Ice Fishing Report - Current, Reliable Northern Minnesota Fishing Reports for Leech Lake, Lake Winnie, Cass Lake, Red Lake, Vermilion, Lake of the Woods, Bowstring and more MN Lakes

Fishing Report February 3, 2012 Jeff Sundin There's been a handful of lakes on my wish list for a while, "walk in" lakes that I have never tried, but always wanted to check out. With the ideal conditions for exploring that we have this year, there's just no excuse not to try some of them out. Thursday was a perfect day for taking another hike through the woods to "go see what's in that one".
I talked my buddy Chad Haatvedt into taking off early from work, so by about 1:00 PM we were on our way to a small panfish lake that lies at the end of a 3/4 mile hiking trail. Conditions on the trail were really good, the snow depth was about six inches and walking was fairly easy. Except for a few Coyote, Deer and Rabbit tracks, the snow had been untouched. It was kind of exciting, we were on our way to being the only anglers that have fished this lake all winter.
We were the only ones all right, on the lake, there wasn't a track, a hole, nothing, not even the slightest sign of another fisherman. Catching a ton of fish would have really capped off the adventure, but I'm afraid that this time, the fishing wasn't the highlight of the trip.
Once we drilled the first hole, there was a surprise, the water was crystal clear, a lot more clear than most of the lakes in the area. In fact, water flowing out of the holes as the auger plunged through, never changed the color of the pure, white snow.
We drilled lots of holes, some as deep as 32 feet, some as shallow as 7, but in most of them, we found no sign of life. After we'd drilled 50 or more, we finally found a mid-lake hump that we'd spotted on the map. It was 15 feet deep on top, surrounded by 30 feet of water on all sides. The hump turned out to be home for a school of Largemouth Bass. I caught one, then missed another and finally Chad caught one too. I made the comment that if there were Bass here, there were probably Sunfish too. Now if I'd been smart, I would have listened to myself when I said that. Instead, we chose to leave the Bass and venture over to the other side of the lake.
We drilled a bunch more holes in a deep hole located close to the shoreline. The kind of place where we find Crappies in late fall. We marked fish in 30 to 32 feet of water but they were lookers, not biters. By about 5:00 PM, I told Chad that I was going to head back over to the Bass spot just to see if other fish moved in at dusk. As soon as I got there and dropped in my lure, the flasher lit up with fish. Just like I tried to tell myself, they were Sunfish and this time they were aggressive. The run was shortened by the fact that it was getting dark and by 5:30, the action stopped.
I'm not sure if we ruled this lake in or out, there were some signs that the lake has potential, but the clear water probably accounted for the late biting Sunfish. If we'd camped out on that spot, we probably would have caught the fish at the very moment they became active and our creel may have been more full. But this could be the kind of lake that rarely has an active daytime bite, so I think we'd have to plan a lot of walks in the dark.
The adventure was worth the effort, but I think I'll be more interested in finding some darker water, especially under the low snow cover conditions we have this winter.
(2/3) On Lake Winnie, John Seekon from The Pines Resort posted; "The perch are starting to scatter into deeper water as the weed growth dies off. They are biting in 14 to 17 feet with a gold jig and minnow producing the best. This is a great time of year to use a GPS to find some of the inside turns or small holes, that you cant find while folliwing the crowds.The walleye bite has been spotty, but the northern action has been good in 10 to 12 feet using shiners or suckers."
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(2-2) On Bowstring Lake, Erin at Geiger's Trails End Resort says that their guests had some problems finding the Perch and Walleyes during the recent cold snap. Fish that had been active a few days earlier, shut down to ride out the storm. Luckily, the Northern Pike didn't get the memo and remained active to help entertain guest who were fishing the lake. With the warmer weathing rolling in, fishing action will be on the rebound too! Erin added; "Thanks to all who stopped in to tell their tales. We look forward to hearing more. Finally, there are some last minute cabins available, click to contact Trails End Resort.
(2-2) On Ball Club Lake, Gus Sheker from Gus' Place Resort; " The news on Ball Club Lake continues to be the excellent Perch fishing we have been experiencing this past month. Fish are still holding in around 20 feet, but you can hook up on either side of this depth. Workthe break with crappie minnows.
Usually as we move into February the fish tend to move deeper 25-35 feet. They leave the rotting weed beds of last summer as the weeds slough over and lay down.
The ice cap thickens as the cold presses from above and the fish find comfort as they move deeper.
This winter is unusually mild, by the time March rolls around we normally see about 32-34 inches of ice on the lake.
I think we will be about a foot short of that this year and the warm weather may have an effect on the habits of fish and where you find them.
