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.

Post Current Ice Conditions


IceHawk

Recommended Posts

  • Official Fishing Report Team - MN
39 minutes ago, smurfy said:

oh oh....anudder richmond guy!!!!!!!!???

And a good one at that Icehead that will be good for the forum!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, IceHawk said:

And a good one at that Icehead that will be good for the forum!

What are the possiblties I know this feller??? Been outta speckville a long time ??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, IceHawk said:

Thanks for heads up any exact location of the open area. I fish Star quite a bit and what to make a mental note in my head to avoid a catastrophe! 

From my house I can't tell from my house if it's open water or over flow from a crack. It's out in the aerator area.

I was out there last week and there was 7 inches out there. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Official Fishing Report Team - MN

Storytell Welcome aboard look forward to reading some of your posts in the future. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/24/2020 at 4:08 PM, fishingstar said:

From my house I can't tell from my house if it's open water or over flow from a crack. It's out in the aerator area.

I was out there last week and there was 7 inches out there. 

was out there today it was a big crack. There is 9" out there today

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Official Fishing Report Team - MN
45 minutes ago, fishingstar said:

was out there today it was a big crack. There is 9" out there today

Thanks for update its appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was out on a small SW Metro Pond/Lake and we had 6-8in on Sat.  Fishing was sloooooooow, but good to get out for the first time this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone know about some ice conditions in the Chisago Lakes area?  I haven't been able to find any information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chisago chain is anywhere from 7 to 10 inches. People starting to park their vehicles on shoreline ice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't vouch for the ice conditions myself but I did see 3-4 f150/silverado class trucks parked out on the south side of first lake on forest last night on my drive home. I think it's a bit early for that but they looked like they were pulling some small wheelhouses too so who knows. 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found a solid 8in of ice on a SE Metro lake yesterday.  Pretty busy on the little lake I was on.  Fish were more active than the last time I was out!!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made it up to lake of the woods yesterday, went home with 10 fish between the wife and I. Caught around 20 total. We were very surprised with how many walleye we caught and the size of them. I didn’t start ice fishing a lot until 2 years ago after a friend took me up to lake of the woods for the first time. We caught around 120 fish between the two days (what a culture shock to catching a few fish a day in the Bemidji area). But I have never been able to replicate that trip ever since starting to go on my own. I started going out of Wigwam due to the high traffic on Adrian’s road. My question is what do I have to do differently to have these 100 fish days that I see all over? Is it like winning the lottery and all luck? Or am I just choosing bad spots? We went out to the end of the road which was 6 miles and made our own spot away from the rest of the crowd in our portable which is what I’ve always been told to do. When you’re out in the basin it seems like no matter where you setup, it’s going to be about 30’-33’ and mud no matter what so structure really isn’t a factor out there. You pass thousands of houses on the way out and wonder if those houses are doing well enough just a mile out to warrant being there and you think the same thing every mile after that. All in all we were happy with the trip and happy with the fish but I just want my wife to see what it was like that day to catch all of those fish, maybe then she’ll want to make the trek more often! Ice was at 23”, really bumpy this year with rough ice on the way out.

09DC7877-6903-4B5E-AB7D-F163CC383DC4.jpeg

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh and in other news about ice conditions, we had a vehicle go through Lake Irving today here in Bemidji. They haven’t released all of the details but it sounds like they ventured to close to the inlet where the Mississippi comes in. All we have is the radio chatter from the police department about the incident so not sure if they made it out in time or not. Lots of current coming through there but hoping for the best for that person or people. Kept referring to a missing persons report on the scanner so not sounding good.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Skill-lessWanderer said:

 My question is what do I have to do differently to have these 100 fish days that I see all over? Is it like winning the lottery and all luck? Or am I just choosing bad spots?

Its fishing, that is not the norm, especially for walleyes-even on a lake like LOW.  If 100 walleye/fish days are your expectation, then you are going to be disappointed 99% of the time.  My adice:  appreciate those good days, but don't expect them.

  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, CJH said:

Its fishing, that is not the norm, especially for walleyes-even on a lake like LOW.  If 100 walleye/fish days are your expectation, then you are going to be disappointed 99% of the time.  My adice:  appreciate those good days, but don't expect them.

