Ice fishing big water preview
By: Ron C. Hustvedt, Jr.
Far too many ice anglers are starting longingly at their favorite ice fishing destinations these days wishing for a brutal cold snap. Just such a turn of weather events does not appear to be in the future too soon but as temperatures continue to sag at night, smaller bodies of water like ponds freeze up which can only lead to more. Whenever a fishable ice veneer does arrive, there are a few destinations worth checking out that are well known but not commonly fished by the majority of Minnesotans.
Even if you are very comfortable with that first choice lake, give one of the lakes listed below a try this winter and see how your fishing opportunities just doubled.
Lake Mille Lacs
Anglers who like to catch tulibee should plan on a trip to Mille Lacs this winter because there are both good numbers of these protein rich fish and trophy potential.
Okay, so tulibee aren’t exactly a big draw but the “big pond” might as well draw additional anglers besides those going after the traditional walleye, pike and perch bite.
“Right now the fishery is in great shape and we’ve had a great open water season that should turn into one of the best ice fishing seasons of recent memory,” said Tony Roach, a full-time fishing guide on Mille Lacs. If there’s fishable ice on the lake Roach is sure to be out there drilling holes. “It’s unreal how many walleye from eight to 28 inches are in that lake and the forage base seems to be more balanced making them more willing to bite,” Roach said. Mille Lacs holds a considerable number of really big pike that can be caught throughout the year and the jumbo perch population is stable. Roach said there are a lot of jumbos in the 10-inch plus range and he always catches a healthy number of 15-inch perch. Besides tulibee, the most underfished species on Mille Lacs have to be bluegill and crappie. The southern bays offer consistent bites for these fish with plenty of trophies. Roach also said more anglers are beginning to fish Mille Lacs for winter smallmouth bass with considerable luck.
Lake of the Woods
It would be tough to find a body of water with a hotter walleye bite than Lake of the Woods. Throughout the summertime, anglers reported 100 plus fish days with a wide array of sizes from 14-inch eaters on up to 30-inch trophies.
The winter bite on Lake of the Woods is good from the start, but where the lake really shines is during the late ice period. The added bonus to this is that the fishing season on LOTW lasts an extra few weeks. “Late season is definitely prime time for perch and you can catch plenty of big walleye and pike in February and March,” said professional angler Jon Thelen. Fishing guide Pat Burch said LOTW is one of his favorite places to fish and, after the summer he had, would rank the lake as the number one fishery in the state.
Leech Lake
When Bryan Sathre became a fishing guide several years ago he stuck with waters like Bemidji, Plantagenet and Cass for larger ice fishing waters. It was during the lull of Leech Lake fishing in the late 90s and all the reports coming off the lake were negative. “I think Leech is my newest favorite lake to fish, especially for walleye,” Sathre said. Having fished the lake extensively for walleye the last few years, he’s also had a lot of success ice fishing this massive body of water in northern Minnesota. Sathre said the walleye bite is very consistent throughout the ice fishing season and a lot of the top walleye spots are also home to some good pike fishing. “This should be a great winter on Leech Lake once we get some ice—I’m excited about walleye fishing but Leech is also great for crappie and hardly anybody is out there fishing for them.”
Lake Winnibigoshish
It is the third largest body of water in the state and it is home to a ton of walleye, perch and pike. Jason Green regularly guides on the lake known to most as “Winnie” and said for numbers of fish the lake is tough to beat. “The protected slot on walleye 17 to 26 inches does a lot of good and even when the bite isn’t great elsewhere we are still catching walleye,” Green said. Jumbo perch are also a well-known species on Winnie and the perch outlook is good for this winter. Big pike roam throughout the lake and while most anglers don’t target them on Winnie there are some good possibilities for a 40-inch class pike throughout the winter.
Upper Red Lake
The crappie craze on Upper Red has all but faded away but it’s been replaced by a walleye bite that’s tough to beat anywhere else in the state. “The walleye population is very good, fishing this last year was outstanding, and I expect this winter to be as good or better,” said Henry Drewes, DNR regional fisheries manager.
While there are still a few giant crappies to be caught, most anglers have completely turned their attention to targeting walleye. The species might be different, but the same tactics apply which means an angler has to remain mobile, Sathre said. “You can sit in one place and wait for the walleye to come through, which they will if you are on the right spot, or you can move and stay on top of them,” he said.
Big northern pike also prowl the waters of Upper Red though the word is out about them and anglers have applied more pressure to the pike fishery in recent years. It is still healthy, however, and catch and release fishing is an absolute must.“Make sure you have a good map showing the boundary where you are allowed to fish not to mention a healthy supply of bait because when the bite is on fire you don’t want to run out,” he added.
Devil’s Lake, ND
Always a popular ice fishing destination, Devil’s Lake in North Dakota is only 90-miles into the state from Grand Forks along Highway 2. Traditionally known as a tremendous perch lake, a slow perch bite over the last few years has cooled some ice anglers attitudes on this large prairie lake. “That’s too bad because the walleye fishing right now is incredible,” said Johnnie Candle, a professional angler and fishing guide who lives along the shoreline of this massive body of water. “We had a ton of 100 fish days this year during the open water season and if folks do not catch walleye this winter it is not because of the numbers,” he added. Candle said walleye numbers are good and there are healthy numbers of bigger fish available as well. His clients caught a lot of five-pound plus walleye throughout October—a bite Candle believes bite will continue into the ice fishing season.
Northern pike are another good reason to fish Devil’s Lake with good numbers and lots of big fish potential. “The average pike here is around five-pounds but with hard work and patience an angler can get a pike in the 15 to 20 pound range, especially toward late ice,” he said.
And the jumbo perch? Candle said fishing was better last winter and should be better this year but the perch are still trying to catch up to the lake. “It takes a lot of drilling to find them, a lot of experimenting to get them to bite, and the same thing doesn’t seem to work with much consistency.”
Back to articles  |
|
