Gotta be careful on that slough James fell through… I live 1.5 miles north of it and every year it has sketchy ice. Was fishing on it two weeks ago and the entire Eastern end of it was open water again after a steady wind. We had 5-6 inches closer to shore but we ventured out some to our more reliable spots and quickly ran into 2 inches. Most times when you enter it from the Western edge, you’ll have some sketchy ice right by those cattails James walked through (as can be seen in the episode) but usually that entire side has the best ice on the entire pond. On the plus side, it’s basically a bowl and is stocked so full of walleye you don’t really need to try and get anywhere special.

There was a fresh crack with open water about 50 yards off shore from Brighton beach today. That’s the only difference I noticed there today compared to Sunday around noon. I fished a couple hundred yards from shore out in front of it and once again found a consistent 12 inches past the pack ice. Saw snowmobile tracks out there so people are starting to drive some machines out there. I feel like it would take a long stretch of heavy winds out of the South West or North East to break things up now. Once again, the only noticeable difference I observed in the ice within a couple hundred yards of shore between noon Sunday and today was that little crack with open water in it. That’s all that happened after 24 hours of sustained 30mph+ winds with 50+ gusts. Wind was out of the North West all of Sunday.

Also, fair warning for those of you planning on fishing the lake: the pack ice is much taller and aggressive north of Duluth than it is right out from Duluth. This is a very difficult walk, especially when pulling a sled with gear. You’ll be walking on snow pack one second and the next your foot falls 2 feet and is wedged between ice sheets. If you go too fast or lose balance I could see some ankle/knee/leg injuries happening easily. With that said, I highly suggest you be in relatively good physical condition as it’s a pretty strenuous walk.

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I’m up in Duluth and trying to get some fishing in on the big lake. Went out Saturday of off 21st ave and set up in 75 feet. Had marks on the bottom all day and could get some to chase for a couple feet but couldn’t get any to commit. Looking back, I think my approach was too aggressive as I was using a medium sized spoon (little Cleo) that fluttered pretty wildly. I spoke to about a dozen different fishing parties that I passed while accessing and exiting the lake and not a single person caught a fish. Lots of marks was a common theme though. Of course people could be lying, but people sounded pretty disappointed. Most travelled from pretty far away to fish. Can’t expect to slay them on a lake you’ve never fished before though! The basin in front of duluth seems to bottom out around 75 feet where we were and I have a hunch the more aggressive fish were in deeper water further up the shoreline, like where they found them on the latest IDO episode.
The wind today kept us off the lake. We just weren’t confident enough to go out and play on the ice sheet with 40-50 mph wind gusts. Went for a drive up the shore and saw a handful of people braving the conditions. We walked on the lake up off of Brighton beach and grabbed some pictures of the pack ice right off shore. The ice was much taller up there than it was right in Duluth. Very cool experience. We spoke with a local gentleman who was out walking his husky on the lake and he mentioned that he hasn’t seen the ice reach all the way across to Wisconsin from Duluth up to two harbours with this thick of ice for quite some time. Are there any old timers from Duluth on here that can verify this is a pretty rare year? He said he is very confident the ice sheet won’t be going anywhere, but once again we just weren’t willing to risk it.
Tomorrow’s plan is to fish off Brighton beach and stay mobile from 80-130 feet. Hoping to hook into my first laker!
By the way, we didn’t find less than 12 inches of ice while fishing out front of Duluth. We got past all the ice ridges and pack ice and it was a consistent 12 out there. I can report what I find in front of Brighton beach tomorrow if anyone is interested.

It’s always conflicting to see a fishing show on one of your crappie waypoints, but the fact that it was IDO out there definitely makes me happy. Glad James was able to have a good time out there with Konnor. There are some truly great crappie fisheries in this area!

tim hurley wrote:

Lokking at Star for Tullies and panfish-Should I look at other lakes in the area?
Thanks

Star is a great option for tullies! I caught about 15 out there walleye fishing. I caught them in 22 feet on an inside turn and on a saddle. They’ll come in about halfway down the water column. They’ll usually be gone by the time you reel up to them but just dance your jig and they’ll come right in. Tough to get a bite on a minnow, but if you switch up to waxies they hit instantly. Very nice size to them as well. Target structure in front of the access on the north side of the lake that’s off of highway 108.

rjthehunter wrote:

Great tips Thomas! I fish the Detroit lakes area alllll the time. It’s a great area to fish with infinite opportunities. We ought to meet up and fish together sometime! I tend to fish about 4 days a week

Let’s do it, shoot me a message. I fish almost daily as I am currently just fishing before doing a year long working holiday in Australia Mid-March. Heading up to LOTW on the Canadian side tomorrow morning until next Friday but will be back after that.

