Vermilion Ice Reports 2021/22

[NicMatNat]

testing

[StateofHockey]

Our Ice fishing thread seems to have slowed down, mirroring at least my ice fishing success. Fishing around Moccasin point, still getting a few, particularly around sunset but running small, 10 - 13". Ice conditions good as it's now longer then the handle of my slush spoon, so 14"+. 

Snowmobiling the lake, not running into much slush but lots of wind snow drifts causing big bumps whenever off the main trails.

 

[SkunkedAgain]

Agreed. I was just going to post about the snow drifts. It is pretty bumpy out there in most areas unless you are in a small wind-protected bay or on a staked trail. If I went off the beaten path with any speed, I was eventually standing up to withstand the drifts. It was pretty hard for me to see the drifts as well.

[Pat McGraw]

Got out on Fraser Bay Sunday. 22-27'. Smaller pike sucker under float. Caught a few ranging from 11 to 19." As often the case 45-min before to 45-min after sunset was the window. 

[Influenza]

I went out for a few hours only last Saturday, eastern Big Bay.  Caught 3 eel pouts.  Poor man’s lobster anyone?  I left them on the ice for the eagles, but they are not bad eating.  They are an invasive & predator fish, so they don’t get thrown back.

[gimruis]

2 hours ago, Influenza said:

I went out for a few hours only last Saturday, eastern Big Bay.  Caught 3 eel pouts.  Poor man’s lobster anyone?  I left them on the ice for the eagles, but they are not bad eating.  They are an invasive & predator fish, so they don’t get thrown back.

 

The eelpout is not an invasive species.  They are native here.  Purposefully tossing them onto to the ice is considered wanton waste and against the regulations.  Better think twice about doing that again.

 

I have not eaten it before.  I've never even caught one.  But I have heard it is a poor man's lobster.  Maybe someone else can confirm that who has ate it.

Edited January 19, 2022 by gimruis

[leech~~]

Umm, darn near prehistoric native fish.  

 

"It’s the only cod that lives in freshwater. They are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, generally in cold, deep northern lakes and rivers. In Minnesota, you don’t find them many places south of Lake Mille Lacs, which is one of the shallower lakes to have a notable population."

[Wanderer]

2 hours ago, Influenza said:

I went out for a few hours only last Saturday, eastern Big Bay.  Caught 3 eel pouts.  Poor man’s lobster anyone?  I left them on the ice for the eagles, but they are not bad eating.  They are an invasive & predator fish, so they don’t get thrown back.

They’ll get eaten by eagles maybe, if they’re still around there.  More likely crows, foxes or maybe even a wolf?  But really, please don’t waste them.

 

People used to toss them on the ice all the time as trash but that’s changed - I hope.  They’re native and desirable for human consumption and the overall health of the lake.  Enough are being kept now that limits are starting to be imposed.  They’re no longer trash fish.  
 

I keep them for the table when I catch them and know quite a few people who actively seek them for eating.  Please change your mind.

[smurfy]

I'll admit I caused to be the same way. But not anymore. I'm actually thinking if I ever caught one I'd like to try it once 

 

Heck, I tried catfish from the horseshoe chain and liked it.

[StillFishin']

My buddy caught a 14” one last fall fishing for sunnies on a leech in 18’ of water.  First one ever!  We do not ice fish.  We did skin it and fry it up with the sunnies. It tasted kind of bland.  I think we should have boiled it like lobster and smothered it with butter!

[leech~~]

47 minutes ago, StillFishin' said:

My buddy caught a 14” one last fall fishing for sunnies on a leech in 18’ of water.  First one ever!  We do not ice fish.  We did skin it and fry it up with the sunnies. It tasted kind of bland.  I think we should have boiled it like lobster and smothered it with butter!

 

Just asking. Which one did it look like 1-2?  May have been a Dogfish.  Seems a little sallow for a pout? 

[Better Than Working!]

I have eaten quite a few pout caught while fishing lake trout in Canada. We cook them for appetizers at least a few times each trip. Our trick is to saute it, wipe out the pan and then batter and fry it. You want to remove the oil from the meat to improve the flavor. There are many ways to achieve this. I suggest trying it. They're really quite tasty with nice cod texture. 

