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.

december trip to URL and LOW


fishing addict

Recommended Posts

I am a newcomer to ice fishing and love it so far. I am taking my dad to URL 12/26. we rented a sleeper house through Hudecs and will fish out of Sportsman's lodge on LOW on 12/27th and 28th. I would appreciate any tips of what I should bring (Jig, equipment..). I have an FL8 and some basic gear. Should I try to bring my own auger or should the fishing be ok from inside the rental houses? thanks for the input.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Addict, welcome home.

The folks who rent out the houses drill the holes and keep them open, so I'd travel light and leave your auger at home unless you want to explore other places on the ice. Also, they are the experts. They know the lake, and it's in their interest to put you on fish. Since you're pretty new to the ice, I'd stay with the house. grin.gif

You can go a long way with a slip bobber, split shot and hook/minnow for 'eyes and crappies.

Otherwise, what do you mean by basic equipment? You've already got the Vex, so that's good. Some small to medium jigging spoons, jigging Rapalas, a few ice jigs and you're ready to go.

If you have more specifc questions, ask away. The folks here are pretty helpful. cool.gif

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-15-2002).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply.
Last year I fished URL once and did ok with a glow lead head jig and minnow. I have heard others do much better with jigging spoons. Are there specific ones that I should bring URL and LOW . I have limited experience jigging and miss a lot of light strikes. any tips?

I would also like to try for some pike during the day on URL. I have heard of pre-made quick strike rigs and will get some for the trip. what size bait should I get for this purpose?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Addict:

Lots of guys will be able to chime in with something different. We all have our favorites.

Are you in a tackle-buying mood?

Some time-proven jigging spoons for eyes/crappies are: Swedish Pimples, Northland Buckshot Rattle spoons, Angel Eye Jrs. Buckshots call fish in well, but neutral fish usually prefer the pimple or the Angel, which fall slower. Angel falls slowest of all. Get glow colors on all your spoons for URL, although LOW hasn't got a night walleye bite at all, so glow's not as big a deal there. Angel Eyes have been all the rage the last couple years, and they're good to have in the box, but they're no guarantee.

Also, jigging Rapalas, Bad Dogs, Nils Master Jiggers and Master Jigger Shad Jrs are good. Medium sizes for eyes, smallest two sizes for crappies. Tip the treble with a minnow head. Action: lift-fall, lift-fall about a foot up and down. Pause for several seconds. Nod it up and down with small movements. Pause again. Wiggle. Wait. Start over again. With the Vex, you'll be able to see how fish react, and you can change your action to suit them.

I also use glow jigs in any number of styles under my slip bobber. Hook a minnow through the skin near the dorsal fin, and it wiggles but can't swim far because the jig anchors it. That works for eyes and crappies both. I use mostly glow demons for this, which glow when you hit them with a light.

Quick strike rigs are right for pike. I'd get sucker minnows 6-8 inches, or big golden shiners if you can find them. For backup, in case you run out of live bait, go to the grocery or bait store and buy frozen smelt. In the grocery store, they should be in the frozen fish section.

I hook the end hook through the skin behind the head and the adjustable hook in the skin behind the dorsal. The live bait points slightly downward, but swims around good. Also, if you clip off the tail fin with your nippers, it keeps the bait wiggling but it can't swim so strongly it pops your flag. If you trim one side's worth of belly fins, it'll swim in circles.

With quick strikes, you set the hook as soon as you get to the flag, as long as it's spinning and you know there's a fish there.

Also, if you plan tip-ups, best to bring your auger and drill holes outside the rental house. A pike running on a tip-up inside the house is a surefire bet to tangle every other line there.

That's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, but it's a good start, and you'll probably hear more from other folks.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-15-2002).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops, duplicated my last post and couldn't delete it, so I just cut it out on edit.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 12-15-2002).]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

stfcatfish,

thanks for the great info. what size hooks should I get for the quick strike premade rigs (they have them in sizes 2,4,6,8 in the twin cities) Also do I need a wind tip up that moves the dead bait or stick with live suckers.
thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FA

If you have your heart set on tipups for pike while your on LOW, make sure you tell the folks your renting the house(s) from! Most of the houses will be set out on the reefs for Wallys and Sauger. If you let them know that you want a little Pike action they will point you in the right direction!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey fishing addict,ill be at hudecs on the 26th maybe we can hook up. i think we will have my truck up there. red 93 f-150 w/silver topper and trailer and atv.if you have frs radios bring them up and if you dont have any maybe a friend will lone you his. we go portable and keep moveing till we find the fish. we have not decided what chanel to use but look up post on LOW thread to see what everyone comes up with.you can catch some big pike dureing the day so if you dont want to bring your auger let me know and we can get you some holes for tip ups.we will also go up to LOW on the 28th so we can keep in touch there as well.if you want to hook up you can email at [email protected]. where are you from anyway?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • 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.