Ice conditions on Ball Club remain nearly ideal with about 6 inches of snow and around 18 inches of ice. Plowed roads are not needed as you go to those secret off trail Hot-Spots." By the way, Gus always shares his GPS hot spots with customers who stay at Gus' Place Resort.
(2-3) On Lake of the Woods, Mike Mayer at Wheelers Point Resort & Lodge says; "We continue to be amazed at the fishing on LOW this year. Just into the first week of February and the fish are still going strong. We are seeing limits of 18-19 inch walleyes and above average saugers caught daily. The ice is in great condition, despite the warm winter we are having. We are now located 12 miles past Pine Island fishing in 34 feet of water. Glow red and gold colored jigs have been the hot ticket for most of the year. We do still have some mid week cabins and fish houses available. Give Wheelers Point Resort a call for that last minute fishing trip. Join us for door prizes and drink specials during the Super Bowl Party as well." 800 542 2435
(2-2) At Fred's Bait in the Deer River Area, Brian Castellano says; The past week or so has found me fishing Walleye on Deer and Pokegama Lakes. Same story on both lakes, a fish .... >> Read Fred's Fishing Report.
(2-2) Bemidji Lakes Area and NMLOG Member, Paul A. Nelson, Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service says; " The mild weather continues in the Bemidji area, with good ice conditions and less than six inches of snow cover on most lakes.
Fishing slowed down some during the coldest part of January, but February is here and fishing should keep improving as March approaches.
Anglers have been catching walleyes anywhere from the deep edge of the weedline all the way down to the edge of the basin, depending on the conditions.
Walleyes usually move into structure during low light periods and head for deeper water during the day. Walleyes in stained lakes often suspend over deeper water during the day, at approximately the same depth where they will make contact with structure when they get active.
Anglers using sonar usually have a big advantage over anglers fishing without sonar. Anglers can see fish on sonar when they move through and they can see when their presentations are triggering bites and also when they are scaring the fish.
Anglers using sonar know when fish are moving through and not biting and when there are no fish in the area. When conditions are tough, just the presence of fish, even if they won’t bite, can be a good sign. Eventually the conditions may improve and the fish may decide to bite.
Perch anglers have been finding schools of perch in both deep and shallow water. The shallow perch have been on rocks or on the edges of flats with cabbage weeds or chara covering the bottom. The deep perch have been close to the edge of the basin, where they can feed on both insects and minnows.
Anglers have been finding crappies on the edges of structure connected to deep water. Most of the crappies have been between 20 and 30 feet, suspended a few feet off the bottom.
Most of the large lakes have been producing walleyes in the mornings and evenings. The hottest bite for walleyes is still on Lake of the Woods, where there are also many bonus sauger between 13 and 16 inches. Paul A. Nelson, Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service 218.759.2235
(2-1) On Lake Winnie, Ryan Peterson says; The perch bite is still going strong all over Big Winnie a lot of people fishing are coming in with there limits of nice perch, best depth for me has been in 26 fow on the edges of the humps some shacks are also doing well in 24 to 28 fow along the break line at Moxies. The walleye bite has really slowed down over the last week still seeing a few come in but people are seeing allot more on flashers and cameras then they can get to bite, hopefully that will change with warmer weather coming in. Ryan Peterson's Ice Shelter Rentals and Guide Service
(2-1) On Lake Winnie, Karen at Dixon Lake Resort checking in; " Well we got out and fished this weekend and had a few people in our spear shacks. Word was that the fish were still a little slow, but they did get some nice jumbo perch, a few crappies and even a few walleyes right amongst the spear houses. We did get out into 15 feet of water and got the nice jumbo perch and waleye.
The ice is just about 23 inches on our side of the presure ridge. About 3 inches of snow cover. Dixon Lake Resort still has some last minute cabin opennings and fish house rentals". Give them a call 218-659-4612.
(2-1) On Leech Lake, Ron from Andersons Horeshoe Bay Resort Said that there were some fish caught this weekend. His guests were fishing in 12 to 13 feet of water on a Sand/Rock Hump and managed to bring in some Walleyes in the 17 to 19 inch size range. There were some Perch and Rock Bass mixed in the area as well.
Travel conditions on Leech Lake are good, there are about 3-4 inches of snow cover and at least 20 inches of good ice, maybe more.
Ron has been running some specials this winter and right now, they're offering one in the Poolside Inn for next weekend. Motel rooms for $79 a night + tax includes up to 4 people. 800-873-1229
(2-1) On Lake of the Woods, I got an update from Mike Kinsella at Border View Lodge; "Ice conditions are good with over 2 feet of ice on most of the south end of the lake. Snow is in the forecast for the early part of the week, but nicer towards the weekend.
