James, you were correct when you said Mille Lacs is getting a bad rap. I wasn’t planning on fishing there this season, but after watching you pound some pigs on todays show I will be making a trip up there.
Yup, theres been lots of doom and gloom talk. Thankfully the fish haven’t bought into it and gone on with their business of eating little perch and making lots of walleye babies. The number of 10 inch walleyes we caught was amazing which of course points to a couple great year classes coming up.
In addition to the big fish that Mille Lacs has always been famous for, the quality of the slot fish we were able to keep was quite impressive. Here’s the 4 that Will and I kept. Three were in the 19.5 inch range with one at 18.25 which made for some good Christmas eats. We released at least that many more.
I’m not trying to say everything is perfect with the lake but it isn’t as bad as everyone says either. The day we were there we received emails and texts from a couple other groups fishing around the lake and every one was icing fish – both big fish and slots.
20141221_164059.jpg
I think your statement that Mille Lacs on its worst day is still better then a normal lake on its best day, puts things in perspective. Maybe it isn’t what it was, but it is still better than any MN prairie pothole lake.
I plan on making a day trip up there sometime in January but have never been there before. Are local bait shops good with giving out spots or places to try? I have Navionics but the map isn’t very good for Mille Lacs and I trust locals over an app any day.
That’s great to hear!!!
I was just up there last night/this morning. Like you said James the amount of 10 inch fish was pretty incredible. Obviously there was slow times, but when the bite was on and after we got the right spoons dialed in they were hitting pretty aggressively. We did not catch any keepers but did have a few that were just under or just over, which is fine because they were really healthy looking fish and released without any issue. We also hooked in to some bonus jumbo perch which was a nice surprise. We went out of the Red Door and they were doing some solid business which is good to see. Hopefully those businesses can continue to do well through the winter. All in all a good trip and encouraging for the lake. Well worth the drive!
Mille-Lacs-Ice.jpg
Another from last night.
Mille-Lacs-ice-2.jpg
I live 700′ from the lake and have not drilled a hole in it in 3 years. I ice fished there for 30 years. I do not deny that some who are connected and/or operate at a higher skill level will catch fish. But for an average guy like me Lake of the Woods seldom disappoints. The 240 mile drive is well worth it.
I live 700′ from the lake and have not drilled a hole in it in 3 years.
That’s just…sad.
PS I hear the perch bite in 26 to 29 feet of water has been hot on the sand as well.
PSS Save a couple for Don…just in case he has an afternoon to kill some time this winter.
I have heard that the ice season has been going ok early… is it like was 20 years ago…simple answer is NO, not even close. Last summer was about as low of a point as it has gotten at Mille Lacs that I can recall, most cannot dispute that. That’s not gloom, it is reality. The lake should get better every year, it almost has to from where it was.
What would be a good place to start, resort to go out of, for somebody who has never fished Mille Lacs in the winter? I’m headed up Jan 9 weekend. I have an Ice Castle and would not have time to move around a lot. Not lookin for secret spots, just a resort that does good with plowing & treats visitors well (bar at resort preferred.)
Loved the episode this morning as always.
James, you were correct when you said Mille Lacs is getting a bad rap. I wasn’t planning on fishing there this season, but after watching you pound some pigs on todays show I will be making a trip up there.
Here’s today’s episode!
I plan on making a day trip up there sometime in January but have never been there before. Are local bait shops good with giving out spots or places to try? I have Navionics but the map isn’t very good for Mille Lacs and I trust locals over an app any day.
I have picked quite a few spots with the navionics app and have caught plenty of walleyes,tullibees,and jumbo perch at them.It may not be the best map available but it is better then nothing.I know for a fact it will get you to where the fish are you just have to know what to look for.
Dad and I headed up Friday. Like James and Will we caught a bunch of little guys and a couple nice ones including my biggest Mille lacs eye ever at 29.75″.
image96.jpg
image95.jpg
I have no idea where that 3rd pic came from. I don’t even know those people. Admin help?
oh… that’s Frankie from American Pickers 
I live 700′ from the lake and have not drilled a hole in it in 3 years. I ice fished there for 30 years. I do not deny that some who are connected and/or operate at a higher skill level will catch fish. But for an average guy like me Lake of the Woods seldom disappoints. The 240 mile drive is well worth it.
