Croix ice fisherman

What is your favorite lure/presentation for icing croix eyes and sauger? I’ve had most success with a fathead inches off of bottom below a bober or deadstick rod. However, that can get boring when actions slow so I jump holes w/ my vex and jig something a little more aggressive. With this rod I’ve had most success w/ a #7 jigging rap and also dave gens flyer jigs tipped w/a minnow. I have not done well on spoons they attract ,but I can’t trigger. Maybe I am doing someting wrong do you have any tips?

I love first ice!
Lindy

Hi Lindy!
Last year was my first year fishing the Croix ice. I used a jigging rap with a fathead….head attached. It seemed to work well. Now that I have a second rod, I’m going to try the bobber thing with just a plain hook and fathead. Then go from there.

Where are you going to start this year? I’m thinking the bayport beach area.

Beach Brian,
I will most likely start my search in the Bayport area as well. Good fishing and good ice in this area, but lots of pressure by Christmas. I always fish the maximum amount of lines, jig one and deadstick or bobber the other one/two and let the fish tell me witch presentation they prefer. I may also try down by Afton and humps south of Hudson as fishing pressure increases, if the ice permits.

Good luck this season and be safe!
Lindy

Thanks Lindy,

I reside in MN, the land where nothing is allowed. I’m surpised that we can use two rods on the river!

How have you been getting to the humps? ATV, snowmobile? Long ways to walk? Access? I’ve never been out there in the winter, because I don’t know the ice in that area. Call me chicken, but I don’t really care to fish any river (moving water) in the winter without lots of info!

Last year I drove out to the humps, but there was quite a bit of ice. Some have called me nuts, and I can’t disagree. Bayport is my main-stay, EARLY in the year. Small jigging raps seem to out produce larger raps 4-1 here. Were as the larger the better down in the Afton area. Also Do-Jiggers in the silver and chartruse tipped with a head of a minnow also produce well for me.

Beach Brian I have some friends with four wheelers and snowmobiles for access to the humps. Has, were the humps fishy for you or a waste of time it doesn’t sound like you made it back up there. Also, does the afton area recieve as much pressure as Bayport? Finally, are there any trouble spots to watch out for by Afton?

Thanks for the info. guys!
Lindy

Lindy, the map attached isn’t the exact spots to watch out for (of course). But that’s about the area of open water.
Personally, I haven’t seen anyone fishing down stream of the bar…although last year we watched a fella drive his pickup on the ice at the windmill, head south almost to the city docks, turn around and drive out.
I’m thinking he changed his mind about wanting to put his truck through the ice….

I fish just south of catfish bar drive a gray toyota pickup.
There is the the large open area of water south of the point but most the ice around it is ok just need a spud pole with.I will be out there a lot this year because there is no croud anywere out there.On the other side of the open water is St Marys point and there gets to be a few people out there some days.I drive my truck out over the sand flat off shore on the mn side but dont need to drive far from where I come on.Can be some bad areas around out there so I wouldnt go exploring unless you know the area good.Great for walleye,few crapies,and a bonus muskie or sturgeon of spoons every now and then.Great fishing just need the access.I usually get out there every week and will try to update on whats going on.

Lindy,all we use are spoons.Some days they hit anything and some days you have to find what they want.What works best for me is deadsticking on spoon 3-4 feet of the bottom and jig a rattle spoon of the bottom.Most fish come into the vex
looking at the rattle spoon but then shoot up the 2nd spoon and hit that one.Works with just a minnow head or a full minnow on the dead stick.
anyone seen how the ice is doing lately?

Hey Jrod…

I didn’t see you out there last year…I did a lot of looking south…just to see if the open water was creeping up on me!
What kind and size of spoon are you using? I may give that a try this year.
You don’t drive on the ice to your spot from the Windmill Marina…do you?