Catching some nice walleyes in 32 feet of water with a good mix of saugers. Anglers are working harder for their fish than earlier in the season, but the fish are there. Some are getting the “tight lipped” walleyes to bite by varying their jigging techniques. Some others reported better luck on just a plain hook and a minnow. While most of the fish are being caught on the bottom, a good share are suspended." Border View has some openings coming up, if you want to get in on some mid-week, Walleye Fishing, call them 800-776-3474.
Q & A 2-1-2012 Ian Collins emailed with this question and I thought you might be interested.
Q) I have a question about using graphs while ice fishing and I was wondering if you could help. A few of my fishing buddies and myself have noticed at times while fishing at night that our graphs seem to light up with interference. It doesn't seem to matter if it is a Marcum or Vexilar. A few times it would not go away no matter how much adjusting and tinkering we do to our settings. Is there some sort of night time emergence or occurance that may take place? I hope you can help us out on this. Thank you.
A) Ian, There are forms of living plankton in the lake that we seldom pay attention to, but are important to the health of the system. They provide food for tiny fish and other critters living in our lakes. You are viewing these microscopic creatures as they become active during low light periods. You could loosely compare it to a school of fish going out for their feeding run, but that's an over-simplification.
Throughout the day, most of these tiny creatures remain stationary, living at or near the top or bottom of the water column where they don't interfere with our electronic gadgets. As it gets dark they begin to move around just like the larger fish do and short of turning off your electronics, there's not much you can do about it except enjoy to the show.
Wired2Fish (2-3) What's on your wish list? Wired2Fish has a list of the top 50 items from fishermen's wish lists. A gift idea? Maybe. Click here to view Fishermens Wish Lists
(2-3) Multi-Tasking? I AM ..... :)!!

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Fishing Report February 2, 2012 Jeff Sundin February, one day into the month and it already seems like spring. Maybe it was the ice melting off of the roof, or the snow disappearing from the yard. It doesn't really matter, winter has already dished out a lot of it's harshest treatment and it's all down-hill from here. I know it's not over, not yet, there's still a few hard knocks ahead, but relief is just around the corner.
I mean relief from winter, not from fishing! Don't worry, we still have plenty of fishing ahead; Statewide, there's still 28 days of open season on inland lakes to ice fish for Walleye, Bass and Pike. After that, Sunfish, Crappie, Perch and Tulbees will continue to provide inland ice anglers with action into early April. Don't forget, border waters like lake of the Woods and the Rainy River remain open for Walleye and Pike into mid-April, that something I have on my agenda already!
Okay, back to the present; Fishing action in the Itasca area has perked back up again thanks to the warm weather. Panfish have gone back on the prowl and there are some good reports coming in from Lake Winnie about Perch fishing too. Walleyes remain a little slow, but there are a handful of fish still coming in and the average size has been good for the guys who are sticking with it.

Fishing Report February 1, 2012 Jeff Sundin January rolled out in style for I and my fishing partner Arne Danielson. The temperatures shot back up into the 30 degree range and panfish responded by putting on a little end of the month rally. You could say that it was a reward for putting up with a few hard days of fishing, or maybe it was just dumb luck, either way, we'll take it!
Our goal was to find some Crappies, but we had Sunfish in the back of our minds, maybe even some Perch. I don't think it mattered that much, we just wanted to get some fish. When we got to the lake, the sun was just rising through the trees and there was a heavy fog covering the ice. There was no traffic, no other fishermen and except for a Woodpecker snatching his breakfast, there wasn't a coming from the woods. It was sort of eerie, but in a really good way.
I drilled a line of holes, maybe 8 or 10 of them. Arne started at the shallow end, about 14 feet deep, I started at the deep end, about 15 feet. At first, it looked like it might be another one of those tough days. I had caught 3 or 4 really small Sunfish and I could see Arne doing about the same thing. Next drop in, a really nice Bluegill and then another, now one more, I called Arne to come over and for an hour, the action was steady. There were still a lot of little fish biting, but there were a good share of nice ones too. In fact, enough for us to each keep plenty for a couple of meals. We didn't want to over do it, so we set a goal of 10 fish each and once we reached that, we released the rest of the larger Sunfish.
Since we seemed to be "on a roll", it seemed like a good idea to keep the search for Crappies going. Back on the auger, I drilled another batch of holes, a dozen or more and we started moving around the lake. They didn't come in fast, especially at first, but there were a few fish under some of the holes. I'd say maybe one out of every 3 or 4 holes would have a small pack of Crappies holding below it. We'd see the fish suspended from about 1 to 4 feet above the bottom. When we teased them some would hit, others wouldn't.
The Crappies weren't too fond of minnows on Tuesday either, I had a couple of fish using them, but nearly all of the Crappies we caught were on the Waxworms. I tried a handful of other baits, but whatever it is that they like about them right now, the Frostees are the most reliable. Another good one was my favorite Pink-Green Toad, it lasted for a while, but eventually got snipped off by a small Pike.
