Minnesota fishing resort

Minnesota fishing report from White Birch resort on Blackduck Lake.

Andy Wolfram's 28-inch walleye pulled from the Mississippi River Recent warm temperatures, rain, and wind caused lake ice to deteriorate rapidly. As a result, walking is now the best mode of travel in areas where ice fishing remains an option. While the current, more seasonable temperatures may extend the ice fishing season another week or so on lakes in northern Minnesota, it is imperative that all anglers consult with a local bait shop or resort for the most current ice conditions before heading out. Please take a moment to review the information found on the DNR’s Ice Safety Guidelines web page. For rules, regulations and other helpful information on fishing in Minnesota, consult the DNR's Fish Minnesota web page. Aside from the border waters, the gamefish season (walleye, northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass) has closed. The 2017 Fishing Opener will be May 14, 2017. This year’s fishing licenses are available at most bait shops, as well as online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense and by phone at 888-665-4236. [Northeast] [Northwest] [Central] [Southern] Northeast Minnesota International Falls - Rainy Lake & the Rainy River As of March 6, Voyageurs National Park is no longer recommending travel on frozen lake surfaces within the park. Due to the warming weather and lack of snow, ice conditions are deteriorating, standing water is appearing on frozen lake surfaces, and bare ground is appearing on the safety portages. Park trail markers and hazard signs are no longer able to remain upright so park staff will remove them within the week. The Rainy Lake Ice Road, Kabetogama Lake Ice Road, and all snowmobile routes are closed. Other winter recreation trails in Voyageurs National park are no longer being maintained. Visitors are welcome to hike the Oberholtzer Trail and the Rainy Lake Recreation Trail as conditions permit. 800-325-5766; www.rainylake.org Ely Since the close of walleye and northern pike season, anglers have turned their attention to trout and panfish. Lake trout have been providing a lot of action in relatively shallow waters, with fish responding well to active jigging throughout the water column in 20-35 foot depths. The stream trout are actively hitting small spoons and jigs tipped with wax worms. Crappie action has begun to heat up. While minnows have been best, anglers are starting to do well using small soft baits rigged on a jig head. The crappies are at times suspended a bit off the bottom in some of the deeper holes adjacent to soft bottom bays in 15-21 feet of water. Some nice sunnies are attacking the same baits used for the crappies. Please note that the ice conditions are rapidly changing. Areas near current or constricted points are becoming unsafe. With the recent melt and rain, standing water areas are also creating unsafe areas. Please call ahead for the most current ice conditions before heading out onto the ice. Snowmobile clubs are pulling their flags from area lakes since the lakes are considered unsafe for snow machine travel. 800-777-7281; www.ely.org Duluth - Lake Superior and inland waters Ice conditions remain fairly good despite the warm temperatures last weekend, and the current cool temperatures should extend the season a bit longer. Still, extra caution must be taken on all bodies of water. Travel by vehicle is now discouraged. Rubber boots and cleats are recommended. A few anglers continue to chase panfish in the bay areas of the St. Louis River. However, the best bite for panfish is still on the inland waters. Drill a bunch of holes, and hole-hop until active fish are found.  Electronics are a huge help.  Crappies are generally roaming around a lake’s basin. The best approach is a small spoon tipped and soft plastic. Sunfish and bluegills are relating to vegetation. Anglers having the most success are using a fine jigging movement with tungsten jigs tipped and wax worms or euro larvae. On Lake Superior, some anglers are fishing from boat near Two Harbors. Anglers are also having a blast fishing for kamloops and coho salmon from shore. 800-438-5884; www.visitduluth.com Grand Rapids Ice conditions are remain good on most lakes in the Grand Rapids area, but extra caution is needed. Perch fishing has been very good on Lake Winnibigoshish, and many anglers have been catching their limit of 20 fish. Remaining mobile is the best way to locate schools of biting fish, and the west side of Big Winnie seems to be providing the most action. This time of year, perch are combing areas of scattered rock and rock piles in search of baby crayfish, grubs, and small minnows. Most often they will migrate from reef to reef in search of food. They maybe in one location today and gone tomorrow. Maps can help you pinpoint these areas. Smaller baits such as tungsten jigs, small spoons, and #3 jigging raps work best when used with a couple of wax worms, euro larvae, or a small minnow head. When fishing the rocks, work depths of 15-20 feet. The edges of weeds near deep water should also produce well until ice out. Points and inside turns are ideal. To detect the lightest of bites use very light braid with a fluorocarbon monofilament leader. Other lakes with similar structure are Pokegama and Bowstring. A tip for cooking perch is to poach them in a light butter sauce instead of frying them. After they turn flaky