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.

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hey Derek,

Count me in for opening night. My buddy and I will be up Friday evening staying on the east side. We will trailor our boat in the wee morning hours (3am) to the north side.

Much like last year, we will start with taildancers in 5 to 10' and most likely will switch over to Live bait rigs later in the day.

Hopefully we will have a decent bite this year. I suspect it will be quite different than the past few years, especially last year when we opened with 43 in the boat in less than 7 hours.

Good luck to everyone.

Posted

I will be there on the water May 10th 12:01 am.

Posted

FH, I did the same last year but wound up switching over to #11 originals.

------------------
Mille Lacs Guide Service
651-271-5459
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[This message has been edited by Derek Johnston (edited 04-15-2003).]

Posted

Derek,

We never had to switch cranks. We started and finished with #9 Red tail chub dancers.

We started the morning with 2 doubles in the first 15 minutes of fishing. I looked over to my buddy and said..."This is going to be a great year".

Man was that an understatement! I have fished this lake 30+ years and NEVER did I see anything like last year. I hope it is half as good in 03.

Posted

I was thinking about openning things up at midnight sharp from shore at Eddy's depending on the weather. Hopefully it will be warm and a wind will be blowing in at least slightly.

Posted

Derek, we will probably be up there on Sunday night, so don't catch all of the fish!

[This message has been edited by Mykal (edited 04-17-2003).]

Posted

I'm fishing the RCL league in Red Wing during the day, but I hope to be on Milly by 8pm Saturday night! I hope you guys leave a few scraps for me!! I hope everyone stays safe and has a bend in their rod.

Posted

ISNT THERE A BAND ON WHAT TIME YOU CAN BE ON THE WATER.I THOUGHT YOU COULDNT FISH BETWEEN 10PM AND 6AM????
I WILL BE OUT AT MIDNIGHT BUT ILL BE UP AT THE MINSOTA (POTLATCH) DAMB. WE DO VERY WELL EVERY YEAR.
HAPPY HUNTING
DUCK

Posted

The Night Ban starts Monday May 12th@10PM and goes till June 9th.

Posted

I'll be there.Will have the RV at Castaways. We plan on giving the trolling a try. Haven't tried it before on Mille Lacs. Thanks for the info on types of plugs that work for you. Did well on the sand last year in NE corner (rigging). JD

Posted

I plan on being up for the first week of the season. A few friends will stop by for a couple of days each to try their luck.
I will expect to start on my favorite bobber spot at midnight. We will give the rock reef bite a chance to prove itself. Depending on the weather and wind we may spend the day up on the north end sand. After possibly staying out much of the night, the easy sand drift will allow an occasional nap or two.
One thing for sure , I'll be on vacation.
Dino

Posted

We'll be up to Hunters friday early afternoon to go scouting.
Will likely start in our "old faithful" bobber spot at 12:01.
Probably pull lindy's during the day.

Posted

Nothing like starting the opener on the sand at Malmo! Alot of boats but the fishing is easy and the fish always seem to cooperate. Then at night down to Big Point for some bobber action. Doesn't get much better than that. See ya on the water!

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • leech~~
      It's kind of sad. The two lakes I loved the most in this state are Mille Lacs and Burntside.  And I think we broke them both!  😕
    • JerkinLips
      Went back to Burntside on Tuesday and I got "skunked again" (LOL).  Looked like the lake was a mess over the weekend, but it was all frozen solid by sunrise Tuesday when I arrived.  The new ice cleats I got worked very well on the glare ice.  Was a beautiful sunny day but cool and quite windy.  I had a nice view of my tip-up from my warm fishhouse but the flag never went up, and I didn't mark a fish while jigging.  May have to try North Arm next, or go back into the BWCAW if the ice conditions improve.
    • JerkinLips
      Yes, eagle swoops are awesome.  Had one happen when I was duck hunting one year in Stuntz Bay.  Stole the only duck I got that day.   Vermilion got very wet over the weekend.  Tower Cafe posted a video of a SxS driving into McKinley Park landing going through water that went over their floor board.  Burntside Lake was frozen nice and solid Tuesday morning when I was there.
    • Wanderer
      Or the other book that said: The bitterness of poor quality outlasts the sweetness of a low price…   Dang, what a mess to have to deal with.
    • leech~~
      When it said. "The foolish man, builds his house upon the sand"? 🫣   Just got back from 10days on the golf of America.  By Panama city Florida.   
    • smurfy
      Venny backstrap and the fixins!
    • SkunkedAgain
      Running on empty at dark on a sled is definitely stress-inducing. Been there, done that. Glad that you made it out.
    • SkunkedAgain
      Eagle swoops are always a hoot to watch.   The snow is mostly gone on the lake. Ice melt made things pretty wet but the ice is obviously still very thick. 
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  The big question:  "How is the ice up at Lake of the Woods?"  That is for each individual resort or outfitter who operates an ice road or trail to answer, but overall, ice conditions are still very good and ice fishing is going strong!  As always, stay on the marked ice  roads and trails for safety.     Being up on the Canadian border, the colder temps Lake of the Woods enjoys vs much of the region combined with three feet of ice makes a big difference.  Fish houses are allowed unattended overnight through March 31st and it sounds like a good number of resorts will be fishing through the month, but ultimately, Mother Nature will determine that.     Regarding the fishing, overall, very good reports for walleyes, saugers and perch.  There is a strong population of smaller walleyes and saugers in the lake which bodes well for the future, but in the meantime, anglers are sorting through them to catch their keepers.   The one-two punch of jigging and deadsticking remains the most effective technique. Jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head or a lipless crankbait on the jigging line is the ticket.  On the deadstick, a live minnow a foot off the bottom on a plain red hook or medium sized ice fishing jig is catching a lot of fish.   Using electronics is super helpful.  Many nice walleyes are swimming through suspended, keep an eye out.   Anglers tip-up fishing for pike have had a great week and it should continue to get even better.  Suckers, frozen alewife and smelt are working well. Putting baits 1 foot under the ice or right off bottom seems to be effective this week.  Most common depths, 9 - 15 feet. On the Rainy River...  The Rain River is still frozen with no signs of open water yet.  Every year can be different, but on average, the Rainy River will start opening up around the third week of March.  The first boat ramp suitable for larger boats is Nelson Park in Birchdale.  We will keep you posted.    As of March 1st, walleyes and saugers are catch and release only on Four Mile Bay and the Rainy River.     Make plans now for sturgeon season.  Once the open water appears, the fish are super active.  Here are the seasons...   -Catch and Release Season: May 8th – May 15th and October 1 – April 23rd. -Harvest Season: April 24th – May 7th and July 1 – September 30. -Closed Season: May 16th – June 30th.  Up at the Northwest Angle...  Fishing remains very good up at the Angle and the ice is in good shape as well.  As on the south end, resorts monitor ice roads and trails daily and there are still some great ice fishing opportunities available.     Walleyes, saugers, perch, and pike are showing up in good numbers.  Those targeting crappies are reporting good numbers of fish.  Work through a NW Angle resort for ice fishing opportunities on this part of the lake. The walleye and sauger season is open through April 14th. Pike fishing never closes, and perch and crappie remain open year-round as well. Whether booking a day house rental, sleeper fish house, or resort stay, there is still plenty of time to plan a late-season ice fishing adventure. 
    • Wanderer
      Looks like a shallow lake with some potential.  Keepable crappies, decent bluegills and some nice perch according to the last survey (2015). Susan Lake   With a max depth of 10 feet, I’d want to know a little more about it before I’d start drilling holes.  Could be a nice little adventure though.  
×
×
  • 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.