Ice Keeps Formin On Lakes.

[Lee Borgersen]

Ice Keeps Forming On Area Lakes.

12/15/16


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Bitterly cold temperatures this past week had lakes in the Bemidji area busy making ice. The temperatures may not reach above zero this entire weekend, so the lakes will keep adding ice quickly as long as the cold temperatures continue.

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This could easily be some of the coldest weather of the winter. The Bemidji area typically gets one to three extended stretches of below-zero weather each winter, so it unusual to have weather this cold in mid December.

 :fishing2:
 
Upper Red Lake is usually one of the most popular winter destinations for walleye anglers. Anglers flock to Upper Red Lake in huge numbers during the winter because of the abundant walleyes and relatively easy fishing conditions.

On the weekends, there are often more anglers fishing on Upper Red Lake than the entire populations of most of the cities in northern Minnesota.

The lack of lodging around Upper Red Lake has many anglers using wheeled fish houses and spending the whole weekend ice fishing on the lake.

Ice conditions can change quickly early in the season. Anglers need to be wary of strong winds, which are capable of re-opening the ice on some of the larger lakes.

The ice has to get thick enough to hold the rolling ice during high winds. Most anglers have been in a fish house when vehicles pass by and have seen the ice go up and down as the "wake" from the vehicle goes under the fish house.

The ice can buckle and create an heaves when the it is too thin to hold the waves underneath. The ice can also crack and separate from shore, trapping anglers with no safe path back to shore without getting aid.

The below zero temperatures are expected to continue right through this weekend and into next week, before a warming trend finally arrives just in time for Christmas.

Resorts that cater to ice fishing will likely be updating their websites frequently early in the season, to keep anglers informed about the conditions on their lake.

The general mid-week ice reports for the Bemidji area ranged from 3 inches on some of the deep lakes to as much as 8 inches on some of the shallow lakes, with all of the lakes adding more ice everyday.

Anglers need to maintain a safe margin of error when they go on the ice, to be sure there is enough to support whatever they are trying to do on the lakes.

There should be plenty of opportunities for anglers to get on the lakes before the holidays, with many thinking about fishing this weekend if the temperatures are not too cold.

First ice can be very good, but the bite is still dependent on a number of factors, including the weather. Anglers are somewhat limited early in the season in where they can go on the lakes and they need to stay mobile enough to locate some fish.

The quality of the bite in the fall is usually a good indicator of what the bite will be like early in the ice fishing season.

Lake of the Woods was very good for walleyes most of the fall, with a huge run of emerald shiners into the Rainy River. The whole south shore of Lake of the Woods should be good early this winter, with most of the forage and walleyes still in the area.

Upper Red Lake was not as good late in the fall this year. Anglers will need to figure out what the walleyes are doing and find the areas holding the baitfish to have success early this winter.

When fishing walleyes in shallow water, the thin spoons that fall into the category of "flutter spoons" are usually the most productive because of the way they shoot out to the side of the hole.

Anglers can use a "dead stick" in their second hole tipped with a lively minnow for the walleyes that are attracted to the jigging lures, but not aggressive enough to take the bait.