The Crappies were holding a bit deeper than the Sunfish. The best bet was to sit right along the edge of the transition from the 15 foot flat to the deeper hole. Key depth was around 19 feet, let's say 18 to 20 feet.

Fishing Report January 31, 2012 Jeff Sundin The wild swing in temperatures has shifted back well to the postive side of zero. When I fell asleep last night it was +23 degrees and since then, it's risen to+27 degrees.
There's one day left before my Pal Arne Danielson has to go back to his busy work schedule. So, with a calm day predicted and temps heading toward a daytime high of 35, we're going to try and make a tiny dent in Itasca County's fish population.
Until after today, I won't really have a great handle on the shallow water fishing. During the cold snap, fish seemed to have vacated many of the shallower areas that had been productive just a few days earlier. Anglers who toughed it out during the frigid weather and did the best, were those who targeted fish in the 20 to 30 foot depth range.
Crappie fishing was probably the most reliable, but there were some folks who fared well in deeper water, catching Perch and some Walleyes.

Fishing Report January 30, 2012 Jeff Sundin It was nice to see the sunshine for a while on Sunday. It was too bad that it came along with a cold front that delivered frigid temperatures, giving most of the fish a case of "lock-jaw" that kept us scratching our heads all weekend long.
Before I make the fishing sound too bad, I should mention that over the past few days, we did manage to drum up enough fish for a nice fish fry for the six of us. So the weekend wasn't a complete disaster. Plus there was a bonus, at least I got to spend some time with my daughter, who finagled some time away from her busy college and work schedule, but from the fishes point of view, they won the game, big-time this weekend.
I really wanted to show my Daughter and her friends a great fishing trip, so we stuck to the game plan of moving around, searching for active fish. We were trying to catch some Jumbo Perch and we'd hoped for a stray Walleye or two if the opportunity came along. We did our best, but we might have been better off if we'd just crawled into a nice warm shelter and taken our chances on some fish coming to us. No matter where we went, a fish or two was the best we could drum up. At least that's how it was on the three lakes we fished. We spent a lot of time watching "lookers" on our flashers, but except for the odd straggler, getting them to bite was tough.
We may have been better off if we'd spent the weekend Crappie fishing instead, not that it would have been fantastic, but at least, I did hear from a few friends who fared somewhat better fishing the deeper spots for them.
My buddy Matt Mattson was Crappie fishing on a lake somewhere in the Ely area and his group managed to keep 22 fish in the 10 to 12 inch range. Greg Clusiau reported slow action on Bowstring too, but they did have a half dozen Crappies to show for their effort on Saturday.
(1/30) On Leech Lake, From our trip on Sunday; In spite of the slow fishing, we did learn something. Vehicle access onto the North end of Portage Bay using the plowed ramp at North Star Resort is good. You can fish anywhere in Waboose Bay and the upper end of Portage. There is a pressure ridge that runs almost exactly from Grassy Point East toward the river mouth at Federal Dam. Anglers that were fishing to the South of that line, were using the access at the New Leech Lake Campground. We could see another pressure ridge that near Two Points runs East and West.

Fishing Report January 29, 2012 Jeff Sundin Ice conditions in the Itasca Area are already beginning to stabilize as traffic and heavy winds help settle the lakes back into typical mid-winter driving patterns.
For anglers planning a fishing trip to the Deer River, Itasca Area in the coming week, the rule of thumb is that we had heavier snowfall further North from Deer River than did the areas to the South and West.
According to Tim Schultz at the Bowstring Store in Talmoon, there was up to 8 inches of snow to the North of the Talmoon-Marcell area on Friday.
We were on Cutfoot Sioux during that same snowfall and thought it added up to about 5 inches over there. By the time I got home, I was surprised to see that Deer River only received about an inch, two at the most.
For us, our Saturday fishing trip didn't work out quite the way that I'd hoped it would. While we were still at the gas station, Drew pointed under my truck and said, somethin's leakin', hmmm......, not too good, looks like the water pump. We headed back home and messed around for a while and finally confirmed that it was. We decided to transfer our gear and head back out using a different truck. By now, we'd already missed our connection up at Bowstring and decided to try Little Cutfoot instead.
By the time we got to the lake, we were watching a stiff North wind blow snow accross the lake. What we found out there was drifting snow, cold temperatures and slow fishing action. It was kind of discaouraging, but not enough to make us quit. We packed everything back up and moved over to Cutfoot Sioux where we set up on a point in 7 feet of water, surrounded on 3 sides by deeper water. At first, it looked like a great decision. We were seeing fish on the locators and catching some nice sized Perch. The action didn't last long though and before it was over, we'd spent our time moving to several areas, finding similar results at all of them, lookers, but no takers.
