Minnesota WEEKLY FISHING UPDATE – FEB. 5, 2021

Northeast Region

Ely

Lake trout fishing picked up late last week and continued to improve throughout the weekend. Anglers reported catching lakers in 20-40 feet of water with blue and white bucktail jigs tipped with a minnow or gulp minnow. Dead bait laid on the bottom accounted for almost half of the lakers caught over the weekend, so be sure to set out tip-ups.

Stream trout fishing was slow but steady for anglers, with the best action early and late in the day. Small panfish jigs tipped with soft plastics produced the most consistent bite, but spoons tipped with wax worms also accounted nice numbers of stream trout.

Anglers struggled to find active crappies during the day and had very limited success catching them after dark. Anglers targeting sunfish caught fish along the weedlines in 10-15 feet of water when using small jigs tipped with waxworms.

Eelpout have begun popping up in anglers’ fishing reports. Most of the eelpout are coming from depths of 30-50 feet after dark on heavy glowing eelpout jigs loaded with smelt or sucker minnow chunks and pounded on the bottom.

Walleye anglers have been few and far between since the walleye have been hesitant to bite. The deep mud in 23-28 feet of water has been just about the only place producing fish, and dead-sticking a minnow about a foot off the bottom has been the only technique worth noting.

Contact the Ely Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Duluth – Lake Superior, St. Louis River and inland waters

The inland waters continue to produce nice numbers of panfish. Most anglers are having success in mid-depth waters around vegetation. Small tungsten jigs tipped with plastics, spikes and/or waxworms is a good recipe. A simple small hook with live bait under a float will often turn fish as well. Expect the panfish bite to continually improve through ice out. Northern pike and bass also remain active, especially near roaming schools of panfish. Anglers will want to place their set lines just outside of their jigging holes.

On Lake Superior, anglers are fishing through the ice near Duluth — they are also risking their lives. The ice is extremely unsafe in this area and should be avoided.

On the St. Louis River, walleye are starting to move back into the system. This is a good time of year to nab some large fish. Anglers will want to aggressively jig oversized jigging raps tipped with a minnow head in 6-12 feet of water. Low light periods are best, but fish can be taken throughout the day. Panfish anglers are doing well in the back bays with soft mud bottoms where bugs are hatching.

Contact Visit Duluth for more information.

Grand Rapids

Perch fishing is fantastic on many Grand Rapids area lakes. Some of the most popular perch lakes are Pokegama, Jay Gould, Trout, Big Winnie, Bowstring and Round. Fishing the shallow rock piles in 8-12 feet of water can result in a mess of great perch, perfect for a fish fry. The firm, sweet meat of a yellow perch is hard to beat. For the most fish, use a soft tip ice rod with a small spoon and minnow head or try a #3 jigging rap with 2 or 3 waxworms. Be sure to place a dead-stick with a plain hook and split shot in another hole nearby. It can make a big difference when the jigging line isn’t triggering fish to bite.

Contact Visit Grand Rapids for more information.

Northwest Region

Baudette – Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River

A nice mix of walleye and sauger are coming from 29-33 feet of water on the south end of Lake of the Woods. Some big walleye, measuring over 28-inches, are being reported. Anglers have found that creating noise by jigging lures with a rattle or vibration has worked well on the first line.  On the second line, use a dead-stick, jig or plain hook and a live minnow set just off the bottom under a bobber. Electronics have been very helpful to show suspended fish, as well as how fish are reacting to your presentation. Popular lure colors are glow red, gold, pink and UV fire tiger.

On the Rainy River, anglers are having the most success during early morning and evening hours. The snowmobile trail on the river runs from Baudette to Wheeler’s Point and on to the Northwest. Still, anglers unfamiliar with the river should work through a resort or outfitter who is knowledgeable of areas with high current.

Up at the Northwest Angle, nice walleye and sauger are being reported, with quite a few perch, eelpout, northern pike and tullibee in the mix. The walleye are beginning to slide off the structure into 26-30 feet of water. Ripping raps or jigging spoons with a rattle tipped with a piece of minnow are working well. A plain hook or a glow jig with a live minnow on a dead-stick will also turn fish.

The Northwest Angle Guest Ice Road is now open, allowing guests to easily travel from the south edge of the lake up to the Angle. To view current conditions on Lake of the Woods, check out the many Lake of the Woods web cams.

Contact Baudette – Lake of the Woods Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Walker – Leech Lake

The recent cold temperatures helped ice to build on Leech Lake, improving conditions across the main lake and in Walker Bay. Plowed ice roads now run to Goose Island, the Snake Pits, Little Hardwoods, West Goose Flats, Grand View Flats, Stoney Point and the west side of the Paris Trench. There is an ice heave that runs north and south that roughly divides the Trench in half. Resorts will work out a way to cross the heave over the next few days.

Anglers that have had success fishing the main lake used dead-sticks and a plain hook during morning and evening hours. The best reports have come from perch anglers working depths of 9-12 feet of water. Walleye reports have been limited, but a few large fish have been taken overnight on rattle reels and dead-sticks.

In Walker Bay, conditions have improved with 8-13 inches of ice now found in most spots. A few roads have been plowed for ATV and snowmobile traffic. Cedar and Sand Point have been the most productive areas for perch and walleye during low light hours. Green and orange glow jigs with a rainbow or shiner minnow are your best bet, especially at the shoreline breaks in 14-18 feet of water, and on the secondary breaks in 24-28 feet of water.