[Wanderer]

I’ve done the boiling the most often; in sprite, 7 up and Mountain Dew.  7 Up is the best of the three IMO but it’s all just sugar water to give the meat a little sweetness like lobster since the texture is slightly similar.  I actually think the pop is too sweet and if I boil the one I have now, I’ll either just add some sugar to the water or try some other flavoring.  
 

I just know it doesn’t need that much help and agree it’s best served as an appetizer than a main course.  A bit of a novelty at that until you’ve had it several times.  I think I ate 4 myself last year.

 

Just another note: I’ve done the same with northern pike with similar results but prepared that way I prefer the pout.

[Wanderer]

4 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Just asking. Which one did it look like 1-2?  May have been a Dogfish.  Seems a little sallow for a pout? 

Interesting possibility. 
 

I don’t know how shallow they run in the open water season but I have seen and caught them in as little as 13 fow through the ice.  Agreed, they are usually deeper.  The biggest one I caught last year came through at 20, over about 35 fow.  Marked on the sonar, reeled up and he smacked the Rippin Rap like any gamefish would.

[leech~~]

1 hour ago, Wanderer said:

Interesting possibility. 
 

I don’t know how shallow they run in the open water season but I have seen and caught them in as little as 13 fow through the ice.  Agreed, they are usually deeper.  The biggest one I caught last year came through at 20, over about 35 fow.  Marked on the sonar, reeled up and he smacked the Rippin Rap like any gamefish would.

The only reason I brought it up is that he said it was their first one ever.  I have caught a bunch of Dogfish fishing for sunfish, but never a pout in the same area.  

[fishing_the_northland]

6 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Just asking. Which one did it look like 1-2?  May have been a Dogfish.  Seems a little sallow for a pout? 

My dad and I had an interesting experience with bowfin while jigging for perch on a lake up north in Itasca cty. We were catching small perch with worms and minnnows when each of us hooked into a large bowfin, mine was 22" and my dad's was 24". We had UL rods and 4 lb test but were both able to land ours and successfully release them. The bowfin sure turned an uneventful day into an experience I'll always remember

[SkunkedAgain]

It happens to everyone. I used to toss bullheads on shore for animals to eat. Then my father-in-law slapped me on the head...literally knocking some sense into me. That was many years ago but a good lesson. It was a carry-over from when my grandfather would take us fishing on the Milwaukee River in the 1970s/80s. Oh did he hate the bullheads and I guess that I carried that forward.

 

I don't know if any of you have tried Monkfish but I tried it when I saw it at Lunds a few years ago. Ugly fish but darn tasty. I truly did cook it up like lobster - boiled it and served with butter. Mrs SkunkedAgain asked about why I sprung for lobster. It's not something I ever do, so I showed her a picture of the beast below that she had just eaten. To her credit she didn't flinch and said it still tasted good.

[Wanderer]

Now that’s an ugly fish!

[StillFishin']

The fish my buddy caught on Vermilion was definitely a Burbot.  I don’t think there are Dog Fish in Vermilion.  

[Influenza]

I’ve never caught a dogfish on LV, either.  The MN DNR have removed Burbot from the rough fish category (albeit they allow a continuous season with no limit - so it still doesn’t get much respect).  That being said I can change my viewpoint on Burbot being a predator rough fish.  They do fight & eat well.  Correct, keys to good Burbot eating are - dont pierce the gut sack when cleaning them (Cut out the back straps and tail filet), then rinse the meat under cold water to remove the oil & blood. I then just boil it in water for about a minute until the filet cubes float to the surface.  Lots of crows and eagles up this winter.  Saw the biggest eagle that I’ve ever seen last week.  Just standing there but it was a giant.  Fun to watch!

[gimruis]

45 minutes ago, Influenza said:

albeit they allow a continuous season with no limit

Not everywhere.  They have completely closed intentional target and harvest of eelpout on Mille Lacs Lake now.

[JerkinLips]

4 hours ago, Influenza said:

Correct, keys to good Burbot eating are - dont pierce the gut sack when cleaning them (Cut out the back straps and tail filet), then rinse the meat under cold water to remove the oil & blood. I then just boil it in water for about a minute until the filet cubes float to the surface.

Great advice.  Will have to try that next time I decide to keep an eelpout.  I liked to let them freeze on the ice, then peel the skin off to avoid the slimy skin.

