Looking For Sleeper Or Day House Ice Fishing Recommendations

[stjoeguy]

 I've already got a January trip to the NW Angle planned for lated January and a Devil's Lake trip in February, but am looking for a couple other trips this winter.   I'm considering a sleeper at Red Lake or day house/sleeper at Mille Lacs. The whole group is retired, so midweek works great for us.  What are your recommendations for lakes and/or outfitter?

[Getanet]

Hey St. Joe Guy -

 

I've spent more time researching sleepers than I care to admit. It looks like you're looking for some variety in terms of location. I haven't actually booked out of many of these, so I can't personally attest to the quality of some, but here are the top ones on my list.  Please note, I tend to look for a bit nicer ($$$) Ice Castle- style houses, but if cost is an issue you can probably find other outfitters with fewer amenities but lower cost on these lakes:

 

Red Lake - look into Red Lake Remote. If I ever go back to Red it will definitely be with them.

Alexandria Area - I'm booked for a trip with Lakes Area Guide Service on Lake Miltona this January.

Lake Kabetogama - look into Kabetogama Outdoors. Spendy, but looks very remote and very cool. Since plowed roads aren't allowed on Kabetogama their houses are smaller and only hold 2-3 adults per house. However, when I contacted them they told me for larger groups they can put multiple houses in the same location.

Lake Winnie - not much for sleepers but lots of dayhouse/cabin packages.

Leech Lake - I booked out of Bayside Resort last winter. Didn't catch much, but the house was nice. Tons of options on Leech for sleepers.

 

Also, while I've never fished in South Dakota, there are a variety of places in the Webster, SD area that rent sleepers on lakes in that region .

 

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by Getanet

[Rick]

Check out Bug Bee Hive Resort on Lake Koronis. I hear a long time Mille Lacs operator is starting up a class operation there.

 

@Paul Waldowski?

[Mike89]

Head of the lakes on Osakis too..

[leech~~]

On 11/13/2019 at 11:37 AM, Rick said:

Check out Bug Bee Hive Resort on Lake Koronis. I hear a long time Mille Lacs operator is starting up a class operation there.

 

@Paul Waldowski?

 

Is he still going to run Appeldoorn's as well?  

[Rick]

5 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Is he still going to run Appeldoorn's as well?  

Nope.

[Kettle]

As much as I love Mille Lacs and have history with it I would try a different lake. Very common to catch 2-4 fish in 24 hours in a sleeper and well catching fish is fun. It's a great run and gun lake in the winter but not many resorts are on spots that produce day in and day out. Red can be good early but consistancy does off with winter. I would suggest Winne, have had good luck there in the winter and far less pressure 

[smurfy]

On red lake cookies.

 

Winnie... Highbanks has cabins, day

houses and sleepers.

[Tom Sawyer]

Hunter's Point, Lk Mille lacs 

[Abndoc]

On 11/13/2019 at 11:37 AM, Rick said:

Check out Bug Bee Hive Resort on Lake Koronis. I hear a long time Mille Lacs operator is starting up a class operation there.

 

@Paul Waldowski?

This sucks!!  Paul ran a first class operation on Mille lacs!  He will be missed up there!

[Rick]

On 11/14/2019 at 6:24 AM, Abndoc said:

This sucks!!  Paul ran a first class operation on Mille lacs!  He will be missed up there!

He certainly will. The good news is that he's still close to the Twin Cities and in the process of building another class operation the whole family will love on Lake Koronis at Bug Bee Hive Resort. Their ice fishing operation will be high quality and geared for the entire family or just the guys or ladies.

[Borch]

Paul has always done things the right way.   I'm looking forward to seeing what he does at Bug Be Resort.

 

Another great option is Artie's Bait and Tackle or Schmidt's Landing on Big Stone lake.  Walleyes, jumbo perch, tanker gills and slab crappies are all good options there.

[stjoeguy]

Thank you for all the recommendations.  I'm now looking into Red Lake Remote and Kabetogama Outdoors.