On Bowstring, the boys didn't fair much better, so even without the transportation troubles, we may still have been disappointed over there. Acoording to Greg Clusiau, slow fishing action and high winds dampened spirits on Bowstring too.
There was some good news though, the heavy wind did a nice job of settling the fluffy snow. By the end of Saturday, it was easier to drive around on the ice than it was in the morning. Snow in somes areas had even been blown clear again, so it looks like we'll see a return to good driving conditons fairly soon. We'll have to watch for the areas of drifting snow, but it looks like we'll still be able to visit most of our favorite spots.

Fishing Report January 28, 2012 Jeff Sundin Anglers should excercise caution on area lakes this weekend. New snowfall amounts ranging in from 1 to 6 inches fell over Norhtern Minnesota on Friday. With high winds expected later today, drifting could be a problem, especially at access roads and shoreline areas located on the wind exposed side of your lake.
Around the Deer River area, some lakes were hit harder than others, so your favorite spot may have great travel conditions, while others suffer from deeper snow or drifting. On Friday, during our afternoon session on Cutfoot Sioux, we saw a couple of pickups get stuck in drifts. I had a problem myself getting back onto the path leading out of the Crappie hole. There was a heavy drift right at the base of the ramp. I was able to get out, but it took a couple of trys to make it up the ramp.
Our plan for the day was to catch Crappies and Sunfish and we started at about 8:30 AM. Fishing actually wasn't too bad at first, the fish were cooperative, but during mid-morning, the snow was falling faster than we could handle. The flashers, fishing lines and all of our holes were filling up so fast that we had a hard time getting any fishing squeezed in between cleaning the snow off of things. By about 11:30 AM, we were ready for a break, so we packed up and headed for the cabin to warm up.
Around 1:00 PM the radar screen was showing clear skies heading our way, this time we headed down the path toward the Crappie hole. On the lake, snow conditions weren't too bad, but we had to pay attention to the drifts, I stopped and backed up a couple of times when I felt trouble coming.
We really only fished a couple of spots, 30 feet of water near the shoreline, using GPS coordinates from past fishing trips. We marked a lot of fish, but during mid-afternoon, they did not strike. If they were Crappies, they had lock-jaw big time.
We were able to drum up a little Tulibee action though and that was a new experience for my pal Bruce. They were suspended anywhere from 3 to 12 feet above the bottom and moving through the area in singles and doubles. We caught a couple of them using a Frostee tipped with a minnow, but the Lions share came on a Toad tipped with a couple of Wax Worms.

Fishing Report January 27, 2012 Jeff Sundin It was a struggle, but the clouds finally got pushed out of the Deer River area on Thursday. I spent my day catching up on paperwork and assorted chores, so my day ended without a new fish story. For anglers heading this way over the weekend, I do have these few last munute reports trickling in.
For me, a couple of special fishing projects on the calendar have prompted me to hit the lakes early this morning. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll find a "hot bite" to share with some special people this weekend. If you see us out there, be sure to wave as we explore for some new spots. If you're on your way up for the weekend, good luck out there!
(1/27) On Bowstring Lake, Darv Oelke from Bowstring Shores Resort checked in. Fishing has slowed a little on the North end of Bowstring. His guests are still picking picking up a mixed bag of Walleye, Perch and Northern Pike. Most of them are fishing in water depths of 20 to 26 feet.
Travel conditions on the lake aren't perfect, but most of the lake is still accessible. There are some areas of drifting snow, and Darv mentioned seeing one vehicle stuck in a drift. There is also an ice ridge that runs East-West accross the length of the lake, seperating it into two sections. Use the Northwest landing, or head down to the South landing, either are still useable.
(1/27) On Leech Lake, Ron from Andersons Horeshoe Bay Resort Had this; "The ice conditions are fine now. Folks are driving all over on the lake, with small trucks. 16-17" of ice. Walleyes were caught last weekend, off the back side of the hump out on the lake. These were from 16-19" fish. Someone has driven over the low part of the ice ridge already. First with a Kubota, then with a small truck. There was 4" of snow from the last storm."
(1/27) On Lake of the Woods, Jacki from Sportsmans Lodge checked in, she says; "Fishing has been good! Many nice quality size walleyes caught this week 29-32' of water. Ice 22-24 inches in the areas we fish and travel outside of Pine Island."
Sportmans is running a Winter special on 2 night 2 day fishing packages or better Feb 5-9 and 12-16. Give them a call 800-862-8602.

Fishing Report January 26, 2012 Jeff Sundin Wednesday was supposed to be a delightful, warm day with lots of sunshine. Hmmmm........ I think they missed that one, all things considered though, it still wasn't a bad day to be out on the lake and it was a great day to be outside.
