Hey everyone. Looking at traveling to Minnesota in February for a fishing trip. Looking at traveling to either LOTW or Mille Lacs. Can anyone recommend good resorts that we can rent a wheel house or a sleeper? Thanks.
Lots of threads already available on this forum for the same topic.
Use the Search function and you’ll find all the information you need for either lake.
If you want to keep fish LOTW or Winnie would get my vote, lots of resort options
LOTW is predominantly a day bite (at least where most rental houses are set). You can fish early morning to late afternoon and then spend the evening and night in a lodge or cabin. Cook your own meals or eat out.
Mille Lacs in my very limited experience is mostly a night bite. We were luck two winters ago and the bite started at 9 and kept going until about 4AM. We caught fish on rods and then on rattle wheels after about 11PM. Those 5 hours between 11PM-4AM the rattles were going off every 15-20 minutes … landed many nice walleyes in the 18″ to 19″ range. All had to go back down the hole. I am sure I was a little crabby even after my morning nap.
Red rental houses are fine – mostly overnight and less expensive. Bite OK and you can keep most of what you catch. Only big lake where I have seen a warden … not that there is anything wrong with that.
February I would go to LOTW. Beckels Bunks has sleepers there. They are on Facebook. There isn’t much of a night bite like others have said but you can get a few. The nice thing about staying on the ice you get that early morning and evening bite. My experience with resorts taking you out is that you miss those windows.
Lotw day houses seem to offer 12 inch fish all day. I hate going there unless it’s on snowmobile and I don’t have to sit in a day house. No desire to catch those fish.
I would call Joe secugra and head to Alexandria area. I’ve stayed in his shack a few times and he always has me on good fish
Lotw does have the most under rated night bite of most big lakes. But it’s not where the day houses sit.
Love hearing all these comments about how LOTW has no night bite. Just keep fishing where you’re at, don’t bother moving when the moon makes an appearance
Love hearing all these comments about how LOTW has no night bite. Just keep fishing where you’re at, don’t bother moving when the moon makes an appearance
I was thinking the same thing. Most guys mistakenly stay in 20 plus ft of water where they caught 12 inch walleye all day long, and don’t get a bite at night. So there is no night bite lol.
I have been renting a wheel house and pulling it up for several years now. This year it is looking like a good chance there wont be enough ice to pull it out when we are scheduled to go. Anyone know of a service to transport a couple guys and some gear out onto the ice? I have to cancel the rental next week if I cant find a way out on the ice besides driving the truck out. Rent a snowmobile, utv, pay someone for a ride, really any option.
Plus at night you have a chance at a giant eelpout! It isnt the best nightbite, but to say it doesnt exist is wrong.
I have been renting a wheel house and pulling it up for several years now. This year it is looking like a good chance there wont be enough ice to pull it out when we are scheduled to go. Anyone know of a service to transport a couple guys and some gear out onto the ice? I have to cancel the rental next week if I cant find a way out on the ice besides driving the truck out. Rent a snowmobile, utv, pay someone for a ride, really any option.
Call the resorts, I’m sure someone up there would pull you out for a fee, assuming there is enough ice to do so, not sure the size of your house or the ice thickness they have up there now.
LOW does not look good for ice for the foreseeable future. It hasnt locked up yet and what ice there is it is really broken up from all the images I have seen.
Lotw day houses seem to offer 12 inch fish all day. I hate going there unless it’s on snowmobile and I don’t have to sit in a day house. No desire to catch those fish.
I would call Joe secugra and head to Alexandria area. I’ve stayed in his shack a few times and he always has me on good fish
X2
If eating fish is important to you, I’d look at Winnie as well. On LOTW I really like LOTW Sleepers, they are the nicest houses on the lake imo. Otherwise I’d contact the Royal Dutchman, sounds like they run their sleepers shallow for the night bite and then have day houses out deep during the day now. Mille Lacs I think pretty much all the places are similar with mediocre, at best, sleepers, it will be a zoo like usual, and a tight slot making a keeper pretty rare.
I only fish Mill Lacs every few years. The last time two of us rented a sleeper the fishing started biting around 9PM. Rattle reels went every 10 – 15 minutes from around midnight until dawn. I was exhausted by sunup. We released a lot of very nice and plump 18″-19″ walleyes. Guys next to us caught nothing. Go figure.
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