 

100 fish days on LOTW or another big walleye factory lake is more common during open water season in a boat than ice fishing.  Especially if you are in a wheel house or permanent shack sitting in one spot the whole time just waiting.  If you move a lot to get on fish, you could probably still do it but that will be a ton of work drilling holes and moving equipment.  Cold temps lowers the metabolism of fish, which reduces their feeding activity.  Warmer temps makes them eat more often.  That's just how they work being cold blooded.

 

Mille Lacs has produced 50 fish days for me in recent years.  June seems to be the best month to fish for them as they are hungry and the water temperature seems to be ideal around 60 degrees.  You can't keep any but catching 50 walleyes or more in a day trip, only an hour and a half from the Twin Cities is pretty good IMO.

 

The other day they announced in the newspaper that even though on average there is about 5 times as much fishing pressure in the winter, the overall catch rate is lower than it is during the open water season.  And that is with most people using 2 lines in the winter too.

Edited by gimruis
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the quick replies! That really answers my question very well between the two responses. I will now just start enjoying the chase of ice fishing for walleye, not that I didn’t before, but more like I do with musky fishing during the fall. Cherish the days where I do well and learn from the ones where I don’t catch any or very few. Really changed my mindset and I guess I was just a bit naive after that first trip to expect that result every time. Thanks guys!

  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Is Harty's planning on opening up their access this winter or isn't the ice thick enough to drive on yet? I've checked their webcam every few days and no sign of it opening as of yet.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 :)

    • mulefarm
      With the early ice out, how is the curlyleaf pondweed doing?
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   The big basin, otherwise known as Big Traverse Bay, is ice free.  Zippel Bay and Four Mile Bay are ice free as well.  Everything is shaping up nicely for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th. With the walleye / sauger season currently closed, most anglers are targeting sturgeon and pike.  Some sturgeon anglers are fishing at the mouth of the Rainy River, but most sturgeon are targeted in Four Mile Bay or the Rainy River.  Hence, pike are the targeted species on the south shore and various bays currently.   Pike fishing this time of year is a unique opportunity, as LOW is border water with Canada, the pike season is open year round. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. Back bays hold pike as they go through the various stages of the spawn.  Deadbait under a bobber, spinners, spoons and shallow diving crankbaits are all viable options.   Four Mile Bay, Bostic Bay and Zippel Bay are all small water and boats of various sizes work well. On the Rainy River...  Great news this week as we learned sturgeon will not be placed on the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.     The organization had to make a decision by June 30 and listing sturgeon could have ended sturgeon fishing.  Thankfully, after looking at the many success stories across the nation, including LOW and the Rainy River, sturgeon fishing and successful sturgeon management continues.   A good week sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River.  Speaking to some sturgeon aficionados, fishing will actually get even better as water temps rise.     Four Mile Bay at the mouth of the Rainy River near the Wheeler's Point Boat Ramp is still producing good numbers of fish, as are various holes along the 42 miles of navigable Rainy River from the mouth to Birchdale.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  A few spots with rotten ice, but as a rule, most of the Angle is showing off open water.  In these parts, most are looking ahead to the MN Fishing Opener.  Based on late ice fishing success, it should be a good one.  
    • leech~~
      Nice fish. I moved to the Sartell area last summer and just thought it was windy like this everyday up here? 🤭
    • Rick G
      Crazy windy again today.... This is has been the norm this spring. Between the wind and the cold fronts, fishing has been more challenging for me than most years.  Panfish have been moving in and out of the shallows quite a bit. One day they are up in the slop, the next they are out relating to cabbage or the newly sprouting lilly pads.  Today eye guy and I found them in 4-5 ft of water, hanging close to any tree branches that happened to be laying in the water.  Bigger fish were liking a 1/32 head and a Bobby Garland baby shad.   Highlight of the day way this healthy 15incher
    • monstermoose78
    • monstermoose78
      As I typed that here came a hen.  IMG_7032.mov   IMG_7032.mov
    • monstermoose78
      So far this morning nothing but non turkeys. 
    • monstermoose78
      Well yesterday I got a little excited and let a turkey get to close and I hit the blind!!
    • smurfy
      good......you?? living the dream..in my basement playing internet thug right now!!!!!! 🤣 working on getting the boat ready.......bought a new cheatmaster locator for the boat so working on that.   waiting for warmer weather to start my garden!!!
    • monstermoose78
      How is everyone doing? Holy moly it’s chilly this morning I stayed in bed and will hunt later today when it warms up.
×
×
  • 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.