Don, I encourage you to reconsider. I have only been fishing seriously for about five years now, and this year is only my second year on the ice. I am pretty obsessed with fishing now days and have done some research but I am about as far from an expert as they come. I am just an average angler with a fire in the belly and I was able to get on some. I am sure you could easily do the same with some effort and patience.
I plan on making a day trip up there sometime in January but have never been there before. Are local bait shops good with giving out spots or places to try? I have Navionics but the map isn’t very good for Mille Lacs and I trust locals over an app any day.
I always stop in at the Malmo market to get bait and intel on NE corner of the lake from my friend Lynwood. Tutts bait in Garrison is also very good for north end info… I don’t have much experience with shops on the south end.
What would be a good place to start, resort to go out of, for somebody who has never fished Mille Lacs in the winter? I’m headed up Jan 9 weekend. I have an Ice Castle and would not have time to move around a lot. Not lookin for secret spots, just a resort that does good with plowing & treats visitors well (bar at resort preferred.)
Red Door, Hunters, and Castaways all do a great job with roads onto the lake… Hunters had the best bar but the furthest drive to get to my favorite spots, castaways is best If you want to fish the sand, and Red Door if you want to get out to the mud flats.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Miller wrote:</div>
I live 700′ from the lake and have not drilled a hole in it in 3 years.That’s just…sad.
PS I hear the perch bite in 26 to 29 feet of water has been hot on the sand as well.
PSS Save a couple for Don…just in case he has an afternoon to kill some time this winter.
I told ya, you have a lot of influence. That’s a good thing.
I live 700′ from the lake and have not drilled a hole in it in 3 years. I ice fished there for 30 years. I do not deny that some who are connected and/or operate at a higher skill level will catch fish. But for an average guy like me Lake of the Woods seldom disappoints. The 240 mile drive is well worth it.
Where do you live Don? We will have a permanent house on the lake for my dad and friends who prefer warm comfort while fishing and I bet my dad wouldn’t mind some company one evening if you’d like to end your drought.
PS – that’s a monster Tim. Congrats!
Nice fish Tim. Fishing with your dad?
Vickie
I blame the DNR for all those stupid fat walleyes… 
What were they thinking!
For you guys asking about spots it’s a pretty straightforward lake. The bars are big (some sand close in and mostly mud out in the lake), and just as James did, fish form the top to the bottom to see where they are. You’ll see houses lined up along many of the most popular bars and everyone does about the same. A little inside corner here, a skinny point there, it’s just a matter of where you want to be. It’s just a big bowl with flats at about 20-24 feet and a bottom around 30-32 feet. Shore bars are a little shallower. Kari at Garrison Sports has a good road and bait and will be very helpful too. All the flats are well marked on all the GPS chips. It’s a treacherous lake because of cracks so stop and ask at your destination area who has bridges and where the cracks are. I’ve heard there are houses way out to 7 and 9 mile now but not sure if they are going out with trucks and wheelhouses. They are probably going out of Myr Mar is my guess but I haven’t been over there yet. If your looking for your wall hanger this is just as a good a place to get it as Lake of the Woods.
I blame the DNR for all those stupid fat walleyes…
What were they thinking!
before we get too excited….. the lake is lacking the 13-18″ walleyes… them are your fatty’s of tomorrow and should be the target fish for the pan today and the native nets… not just the 18-20″. The big fish have always been there, nobody is saying that they are not…. 
big_g that is probably true. But the fact remains… hence the point of this show… that ML is still a world class walleye fishery, among other kinds of fish. Even if it has a down year or two its still a remarkable fishery. So is it the lack of walleyes that hurt the businesses around the lake or is it the perception of ‘doom and gloom’? I don’t know the answer… but I think there is more than one lesson to be learned from this tale….
I was up on Saturday with my buddy, fished from 7:30 till 6:30 out of Myr Mar. We spent most of the day out on the mud (darn you James and Will for hindsight!) unfortunately, lots of small eyes and perch. Came into the gravel for sundown and did get a 12″ perch. We never found the larger eyes (biggest was 15″).
It was an awesome day regardless. Fishing over a mile from anyone else on ML is always an amazing experience.
This weeks’ episode (once again) showed me why I fish for a hobby and why the IDO guys can do it for a job. Way to rub salt in the wounds once again IDO 
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
