access to sloughs on highway 25 out of wabasha
robinson lake wabasha
wilcox access and petersen lake south of wabasha
alma marina access
finger lakes out from pioneer campsite resort
half moon landing at west newton
prichard lake and zumbro near weaver
spring lake south of buffalo city
merrick state park access
minn city boat club
mcnally landing
yeomans pond
dicks marine
lots of backwater off highway 54 from winona
Does that help? 
access to sloughs on highway 25 out of wabasha
robinson lake wabasha
wilcox access and petersen lake south of wabasha
alma marina access
finger lakes out from pioneer campsite resort
half moon landing at west newton
prichard lake and zumbro near weaver
spring lake south of buffalo city
merrick state park access
minn city boat club
mcnally landing
yeomans pond
dicks marine
lots of backwater off highway 54 from winonaDoes that help?
That’s a great list to start, with probably 2x as many more options in the area. Pick a couple and share a report.
I regularly fish almost all of those a half-dozen times each Winter. You have to be willing to put on miles and get away from the crowds to find more quality fish. The areas that are producing one day could give nothing a day later. A lot of the local people try to “chase the hot bite” in these backwater areas. It is rarely worth the time through the ice as it can turn on or shut off in a moment’s notice. The shallow sloughs act as highways for a lot of these fish. They are constantly moving with the changes in river flow, water clarity, and forage. It’s completely different than pulling up to a lake and setting up over a 20′ basin with heaters, grills, etc.
As far as what to look for, I usually start my search in areas that have something unique relative to the surroundings and away from crowds. The noise under the ice in 2-6′ of water will scare a ton of fish. The areas can be as simple as a change in the weedbeds, a patch of gravel, some light current, a narrowing of a slough, etc. Even a 1′ depth change in a relatively flat slough can make a difference. Don’t overlook sight fishing as a viable option. If you find an area holding fish with a bit of clarity, sight fishing can be extremely productive. Most of my luck comes on small tungsten. The larger rip and rap or z-vibes have their place, but more often than not during this time of the year downsizing seems to be more productive.
Really really great info guys !!
Trying to find green vegetation in sloughs at this point in winter important? Do sloughs closer to main channel hold or have more numbers of fish in them? Pretty new to the backwaters fishing, is an ice bar a must-have to check ice depth in uncharted waters? Just want to be safe. Thanks a ton.
Carry an ice bar. Sounds like you don’t know where your going. I wouldn’t be so much worried about green vegitation.
Drive up and down the river, look for community holes already mentioned.
Once you find a spot ask the people are fishing about the area also.
I live here in Buffalo County. Good luck on getting info on a bite off the WWW.
Fishing is slow here.
Be sure to be careful of the river. Things are changing quick with the snow we got and river rising.
If you get an increase in flow it can make fish more active. If it’s perch you’re after I’d be looking for bottle neck areas that lead into backwaters. Some will cruise these areas for the next month before pushing further into backwater spawning areas. If you’re looking for gills or crappies I’d try to find deep holes relative to the surrounding area. Weeds are dead with all the snow on the ice and the ice being quite thick. The deeper water will have better oxygen levels. Even 7-8′ of water on a winding slough can be a fish magnet if it’s a couple feet deeper than surrounding areas. Be ready to have lots of negative fish if trying deeper holes in mid-February. Go small with spikes, tiny tiny plastics, or the smallest crappie minnows you can find and keep twist out of your line by using a small barrel swivel 18-24″ up on 2# test line.
Fishing has been pretty slow in this area compared to early ice (which is to be expected at this time of the year). That doesn’t mean some fish cannot be had in the backwaters, you may just have to work a bit harder.
Local bait shops generally give sound advice on ice thicknesses. Many of the locals are pretty quiet about the bite though and don’t share much. Myself included most days. It’s what keeps the river a lifelong fishery to explore.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