The best news we found was that in spite of the recent snowfall, travel conditions on area lakes is still fantastic. A few inches are all that "stuck" in most areas and even the highest drifts are less than six or seven inches deep. We drove the pickup truck easily and had very few drifts to steer around, so far. With gusty winds coming again today, there are certainly going to be some areas that drift in and we'll be watching for those during the next few days.
Ice thickness is starting to push toward a couple of feet. When I was drilling holes, I noticed that the power head is starting to get close to the ice as it finally pushes through.
Perch fishing was the first item on our fishing agenda, so we started where I'd fished on Tuesday afternoon. Our morning was interesting, we started fishing at around 11:00 and there was never a hot bite. Instead, there were short spurts of action that would occur randomly. We had about 20 holes drilled and we never knew which one was going to get hot next. Fishing in the weeds in 5 to 6 feet of water, the Perch were apparently chasing schools of minnow. At times, there would be a sudden appearance of baitfish on the flashers, followed by a spurt.
Without a doubt, the best lure was the Glow-Pink colored Frostee. Tipped with a minnow hooked in the tail, the same fish that passed up other offerings, fell for the Frostees almost every time. One trick was to let them sit still and let the struggling minnow do most of the work. It was easy to tell when the fish were moving in because we could see the rod tips wiggling like crazy as the minnow struggled to escape from the fish.
In the afternoon, we moved to a smaller lake to see if we could take advantage of a "hot tip" about active Crappies and Sunfish. When we arrived, I drove to a spot that I've fished a number of times in the fall. I drilled 4 holes and as soon as we dropped the transducers into the water, fish started showing up on the flashers. Still using minnows, nothing was happening, so we started switching over to smaller baits tipped with Wax Worms instead. I had tied on a Pink-Green Toad tipped with two waxies. I dropped it into the hole and in less than a minute there were a couple of Sunfish on the menu for supper.
The fish were cooperative at first, in fact it looked like we were going to have a great evening bite ahead of us. Somebody through the switch though, because at about 4:30 PM the fish took a break to regroup for the morning bite. Too bad we didn't know about that ahead of time, but once we were on the lake, we met up with a friend who owns the Resort on it. He gave us the heads up that fishing has been a lot better in the morning than later in the day.
There's a time every winter when the early day gets better than the evening, theories are what they are, but I wonder if the combination of new snow cover and a new moon could make it a lttle too dark under the ice. Maybe the fish like seeing that first light in the morning?
I'll be following the trend to see if plays out over the weekend, but if you have some thoughts of your own, I'd love to hear more about them.

Fishing Report January 25, 2012 Jeff Sundin On Tuesday, I made my way to the lake for an afternoon session of solo style Perch Fishing. It's starting to worry me a little, I seem to be doing my best work without an audience these days! I guess I'll have to learn how to take pictures with the auto timer, but be that as it may, the Perch were cooperative and so was the sunset.
We've been talking a lot this winter about how the fish have tended to locate in shallower water than most "typical" winters. Again today, the fish were shallow, in and near weeds and they were clearly on the move. I think that they were chasing minnows because whenever there was a large presence of baitfish on the locator, aggressive Perch would show up. Another clue was that the Perch seemed un-interested in small baits tipped with Wax Worms. Instead, larger blade baits tipped with minnows was working fantastically.
I used the time proven Frostee, tipped with a medium size Crappie minnow. I didn't have to work the jig much at all, I just set the bait 6 to 8 inches above the bottom and then rested my fishing rod on a bucket. When I saw the rod tip wiggle, I knew that minnow was struggling, then I just waited for the strike. When I'm fishing with the larger size baits, it helps me to keep my hands off the rod so I don't get tempted to set the hook too fast. With a light, soft tipped rod, you have plenty of time to watch as you let the fish get the full bait into their mouth.
You may already be familiar with our area, but there are a dozen or more lakes that have a combination of fertile water and shallow weedlines. Lakes like Round, Splithand, Winnie, Bowstring and others have large expanses of these shallow weed flats. The idea is to keep poking around in and around the weed patches until you run into a school of active fish. Yesterday, the best depth was about six feet, that will vary from spot to spot and from lake to lake. Just remember, the weeds are producing more fish than usual this winter, so don't be afraid to leave that favorite deep hole, get in close to shore and try some of the shallower flats.
For me, today looks good for getting back outside! The weather is moderating and I have a friend who wants to go out on a photo tour and after that, we'll joing my pal Arne to go wet a line. :)!!
(1/25) On Bowstring Lake, Erin at Geiger's Trails End Resort Had this to say about conditions on Bowstring. "The term Deep-Freeze seems to come to mind when thinking about going out to fish this past week". "However, now it has warmed up, a bit and has started to snow again. The Perch have been jumping out of the lake and into the buckets. Our guests are boasting a bucket-full a day, now that it has warmed up a bit.
