Opener

This will be my 1st opener at my cabin on Vermilion. Naturally we’re worried about ice.

Looks like it hits the 70s next week, so we may just make it in the nick of time.

Tommy here is a sat view of Vermilion taken yesterday.

https://www.facebook.com/Rainy-Lake-Guiding-221797525036443/photos/pcb.1116261975589989/1116261608923359/

I’ll be at vermilion, same as every year. I don’t worry too much about the ice, if it’s out (it always is) great. If not, we’ll find something else to do last minute.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

Does anyone on here happen to live by or drive by Fish Trap Lake or any of the Lincoln Area lakes (Alexander, Shamineau, etc)?? I was hoping for open water this weekend so I could run up and put the fishing boat, dock/lift in so I didn’t have to take time to do it on opener. But not going to do it until the ice is 100% gone.

Last I heard was 10 days ago, the report was that the ice was deteriorating but still 20″ thick. I’m hoping the wind and rain over the weekend really started to chew it up.

Any ice-out reports from that area would be greatly appreciated!

My buddy has a cabin on Alexander and said the ice wasn’t off Monday, but thought it would be today or tomorrow.

Thanks, If I hit the river I will go north of Sartell, land at county park. I don’t mind the high water, in years past when it’s been high I have had better fishing out there.

Lake Superior for opener for me with my son.
Moving him out of his dorm at college and home on Wednesday, and then will head out Saturday morning on the big lake out of Duluth or McQuade to look for some coho and lakers.
I used to be at the docks at 3-4am and go out on the St Louis river for opener, and go up and fish the Hwy 23 bridge area for eyes. Tons of folks in a small confined area with smaller channels. The “show” finally got to me one year and I haven’t been back since. Superior will be busy, but theres alot of room out there
If mother nature doesn’t play nice to hit Superior that day, then we’ll probably hit a couple of streams around here to try for some brookies to throw in the fry pan.

Battle lake area for me, we still treat Opener like a holiday. Might hit Otter Tail one night and then focus on other smaller area lakes to avoid the crowds.

Tommy wrote:

This will be my 1st opener at my cabin on Vermilion. Naturally we’re worried about ice.

Looks like it hits the 70s next week, so we may just make it in the nick of time.

It’s 55 and the sun is strong up here today. It might just be in the nick of time.

BigWerm wrote:

My buddy has a cabin on Alexander and said the ice wasn’t off Monday, but thought it would be today or tomorrow.

Today’s satellite image makes it appear as though both Shamineau and ALexander are open.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
My buddy has a cabin on Alexander and said the ice wasn’t off Monday, but thought it would be today or tomorrow.

Today’s satellite image makes it appear as though both Shamineau and ALexander are open.

Thanks Werm and CaptMuskie!
Found a facebook page last night for FishTrap lake (Cant beleive I’m just finding that now, I guess I just never thought to look). Anyway, as of this morning the ice was 100% out!

ThunderLund78 wrote:

Thanks Werm and CaptMuskie!
Found a facebook page last night for FishTrap lake (Cant beleive I’m just finding that now, I guess I just never thought to look). Anyway, as of this morning the ice was 100% out!

Sweet get ready!

buckybadger wrote:

Random question… What is Upper Red like for opener? I’m going to assume it’s an absolute zoo.

I used to see videos of boats lining the mouth of the Tamarack river on both sides. It was like a gauntlet of boats stacked right next to each other for a long stretch starting in the river going into the lake. I bet that was a fun time with a lot of talking between boats.

I think the midnight thing was just a big tradition that people had been doing for generations, so it was just the thing to do and something fun and different. But yeah, even as a younger man, I never wanted to screw up my sleep like that. When I’m out fishing I want to feel at my best so I enjoy it. And not shoot the rest of the weekend.

It reminds me of dumb Saturday nights at the bar in college (in the cities) where someone would come up with the grand idea to drive up to the Hinckley casino at bar close for the buffet. Seemed like a great idea until we were about 30 minutes into the drive up there and the rush faded and the realization washed over us how far it is up there, how long it would take to eat, and then have to do the drive back. And then it turns into a downer of a time and you kill the rest of the weekend with sleep and feeling crappy.

I’ll have all week next week in Florida to decide

Fly back Friday and get home quickly to rig up active target. My plan as of now is to go out to Alexander. That might change 20x in the coming week though!

I was planning on opening the cabin on Thursday but Rainy is still iced up and I put my auger away for the summer.

Dutchboy wrote:

As you age you realize there is no need to be mad at the fish. Fishing is designed to be relaxing, bumper boats, getting up in the middle of the night, battling crowds kind of defeats the purpose for me. It’s been that way for the last 20 years.
I’ve also discovered that most fisherman are not nearly as good as they think they are. There always will be fish left after everybody has gone home or given up.

Everybody enjoy your time out there and wear a life jacket.

Dutch,

Well said, I moved to Minnesota and started fishing Mille Lacs in the early 80’s by going out at midnight, no depth finder, just headed to a reef and mark your anchor rope at 5 feet and when it hit the bottom you’d be set. Fished lighted bobbers and leeches. My group broke up and I started going with my friends to Leech in 1990. This year’s opener will be the group’s 49th annual. In 2012 we entered a Minnesota Bound Fishing Opener traditions contest and won. They sent a crew to film us, pretty interesting. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5Dc0f-XdWk It wasn’t shown until the following year, 2013, the year Leech was still covered with ice. What is nice about the video is having this memory of our good friend Ron Edberg, who was killed in a shooting at his work in September of 2012. It is the only video we have of him speaking, a lasting tribute. Also my brother is seen in the background, he has the eye patch, he died on New Years Eve, 2015. We go rain or shine, open water or ice. But I don’t go out at midnight anymore, as you said, I don’t hate those fish that bad!

That is a cool tradition Dave. I watched the video, I have one buddy that I go with every year and we have had a couple more go some years, but that looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for sharing.

thanks for sharing. Very cool tradition and definitely something to treasure

My Opener Plans right now is to leave the house at 11 PM to be at my shore spot on Mille Lacs by 11:30 PM; just in case of others are around a half hour lead should allow me to have my pick of where to fish. Some years nobody else is there, but most of the time there are others. I’ll probably stay until 3AM.

Not sure if my bro from the cities is coming up or not or when he will arrive, so my plans after the first few hours at The Big Pond are unknown at this time. Also unknown to me right now is if Platte had a winter kill and if so to what degree. Looks like the winds will calm down on Tuesday so I will be able to get a feel for what is going on then.

Stupid question maybe…but can you have a picture of your fishing license on your phone or are you required to have the paper copy in your possession?

stout93 wrote:

Stupid question maybe…but can you have a picture of your fishing license on your phone or are you required to have the paper copy in your possession?

Picture is how I showed the guy on rainy. No issues at all

You can download your license online and show COs no issues at all, but if you show em an actual paper license and if that biatch ain’t signed they will make you sign it right there in front of them every single time.

Not worried about just find it funny.