We fished the river on 4/4. We stopped by Birchdale around 8:30am. There were a lot of chunks of skim ice flowing down the river. So much that it looked like it would be very hard to fish. You were able to launch a boat tho. In between Birchdale and Frontier there was a lot of solid skim ice Checked Frontier after that. It was all locked up with skim ice and you could not launch a boat. We decided to go down to Vidas and go ice fishing. Still a foot of decent ice off the landing. Ice fished till about 12:30. Checked frontier on the way to Birchdale and someone had put a boat in and there were a few boats fishing in the area. A lot of the skim ice had broken up and was getting pushed around inbetween Frontier and Birchdale. Decent amount of open water to fish. We put in at Birchdale. Still quite a bit of jumbled skim ice in the area but we could find areas to fish. It got easier to fish as the day went on. Slow day for numbers but we did manage to get a 25″ and fat 29.5″. Warmest water we saw was 33.5. Current seems to have slowed even more since last week and the water is clear.

Picture is frontier landing at 8:30am 4/4

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Thanks, Mark.

Got an update from the same guy. He said in faster current there might be 7″ visibility.

rschmidty wrote:

Also, I saw a post on Facebook from someone up there that most of the debris has moved past Birchdale and most of the river. Probably still pretty messy down by Wheelers. Clarity was around 1-3 inches in the morning but 8-12 inches by the evening out by Birchdale so it’s improving.

I also saw that report and was surprised by it.

I have a friend that is up right now fishing out of Birchdale and he said clarity is no where near 8-12″. Said it is still muddy and there is lots of debris under the water. They have not caught a fish yet today.

This is Birchdale yesterday (4/3) evening. My buddy that took the pic of the Little Fork in the town of Little Fork yesterday morning said all that ice by the bridge is now gone.

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Got a friend that works and lives around the Big Fork and the Little Fork. He sent me a couple pictures from today. The first picture is in the town of Little Fork. The second picture is the Big Fork. He said there is a crazy amount of trees in Big Fork.

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First picture is the Big Fork at Hwy 11 at around 9am this morning(4/3).
Second picture is the Little Fork…Same place same time.

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Room had been filled.

This will be prime time up on Lake Winnipeg!

Caught most of these the last day on the US side. All on plastics. Moxi’s, Pulse R’s, and paddle tails. 3/8oz jig. Weather was brutal over the weekend. Tried the lake on Tuesday but it was a bust. Went up river by Birchdale Wednesday and Thursday and found active fish.

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Gauges for both the Little and Big fork are showing a discharge rate now. Both look to be flowing well above average.

This was taken by a friend last week in the town of Little Fork. Not sure if it is still jammed up or not. Would assume the Big Fork also has ice jams. A buddy drove over the forks today and said they are still intact.

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I have not used the flutter spoons up there yet. I’m pretty sure most guys use a small swivel to connect braid to mono/flouro. Then a snap to the lure. This is what I plan on doing.

Chalet Beach is actually kinda a private road. Couple of the people that live at the end of the end of the road have been trying to keep people from using the access.

Warner is the access to use.

Chalet and Warner are the two main accesses on the south west side. I think Warner will have more parking than Chalet. It is just a little ways to the north of Chalet.

Smoke N Fish in Selkirk has bait and tackle as well.

https://www.facebook.com/Smoke-N-Fish-1062495773778227/?fref=nf

2-4″ of snow where I checked. Probably more back in the bays or in between the islands.

I checked off the Van Vac landing yesterday and found 6-9″ of ice. It varies a lot out there. Wouldn’t be surprised if there are areas with less ice.

There was a big area close to the sandy point landing that had open water on the 24th. There were also other areas on shags with open water on the 23rd. Burntside locked up on the night of the 24th. So I would think that the area by Sandy Point also locked up. But I have not seen it for my self. Most areas people are fishing have around 4-6″of ice. Top layer of 6″ is cloudy slush ice. Should finally start making some ice now.

Yup. Live Target Blue/Silver Golden Shiner is probably the most popular lure on Winnipeg. I think there are three sizes. 1/4, 1/2, 3/4. The 1/2oz is the most popular but like ajaikens said they will all work.

Really any rattle bait will work. It is all about trying to bring the fish to you.

Some guys also started using big flutter/trolling spoons last winter. They were catching a lot of fish on them.

There is also a big log cabin for rent this year near Chalet Beach. It’s on the south west side of the lake. It will sleep up to 10 people. Has a hot tub, heated garage, and private lake access. $500/night. Contact Lee at 204-485-4691.

Balsam Bay is on the east side. So you would want to stay at South Beach. That place fills up fast in the winter. It would be worth checking for rooms sooner than later. If conditions allow you can snowmobile right from the casino.

Gimli is on the west side of the lake. It is about 15 miles north of Chalet Beach. Chalet Beach is one of the main access points for the west side. Chalet beach is the most southern access on the west side. Warner Rd access is just north of Chalet as well. Most guys will be fishing around the mouth of the rivers/creeks that time of year.

Where people access changes with conditions. There are usually big ridges not far from shore. And some of the accesses will have super rough ice. Just have to be flexible when you get there.

mickey mouse boots. just ordered a new pair for the winter.

tmyboy2001 wrote:

Ely: do you find that your Ion re-opens those old holes well?

Yup. No issues at all opening old holes.

I also have an ION and love it. It is a very nice auger. I heard good things about the SM electric before the recall. I’m pretty sure the SM is not the best at opening old holes. It has the lazer style blades. I think the SM has a little more power tho. A second SM battery will run you $250. IONs are $155.

I prefer the ION because I use it in my wheelhouse and am opening old holes regularly. The reverse feature is also very sweet in the wheelhouse.

This is a snow total map from NOAA in Duluth. Ely didn’t get much snow. Only have about 3in in my driveway.

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We had some pretty good rain showers in Ely today. There was a lot of standing water on the ice. A lot of the snow was getting soaked up by the water on the ice. I don’t think there will be as much snow on the lakes as there is on the ground. We just need some cold weather!

I use Therm-a-Rest SOlite pads. They have an aluminized surface to reflect body heat. Works for me.

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These are real nice. Cabelas is having a good deal on them today too.

Link didn’t work. Search “Cabelas Alaskan Guide Cot”

Tom Wilson wrote:

How does the 10″ re-open holes? I currently have the Honda lite 10″ and its a great auger, I have zero complaints and it re-opens hole like a dream but I need a back up auger and have considered the ION for some time. I have no problem getting another Honda lite either but seems to be a few of you with ION’s and like them. Another reason for looking into ION is I have several houses with 8 holes and cleaning out ice ships is a time consuming ordeal. I have heard you can put the ION into revers and clean out holes??

The 10″ ION is great at opening old holes. I use it for opening old holes in my fish houses. The reverse feature is really nice for clearing out the holes. Hold it in reverse for a few seconds and 90% of the ice chips are gone. Couple scoops and your good to go. The only down side of the 10″ ION is that it throws some ice while you drill. So there is some ice to clean up when your done. Well worth it tho! It’s so nice not having to run a power auger inside the fish house.