Since the 3 to 4 inches of snow that fell onto Bowstring on Sunday night, they are now plowing roads out onto the ice. For guests, staying at Trails End the access roads are free of charge. The access road is open to the public for a reasonable, $5 fee for the day.
The Walleye are still running, but, if there is a line down, they will get caught. As for the Crappie bite...I haven't heard anything different so I will go with the same information. They are suspended in about 22-26 feet of water...We've heard rumors that they are still pulling out 14" Crappies out of this lake...we would LOVE to see them. Bring them by so we can snap a few pictures. Our contest is still going strong...27 1/2 Walleye still in the lead. There is still a few more days to catch that BIG Northern for a prize. Look forward to seeing you out on the lake!"
(1/25) On Lake Winnie, John Seekon from The Pines Resort posted this; "12 feet is still the magic number for perch in the tamarack bay area. Perch are being caught using jigs or jigging spoons with white, pink and gold being the best colors. the key to finding the bigger perch is to stay away from the crowds, and remember they change locations daily, so the hotspots change often. Expect to catch the occasional walleye and northern pike to be mixed in with the perch."
(1/25) On Ball Club Lake, Gus Sheker from Gus' Place Resort. "The fishing news continues to be the great Perch bite on Big Ball Club Lake.
Our guests are catching & taking home limits of Perch. Not every fish is a "take" for the box, some are small but that is a sign of a healthy fishery, you have to sort through all classes, but the action is Red Hot during the daylight hours. The fish are holding 15-20 feet along the drop off and especially holding on inside turns. One interesting reoccurrence is the amount of accidental hook-ups of White fish. The guys are catching White fish along with the Perch. ICE CONDITIONS; Ice thickness is 16-18 inches with around 6 inches of new snow (total) Beware the pressure ridge down that runs North & South.
Fishing Report January 24, 2012 Greg Clusiau, Fishing? Well, that’s another matter, as well. On Saturday, my main objective was to find some BIG jumbo perch and I eventually found them but not where I expected them to be, as they were in 5 ½’ of water. Oh, I did find fish at almost all levels but my big perch bonanza was way up shallow.
Bunched up tight, right in the weeds, I couldn’t get a lure down to them fast enough. Perch in the 10-11” range were really on the bite, along with some larger, and I was fishing so shallow that on many a hook-set a fish would.... Click Here For Greg's Full Report.
(1/25) Bemidji Lakes Area and NMLOG Member, Paul A. Nelson, Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service says; "Lakes in the Bemidji area got covered with a few inches of snow this week, but the ice conditions are excellent on most lakes. Anglers are able to access most lakes without difficulty, so anglers have been spreading out in their search for active fish.
It has been an unusual winter for ice fishing, with many of the usual patterns different this year because of the lack of snow and warmer weather patterns.
Stable weather is still the key to a good bite for most species, with anglers fishing for walleyes on most of the larger lakes on the edges of structure. Access to deep water is usually important, but most of the active walleyes have been in 16-24 feet when they are actively feeding.
Perch fishing has been good on most of the larger lakes this winter. Perch have been using both shallow and deep structure, with the percentages favoring the shallows on most lakes.
Crappie fishing has been good and will get more pressure as the walleye bite slows down. Combination trips with anglers fishing for light sensitive species like walleyes and crappies in the mornings and evenings and then switching to day feeders like sunfish and perch during the day has been a good approach for many anglers.
Trout fishing is another option for anglers looking for a different species to fish through the ice. Anglers need to have a current fishing license with a trout stamp to fish for trout. Some trout lakes are closed to angling during the winter, so anglers need to check the regulations before heading out on the ice for trout.
The hottest walleye bite in the greater Bemidji area is currently on Lake of the Woods. Most anglers are fishing walleyes in 14-24 feet of water in the mornings and evenings and then switching to sauger and suspended walleyes in 28-35 feet of water during the day. Paul A. Nelson, Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service, panelson@paulbunyan.net
(1/25) On Lake Winnie, Karen at Dixon Lake Resort says "Snow is looking good. Ice is about 21 to 22 inches now. Fishing has realy picked up with the warm up. Perch and sunnes a few crappies. Northern sightings some big ones missed. Should be a good weekend. We have openings in cabins and spear houses this weekend. Give us a call 218-659-4612.
(1/25) On Lake Winnie, Ryan Peterson, says; "The perch bite has been really good in 18 to 26 fow on the soth end and up the east side of Lake Winnie, the best bait has been a dead stick with a fat head, the bigger perch seem to be running higher up in the water then the small ones so if you are not getting any with size bring your bait up a couple feet.Walleyes still are making a run at dark some nights its a couple hour run other nights its only a half hour or so. Pike fishing also remains strong best baits have been suckers on a tip up. Ryan Peterson's Guiding Sleepers and Day House Rentals Lake Winnie.

