Myself and a few fellow IDOers were thinking of hitting the ice this coming weekend to target some walleyes and have looked into Madison Lake and Lake Washington near Mankato. Both lakes seem to have good survey numbers. We were wondering if any members have fished these lakes and if they are worth the time, or even any other lakes around the area for some decent walleye action. Not looking for particular spots, just general info.
Thanks!! Tight lines!
If I was targeting eyes, I’d go to Tetonka or Elysian. Madison would be a top choice for crappies.
If you do fish Madison in the future, be mindful of The Narrows. A bunch of people who aren’t familiar with the lake try to drive over them every year. Their day ends poorly.
I fish all of these lakes pretty hard being from the area.
Both are good walleye lakes. Both have their time and place. Washington is gonna give you better results in the winter this time of year IMO and has been a solid producer the last 4-5 years. Be aware though, it receives plenty of pressure all season long.
Madison is full of shad and until they die off/get eaten down, the bite can be fairly tough. Best time to fish Maddy for eyes is late winter(right before close) and spring till mid-June before the big shad bloom. However, the first ice bite can be decent there.
Tetonka would be a good choice also and is a solid producer. Elysian you might not want to waste a ton of time on right now though. It had a fairly substantial winterkill last year. Not to say fish can’t be caught, they can, but as of right now, it is not the hot producer that it has been and can be.
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