I consistently fish Lida, Pelican, and Star for walleyes and can usually find them up to season close. For walleye on Lida, I’d recommend hitting South Lida. The north side has produced more big fish from what I’ve seen, but if you want a real shot at 10+ walleyes go to South. There’s a bigger crowd out there than most years but just fish typical structure away from people and you’ll be fine. Keep in mind this lake has a protected slot for walleyes and has an 11 inch minimum for crappies.

Star lake is another one where you should stay away from the crowds and you’ll do fine. A buddy of mine was in a large ice house community on the east side of the lake and I asked them how they’ve been doing… everyone in the area had only caught snot rockets and the occasional crappie. I fished 400 yards away and caught several walleyes, all over 17 inches. Herd mentality will definitely hurt you on these lakes.

Pelican lake has been spitting out jumbo perch during the day for me with walleyes moving in at prime time. It’s a great place to take kids as you will have action all day and have a shot at catching a few nice walters as well.

As far as crappies go, they’re a little too easy to catch at the moment. Find any lake with a basin. drill out that basin and fish when you find suspended marks. Enjoy your limit of crappies. There’s a reason people refer to it as panfish paradise up here. I’ve been doing well in up to 50 foot deep basins. Keep an eye on the bottom of your flasher, as I moved down to a bottom hugging mark and ended up pulling in a 26 inch walleye on an ultra light panfish rod in a 50 foot hole. Definitely a fun bonus fish.

This cold front has caused some lockjaw down below the ice, but I’m confident things will be back to normal once weather stabilizes which will certainly be before late February.

If you want to get off the beaten path you can easily find panfish in any of the smaller lakes such as Sauer, West Silent, Round (by star), Loon, etc. The list is never ending, just look at a map and throw a dart. I don’t know of many lakes in the area that don’t have big panfish potential… If you only find dinks, keep moving or change presentation.

I also hope not but I’m not feeling too optimistic…on a fishing trip in nestor falls the 18th-25th and our high for the entire week as of right now looks like 5 degrees. Not the best conditions considering we’ll be running portables, but we’ll just have to make it work!

To be honest, my general rule of thumb is if I see ATVs, I’m walking out. If I see side by sides, I’ll take an ATV out. If there’s cars, I’ll then take a side by side. Once the ice hits 12 inches though I’ll take anything out, such as a truck, without breaking too much of a sweat. These are pretty conservative standards though. I’d think 7-8 inches would be a solid minimum for a side by side but you might be able to get away with 6. It’s just such a tough judgement call with so much at stake which is why I prefer to wait till it’s a little on the thicker side.

ProStaffSteve wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Thomas Brynildson wrote:</div>
Don’t jump on me for this, but just how important are large females to recruiting the next class of walleyes? I know common sense is more big females = more eggs= more fish. Isn’t it possible that environmental conditions decide more whether they’ll be a large class of walleyes recruited in a particular year rather than the pure amount of eggs laid? What makes me say this is that in Mille Lacs, the walleye population was at a historical low in the year 2012. The largest surviving walleye class out of Mille Lacs in the last 20 years was born in the Spring of 2013, thus were created by the breeding walleye population that was around in 2012. It seems to me that there are a lot more variables that come into play when it comes to recruiting big classes of walleye than just having tons of big females. Any specific lake has a maximum capacity of walleye it can hold and it might be possible for the lake to recruit to that capacity with as little as 20% of the available breeding stock.

I’m not a biologist though so this train of thought might just be straight out wrong. I got greedy and went to business school instead. I just think it might be possible that large female walleye aren’t as essential as everyone makes them out to be.

Well, I went to business school as well. I took enough bio classes along the way to learn that they don’t hold all of the answers either. I would be shocked to see that big walleye are the secret to great fisheries. Rather, I think big walleyes are a product of great fisheries. I think that weather, water conditions, the presence of egg eaters, and food for the little buggers in a body of water impact how well a year class turns out. I would even state that small breeding walleye, F 18″, probably produce more survivable offspring than the big walleye, if they are like humans in any way. I don’t know, that’s why I want to hear your guys’ opinions and I have been thrilled with most of the replies so far.

I completely agree with everything you said. I was taught when I was younger that large females are mostly sterile, but then later on I was told that’s a myth. None of my information is from a biologist though so once again I’m not sure. I might just have to draft up a question sheet and shoot a DNR fisheries employee an e-mail asking for an informational interview and see what their opinion is.

I just bought some LaCrosse Alphaburly Pro Boot 1600G for the deer stand and ice fishing. Best boot I’ve ever owned and they’re currently on sale for 149.99 on Scheels’ website. Very warm rubber boot. Haven’t gotten nippy in it yet and they’re waterproof all the way up. Not too bad to walk around in either! My grouse boots are Danner Pronghorn’s 400g and those are really nice for grouse hunting but they disappointed me while ice fishing. Not enough insulation for when it’s down in the teens, single digits, and lower.

