Rochester area summary – 01/07

Lake Zumbro has been slow most days, but some very nice crappies and bluegills are being caught. A couple people have reported catching fairly large catfish through the ice. Most fishing is happening across from Ryan’s Bay and some people are fishing across from Ponderosa. Minnows and ice jigs tipped with waxies are working. Ice is about 12 inches in most places.

Foster-Arends Lake is still producing some trout and some small crappies, sunfish, perch, and bass. Minnows and ice jigs tipped with waxies are working best. Some people are also using smaller spoon type baits. Ice is about 10-12 inches in most places.

Chester Woods is still producing bluegills and a few crappies. The best area has been out near the dam in the arms with flooded timber. People having the best luck are using electronics to locate fish. The fish have been fairly deep (20+ ft.) and may be suspended slightly off the bottom. Minnows and waxies on small jigs are working. Ice is 8-12 inches in most places.

Willow Creek is still producing bluegills. Best fishng seems to be in about 10+ ft. Small ice jigs tipped with a waxie is working. Ice is 10-12 inches in most places.

The Gamehaven Lake (boy scout camp) is producing bluegills and crappies. Minnows and small ice jigs with waxies are working. Ice is 8-12 inches in most places.

Country Club Manor pits are producing some bluegills and crappies. Minnows and small ice jigs tipped with waxies are working. Ice is 8-12 inches in most places.

The Mississippi backwaters are going well. The Dike Road is still producing panfish, but lots of smaller fish. The harbors have been fairly slow most days. Wilcox, West Newton, the Finger Lakes, etc. are all producing fish – mostly bluegills. Small ice jigs tipped with waxies are working. Ice in most places is 8-12 inches.
***NOTE*** Be very careful around the Finger Lakes hill. It is glare ice and has caused a few cars to slide down the hill and crash into trees. You can park on the road. Use extreme caution around any hills leading to the ice!

Good Fishing,
Mike

My nephew is home from school on Christmas break, so he wanted his old uncle Ron to take him icefishing. It has become sort of a ritual between the two of us. Yesterday we fished the backwaters near Kellogg without much success.
Between the two of us, caught only a few small ones and had only a half dozen LITE bites. We did run into a local from Kellogg and he was telling us how good the Bluegill fishing had been in the entire area. He was at Wilcox the day of the snow storm and said they were knocking them dead until the snow accumulated to about an inch on the ice, then things went dead in a hurry. His theory is that now that it is dark down there because of the cover, the fish will have to acclimate themselves to their new dark environment. He figures it will take a couple of days, then the fish will pick up again. He left saying that maybe yesterday was slow, but he would definately be out there today, trying it again. He had a buddy with him using tip ups and we watched as he caught two nice northerns that each went a good five pounds or more.
Hopefully things will pickup this weekend.

We did good at Foster again yesterday. 5 trout in just a couple hours, with several missed opportunities again.

Not sure if they recently stocked it or what, but we got 3 of the largest rainbows we’ve ever caught out there (Tough getting em to fit through my 6″ hole) and 2 nice little brookies……Firsts for this year

But now I off to the Winonian backwaters , might have to hit up the secret spot again

Thanks for the reports guys.

Jake, only 1978 more to go. Go get em!!

Thanks, Bill

36 more added to the total today……and we only fished for 1 1/2hrs .

Didn’t even have to exploit the secret spot

If i am heading out to Foster’s Sun. morning what should i use there jake. waxie minnow, and what kind of hook or jig thanks, thinking of oging out and it will be my first time to get some ice time this year, looking forward to it, but would like to take a shot at your TFC too, has a nice ring to it…two thousand five in two thousand five
haha

We’ve been gettin twice as many on waxies as minnows and powerbait combined. I never fish more than 5′ under the ice (I like to watch the fish hit ). If you can find a weed edge, all the better.