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 Date Submitted: March 8, 2010 Even if the walleye season for the most part is over, time spent on the lake is wonderful. Good ice and lots of it allow jumbo perch and crappie anglers to ply their wares. Smaller lakes in the area are now giving up some decent crappies. The large lakes are a bit behind but it's only a matter of time at this point. Most crappie anglers are using wax worms or smaller crappie minnows, beyond that the coveted spots are best called lake X. Snowmobile trails are shot but the lakes are still good to get around on. Another warm week and it may get a bit sticky. Antler shed hunting is prime time so if you need a reason to get in the woods, there you go! 321S Hwy 53 Cook, MN 55723 (218) 666-6052 markrita@cpinternet.com www.lakevermiliontradingco.com |
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Hello everyone, Ice conditions on Lake Vermilion have been excellent so far this winter. Unfortunately the Walleye action has been very poor the last couple of weeks. There have been some good days, however they have been surrounded by many, many long hours of frustration. What started out as a very promising winter season for Walleyes has been anything but. Many of us have been moving shacks all over Big bay with little difference in the results. I am back in 30ft of water after trying deeper water much of last week. There were some encouraging signs after the cold weather broke but unfortunately it only lasted one day. I am using small glow jigs and spoons tipped with all or part of a fathead minnow. We have also tried shiners and small suckers and at times it seems to make a difference. In the long run however it hasn't made a great deal of difference which minnow you use. The Pike action has been fairly steady here on the east end. Tip-ups or hair jigs tipped with a medium sucker or frozen smelt, have been catching fish. Deep weed edges and shoreline breaks in 6 to 14ft have been on a steady bite. I have also picked up a few nice pike on the shallow weed flats during the midday hours. I'm looking forward to some better fishing this week as the local weather warms up into the low 30's by midweek. Hopefully all we need is a little January thaw to get the Walleyes back on the bite. Have a great week everybody, make sure to pick up after yourselves when you're on the ice this week. Ace <*)))>< P.O. Box 771 Tower, MN 55790 (218) 753-2612 aceguide@webtv.net http://www.AceGuideService.com |
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The walleye bite the past couple of weeks has been very good on Vermilion! The agerage size being caught has increased and quite a few slot fish are also starting to show up in our daily catches. Almost all of our fish are still being caught on a plain-hook bait rig baited with 1/2 crawler or a small minnow. Fish preference can vary greatly between the two on some days! Most of the walleyes are comming out of 17 feet to 23 feet of water on the rock/sand transition areas. There has been an all day bite on many days this week. The wind and cloudy weather probably are a big factor in the all-day bite. Good Fishing! Cliff 9401 Saint Odilia Beach Road Tower, MN 55790 (218) 753-2005 cwagenbach@live.com http://www.cliffsguideservice-lakevermilion.com |
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Lake trout fishing has been slow. The fish I've caught have been finicky biters at best, with very few aggressive slammers. Tip ups have been pretty much an afterthought, though they have produced a few small trout. Year in and year out March has been a great month for lakers, so I'm looking forward to an upswing during this last week of February and into March. On Burntside and Snowbank, the fish have been set up shallow or on the first step before the bottom breaks into deep water. Especially on Burntside, trout usually need a bit of coaxing to get them to hit. This is true to a greater extent on the small fish as big lakers will often smash it , even more so in shallow water. A good tactic to turn lookers into biters is to slowly raise your bait then stop it, pop it, and repeat. If the fish still won't hit, slowly drop it and repeat the same process. If all else fails, have a second and third rod pre-rigged with a different style bait and drop it back down on the fish. Standard laker fare such as airplanes and spoons as well as jigging raps have been the most effective presentations. On the tipups, either suspend a live minnow 10 to 20 feet down or do the same with a cisco. When suspending ciscoes, I rig them so they hang upright. Laying a cisco on the bottom is a time honored tactic and can be very effective on days where lakers aren't in the go mode. Each laker season brings it's own personality. This season has been one of clear skies and high pressure. When a day hits with low pressure, clouds, and snow squalls, head for the ice. Over the years, these days have been the best producers for me but a guy's got to fish when he can. Remember to keep a small laker for the frying pan, and let the big ones go. Catch and release has been slow to catch on with many trout fishermen. The mentality still seems to be, "If I caught it, I'm keeping it." With the big increase in pressure I've seen the last couple seasons, this isn't a good thing for the fishery. Also, keep in mind that the DNR will no longer be stocking Burntside and the stocking will be reduced in Trout Lake. One last thing to keep in mind. The mindset of many people this season seems to be that they can drive a pickup anywhere on Burntside. Keep in mind that there's some bad ice areas out there. Some areas still only have a foot of ice, less in others and I've seen truck tracks in some places where they shouldn't be. Think neck downs within island clusters.... Have a fun and safe time on the ice! Paul 218-348-3057 (cell) pauljpollock@yahoo.com http://www.pollockguideservice.com |