Ice up north

Only fished Saturday with winds 40+ on Sunday. Not much to report on “catching” up north but there is plenty of ice for fishing. We started around Madison SD with good ice, checked a few 81 lakes up to Brookings with pickups parked on them, and froze before day brake with wind chills below zero up around Watertown.

Still looking for the “hot spot” on our next trip if anyone knows where that is???? We’ll make another run by the end of the month with hopes to have a better idea where to start and better report.

I am not an icefisherman by any means, but have you ever fished L&C through the ice?

Nope. Lots of open water there when we came back over the dam last weekend and most of the ice fishing I do is for pan fish. Perch, crappie, bluegill and the like. Never new L&C to be big on anything but walleye. We might catch a few of those, bass, trout, catfish, or pike from time to time but it’s more by accident than on purpose.

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Still looking for the “hot spot” on our next trip if anyone knows where that is???? We’ll make another run by the end of the month with hopes to have a better idea where to start and better report.

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Are you going to the get-together on Mille Lacs in two weeks? The guys should be able to get us on some fish there.

Mille Lacs is a little too far. Just the trip up to Watertown, SD. is enough of a drive for us most weekends. Would be nice to find something between there and Yankton to shorten the ride rather than make it any longer. Mille Lacs would be a great trip but I’ll have to settel for something a little closer to home.

Okoboji/Spirit Lake Iowa should be frozen over much better after the coming weekend. Highs in the teens will make good ice. The fishing can be outstanding. It’s about another 2 hours from Sioux City. Check with Ryan Hale at Harbor View Resort for rooms and winter rates, and he will also help put you on fish if you stay at his place.

Boardman has about 8″ of ice, but has been busy, main lake has been open

Oakwood has been the hot bite – west oakwood – up north, but it’s still hit and miss supposedly.

Pickeral has been good this year, Enemy and Waubayb have been spotty.

Lake Yankton/Cottonwood can be good.

There are crappie caught in the marina area on LC, fishing the lake is chancy, not for the faint of heart with all the current areas.

That’s the info I get from the guys I trust.

I’d second Wade’s suggestion – go try Okoboji. If you like bluegill, it’s pretty cool. Best thing to do would be to get a guide though as an investment the first time over. It’s a little more complicated than you might think. I’d try sight fishing gills and tip-ups for pike.

Todd

Fluff,

L&C does have some open water right now and mostly would get walleye. However, below the dam is Lake Yankton that had a number of shacks on it just this past weekend. There should be panfish there. Not sure how thick it is, but it isn’t getting any thinner this week.

Thanks, I’ll look at Oakwood, haven’t tried that one yet. Pickeral I’ve done ok on in the fall but never tried through the ice. Glad to hear there’s a bite there through the ice. I’ll give that one a shot next time up.

I hadn’t thought of Okoboji. Love the bass fish’n there but never looked at it through the ice. I’ll check with Ryan for rates and see what’s bite’n.

Thanks again, Fluff

Drop me a PM fluff if you need any info for this area.
Ryan Hale