I guess this year isn’t much different then last. Anyone have any info on the ice on the main lake of winni? I heard it’s a week ahead of last year. Wich puts ice out this coming Thursday. Fingure a crossed!

Well today was a frustrating day on the river. Graphed lots n lots of fish but had a difficult time finding aggressive females. Here is a pic of the only fish really worth mentioning. My brother with a 29″ 10.4lb still pre spawn.

From what I’ve heard there is too much snow for the little plows, n not enough ice for the big plows yet. Even with the last cold snap the lake only gained a few inches of ice. But with this arctic cold we got now who, knows… I’ll be up this weekend.

The big lake. Winnibigoshish

Yes there is a public access in Garison but when I was up there two weeks go there was a pretty good Hieve n kinda sketchy getting out. How ever there are two other accesses a mile north n a few miles south of garrison on 169. But its always smart to at least check in at the local shops to get the DL on the ice. As for fishing web I was up there we stayed shallow on the weeds n did great. But with the colder weather I woul look deep to mud gravel transitions. Good luck!

We have been on waconia. We’ve been fishing this lake for four or five years now N have caught respectable fish. But this year they just arnt there. We’ve stayed in the wheel house all night a few times this year n the bite is for sure a night bite n we catch fish throughout the whole night… We also try to avoid crowds as best as we can…. It just gets to the point where catching a 12 inch fish isn’t even fun.. thanks again guys!

Thanks for all the info gents!

Awesome info guys!! Thanks a lot! Can’t wait to try it out this weekend

Jiggin rake opener was a great weekend weather n fishing wise. Saturday we caught fish right off the bat at midnight n all the way through Monday we had pretty consistent action. Monday morning was a bit tougher bite due to the dead calm n warming water temp. We started off corking from camp on sat 12:01 A.M n actually managed to catch quite a few fish right of the back of the boat nosed up on shore. We caught 25 fish from the bonfire over the three nights. Nothing better then that. Leaches n shiners both had their moments on the bober. Seemed shiners were more productive in the late evening hours otherwise leaches is where it was at. Bring lots as for the main lake bite, we also had consistent action out in front of high banks, the birches, n farther south down the shore line. Off the first break pullin either a lindy with a short three foot to five foot snell n a leach or a green jig n a leach. We were fishing the first break in 7 to 10 fow on Saturday. The key was stay away for the crowds. Mark on your gps where you caught a fish n troll back to that location often. We noticed we seemed to get fish in the same locations the entire weekend. On Sunday we were cut short on the big lake by a nasty nw wind that produced five foot rollers, with twenty n thirty foot long white caps… we fished cut foot n managed to pull some nice healthy eyes from there as well As some very nice 13 n 14 inch slabs n 10 to 11 inch jumbos. Monday we found fish off the second break in 18 to 20 fow. I believe the water temps pushed them out off the first break. If I was going there This weekend I’d go fish the second break out in front of tamarack or the birches lindy rigging with a leach or a crawler. Maybe try a spinner… Also heard some of the mid lake structure was producing late at night trolling shads. Good luck!

I will be up this weekend staying on cut foot as well. I have been goin up for 15 or so years now for opener. Last year there was an excellent shallow walleye bight in cut foot and also the main lake. im talkin 3 to 5 fow. This year im thinkin is going to be a bit different. My plan for Saturday is to start in cut foot up shallow bouncing a jig n a minnow of the bottom. Moving out deeper until we find the fish. But i have a feeling pullin lindys out on the main lake is going to be most productive this year. Ill letcha know how we do. dont forget that cut foot offers a great pan fish bight at times as well. good luck!

Awesome thanks for the info! plans just changed to the big walters now tho.

how deep were you fishin for the eyes???

i as well made it out today, we fished three different lakes in the Onamia area, first lake we hit was Shakopee lake, we had six inches of good ice, there were TWO FOUR WHEELERS out there! a bit crazy if you ask me. the fishing was slow caught some smaller pirch and two northerns. We left and headed to a real small lake tucked away in the forest called horseshoe. This was a lake we that we had no idea what to make of it. no public access,we managed to find 28 feet of water and graph a few fish but no takers and the ice was barely thick enough to walk on,so we decided to save the rest of the small lake for another day. Off to the next lake we went. We went to Platt lake, this was our best decision all day. there was four to five inches across the entire lake. we managed a dozen decent crappies and 8 medium size Northerns. Fish were lethargic and many were just lokers. All in all good day on the ice.

I really don’t care what lake, i just wanna fish.im plannin on lakes north of Aitkin up by Palisade. Rat lake would be a start, a small lake called whispering, flemming possibly. Im really just curious if anyone is out yet anywhere up there.

it really depends on water temps, with this hot sticky weather im thinkin it might push them a little deeper. my game plan is start shallow pitchin a shiner n a green jig, prob 7fow n just slowy move deeper tell we find them. Last year we had a great bite on the main lake shore lines bout 15fow draggin a lyndy with a short four foot snell n a leach. I dont think it will be the same this year tho, last year was not a typical opener… this year pitchin a jig all day good luck to everyone!

how deep you guys gettin them in? 14 fow?

last few days i have been out in the north metro n have found crappies in fourteen feet off the weed lines or main lake breaks, the key to this was to keap moving to stay on top of those active fish. if they are there, but nothing biting, move twenty yards down the break. i have yet to find ny nice fish out in the deap holes yet. plannin on tryn some this weekend up norht. good luck!!!

we got into them up at winnie this past weekend. iced nere thirty i bet. along with loads of perch n sosme eyes as well. if ur in the area pm me n ill tell yuh rite where we were fishin