Fishing Report January 23, 2012 Jeff Sundin Okay, so 20 degrees above zero doesn't sound all that warm, bu a 40 degree warm-up feels pretty darn good! That's what arrived on Sunday and now the next question; Would you rather have it clear and cold? or Warm and snowy?
For me, I think I was getting along better with the clear and cold, but we'll see what the conditions look like this morning. I'm guessing that I'll need to hook up the snow plow for the first time this winter. One thing is for sure, in Northern Minnesota, making it into the last week of January without having to plow snow is a nice head start on getting through a long, tough winter.
Knowing that Sunday's warm up was on it's way, I had talked with Bill Powell on Saturday and we'd made plans to fish somewhere on Sunday afternoon. I made room in the truck by hustling through my firewood stacking and then got all of the gear ready to go. We talked about trying a few small lakes that have made it on to the radar screen, but decided to save time by staying a little closer to home. We'd been hearing some good reports about Bowstring Lake, so our plan was to fish on Bowstring for Crappies and Perch. Bill Powell and Billy Maki would meet me and writer/photographer, Anita Williams at the lake. It sounded like a great plan, until we tried to do it.
We made our way on to the lake and got the first set of holes drilled, fishing in about 21 feet of water, we had a lot of "lookers" but getting them to bite wasn't happening. We were planning a move to a new area when the snowfall started getting a little heavy. With all of the pressure ridges popping up this year, I didn't like the idea of driving around on the large lake in "white-out conditions" so I suggested making a move to a smaller, more manageable lake.
Next stop, Little Cutfoot Sioux and it was a relief to be there, if nothing else, now we could at least see where we were!
We didn't have a ton of time left, but we had enough to drill a line of maybe 20 holes along the breakline in anywhere from 8 to 12 feet of water. After checking several spots, it was clear that we weren't going to be in on the bite of the century, but by jumping from hole to hole, we were, ....... I mean Anita was able to catch a variety of Perch, Pumpkinseed Sunfish and Bluegills. We chose to take a few pictures and release all of the fish, but we probably could have gotten enough for one good fish fry.
We tried a handful of baits, but the Glow-Pink Fat Boy, tipped with a couple of Wax Worms was the clear winner. Best depth was about 11 feet of water for the Sunfish. I'd hoped for a late run of Crappies, but we never caught one, or saw what looked like a school of them. I'd guess we need to try deeper next time if we want to find the Crappies.
(1/23) On Lake Winnie, Anglers fishing the main lake are finding "hit and miss" action. There are fish out there, but they're acting a little finicky right now. Probably the best thing going out on the main lake are the Northern Pike. Fishermen using tip-ups or ljarger jigging baits and fishing the deeper edges of the breaklines are getting some good action. Locations vary, but places like the main drop off of the Bena Bar are typical, winter locations for Pike. Using larger minnows like Suckers, Creek Chubs or even the jumbo size Golden Shiners will be perfect for the tip-ups.
For an added dimension, set yourself up with a jigging rod and use that to explore the area as you watch your tip up. The larger, (1/4 ounce and up) size Slick Jigs are perfect for attracting some attention. Rig them up using a length of heavy, 17 to 25 pound test fluorocarbon line as a leader. The tough, smooth finish of the Fluorocarbon protects you against 9 out of 10 bite-offs, but remains flexible, clear and completely fish-able. If you prefer Steel leaders, try tying your leader using a flexible Steel material like the product called Not Too KInky. Make sure that you have several of them rigged up ahead of time, because once they do get a kink in them, your presentation will suffer.
(1-23) On Lake of the Woods, I got an update from Mike Kinsella at Border View Lodge; The recent cold snap took it's toll on the Walleye fishing on LOW too, but it didn't stop the action completely. Mike says that they're still catching some quality fish in deeper water. Border View's houses are now 7 to 9 miles out, in the area North of Pine Island. Travel in this area is reliable, there are 20 inches of good ice right now.
He added that their guests are reporting more suspended Walleyes now, so watch your electronics like a hawk. Best lure colors have been Glow-Red and Gold.
Wired2Fish (1-23) Are you in a rut? Wired2Fish came up with five common assumptions that fishermen make that can lead them to a ditch of despair when it comes to lack of fishing productivity. Ruts can cause an angler to make the cardinal sin of “just going through the motions” and not focusing on triggering fish to feed or to react on every cast. Here are five pitfalls to avoid in your own fishing. Make a conscious effort to avoid that “rut”, Click Here to be more productive on every fishing trip.
By the way, Wired2Fish as published their top ten videos of 2011. Clik here to see which videos made the list.