
      I don't need no livescope to catch fish....🤔🤪  It's all in how ya wiggle the worm!😜 Just sayin  🤣
    • Kettle
      Obviously this is more of a hot topic due to forward facing sonar. With that being said, I know people who have pulled crappies out of basins 40+ deep since the fl-8 and zercom flashers came out. That's over 30 years ago. I do think there's a push to ban these in MN and I could see them doing it here. They'll have to pay my livescope from my cold dead hands 😆 on days I can't catch a walleye jigging or rigging it's nice to turn it on and throw corks at individual fish
    • Kettle
      It wasn't just you, I was fishing west of you about an hour on Monday. Fished 8am-4pm, no fish, two keeper walleye and one small one from 4pm-630pm. Marked a lot of fish, they would come up to a jig and swim away. They were skittish to the dead stick too
    • leech~~
      I wonder like divers, if we let them decompress every 10' for 1/2hr. If that would help?  🤔  It would slow the bite down a bit!  🤭
    • carlsonmn
      That was a better study compared to last winter when they setup the vertical tube nets and tried to release exhausted fish from being studied and expected them to be able to swim straight down a 3' hoop net.     That lake's crappie population from this latest video was pretty deep at 40-50', and no doubt from those depths that is barotrauma for most.  That is deeper than most crappie holes but certainly how some are. However from helping give fish a good release from the 35' and less range and tracking them with live sonar most of them swim at a shallow angle back to the depths and I watch them rejoin the school and be active.  Uncut Angling's video helped counter some of the initial narrow findings.  
    • 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.    
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