JROD, thanks for the tips I’ll have to try the spoon thing some more and jig a little farther off bottom than I usually do. Do you have private access or do you just go out from windmill? Looked like there were still some week spots out there south of Bayport when I looked out from my friends house on the river last night. I will be checking ice condions in a few spots tomorrow and I’ll post my findings.

Lindy

I for one will be counting on you Lindy for Ice reports.
I don’t go to StillH20 unless I’m on the river. It’s too late when you see all the houses on the river from the Hudson Bridge. So….Please, keep us posted!

Thanks!

Beach Brian how it going.I met you out on the river that night we had the wind funnels up in white bear.I had the lund rebel with a yellow lab jumping around in it.I didnt fish that area till the last 2 months of the season.I have private access south of there and dont know if I would drive around windmill.Hopefully by this weekend I will be out there fishing and will send some reports.Rattle spoons are my favorite but usually combo it with a pimple.Im not sure of what size but 1st ice I will use my biggest ones.I will let you know on sizes once I see a fish on the other end.

Yeah, those wind funnels were a joke. The weather alert went off in the boat and they said “take cover”. But if we didn’t get off the river, we would have been soaked. I bet you were dripping when you came in!

Like I said in another post, I saw this pickup driving out there (by windmill) and I thought he was crazy! They keep that bay open all winter for the boat and docks in there.
Glad your not testing the ice!
Let me know what kind of ice you have…really getting an itch!

Looking forward to seeing you again!

I’ve been down in the Afton area before and it is far far from safe! I think even talking about it on this board is an invitation for some 16 year old over eager anglers death!!! There are holes in the area thinnly covered with ice sheets, plus numerous winding openwater areas. Yes I have been down there for more than one season and know it well. The fishing is no better either than say an area where you don’t work next to openwater.

Make your own mind up but reporting on this area is an invitation for a tragedy. Please don’t report about the numerous openwater/ice fishing areas that are present on the river. Talk in general terms? I really can’t be silent about this though, it is a river, and people do fall through the thin ice.

Got to go hit the ice.

Turk

Ya know Turk, it’s real easy to forget that for every reply to a thread, there’s 100 or so viewers.

I think you’re right about the Afton OPEN WATER (OPEN WATER = UNSAFE ICE) area, the other open water areas. Personally I wouldn’t go to any area without someone that knows where to go….

Thanks for the reminder!

PS I know you didn’t mean it that way, but I’ve seen many 16 year old act more responsable than 30-40 year olds…see above post about driving on the ice around the Windmill Marina….the guy was nuts!

Any fish today?

Beach B.,

Good point how dumb some of us older dudes can be. And I brought this topic up on this thread but it could have been a seperate post entirely and really not aimed at anyone in particular, just the idea not to talk about the area when fishing near open water. I do think we should be vigilant about this…If you choose to fish it..your call, your business..again though I don’t feel it’s wise to post the where abouts for safeties sake.

Fishing…
Crappies 9″-11″s, and a fair/good bite on bobbers and minnows 36-37 feet was best, bobbers over jigs. I talked to other anglers near me and they indicated a good crappie bite….

Turk

Thanks Turk, I forget how many people read throug our post.My intent was not to encourage anyone to try and go fish the area but just to inform.There is olny a handfull of people who fish there and know the ice but never trust it.I will limit post on this area.Its unfishable now and will be for a while but will keep sending post on bayport.
Thanks agian Turk

Hey Turk, was there a window for crappies? Best time of day?

Ps…..

Quote:

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Good point how dumb some of us older dudes can be

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Speak for yourself…..

YYaaaowww cold!!! But now I know why you’re Beach Brian- you are obviously the Beach Master, the guy I remember who kicked sand in my face all those years ago down at St. Mary’s Beach while I was sunning.

You used to have a better tan than the farmer but hey it’s hard to keep up pole position as Beach Master for more than a few years!!!

And speaking of St. Mary’s Beach it is the St. Croix’s Best!

Fishing- from 3:00 to 4:15pm was the window…The bite has slowed since Sunday though…

Turk

Is this an application for a Darwin award?