Yesterday, as fishermen left, I saw some pictures of their last weekend on the ice.  There were a lot of Walleye C/R in some areas.  Both deep and shallow.  Friday and Saturday overnight was pretty good fishing for those who stayed out overnight. Their busiest times were reported from 9 pm to 3 am.  Some Northen Pike Anglers went out Sunday, and one group caught C/R’d a 40″  Northern.  I received quite a few pictures, but if you were out there and took some photos of your catch, please text them to me.  The number was on the map we provided you.

Today, we are removing all the road markers and cones and pulling the bridge ramps to shore. We will close our access until Thursday after this warm-up, cool down with snow (?), and the wind is done. Then, I will decide if we will reopen for Perch and Northern Pike fishing for the weekend. With the strong south winds we are receiving today and much stronger NW  winds starting Tuesday evening through Wednesday, I wouldn’t be surprised if the main lake ice starts moving in one direction or another.  With all our temperature changes lately, there has been so much ice movement around the lake that it could happen.  If so, it would be the earliest I’ve seen that happen in my time.

I will keep posting daily and start informing you about the proposed Mille Lacs Regs the MNDNR are presenting over the next few days. (Also giving you my opinion about them too.)  It’s pretty tough to deal with businesses being affected by stricter fishing regulations because the fishing will be too good.  Most of us have had enough of a hard time just dealing with the weather…

Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy

Overnight, the rentals did well with Walleye with the full moon.  Yesterday during the day, the bite was mixed for those out there in the wind.   Perch were active SW of Spider-Island, and Walleye were active on the NE side of the Graveyard and other places where anglers were in deeper water.

Today, we are pulling the last of the small rentals, and picking up the road stakes and cones. We will close the access for the next 2-3 days with the warmer weather and a quick dip into winter for 36 hours to see if we can continue for Perch and Northern Pike the following weekend.  Keep watching the report to find out.

This season was a different one, for sure. After freeze-up, meltdown, and refreeze, the ice was never the same for the rest of the season.  With no snow, varying temps, and no consistent cold weather in sight for most of the season, I decided it was best to remain cautious. Seeing what was happening around the lake as the season wound down for us the last few weeks, I’m glad we did.  Over the last two weeks, we had some significant cracks we ended up bridging, some almost 3 feet wide. Coupled with the temperature swings almost daily, there was always something to check and watch out for.  Over the 50-plus years I’ve been out there, I learned there are times to go and times to not, and staying ahead of the game is safer for those out there. This was one of those years.  Hopefully, next year, we will get back on track!

Thank you all for your patronage, and Keep a Tight Line!

Eddy

Overnight with the “cool down” the ice was rumbling.   Many 2″-4″ cracks appeared during the night, some froze over, some not yet when we checked our areas early this morning.  Yesterday I limited travel to just ATV and SxS for portables and rentals for just that reason.  With 16″ of ice and the top two inches or so not strong anymore, as it has gotten soft a couple of times already, it wasn’t worth taking the chance of having vehicles out there this late in the season for us.

The bite for Walleye has still been good.  Deeper in the daytime because of light conditions with no snow cover, But shallow has seen the best action overnight. Last night, with the Full Moon, the bite should have been very good for those in the shallows.  We’ll see what happens when they come in. We have many “ice campers” out this weekend, so I will know more on Sunday.

With the constant ups and downs in temperature, the ice on the lake is loosening up more every day. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next week with almost 50-60-degree temps, then dropping back to the teens and twenties with snow.

We will go day by day after Sunday. If you plan on coming up for Perch, Tullibee, or Northern Pike Angling, call our office the day before to check our ice conditions so we know who is coming.. Bring an ATV and trailer.

Keep a Tight Line!