Central Region
Otter Tail Area Lakes
Ice fishing in Otter Tail County is in full swing. Fishing has been very good this week despite the cold. One area guide recommends that anglers treat cold fronts and major winter arctic blasts as a challenge since it’s possible you’ll have an amazing day out on the ice — bundle up, enjoy the cold crisp air and go catch some fish!
Contact Otter Tail Lakes Country Association for more information.
Alexandria Area Lakes
Crappies and bluegills continue to provide the best fishing action in the Alexandria lakes area, although a little extra coaxing may be needed during these extremely cold temperatures. The deepwater basins are the best locations to find cooperative fish. A small tungsten jig with a finesse plastic remains a good combination, but swapping out the plastic with wax worms or spikes may be just what it takes to get finicky fish to bite. Anglers are having the most success during the last hour of daylight and early in the morning.
Contact Explore Alexandria Tourism for more information.
Brainerd Area Lakes
The panfish bite was excellent last week on lakes throughout the Brainerd area. Jigging spoons and plastics out-produced live bait, and very aggressive jigging was best to trigger a reaction bite. Northern pike action was amazing with larger light northern suckers working best, especially when suspended about 1/2 halfway down in the water column on the breaklines. The walleye were sluggish, but a few were taken on minnow heads during early morning and evening hours. The eelpout bite was starting to heat up.
| The panfish bite remains excellent. When temperatures get this cold, it is best to use less active presentations and downsize the lures and baits. Small jigging spoons with minnow heads are recommended, especially during low light hours. Please remember that catch-and-release fish should be returned to the water as quickly as possible to prevent fish kill.
Ice anglers should still check ice thickness often since conditions can vary widely, even on the same body of water. Anyone heading out should wear a life jacket and have ice picks easily accessible. Before dropping a line, brush up on Minnesota’s rules, regulations and other helpful information for fishing. Anglers are asked to fish lakes and rivers close to home, and practice social distancing. Learn more about safer ways to travel at Explore Minnesota’s COVID-19 Information page.
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[Northeast] [Northwest] [Central] [Minneapolis-St. Paul Area] [Southern] |
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Northeast RegionInternational Falls – Rainy Lake & the Rainy River Rainy Lake ice anglers are fishing Sand Bay area during daylight hours using the main lake road. Successful anglers are jigging live bait for walleye and crappies. To the east, ice access is somewhat more of a challenge unless you use a snowmobile and portable gear. Anglers report finding walleye in 20-35 feet of water and near structure in this area. Black Bay continues to be the preferred location for big northern pike, and the submerged cribs are usually good for a few crappies. Contact the International Falls, Rainy Lake and Ranier CVB for more information. Duluth – Lake Superior, St. Louis River and inland waters Anglers fishing the inland waters report inconsistent action, likely due to recent cold fronts. Walleye action has been best well after dark in clear water lakes. The best opportunity for anglers is panfishing, however, even that has been a challenge at times. When temperatures are this cold, it is important to downsize your presentation or just use a dead stick. A small tungsten jig tipped with a couple of maggots should work well. If you decide to set out a few flags, make sure to have a thermal hole cover or you will be chiseling out tip-ups at the end of the day. Try to fish areas that have received little to no fishing pressure. Anglers are discouraged from venturing out onto Lake Superior near Duluth, with some anglers recently stranded on a Lake Superior ice flow. At the time, the ice was very new and winds from the south created hazardous conditions quickly. Please remember that Lake Superior ice can be extremely unpredictable. It is unlikely that it will be fishable this season. St. Louis River anglers are catching a few fish during short periods of time early in the morning and later in the afternoon. The best tactic is to fish mid-depth ranges of 8-12 feet of water at the sharp breaks. Oversized chubs have been best for the dead sticks, and jigging raps are best on the other line. It important to fish in a shelter since it helps protect undersized and other catch-and-release type fish. Contact Visit Duluth for more information. Grand Rapids Panfish are responding to smaller presentations presented slowly. Electronics are very helpful to locate fish, and soft tip rods are best for late season panfish. Anglers will want to drill several holes and remain mobile if possible. Lakes to check out include Little Bowstring, Big Bowstring, Dunbar, Pokegama, Cutfoot, Little Sand and Little Splithand. Contact Visit Grand Rapids for more information. |
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Northwest RegionBaudette – Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River Fishing remains good on the south end of Lake of the Woods, with a nice variety of walleye and sauger being pulled from 29-33 feet of water. Use a jigging line in one hole and a deadstick and live minnow in another hole. Keep the jigging line moving to attract fish. Gold, glow white, glow red and pink colors have been effective, and glow sticks are helpful in the stained water. Anglers are also catching plenty of jumbo perch, northern pike, eelpout and tullibee, along with an occasional crappie and sturgeon. Electronics are helpful to show suspended fish, as well as how fish are reacting to your presentation. On the Rainy River, anglers continue to have success during morning and evening hours. The snowmobile trail on the river from Baudette to Wheeler’s Point and on to the Northwest Angle is staked and groomed. Use caution and work through a resort or outfitter since some areas of the river are unsafe. Up at the Northwest Angle, anglers are taking walleye, perch, eelpout, northern pike and tullibee. The walleye are sliding off of the structure into 26-30 feet of water. During the day, hit the rocks; during low light hours, work the structure. Ripping raps and jigging spoons with a rattle and tipped with a piece of minnow are working well. For the deadstick, use a plain hook or a glow jig with a live minnow. When sonar units are not displaying fish, aggressively jig your bait; when fish appear, slow the action down. 