I headed over to the backwaters today and found 2 spots with some good solid ice – Pontoon Slough on the dike road and the Wabasha marina.
Walked out on the ice in both spots with no problems. Got a nice mixture of perch, crappies and gills. Teardrop jigs tipped with a waxie worked best.
I checked out Wilcox, but the ice was not very firm yet. It may be ready by the weekend?
It was a great day to be out! Hope to go again tomorrow. 
Good Fishing,
Mike
I’m going to try ice fishing Friday. I’ll keep you posted.
Gator Hunter
Hey mike thanks for the reliable info, any size to your fish? How thick was the ice, and what depth was working for you? Tight lines #5 
The fish were mostly smaller, but I did manage some real nice size ones as well. No problem getting a nice meal in a little over an hour of fishing. The fish came mostly within a foot of the bottom. I fished in 8 ft. on the dike road and 5 ft. in the marina. The ice was about 2 inches, but very solid with no cracking.
Good Fishing,
Mike
2 inches!!!!!! 
You must not be a smoker…otherwise you would be wet when you tossed your match on the ice….I know, I have no guts.
I know 2 inches sounds like not enough. All I can say is that I am always very careful to use a spud to make sure the ice is OK. The ice today was very solid good ice. Been going on 2 inches for first ice for about 30 years now and have never had a mishap. I hope that streak continues.
Good Fishing,
Mike
Mike I thought you’d be too busy with the new store to get out fishing. Been hunting in WI so just saw the news…congrats. 2″ doesn’t cut it for me at 275# with coat and gear!! LOL
Hey guys I was in Wisconsin last weekend and I heard the law states you must be at least 275 with gear to get on ice!!! 
LOL
#275!!! oh baby, i better start puttin on some weight. 
….as far as the ice situation goes, i went and checked a few spots around winona today. backwaters and lake winona were almost all froze over. anywhere with current was still open. i didn’t see anyone on any ice anywhere, and i wasn’t about to be the tester outer.
i brought a potato with me, but i couldn’t get it to tell me if the ice was thick enough to walk on. 
mike must have some kind of special spud that i don’t know about 
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Hey Jake, i dont want to sound stupid but whats the spud for? This has gotta be a hook line and sinker.
WAIT, i’ll bet i know, you put the spud on the ice and step on it, if the ice beaks its to thin, did i guess right or not?
I went out to my local pond today to check it out. There was enough ice to walk on but it was kinda scary. I’m gonna wait just a little longer.
Mossydan
Remember there are no stupid questions on this site. A spud is chisel for punching a hole in the ice.
Gator Hunter
Quote:
A spud is chisel for punching a hole in the ice.
oh…that kind of spud . 
You guys crack me up!
Oh by the way, not always something I admit to – but the ice does hold 275!
Good Fishing,
Mike
Im part boehemi, czech ya know but i can still fish, with or without a potato.
We used to use a spud for crawdad bait.
Mossy…but can you fish without a kolachi? (sp?) Love them apreeecot ones!
Jake uses the spud to catch wintering cats…. 
2″ of ice…I think I developed a phobea back in the 60’s when my dad drove out on a lake, drilled a hole on each side of the car and water started running from one hole to another. That was towards spring if I remember right….
I get the willies when the ice is 8 inches and so clear, you can see through it….I know, that’s the best (strongest) ice.
That reminds me….I was spearing around 10 years ago, again with my dad. It was around the first of Dec. He had his house out already. He checked the ice ahead of me and I hauled the spear house out.
While I was looking in the hole, this red “spear” fell to the bottom. The sun warmed the spud leaning up on my house and it melted through.
30 years of walking on (thin) ice? We want you here to post for 30 more…be careful buddy!
Been out 4 times now anywhere from 2 to 3 1/2 -4 inches now. I’m all of 275 and I’m hauling out a fishtrap voyager with gear (another 150 lbs). bite is decent
Quote:
Jake uses the spud to catch wintering cats….
you know, i’ve never tried that before. might be a technique worth exploring. do you think baked or scalloped would stay on a hook better?? 
i’ll give er a go and let you know how it works. i’ll be sure to get a nice stringer photo of my limit of 40 pounders and post it when i get back. 
Just remember 5 cats x 40lbs + 50lbs of spuds +20 lbs of gear = 270 lbs plus your weight (notice no cheap shot here) might put you well over the two inches of ice limit AND we want you around to post more too…so…
just take one spud and a camera!
I always have a spud with me . . . as ammo for my spud cannon.
Shoot the spud at the ice:
If the spud penetrates the ice, it ain’t safe yet!!
If the spud splats on the surface of the ice, you can walk out and use the spud cannon to keep others from fishin too close to your spot 
Went ice fishing again today. Stayed in the Wabasha marina. The fishing was a tad bit slow after the weather change of the previous 24 hours, but did get some decent fish as well as a few smaller ones. I kept a mixed meal of crappies, perch, and gills. Best bait today was brighter colored Ratso’s tipped with a waxie or a minnow on a plain hook under a bobber.
It was another great day to be out on the ice. We haven’t gained much for ice depth this week, but haven’t lost anything either. With the cold snap forcast for the middle of next week, we should be set with some good solid ice in all the traditional early ice spots. 
Good Fishing,
Mike
I’ve been ice fishing since the day after thanksgiving…been out 4-5 times, but pretty slow so far a few here a few there mostly shorties so far. Shorelines are loaded with minnows which could explain the slow bite. Very limited in where to go due to ice thickness and the way the lakes froze up. Most people that wait to fish on 4 inches have fished or walked across 2 inches….they were just lucky they didn’t find out the hard way. I once drove out on 15 inches and parked on 4 inches….OH [censored]. I went home and counted my blessings and parked the wife’s vehicle in the drive way. TGIF
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