Don’t jump on me for this, but just how important are large females to recruiting the next class of walleyes? I know common sense is more big females = more eggs= more fish. Isn’t it possible that environmental conditions decide more whether they’ll be a large class of walleyes recruited in a particular year rather than the pure amount of eggs laid? What makes me say this is that in Mille Lacs, the walleye population was at a historical low in the year 2012. The largest surviving walleye class out of Mille Lacs in the last 20 years was born in the Spring of 2013, thus were created by the breeding walleye population that was around in 2012. It seems to me that there are a lot more variables that come into play when it comes to recruiting big classes of walleye than just having tons of big females. Any specific lake has a maximum capacity of walleye it can hold and it might be possible for the lake to recruit to that capacity with as little as 20% of the available breeding stock.

I’m not a biologist though so this train of thought might just be straight out wrong. I got greedy and went to business school instead. I just think it might be possible that large female walleye aren’t as essential as everyone makes them out to be.

Huntindave wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Thomas Brynildson wrote:</div>
I have not shot this weapon as I am worried that it would explode.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Thomas Brynildson wrote:</div>
After spending over half of the firearms season in the stand I am still looking for a larger buck.

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Thomas Brynildson wrote:</div>
So I don’t really need pinpoint accuracy to push a bullet into the boiler room, but if I’m not able to put a bullet within a couple inches of my target I’m not going out.

Your statements seem to contradict each other. You have been out in the stand already yet you have never fired your weapon?

I was using a rifle during firearm season. Since it is now Muzzleloader season, I would be using that weapon and that is what I have not shot yet.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Thomas, I assume you hunted the regular season without having fired your shotgun or centerfire and are now hunting the muzzleloader season?

I used a 30.06 during the firearm season and now will be hunting the muzzleloader season. I have shot that weapon many times over the years. The muzzleloader is what is new. I clearly stated things funny in my original posts so I apologize for that confusion.

Also THANK YOU for all of your input, I will take into consideration what you have said. I really appreciate the time you took to provide that type of information to me.

Don Meier wrote:

Go to Doug’s Message Board they have everything you need to know about muzzle loaders . They are willing to help . I shoot a Savage ML2 which uses smokeless powder i hand weigh every load . Be meticulous on how you approach this,read everything you can , could be as simple as trying a different sabot.Harvester makes very good sabots. Get a round lead ball push it all the way thru and mike the dia. it will give you an accurate bore dia. Basic muzzleloader knowledge will get you started in the right direction.Safety wize put a witness mark on your ramrod to make sure you do not double load. Good luck

Thanks for that lead. I’ll look into that, along with everything you said.

David Blais wrote:

I would expect a muzzelloader needing cleaning after 2-3 shots

That is about how often I plan on cleaning mine. I do like to take care of my weapons so the bore will have to look pretty clean for me to continue shooting after 3 shots.

rubberduck wrote:

bore butter is nice but shouldn’t need it

I have applied bore butter already, thanks for the suggestion!

riverruns wrote:

I have a CVA Accura. I’m shooting 100 grains of triple 7. 245 grain powerbelt. 50 cal. On a cleaned barrel I can get the first load in just fine. Second load it starts to get tough to seat it. Third load almost impossible to get the bullet to seat against the pellets. I dry patch it after the first shot then load. After I dry patch it for a couple shots it needs to be cleaned. A bullet won’t seat against the pellets at that point if I don’t clean it.

Talking to a few other people that shoot, they seem to have similar issues as me.

It sounds like this weapon has never been shot? Has it been fired before?

Correct, this weapon has not been shot yet. I have cleaned it once and applied bore butter, as I wanted to get a general idea of the process before cleaning it “for real”. My exact current situation with this weapon is it is new, I have cleaned it, and I am now looking to shoot it a couple times to get things figured out before hitting the stand this weekend. What concerned me when practicing to load it is the sleeved sabots really struggled to be put in and I used 2 different brands which made me wonder if my weapon was faulty. The powerbelt load much easier.

sticker wrote:

My first question is are you sure you are trying to load the correct caliber bullet? If you are trying to load a 50 cal bullet in a 45 cal muzzy you will have a problem. I would check the engraving on the barrel and make sure you actually have a 50 cal.

Yup, it is definitely a 50 cal. That was one of the first things I checked when it was so dang difficult to load the sabot.

Huntindave wrote:

At this point I would not spend any money on a hunting license. It does not sound like you or your weapon are properly prepared to hunt yet.
Going to the range a putting a couple hundred rounds thru the gun will help breaking in the barrel. Trying different types of projectiles and different amounts of powder will tell you what load, groups the best out of your gun.

After doing this you will be better prepared for next season.