white, remove the fillets and pour the remaining poaching sauce over the top. Add some salt and pepper, garnish with lemon slices, and enjoy! www.visitgrandrapids.com Northwest Minnesota Baudette - Lake of the Woods & the Rainy River Ice fishing remains in full swing on Lake of the Woods, with ice measuring 24-30 inches thick. Temperatures are in the teens and a few inches of snow are expected which should help extend the hard water season! Anglers are sometimes having to sort through a variety of walleye and sauger to find the keepers. Electronics are helpful since some of the walleye are suspended. For the most fish, use a glow pink/red or chartreuse jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head or tail. Also use a dead stick with a plain hook or small ice jig and minnow nearby. The key depth has been 29-33 feet. Northern pike have started to stage near spawning areas, and are turning more active. The Rainy River morning and evening bite has been decent. Anglers that are not very familiar with the river need to use a resort or guide to locate the best ice. The river is open from Birchdale to the east. Some anglers are already pushing boats over the shoreline ice. The walleye season remain open through April 14 on these border waters. Learn more at the Rainy River web page. Up at the Northwest Angle, fishing has really picked up. The morning bite is strong until roughly noon, and then it picks back up again around 4 p.m. With the longer days, the evening bite is a little more consistent. Black/gold and pink/white continue to be the best colors. The rock piles have been key locations, especially in depths of 22-24 feet of water. 800-382-FISH; www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com Bemidji Winter has returned to the Bemidji area and ice will be thickening over the next week. The perch bite remains strong on lakes Bemidji, Plantagenet, Cass, and Winnibigoshish. Jigging spoons and minnow heads are the preferred presentation for the jumbos. Depths ranging from 10-40 feet are producing fish. Crappie fishing has been sporadic, but when the bite is on it can be amazing. Small spoons and waxworms are working well, especially off the deep basins. Bluegills are responding to teardrop jigs tipped with waxworms or spikes in 10-12 feet of water. A few tullibees are starting to be reported -- this generally means that spring is right around the corner! 800-458-2223; www.visitbemidji.com Bena - Lake Winnibigoshish The shorelines and access points are beat up on Lake Winnibigoshish. Bridges set over the cracks have been pulled by resorts, making it difficult to reach the flats. The ice is moving and buckling so anglers need to know the most current conditions before heading out. www.lakewinnie.net Park Rapids Ice conditions are deteriorating quickly due to warm temperatures, rain, and wind. Walking is the best mode of travel for ice anglers. Look for the sunfish and crappies in the 3-6 feet of water, or next to the bulrushes/pencil reeds on the larger weedy flats near shore. Panfish feeding heavily in most area lakes with good panfish populations. Start by drilling 10-20 holes and hole-hop with small ice jigs tipped with wax worms. While hole hopping, set a tip up in one of the holes. The tip up should be set as lightly as possible, using some split shot, a 6 pound leader, #6 red hook and a crappie minnow.  This “dead stick” method will help locate roaming schools of crappies that you can then concentrate on with your jig. If the panfish have moved out of the shallows, simply look on the nearest drop-off next to the flat, targeting them in the 7-20 feet of water. 800-247-0054; www.parkrapids.com Detroit Lakes More seasonable temperatures should extend the ice fishing season for another week or so in the Detroit Lakes area. Most lakes still have 15-20 inches of ice consisting of a couple of inches of refrozen slush on top of 13-18 inches of good clear ice. Wheeler traffic is recommended due to inconsistent ice thickness and less than perfect ice conditions caused by thawing and refreezing. Some access points are rough, and ice cleats are recommended. The panfish bite is good at the deeper weed edges in depths of 12-22 feet. Tullibees are being taken over the deep, soft bottom basins. 800-542-3992; www.visitdetroitlakes.com Central Region Otter Tail Lakes Area Fishing in the Otter Tail Lakes Country has been good for anglers willing to put in a little extra time. Unfortunately, recent warm temperatures have taken a toll on the ice conditions. Since every body of water is different, anglers are urged to use extreme caution, and contact a resort or bait shop for the most current conditions for the lake that will be fished. Travel light and bring safety equipment such as life jackets, rope, and ice picks. Still, the best rule is “When in doubt, don’t go out.” 800-423-4571; www.ottertailcountry.com Southern Minnesota Lanesboro - Southeast Bluff Country trout streams As of Thursday, March 2, most branches of the Whitewater Stream were considered clear, and had a normal water flow. For information on winter trout fishing, check out Try Trout Streams for Winter Fishing Fun. 800-944-2670; www.lanesboro.com Anglers may obtain fishing licenses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by dialing 1-888-665-4236, or accessing DNR License Sales. Subscribe here to receive any or all of our reports by email. This report is brought to you by Explore Minnesota Tourism.