FWIW,
Was out on Mille Lacs yesterday. Caught 1 healthy walleye, ~24 inches, and caught some tulibees. The fish in general didn’t seem to be very active. Best of luck wherever you decide on going.

Jensen wrote:

Hutchinson area lakes vary from 6.5 to 14.5 inches. Same lake that had 6.5 had 12.5 inches about 40 yards away.

Wow. Such a big variance. This week should really firm things up though. Thanks for the update!

Jake wrote:

Was on crystal lake yesterday (Burnsville). 13.5 inches of ice, trucks and wheel houses out there. Had a solid morning <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappie bite also.

Thanks for the report!

Any update on the conditions around the metro area? Are people are driving?

IceNEyes1986 wrote:

Chapmans, Lybacks, Beachside(Wahkon), Macs Twin Bay are all still open & maintaining roads at least in the bays.

Thanks IceNEyes

mbenson wrote:

It wouldn’t surprise me, we tried to go those couple days this past Sunday, Monday & Tuesday and it was a no go at one of them…

Mark

Mark,

Did you end up just going off a public access then?

Does anyone know if all the resorts close their access after the walleye season closes? Was thinking of maybe going up to chase some tulibees. Thanks in advance.

Any pictures you can post?

bzzsaw wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
Engel bait cooler with pump, 30qt if you’ll be holding suckers.

X 2 They are worth the investment. They work great winter and summer.

how long does the pump typically last on a set of batteries?

I take it back. I see the promo code at the top of the webpage. I might have to buy me a pair. Thanks.

fishinfreaks wrote:

Just ordered the Baffin Apex from shoes.com. 25% off and free shipping. I was checked out for $136. Not bad. I’ve been reading about them for a while, so it’s time to give them a try for a good deal like that.

I show them being $181. Is there a promo code that you can share?

+1. Thanks for doing this.

Thanks for all the suggestions fellas. That’s why I love this community!

Preferably something that is light and under $50. I don’t want it to be too big. Something that is under 2 liters and doesn’t weigh a ton. Really just looking to boil water. Cooking in it would be a plus but wasn’t my initial thought.

Tony Bielefeld wrote:

Im not gonna lie but you guys are always fishing big name bodies of water or unknown low pressure lakes. Id love to see you guys really put those skills to the test with like a metro lake walleye show or panfish show. I.E. Minnetonka, Independence, Waconia just maybe something alittle out side your comfort zone.

Thanks Guys you do a great show

X2

nhamm and Will. Thanks for the replies.
I do believe I didn’t have enough weight on the shiner. It was a larger shiner so that may have been something to do with it as well. How much weight are you typically using? 1/4 oz?
I’ll have to re-evaluate the size of the hook. That makes a ton of sense as well. I did have the minnow/shiner about 4 ft off the bottom.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>John Yang wrote:</div>
Long time lurker and first time posting a topic. I’m new to the ice fishing world and I wanted tips of how to properly use a dead stick. Over the weekend I tried dead sticking for walleyes but I was having problems and would like any tips. My brother and I were fishing in a portable with 4 holes, 2 holes for jigging, 1 for the flasher and the other for my dead stick. I had a few occasions where I had a fish coming for my jigging stick and would get tangled with my dead stick. How far away should the dead stick be? How much low should the split shots be? Thanks in advance!

Well first…welcome to the sometimes surreal world of IDO…
You are not that far off in your setup. Not sure how fish coming to your jigging stick would tangle in your deadstick? Unless you hooked them up and they somehow just circled over there and snagged up in that. Perhaps you could have hollered “double”!
Seriously though that wouldn’t, shouldn’t happen too often.
As others have mentioned though, I have always just hooked up with a jig…no leader needed with 6 lb test line tied directly to the jig. Are you setting up with a slip bobber?
Either way, all depends on the mood of the fish on that given day and at that time. When they’re negative, the may hit the deadstick no matter what you do, right or wrong. Other times, they move right past and thump your jigging spoon. Or they just disappear altogether. That’s fishing!

I think it was getting tangled when I’d hook up and the fish would circle. I’m not 100% sure. That’s why I decided to posts and get all the feedback. I was fishing in 20-28 and I was using a slip bobber.

I haven’t tried a jig on the dead stick. Will have to try that as well. Thanks Austin!

Fishwater, thanks for the reply. I had the deadstick closest to the front of the portable as well. The split shot was probably 6-8 inches above the hook. I’m almost thinking that I didn’t have enough weight on it allowing the minnow to move around too much. I was able to catch one on the dead stick but gave up the dead stick after getting tangled up a few times. Trial and error. Thanks!

I purchased an Ion late last ice season. I really like it so far. I can get about 30-40 holes a battery. I did use it late last season through thick ice and it was fine. I have purchased a spare battery but I have not yet regretted my purchase.