Early ice bite prime for three Minnesota lakes
Pack your cold-weather gear and head to Minnesota to try out some of the best early season ice fishing for walleyes in the Midwest.
Sure, some of the fishing is catch-and-release, but the opportunities are there to catch, photograph and release an ice trophy or possibly fill your freezer with walleye fillets.
“There are plenty of quality ice-fishing opportunities for early ice walleyes in Minnesota,” said Crestliner Boats National Promotions Manager John Janousek of Brainerd, Minn.
“It is hard to pick the best opportunities, but I spend quite a bit of time during the winter looking through a hole in the ice, and I have some of my favorites,” he said. “Lake of the Woods near Baudette, Mille Lacs near Isle and Red Lake near Washkish are my choices for early ice walleye action.”
Lake of the Woods
Target the gaps around the islands at the mouth of the Rainy River or near Wigwam Resort or Ballards. The best depths to fish are generally in the 12- to 14-foot range. Low-light periods are usually the most productive, but walleyes can be caught all day. You can expect to catch large numbers of fish in the 2- to 4-pound range with a realistic chance at hooking a 10-pounder. Although fishing can be very productive at first ice, you still need to use caution since the ice thickness is dependent on the weather. The ice is generally thick enough to fish by Christmas.
Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs is known to have a solid walleye bite throughout the day and night. Target rock humps or shoreline breaks in the bays. As the season progresses, look for similar structures in the main lake. A favorite area to fish is in the 12- 25-foot depths near McQuoids Resort.
“Mille Lacs is a very productive lake for early ice walleyes,” said Janousek. “There are large numbers of fish, but the slot limit for walleyes is 14 to 16 inches or one over 28 inches. You have to release a lot of fish, but it is a lot of fun.”
Red Lake
Since the majority of Red Lake is in the 12- to 14-foot depth range with little change in depth, you need to focus your fishing efforts on subtle drop-offs and bottom irregularities with cover such as a rock pile. You also need to stay on the upper third of the lake since the lower portion is an American Indian reservation and off-limits to all but tribal members.
Catch-and-release is the rule at Red Lake.
“You can catch a lot of walleyes and some trophies out of Red Lake, but it is a catch-a-release-only fishery,” said Janousek. “State management dictates all walleyes need to be released for the next five years.”
Favorite early ice techniques include jigging a Northland buckshot rattle spoon or a jigging Rapala tipped with a minnow head. Other options include a split shot rig tipped with a minnow fished under a slip-bobber or a tip-up baited with a minnow.