Heading out now..

Word is that 3rd finger lake pool at the Alma dam has been producing. Folks put in at the first finger lake and walk across a beaten trail. Blue gills and perch, but due to the cold weather, folks have said it’s slow. I don’t know what bait has been working.

Bring your shelter and heater… you’re going to want to be out of this wind.

Two weeks ago, I had good success at the first finger lake, but smaller size gills, then a buddy and I walked all the way to the 4th finger lake using the dike trail. We had good luck catching our limit of 10 larger gills and one perch in a couple hours, but that’s a 1.25 mile walk to get there… < 3/4 mile to the 3rd finger lake.

Can you use ATV’s on them lakes ?

I believe so. You can’t run the ATV across the dike since it is posted that no motorized vehicles are allowed, but if you were able to unload at the south parking lot adjacent to the first finger lake, then it’s a strait shot down the landing onto the ice.

Your primary problem would be that the parking lot gets filled up at that location and folks have to park along the roadway.

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Can you use ATV’s on them lakes ?

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The short answer is no.

You can’t run ATVs on the the LAND in the Upper Miss. In order to get out of Clear Lake on the ice you have to go through a very, very narrow channel of swift water that rarely ices over and if it does it is not safe. Any other “way out” results in you crossing the land.

COs will write you a ticket if they see you in that area.

Curmudgeon,

Message heard, but can you clarify further or reference a regulation that I can read on this? It would seem this applies to snowmobiles as well?

Wabasha just made it legal for ATVs to be driven on the roads in the county, so it would seem to me that it should apply to one being able to go out onto the ice from a landing.

I’m guessing that this must have something to do with usage of ATV off trails on state lands?

Weldon….What happens in Wabasha County is a matter of board approval or nixing. The river is a whole different jurisdiction. You’ll be dealing with the US Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife people regarding the use of anything on the land or in the water. State CO’s will do the ticket writing simply because they have to enforce the laws that the government sets in addition to the laws set by Minnesota. The entire Mississsippi River right of way is under federal control, not state. Its complex.

During the duck season you can’t use a motorized boat on the upstream side of the road to Nelson but you can on the downstream side. You can fish in a boat during duck season on the upstream side but cannot possess a long gun.

It gets complicated at times but no you can’t run a wheeler out there over the ice or otherwise. I am not certain about snowmobiles as they are tracked and may fall under a whole different set of rules.

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Weldon….What happens in Wabasha County is a matter of board approval or nixing. The river is a whole different jurisdiction. You’ll be dealing with the US Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife people regarding the use of anything on the land or in the water. State CO’s will do the ticket writing simply because they have to enforce the laws that the government sets in addition to the laws set by Minnesota. The entire Mississsippi River right of way is under federal control, not state. Its complex.

During the duck season you can’t use a motorized boat on the upstream side of the road to Nelson but you can on the downstream side. You can fish in a boat during duck season on the upstream side but cannot possess a long gun.

It gets complicated at times but no you can’t run a wheeler out there over the ice or otherwise. I am not certain about snowmobiles as they are tracked and may fall under a whole different set of rules.

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..OOOH YES The FEDS have SAVED the RIVER and the PLANET Again. …rrr

Welll guys I had descent day. I used a size 10 glow gill pill and caught some big sunnies and descent cats. Lots of dog fish and northerns were swimming near as well. I was looking for more of a variety. A lil disapointed that big perches werent bitting but it is what it is. This weekend Im planning to go out again. Any suggestions to get some walleys, saugers, slabs of crappies… getting annonoyed of catching sunnies…?

Weldon, No I cannot point to printed regs about ATV usage in Upper Mississippi Wildlife Management areas. My “knowledge” was strictly acquired by word of mouth as I have place in that area. I have a friend that used to use his for wheeler to get to Third Lake. He and others even used to cut a trail through the woods on the islands. USFW and/or MnDNR and/or CO got a sniff and put an end to that activity by issuing tickets.

Probably worth a call to the offices or the Wabasha County CO if you’d like to pursue.

Thanks. Seems the missing element here is that folks were making a trail across land…

My two references are the following. At the Peterson Lake landing, there are a couple of folks that drive down the landing onto the ice for the past couple of years. I’ve never seen them bothered by anyone and they have a times plowed a trail out onto the ice. They are not crossing land.

Last year when I was out on Lake Robinson on my snowmobile, I was visited by a CO that checked our licenses and chatted for a few minutes. He commented that my snowmobile numbers were missing the MN on the front of them which had me wondering why the outfit that I ordered them from did not include the state identifier letters. Later I realized the guy wss kidding me as boat numbers start with MN letters, so he pulled on over on me for a bit. Anyways, he was more interested in the good condition of my 97 polaris and never commented on whether it should be on the ice or otherwise. So, I naturally assumed that I was OK.

So, between your experiences and my experiences, it would seem that as long as one is using the landing to enter the ice or alternately enter with permission on private property to the ice, then keeps to the ice I suspect that one is probably alright.

You are right though… better to ask!

In the area of the finger lakes, I don’t think one can safely travel between the finger lakes due to current flow in the connecting channels. I’ve seen the connecting channels open previously and wouldn’t be too bold in those areas…

Heading down there this weekend going to try Dike road spots closest to nelson. any one know of any other spots? i wouldnt might get into some suager or walleye any help would be nice new to the area.

also any one know how far back can a guy go on them dike road back waters?

Honestly.. as far as you want untill you see open water..
Let me know how you do out there.

WEnt out saturday had allot of lookers on the flasher and ran into some perch. brought few home for dinner along with 1 crappie.