Resort suggestion

Since we have a wheelhouse again after a 10 year break, we are talking about maybe leaving it up on mille lacs for the winter. Or, possibly just on shore through the week to where we can just drive up, hook it up and roll onto the lake.

At any rate, it’s been forever since I’ve spent any time up there. Any of you guys go this route and have any positive feedback on particular resorts? I don’t even know which side of the lake would be best to fish through winter these days. I spent one weekend out of agate Bay 2 winters ago in a buddys house and never even marked a fish on the graph.

We have done that for a few years. Never had an issue leaving the house on shore with break in etc. Be ready for more of a camping experience on the ice than catching. Amount of noise and pressure on the weekends is insane. Fishing is tough going most weekends unless you can get away from the crowds, which in the past 2 years has been impossible. heavy snow limited everyone in 2022 and minimal ice in 2023. Early season is usually good, but as winter progresses it gets slow on the weekends. This year will be a repeat of 2022 with the bait fish populations in the lake, fish will come through, look at it and swim off.

It’s still a great experience and we have decided that Mille Lacs in a wheel house on the weekends is about getting away from everyday life. Enjoy it

As far as resorts, Nitti’s hunters point is probably the #1 for wheel houses, take that for what you want. Plan on alot of company out of there. Rocky Reef does a good job in the winter and can get you access to mud and rocks, but if you want to leave it on shore you will need to buy a seasonal pass from them. Couple hundred bucks. Randy’s rentals will get a lot of facebook mentions but I won’t fish out of there. If the ice is good, Terry’s is the place to go and he has access to all the mud, he won’t let anyone out though until the ice is good, 15+ inches. Red Door and Barnacles are under the same ownership now, so expect the same service from both. They have alot of plowed road systems and cover alot of area but the extra drive to the north end takes more time. Phil’s Myr Mar won’t get online reviews but if you want better fishing and less to no amenities, thats a good place to go out of. If you enjoy the gravel then stick to the south side with Jerry Brandt’s or Lybacks, Lybacks limits the number or who can have access based on seasonal pass only.

Comes down to what type of structure you want to fish, what amenities do you need and then how far off the beaten path are you willing to travel to get to fish if catching is priority.

You will be in shock when you pull out to 8 mile and can barely get a spot on the edge of the entire flat on the weekends.

matthewkolden wrote:

Since we have a wheelhouse again after a 10 year break, we are talking about maybe leaving it up on mille lacs for the winter. Or, possibly just on shore through the week to where we can just drive up, hook it up and roll onto the lake.

At any rate, it’s been forever since I’ve spent any time up there. Any of you guys go this route and have any positive feedback on particular resorts? I don’t even know which side of the lake would be best to fish through winter these days. I spent one weekend out of agate Bay 2 winters ago in a buddys house and never even marked a fish on the graph.

The wheel house limits you, we like to put it on a spot we will catch fish during the late evening and nights, then move around all day.
Your day bite and night bite is typically 2 different areas so you have to pick an area for one or the other. Of course that’s not always the case but most guys I know just go get drunk and waste a weekend marking or catching a few fish in the wheel house. I’d rather have it in a good night spot and then portable fish all day. That’s a huge reason I don’t own one. I’d rather not be tied to a wheel house or feel like I need to fish out of it due to how much I have in to it.

Ryan said everything. For my two cents, I would go with Lybacks. He’s providing regular updates on the ice and fishing, very safety conscious with his roads, and all and all runs a tight ship. You can get access to a lot of different structure from down there. And, it’s on the south end cutting your drive time down if you live south. Lastly, you’ll always get out a little earlier on the south end vs. the north. My second would be hunters point just because you can access any kind of structure from there.

Having said that, the last 2 years have been dog$h1t like mentioned before. To much snow or not enough ice really hampered the last tow seasons. We’re on the north end and I don’t think Red Door/Barnacles even opened up to car travel last year, and the year before I believe it was only for season pass holders and that only lasted a short time if I remember right.

Of course that’s not always the case but most guys I know just go get drunk and waste a weekend marking or catching a few fish in the wheel house.

I kinda call that WINNING!

Bearcat89 wrote:

most guys I know just go get drunk and waste a weekend marking or catching a few fish in the wheel house.

These are most of the ones I know too.

Mobility seems to be important if you want to actually target active fish.

That being said, I would also recommend Nitti’s on the east side of the lake. First rate resort to say the least, both open water and winter.