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Any pike action on LOTW? Need Advice Please

LEECH21
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LEECH21 Mentor

LEECH21

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We plan on coming up next weekend (the 14th) to do a little sturgeon fishing on Four-Mile Bay....But it sounds like it still will be frozen solid then.

Now we are up in the air for two options:

1. fish the Rainy River farther East for the big sturgeon, or

2. fish out of a location on LOTW and try for late ice pike.

What do you guys think is the best bet? We need to get a plan made as this trip is coming up fast. We don't know if we should bring the boat/motor or bring an auger! Please help with any suggestions. Thank you very much!

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AaronM Experienced

AaronM

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The ice should still be good enough for you to get out and do some northern fishing, and if it were me I'd do that. If you are set on sturgeon fishing, I'm not the guy who you'd want to take advice from for that smile.gif But anyway, Springsteel, Swift, and the South Point are all good places to go for northerns. Fish anywhere from 6-12 feet and bring yourself your favorite frozen baits. Whatever you decide, good luck! Be sure to check ice conditions before you come, stay safe!

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LEECH21 Mentor

LEECH21

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Thanks a lot fishingfrenzy!

So the pike action has been pretty good? I've never actually fished LOTW for pike, so sorry for the questions. You mentioned frozen baits? Not sure, like smelt or herring or something like that? Where do I pick something like that up? How far off the bottom would the pike be this time of year?

Again thanks a lot!

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AaronM Experienced

AaronM

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For me, Lake of the Woods has been unbelievable for northerns. Many others aside from me can attest to that fact. If you read some of the other northern topics, you'll see what I'm talking about. Anyway, I get my frozen baits at the North Country gas station (by Strieffs.) You may also be able to pick it up at Riverside. As for what kinds, I'm partial to the Herring, though some swear by smelt. Does it really matter what kind you get? I don't think so, but it wouldn't hurt to try both. For depths, experiment. Have some lines near bottom, have others near the undersides of the ice. Let the pike tell you what they want. I'm sure others will chime in here and give you a second opinion, but those are the things that produce for me. Good Luck!

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1DIRTBALL Rising Star

1DIRTBALL

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leech21, Probably just to be safe, bring both your boat and auger. Yesterday I drove down by the Warroad public access just to scope out ice conditions. I noticed there was a guy out fishing with tip-ups, just off the mouth of the Warroad River. He was a little farther out than the end of the concrete breakwall. In the 10 minutes or so that I watched him, I saw him get 2 flags. He whiffed on the first one but he got what looked like a good sized snot rocket on the second one. The ice down at the public access still looked pretty good. The temperature at night up here has been getting low enough to keep the ice in fairly good shape. Hope this helps and Good Fishing! grin.gif 1DIRTBALL wink.gif

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