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. Bemidji The unseasonably cold temperatures and high winds have kept many anglers off the lakes. Those that have ventured out reported a good perch bite on Bemidji and Plantagenet lakes. Jigging spoons with minnow heads have worked well in 25-35 feet of water. An occasional walleye and tullibee have been in the mix. Warmer temperatures are forecasted for next week – expect the bite to pick up and more anglers to hit the lakes. Contact Visit Bemidji for more information. Walker – Leech Lake Perch action remains strong in the Pine Point area of Leech Lake, with a few walleye in the mix. Successful perch anglers used a larger fathead minnow on a jigging spoon in a variety of colors. Depths of 12-14 feet were best during the extreme cold front. A few walleye were reported when using rattle reels and deadsticks during low light hours and overnight. Sand Point and Cedar Point have been best for walleye and perch. The shoreline breaks in 14-18 feet of water and the secondary breaks in 24-28 feet of water have been key locations. Green and orange glow jigs have been best when tipped with a rainbow or shiner minnow. Walker Bay ice conditions are slowly improving with ice measurements ranging from 8-16 inches thick. There are plowed ice roads out to Goose Island, the Snake Pits, Little Hardwoods, West Goose Flats, Grand View Flats, Stoney Point and the west side of the Paris Trench. Contact the Leech Lake Area Tourism Bureau for more information. Park Rapids Anglers continue to pull northern pike from roughly 10 feet of water when using a tip up and a lively sucker minnow suspended 18 inches off the bottom. Nice-size crappies and bluegills are coming from 15-20 feet of water throughout the day on small silver jigging spoons tipped with a wax worm. Some walleye are being taken at night by anglers using fatheads or shiners in depths of 18-35 feet. Don’t miss the Polar Fest Poles ‘N Holes Fishing Derby in Detroit Lakes! The Fishing Derby was scheduled for Feb. 13, but due to extremely cold temperatures forecasted for this weekend, it has been postponed until Feb. 20. Contact Park Rapids Lakes Area for more information. Detroit Lakes Ice has built rapidly during this extreme cold spell and many lakes in the Detroit Lakes area now have more than 2 feet of ice. At the beginning of the cold snap, fishing slowed considerably, but anglers are now catching crappies and bluegills with some walleye also coming through the ice. Less active presentations and downsized lures/baits have been the most productive, and overnight hours have been best. Contact the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce for more information. |
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Contact Visit Brainerd for more information. Isle/Onamia – Lake Mille Lacs Lake Mille Lacs anglers have had a hard time getting the walleye to bite over the last few days, likely due to the current cold temperatures. Still, many catch-and-release fish are being taken, and anglers report seeing lots of walleye on their cameras. The shallow water bite should pick up very soon, with the strongest bite occurring during early morning and late afternoon hours. 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 Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council for more information. Willmar Walleye anglers are having success in the Willmar Lakes Area, especially on Eagle Lake. Most of walleye are being pulled from 25 foot depths on shiner minnows. Norway, Games, Ringo and South Long lakes have been good to anglers fishing for crappies, sunnies and northern pike. For the most panfish, use a jig tipped with wax worms. Considering renting a fish house from one of many area businesses and enjoy a warm, cozy weekend of ice fishing before the season ends! Contact the Willmar Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for more information. |
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Minneapolis-St. Paul AreaTwin Cities Trout Unlimited (TCTU) 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 be doing a deep dive on 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. White Bear Area Lakes Just last week, crappie action was very good on Bald Eagle Lake in 22-27 feet of water near any sharp break. Anglers having the most success were using minnow heads on small jigs or spoons during the day, and full minnows on deadsticks at night. Northern pike were active in 10-14 feet of water just off the weed edges. Anglers taking the most fish were using tip-ups with fatheads or small suckers. The walleye bite had slowed a bit, but some nice fish continued to be taken on glow spoons and fathead heads jigged on the deep humps that topped out at 15-20 foot depths near deep water. Ice measurements showed roughly 15 inches of ice on much of lake. Contact Explore White Bear for more information. |
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| IND THE BEST SKIING I MINNESOTA THIS WINTER
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MINNESOTA’S MANY WINTER SPORTS
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Southern RegionTwo fun ice fishing contests are just around the corner in southern Minnesota! Don’t miss the 5th Annual Get Hooked Ice Fishing Derby Lanesboro/Preston – Southeast Bluff Country trout streams As of Tuesday, Jan. 26, most area streams and rivers were running low and clear. Anglers were enjoying some great temperatures and conditions with shelf ice at a minimum relative to previous years. The streams were easily accessed due to 4-6 inches of snow along the banks. There were reports of nice midge hatches, especially on Duschee Creek. Deep nymphing and slow streamer presentations seemed to be the most productive. Check the Weekly Minnesota Stream Flow Maps for updates before you head out. Contact the Lanesboro Area Visitor Center for more information. Ortonville – Big Stone Lake The ice is building rapidly on Big Stone Lake with 17-20 inches of ice expected by the weekend. Snow on top of the ice is only 1-3 inches deep on average so travel has not been affected. Anglers report good fishing action with limits of perch being taken, along with some nice bluegills in the mix. The best reports are coming from those staying mobile and trying a variety of baits and lures. Red spikes, white spikes, waxworms and minnow heads have been key baits. For lures, use small spoons and tungsten jigs. The best approach is to use a rippin’ rap to draw fish in, then use the smaller baits to catch the fish. Contact the Big Stone Lake Area Chamber for more information. |
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