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Ice Thickens - Extensions Needed LOW


On the South Shore...  Ice fishing remains strong across the south shore of Lake of the Woods out on Big Traverse Bay.  Resorts and outfitters on some parts of the lake have ice roads extending over 16 miles staying on nice schools of walleyes and saugers.  Many fish houses are over deep mud.  Some are on structure.  It is always fishing of course, but overall, February has been very productive for most anglers.


Extensions are being used on ice augers as the ice continues to thicken.  The thick ice this year will be good for the extended ice fishing season Lake of the Woods enjoys with fish houses out through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes.


Most fishing activity is taking place in 26-32 feet of water.  Anglers are finding a healthy mix of walleyes and saugers, with a good number of jumbo perch in the mix this year.  Some big eelpout are also showing up.  Anglers are reporting plenty of fish for fresh fish frys and usually extra fish to bring home. 


The one-two punch of a jigging line and deadstick is the way to go.  On the jigging line, jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head have been consistent.  Lipless crankbaits and jigging rap style lures also doing well. 


Lures with a light have been working well in the stained water.  Please remember, in MN, lures with a light or water activated light can be used as long as the battery is mercury free and the hook is attached directly to the lure and not as a dropper line. 


On the deadstick, a plain hook or a small jig with a live minnow 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom.


Some days, mornings are better, other days, it's the afternoons.  There is no distinct pattern, they could come through at any time.


On the Rainy River...  The start of the day and end of the day have been best for those targeting walleyes on the river. A jig and minnow or a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is also producing some fish.


Some big sturgeon being iced by ice anglers targeting them.  It is a catch-and-release sturgeon season currently.


Although ice conditions on the river are good, they can vary significantly due to the current, so anglers should always consult local resorts or outfitters for the most up-to-date safety information and fishing advice.


Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing has been strong in the islands area of Lake of the Woods. Resorts continue to move their fish houses around, staying on the best schools of walleyes. 


Anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, saugers, and jumbo perch with an occasional pike or tullibee as well. 


Big crappies are still being caught just over the border.  Fish houses are available, check with a NW Angle resort for info on crappie fishing.


Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season with fish houses on the ice through March 31st and walleye and sauger seasons open through April 14th. Perch, crappie, and pike seasons remain open year-round.


For more information on fish house rentals and various lodging options from across the Rainy River, south shore and NW Angle, visit LakeoftheWoodsMN.com/Lodging.


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Flying the Flag: The Case for Ice Fishing With Tip-Ups

Why so serious on the ice? Set some flags and have a beer

by Joe Cermele


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Tip-ups are a great way to cover more water on the ice. (Photo/Jason/Adobe Stock)

Flying the Flag: The Case for Ice Fishing With Tip-Ups

I don't mind putting time and effort into ice fishing when the payout is big. I’m not talking coolers brimming with crappies and yellow perch, either. I’m talking about fish that make you question how the hell you’re going to get them through the hole, assuming you survive the fight. I experienced this a year ago on Colorado’s Lake Granby. There I was, kneeling with my nerves shot, watching my little reel’s spool spin at such high RPMs that I was expecting it to fly off. For two days I worked for that bite, jigging soft plastics big enough to catch tuna in 50 holes a day. Somehow, I didn’t screw up and put a 43-inch lake trout on the ice. It was the coolest experience I’ve ever had on hard water.

But that was a special case. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to live close to lakes that offer the opportunity to battle true drag screamers in winter, myself included. So when I hit the weekend ice for the common local players, like bass and pickerel, just give me some good buddies, a propane grill, some lively shiners, and a few buckets of tip-ups.

Run For It

To many in the “hardcore” ice crowd, tip-up fishing is a joke. It’s for meat fishermen only. It’s for lazy people. Well, I say that seeing a flag pop up is the hard-water equivalent of watching a bobber go down, which should never get old. If you’ve lost the ability to get the warm fuzzies over such things, maybe you’ve lost sight of why you fell in love with fishing in the first place.

I’m not ashamed to admit that the older I get, the more my drive to fish in bitter-cold weather wanes. If I’m going to strap on cleats for predominantly 2-pound bass and a 20-inch pickerel (if I’m lucky), I need those warm fuzzies, and sitting on a bucket jigging a waxworm for hours doesn’t give them to me. On the other hand, much like lawn darts and Slip ’N Slides, tip-ups transform a subpar social gathering into an event to remember, even if not always for the right reasons.

I once supported a friend of mine as he hobbled on one leg all the way across a North Jersey lake. His sprained ankle was swollen and turning purple. He’d be laid up for days. But that’s the price you pay for racing to a popped flag on fresh ice to beat everyone else to another dinky bass. We still laugh about it every time we see each other. Then there’s the buddy who always insists on setting at least one tip-up a mile from the rest. In the morning, you’ll all race to that one when the flag goes up; after lunch, and perhaps a few cans of suds, you’ll argue over who has to go after the outlier this time. If you’ve got kids on the ice, that’s when you set a half-dozen a mile away, because it’s a guarantee they’ll be so knocked out by the end of the day, you’ll actually have them in bed before The Simpsons.



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Tip-up fishing is fun even if you’re catching only small fish. A nice pike is a bonus.

Tech Tips

Speaking of screen time, if you’ve got one of those snazzy underwater ice-fishing cameras, bring it. Training a camera on one of your shiners adds a whole new element of fun to tip-up fishing. It’s like flicking on an MMA fight during a frat party. Nothing captivates grown men in ice-fishing garb like two pickerel locked in on a bait. The suspense is killer. Will they attack? If so, when? Which fish will make the first move? Bets have been placed during this kind of programming.

Useful fishing intel has been gained too. It’s easy to assume that when you set tip-ups, flags fly when a fish happens upon the bait and attacks. But combining today’s technology with traditional tip-up fishing has taught me that this isn’t always the case. I’ve seen bass, pickerel, walleyes, and crappies study live baits for up to 20 minutes before finally committing. They might eat when a shiner changes direction, or finally tires and stops moving, or bolts in a quick burst of speed after swimming in a slower, steadier rhythm. Watching these fish has given me invaluable insight into how to work lures and flies to trigger a bite in other situations, particularly right after ice-out when the water is still cold.

Like your grade school teacher always said, learning can be fun. On the hard water, though, that starts with using tip-ups. Also, it’s a good idea to invite your slowest buddy, so you get to tug on more fish—and one who’ll make the effort to get homemade kielbasa from the good Polish deli, and not just grab a pack of Hillshires from the Stop-and-Save. They may well be the same person.



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