 

I boiled them once in water but that stunk up the house and tasted like mush.  May have been my cleaning/cooking methods.  Then I boiled one in 7up/50% water and it was much better, but not good enough to want to do again.  Will have to try your prep methods.

 

That being said, I haven't caught many pout recently.  Caught my first one this winter at 6pm Tuesday.  The 18" pout swallowed the hook so I cut the line to safely release it.  As a kid I use to throw them away on the ice not knowing better.  I remember some guy coming to my fish house offering $1 for each eelpout on the ice.  Don't know if it was even legal then to sell them but I was just a dumb kid at the time.  Now I am just a dumb old guy being lawful.

Edited January 20, 2022 by JerkinLips
Correct grammar/spelling

[JerkinLips]

After a 2 week break I was back up for a Monday-Wednesday trip.  The Y-store  didn't have chubs or rainbows so I settled for 2 dozen pike suckers.  I also stopped at Vermilion Fuel&Food and found they had chubs so I got a dozen of those (think the salesperson counted out 12 minnows).

 

Fished pike suckers in one hole and chubs in the other.  Caught 7 straight walleyes on chubs and none on the lively pike sucker so I changed the other to a chub and caught a walleye immediately on it.  Then the bite shut down for 3½ hours mid-day.  The late afternoon bite was good on chubs so I went back and got another dozen chubs that evening (got a good 20+ count from a different saleperson).

 

Fished Tuesday with just the chubs and the bite was even better thoughout the day.  Wednesday morning the bite was good but I was running low on chubs so I switched to pike suckers and found the bite even better than on chubs.  Go figure.  Fishing was definitely tougher on Wednesday.  Most fish were small 9-12" but there was enough eaters for a couple of meals.  I did catch 4 slotters 23-27".  The attached pictures show the difference that long arms make.  The first fish is a 25" and it looks much bigger due to "long arms" than the 27" in the 2nd photo.

 

I had 20½" of ice Monday, and the water had come up 2" in my fish house so I had to block it up.  With the 5" of fresh snow on Tuesday, I am sure that slush will appear in more spots on the lake.  I know it did around my house.  The high winds around the fresh snow definitely  caused some serious drifting so travel off the beaten path could be tough.

 

If you venture out, be careful and courteous, and enjoy the frozen lake.

[SkunkedAgain]

Nice walters. 

 

That last picture. Did you take it on the Hoth system?

[JerkinLips]

6 hours ago, SkunkedAgain said:

That last picture. Did you take it on the Hoth system?

Felt like it.  The high wind and powdery snow made it quite uncomfortable.  Stayed in the house most of the time but had to block and bank snow in spurts.

[StillFishin']

One more question about burbots.  Seems like most are caught during hard water season. So do you think it is rare to catch one during open water season like my buddy did and on a leach????

[Wanderer]

5 hours ago, StillFishin' said:

One more question about burbots.  Seems like most are caught during hard water season. So do you think it is rare to catch one during open water season like my buddy did and on a leach????

I think it’s rare.

[leech~~]

7 hours ago, StillFishin' said:

One more question about burbots.  Seems like most are caught during hard water season. So do you think it is rare to catch one during open water season like my buddy did and on a leach????

Burbot are the only fish in MN that spawns under the ice during winter.  So they move in shallower during the winter to feed and spawn. Then move out to 50-60' feet deep in the summer and are pretty much inactive until it's time to have fun again in the winter.  So since most folks don't fish lakes in 50-60' feet during the summer.  They don't catch them.  

[Better Than Working!]

In roughly 50 years of fishing I have only caught one on open water. Dragging crawlers on a sharp break on Rainy Lake and had swing out over 60 feet of water to turn back onto the break and got one. It did give me a solid lock on the multi species leg of our fishing contest!

[Pat McGraw]

I recently watched a video of a guy from Bemidji State who did a study tracking burbot. In late winter they came up on <11' deep shelves (often as shallow as 1.5') and were very aggressive. They had video of a writhing ball of nearly a dozen swarming baits being banged of the bottom. Banging heavy, annoying baits along steep brakes to deep water and on these shallower shelves in late winter was my takeaway. Hoping to give it a try as we get into March.