Contact the Leech Lake Area Tourism Bureau for more information.

Park Rapids

Crappie action has been good in the Park Rapids area, with anglers pulling suspended fish from the deep holes in 35-plus feet of water, roughly 10-15 feet off the bottom. Small glow in the dark or gold jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head have been best.Northern pike action remains strong around the old weed beds. The best approach is a tip-up with a big chub.

Walleye are cruising the deep mud flats, humps and steep breaks leading to deeper water. Anglers having the most success are using jigging spoons with a minnow head or a slip bobber and minnow. A dead-stick rig placed nearby is also recommended.

Contact  Park Rapids Lakes Area for more information.

Detroit Lakes

The recent cold front helped ice to build on Detroit Lakes area lakes. Ice thicknesses ranging from 14-18 inches can now be found on most lakes. Still, anglers are encouraged to check ice thickness as they go, especially when traveling off the trails or plowed roads. Another significant cold front will arrive this weekend, causing ice to build further. Expect the bite to be a challenge with the cold front, and bite windows to shorten until the front passes.

Some anglers continue to catch walleye early and late in the day, but most anglers are having success with the panfish. Suspended crappies and bluegills are being pulled from the deep water, with fish also found at the outside edges of the weed lines and in the open pockets of the green weeds. Jigging with wax worms, euro larvae, small plastic tails or crappie minnows has been the most productive for panfish. Horizontal jigging baits tipped with minnow heads are best for walleye.

Contact the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Central Region

Otter Tail Area Lakes

Walleye have been tough to find which is typical in the middle of winter. Dead-sticks are key this time of year. For the most action, use a plain hook and minnow.

Panfish action, however, is just heating up. The shallow weed beds will be best through ice out, but anglers will need to remain mobile to locate active schools of fish.

Northern pike are roaming the basins high in the water column and along the inside weedlines. Dead baits or big suckers will produce the most bites.

Contact Otter Tail Lakes Country Association for more information.

Alexandria Area Lakes

The crappie and bluegill bite remains best Alexandria lakes area anglers. Most of the fish are roaming the deepwater basins. Anglers will want to stay on the move until they locate active schools of fish. Small jigging spoons tipped with minnow heads or waxworms will produce some large fish, but a small tungsten jig tipped with a finesse plastic will result in good numbers. The peak bite, particularly for the larger fish, occurs early in the morning and during the last hour of daylight. There are lots of anglers out chasing panfish so if you find an active school of crappies or bluegills, please consider selective harvest and throw back (quickly!) those you aren’t planning to keep. Anglers are taking an occasional walleye or two during evening hours when fishing the deep edges of the lingering weeds or the main lake structure such as the humps and sunken islands.

Contact Explore Alexandria Tourism for more information.

Isle/Onamia – Lake Mille Lacs

The walleye bite on Lake Mille Lacs has slowed a bit, likely due to the current cold front. Some anglers are having success in depths as shallow as 12 feet and further out in 28 feet of water. Quite a few catch-and-release walleye are being reported, along with some larger fish measuring 26 inches on average.

Lake Mille Lacs anglers may keep one walleye measuring between 21-23 inches, or one fish longer than 28 inches this winter. The DNR offers further information about fishing regulations specific to Lake Mille Lacs. Check out current conditions at the Mille Lacs Lake Webcams web page.

Contact the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council for more information.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Twin Cities Trout Unlimited Zoom Meeting Opportunity

Twin Cities Trout Unlimited will offer a free Zoom meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. John Lenczewski, the Executive Director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited, will discuss habitat projects statewide, with particular focus on the Metro area and southeast Minnesota. He’ll be reviewing the work done in the past and plans for the future. To attend, join via https://zoom.us/j/99635320113 at 7 p.m.

Contact Twin Cities Trout Unlimited for more information.

2021 Winter Carnival Ice Fishing Tournament

The 2021 Winter Carnival Ice Fishing Tournament is underway. Compete by taking photos of yourself with your catch, then upload them via the FishDonkey app. The tournament runs through Feb. 7, the final day of the Winter Carnival. Cost is $10 per participant, and participants can enter images for as many categories as they want. Leaders will be awarded prizes in a variety of categories. To encourage the next generation of anglers (youth ages 12 and under), two random winners will be selected from the Kid’s Catch category each week.

Contact the Winter Carnival for more information.

White Bear Area Lakes

Crappie action has been very good on Bald Eagle Lake in 22-27 feet of water near any sharp break. Anglers having the most success are using minnow heads on small jigs or spoons during the day and full minnows on dead-sticks at night. Northern pike have been active in 10-14 feet of water just off the weed edges — for the most action, use tip-ups with fatheads or small suckers.

The walleye bite has slowed a bit, but some nice fish continue to be taken on glow spoons and fathead minnows jigged on the deep humps that top out at 15-20 foot depths near deep water. Ice measurements show roughly 15 inches of ice on much of lake.

Contact Explore White Bear for more information.

Waconia – Lake Waconia

Three more springs were recently identified and marked on Lake Waconia, bringing the total to 8 springs that have been marked with lathe board and flagging tape. Anglers need to avoid these areas, and remember that all springs may not be known and flagged.

As of last weekend, Wagener’s Bay and Waconia Bay had the thickest ice, measuring from 15 to 19 inches thick. Areas with thinner ice this season, such as Center Reef, had 11-13 inches of ice so plowing was not an option.

Contact the Waconia Tourism Bureau for more information.