[Getanet]

Cool. If you wind up going with either, or both, be sure to report back on how the accommodations were (and the fishing but that's usually not in their control).

[Paul Waldowski]

Thank you all for the kind words.

 

Just to clarify a few things.  I can now be found at Bug-Bee Hive Resort on Bee-utiful Lake Koronis.  We will have some sort of ice road this year as we try to get a winter business started up.  I am also hoping to at least have a couple of day house rentals available after the first of the year.

 

We will be set up for weekend wheelhouses with shower house, restrooms, pool and hot tub included with Weekend road pass, if so desired.

For those that choose to stay in a cabin, those items are included with your cabin rental.

 

Paul C Waldowski

Director Of Operations

Cell (218) 380-1441

Resort (320) 243-4448

[email protected]

www.bugbeehiveresort.com

       

[leech~~]

You need to up date that web page with some ice fishing info.  When yeah get a chance. 

[Paul Waldowski]

Dude!!!!  I haven't even officially started yet

 

[smurfy]

You'll find that leech guy pretty pesky.

 

I'm just down the road in cold spring from koronis. I'll have make road trip over there soon.

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Paul Waldowski said:

Dude!!!!  I haven't even officially started yet

 

 

Well, I'm waiting to hand you money. Get at it!  

[Getanet]

On 11/15/2019 at 2:04 PM, stjoeguy said:

Thank you for all the recommendations.  I'm now looking into Red Lake Remote and Kabetogama Outdoors.

 

Did you book anything?  With all the reports of snow, slush and not the best ice, these two places that don't rely on plowed roads might have been your best options anyway.  Really curious about the Kabetogama Outdoors outfit.

[stjoeguy]

I'll be at Red Lake Remote in the middle of January.  I like the idea of being brought out to the house and away from other houses, so I'm looking forward to it.  Kabetogama sounds great also,  but I haven't done anything with them yet.

[Getanet]

By the sounds of it St. Joe Guy, Red Lake Remote might be one of the few options to still get out on URL.  Good luck!  I'm starting to get nervous as the place I've booked near Alexandria hasn't been able to get their sleepers out yet, and I'm supposed to be up there in less than 2 weeks.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Getanet

[Chill62]

If you are looking at getting away from the normal areas hit up Jesse Thalmann with Thalmann Guide Services out of Henning, MN.  He has an Ice Castle this year that he is putting out around the Ottertail County area.  He specializes in Panfishing but can help with other species too depending on the bites.

[stjoeguy]

We got back last night from two nights on Upper Red Lake with Jonny P and Red Lake Remote.  I would highly recommend Red Lake Remote.  The fishing was mediocre but thats fishing, no guarantees, you never know what you're going to get on any two days.  Four guys fishing two days brought back 11 walleyes and 7 perch.  Two walleyes were 18" & 19".  The other keepers were 15" - 17".  We probably threw back another half dozen smaller fish.  One northern that we didn't keep made a mess wrapping itself around another line.  One interesting thing was that we never got a bite after dark.  8 rattle reels and never a bite in 2 nights.

 

Jonny P is definitely a hard worker.  First, after loading our gear into his tracked Suburban and trailer, he brings you out to the house and gives a good orientation about the lake regs, furnace control, thermostat, CO monitors, oven operation etc.  Next, he was out several times checking on us and plowing the area around the house and even plowing an area out a ways as a snow fence to prevent drifting because he heard the wind was shifting overnight.  The house was very well built and comfortable.  Every exposed wood piece had sanded edges and angled corners.  The floor was covered with a vinyl diamond grey garage flooring.  The bathroom had an outside door to help keep odors out of the house and a motion sensing light that came on as soon as you walked in.  Both the bathroom and main door had sections of track tread laid in front to prevent slipping.  We used the oven one night to make lasagna and garlic breadsticks.  We were very impressed with the house.

 

So, fishing could have been better, but that's the way it goes.  We'll definitely book with Red Lake Remote again for our next trip to Red Lake.