Hardwater

[gadabout]

Anyone found any safe hard water yet?

[CrappieJohn]

Gad...Welcome to FishingMinnesota if you haven't been welcomed yet. As for the ice....thinks are looking better with the deep freeze working and a couple days should reward you. But give it until Weds before you get too frisky....the ice was still poor on Sunday around here.

[Winona Ice]

Hi, i've been reading for a while and thought i would try posting. I was out on the ice on sunday. Some of the mississippi backwaters in winona have 3-4 inches of ice. I also checked lake winona today and there was about 3.5 inches of ice. Does anyone know how to catch those walleyes in lake winona?

[CrappieJohn]

Winona....

Welcome to FishingMinnesota.com! We are always happy to have some new blood.

The Winona area has cooler water than just below the Pepin drainage and freezes up earlier.

Lake Winona walleyes seem to have their own agenda and can be a tough study. In past years I have tried tip-ups, jigging, live bait under a float, just about every presentation around and have taken a total of one walleye. There are people who do well with them for a while and then things head south.Those fish just have their own agenda.

Again, welcome to FishingMinnesota.com

[JIvers]

Does anyone have an update on the ice situation at the airport backwaters/Bartlett Lake in Winona? I am heading up to Minnesota next week, and I figure I will get there right when the ice out behind the airport becomes fishable. Being quite deep, the airport lake/Bartlett Lake usually take about a week longer to make good ice than do the typical shallow backwaters.

[Dan Thiem]

Winona Ice, welcome to the forums! Glad to have you on board here. Thanks for the report on the ice conditions!

Did you have any luck on the panfish down that way?

[winona walleye]

eye hunter

i have been checkin ice all over winona every two days for about a week now, bartlett was open 5 days ago but has now completely frozen over, There are people fishin in minnesota city off the docks but the ice is 1 3/4 thick so its sketchy, mchalays on the other has had some good ice right off the boat lauch, close to four inches, but its been frreeeeeezzzzzing cold the past days not getting over 10 so i think you will have plenty of options, i am goin to be in coralville with my parents for xmas break if the ice situation is good down there maybe we could get out and show me some hotspots

let me know wen youll be in town if u need someone to fish with

ww

[JIvers]

Quote:

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eye hunter

i have been checkin ice all over winona every two days for about a week now, bartlett was open 5 days ago but has now completely frozen over, There are people fishin in minnesota city off the docks but the ice is 1 3/4 thick so its sketchy, mchalays on the other has had some good ice right off the boat lauch, close to four inches, but its been frreeeeeezzzzzing cold the past days not getting over 10 so i think you will have plenty of options, i am goin to be in coralville with my parents for xmas break if the ice situation is good down there maybe we could get out and show me some hotspots

let me know wen youll be in town if u need someone to fish with

ww

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The ponds in Coralville are froze over, and I am going out this afternoon to try North Ridge Park pond, which is right off Holiday Road. Macbride will need a few more cold days before there is good ice, but it sounds like we will get it. The water hazard at Brown Deer golf course is deeper, and some geese kept it open, so it will be a few more days before I try that. The pond by Gold's Gym is fishable now, too. I believe your parents live right by Brown Deer golf course, too, as do I?

[winona walleye]

yes they do, does the golf course give you a hard time when your out there at all? and what type of fish are in the pond by golds, ive seen that pond before, while i'm lifting during xmas break for football, and the pond looks like a cool fishery. is that pond you are talking about on holiday road the pond that is on the 80 side of the road with the gazebo located right by it? have you ever fished the resevior before? thanx for the help and if you ever need anyone to fish with let me know

ww

[JIvers]

Quote:

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yes they do, does the golf course give you a hard time when your out there at all? and what type of fish are in the pond by golds, ive seen that pond before, while i'm lifting during xmas break for football, and the pond looks like a cool fishery. is that pond you are talking about on holiday road the pond that is on the 80 side of the road with the gazebo located right by it? have you ever fished the resevior before? thanx for the help and if you ever need anyone to fish with let me know

ww

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Last winter was the first time Brown Deer let people ice fish their water hazard. There are some nice bluegill and crappie in there, but there don't seem to be a lot of them.

Gold's Gym pond has a lot of smallish bluegills and some nice largemouth in it. I have yet to catch a crappie in there. North Ridge Park is that little pond on the north side of I-80 across from the mall with the gazebo. It has some decent bluegills, a few crappie, and some largemouth. It is two feet lower than normal, and I think it is going to suffer some winterkill because of that. I don't fish Coralville Res. much--the ice is more reliable, and the crappie-fishing better, on Macbride.

[winona walleye]

how thick is the ice usually just after the christmas period in that area im def gonna hit up all those spots you have mentioned since they are so close, doesnt really matter the size or the amount, i just love being out on the ice, does iowa require a liscence # to be displayed on portables?

thanx

ww

[JIvers]

Usually the ice is good after Christmas down here, but of course it depends...

The snow on the ice is screwing things up down here in a big way. It hasn't been above freezing for almost a week, and below zero for several nights in a row now, but all I found yesterday at North Ridge and Gold's Gym was an inch of half-frozen slush on top of two inches of mushy ice. I will be back in Coralville after Christmas, so get ahold of me when you go out. By then hopefully the ice will be good on Macbride, and the crappie bite will be on. And, Iowa does not require registration on portable ice shelters.

[winona walleye]

thank you for all the help eye hunter, ill be on here everyday all winter long so if you ever need anything just let me know

ww