Just a quick report as to how we did up there this weekend. We left maple grove saturday morning around four, got on the lake around nine. Since we kinda missed the prime period to be fishing the main lake i opted for going to chase some slabs in cut foot for a few hours. It was kinda slow. We did manage to catch ten keapers. Along with a nice 15 inch slab that was put back to fight another day. Around noon we decided to pack n head for the main lake. We started hole hoppin on a break about two miles outa highbanks. Drilled wholes from twenty to thirty two feet up n down the break. As soon as i got my spoon to the bottom there were fish bein marked on the marcum. About two minutes later fish on. It wasnt the perch i was expecting it to be, felt a lot bigger. After about a two minute battle i got it through the whole. NOt what i was expecting thats for sure. A huge tuli. biggest one i have ever caught. Back down the whole it went. After about an hour n a half of catching tulis n some small jumbos, nine inchers, we decided to move down the break aways in search of some of the 12 inch jumbos i was lookin for. With no luck on findin any of the bigger jumbos we decided to stay put for the evening bite. 7-9 inch perch one afta another rite up until dark. Then nothing cept for one pout at about sevan. after that we decided to pack it in for the day.

Sunday we got on the lake at about sevan. The night befor we picked out some more spots farther out in the lake that looked promising. First spot was on center bar. We set up on a inside corner that dropped from ten to twenty one n then had a little basin area then tappered of to thirty two. Staying at this spot for about three hours we managed to catch ten perch over elevan n a ton of the 7 to 9 inchers as well, n a few tulis. After a quick grill out on the ice for lunch we decided to make a move in hopes of finding some more of those nice jumbos n some eyes. Again we targeted an inside corner, first hour was extremely slow. we were just about to move again when my brother hooked up with a nice twenty four inch eye. Then fifteen minutes later i hooked up with a sixteen. That made up our mind that we wanted to stay the evening there. I set up my house for only the second time the whole weekend, with the weather being so nice it made more sense to stay mobil n whole hop n fish a whole for fifteen minutes n then move to the next. We set up the houses in 25 feet, n from three oclock on we had action all the way to dark. Marked tons n tons of fish but they were verry finicy. The ones on the bottom were a waste of time. The more agresive fish came about two feet off of the bottom. Got back to the truck saturday night with eight kepper eyes n fifteen jumbos. none of witch under ten inches. we also caught three eyes over the slot. one 18, one 22 n one 24. Sunday was much more productive then saturday J ust had to work a little harder. ALso on saturday it seemed like the key was to be away from everybody. We did not set up within three hundered yards of nyone in both spots sunday. It was a great learning expierence for it was my first time walking on winni instead of being in a boat.

thansk for the tips woody!

hahahahaha
Honestly why would you even post something like this on this site? Especially when dang near everyone on this site will back marcum up over ny other units out there. You can use what ever unit you want when it comes down to it, as long as you catch fish, Rite? at least that what i thought. may be wrong…. Use what ever you are happy with, dont matter if its a string with a rock on it, like i said long as you catch fish. dont see why you would come on a site n bash someone… must just be jealous???? idk

i was on buffalow saturday, n they were driving full size pick ups out there. i dint think the ice was ready with only nine to ten inches. may be this weekend. but dont be dumb, dont drive out there just cuz some one else is. id check befor venturing out. but thats just me. bigfife where in the aitkin area you goin? i got a cabin up there n ill be upthere for a week starting the day after christmas. just wanderin what the ice is like.

The lake is very shallow, its hard to find elevan feet. There are some nice gills in there. Used to be more. Seen a few nice crapies come outa there this year, but not as many as there used to be. Ive been out there a few times in the past couple of weeks. caught a some nice gills. I havent really been out there at the right times with the weather but still managed to catch fsh. The bite for me was a hour or so before dark or rite in the morning, but after that the bite gets tough. Get away from the croud a lil bit n youll have better succes.

It was about three thirty to sevan or so. We were set up with thre different houses. One of my buddies was in fifteen, i was in seventeen with another buddie in my house, n my other buddie was nineteen. My buddie fishin in fifteen moved out to seventeen after no success up a little bit shallower. The hot time where we caught a couple in a row seemed to be about four fifteen to five thirty ish. i am also hopin to get up there over the weekend after christmas. cant wait.

Headed to milacs bright n early friday morning with a couple of buddies. did a little doin to find the spots, but once we did find the rite place to fish it was a blast. caught endless numbers of jumbos. Caught the perch in around ten to thirteen feet of water. Headed a little deeper to look for some walleyes in the evening. seventeen to nineteen seemed to work best. Between Four guyss we caught thirteen walleyes in about four hours. Average was fourteen to twenty. but we did manage one nice 26. all in all it was a graet time!!! Did some pan fishin saturday down here, again a blast!

thanks, hopefully i will beable to find a good spot out there with my gps, im headin up bright n early friday morning. sounds like the weather should be decent.

I use two LED puck lights that i picked up at menards, i just have an extra marcum battery and i run it off of that. I hang them with velcrow on the roof of the house. i have a Clam yukon n the two lights light it up more then enough. When im done with them i just toss them under the seats. Doesnt take up much room n will run on the batterie for days.

khittner if you dont mind me askin what was the depth you were fishin in? im going up there later in the week n im not to familar with the south end of the lake.

if your talkin about buffalow lake in buffalow, i was out on the lake last night n dint hear anything about it from any of the other fishermen. but wouldnt be suprised, there was a guy out there on a wheeler n a wheel house already, n he was farther out then any of the portables were. nutz! be safe out there!

yes deffinetly bring your ice cleats, reall slippery. i was out on buffalow last night n forgot my cleats it sucked. had about fourinches of ice. but it was still a little scetchy. where i was fishin had some funky lookin ice. fishin was slow, caught a couple small wall eyes n a few dinkie crapies. still early. be safe