Well I will certainly still hunt this season. After spending over half of the firearms season in the stand I am still looking for a larger buck. Had three wind me this year before they got out of the brush.. have never had so many nice deer approach my stand from weird angles. Maybe next year I’ll just politely ask them to stick to the deer trails so that they walk into my shooting lane and I can play the wind properly

I don’t know about firing a couple hundred rounds, as I haven’t even fired that many through my deer rifle that I’ve used since I was 12, but I will certainly take your suggestion and try different projectiles and powders tomorrow afternoon to find the right fit. Thank you for that suggestion! All that I’m concerned about is just how tight those sabots were in the barrel. My main question is do I need to worry about a sabot or powerbelt obstructing the barrel too much?

Furthest shot I have from any of my stands is about 80 yards, with 90% of the deer I’ve ever shot being within 50. So I don’t really need pinpoint accuracy to push a bullet into the boiler room, but if I’m not able to put a bullet within a couple inches of my target I’m not going out. I’ll see if I can get a solid group at 80 tomorrow and if that’s the case, game on. If not, I’ll probably just grab the bow and see if I can get a deer close enough.

Feathers wrote:

14-18.5 is my personal slot. On a rare occasion I’ll keep one slightly bigger or a smaller one with a air bladder blown out.

I don’t have much issue with people keeping big fish as long as the water they are fishing can handle it. Not many of those out there though.

I don’t have issue with people keeping small fish unless it’s like lotw where resorts on the south end are telling people to keep small ones if they want to eat fish and guys are coming in with buckets full of 12-13 inch fish. It’s the same guys bragging they got their limits in the bar.

If you don’t like people harvesting big fish talk to the DNR about putting in more restrictive slots. I’ve been encouraging folks at the dnr to get them to reduce panfish limits and consider protected slots on bigger <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>panfish on certain lakes. Hopefully it will change things some day.

We have a lake up here that has an 11 inch minimum on Crappies and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to the lake. Can go out and catch multiple fish over 13 inches each evening with the occasional 14+. I wasn’t around before this regulation was put in but I’ve heard there was nowhere near this many monster Crappies beforehand. I’m curious as to whether this type of regulation would have similar effects on other bodies of water, or if it takes a special type of lake for that regulation to have that kind of impact.

I find that all walleye taste the same, so I keep what is legal to keep. I’ve kept walleyes as small at 12 inches but have kept up to 28 inches. What I set a personal limit on is how many I will actually keep. I don’t like to have more fish on hand than what my family and I will eat in a week’s time or less, and pretty much would never keep 6 walleyes.

I don’t play the “I’ll release fish sizes x to x” game, as I let the DNR do that. I think it would be silly to think that any of us know more about the fisheries we fish than the DNR, unless you’re a Biology professor or something. I know how a lot of fisherman look down on the DNR, but after having several conversations with those guys they have my respect and I trust them with the management of our resources when they are allowed to operate freely (I’m just as upset about that Mille Lacs situation as everyone else, but you gotta admit they’re in a damn tough spot). If they say no slot, fair game. If 20-28 is protected, 20-28 is protected.

Long story short, my only rationale while deciding whether to keep a walleye or not basically comes down to “will it be eaten?” and “Do I have enough in the freezer already?”

Thanks for all of the good input everyone. It is great to hear that there is great fishing, and the fact that you all have good things to say about Sunset Cove Resort is very reassuring. My entire group is in their early 20’s, myself included, so our lodging was pretty much selected based off of price. It’s good to know we found a place that is both affordable and well respected. I’ll post some pictures after the trip!

Pat McSharry wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Thomas Brynildson wrote:</div>
The resort we’re staying at mentioned that our stay is pretty early in the ice season and it’s even a possibility we will have to push our trip back a week or two.

They might be thinking you’re wanting to drive trucks on the ice road and possibly fish out of their permanent houses. 90% of the time there is more than enough ice to run snowmobiles around with caution on Jan 1 for trout opener. Sabaskong freezes even earlier than Whitefish Bay where the trout live, so you guys will be just fine. Use caution and talk to the guys at the resort. They will help you out. Good Luck!

This makes much more sense, as I had a hard time believing that water that far north wouldn’t be ready for snowmobiles by late January. I’ll be sure to consult with the owners before going off on any adventures. I plan on staying dry!

I live in lakes country outside of Pelican Rapids and have seen lakes and ponds locking up. According to Ben D’s charts we could have as much as 6-8 inches by next week! We’re in the 10’s and 20’s 24 hours a day until next Saturday, and even then the warm up is only to 36 degrees.. I’m starting to regret procrastinating to get my gear ready!

Thanks for the reply Pat, really enjoy the show.

We will be staying at Sunset Cove Resort. It is right off of Highway 71 near Nestor Falls. I’ll definitely take your advice and find a paper map of that part of the lake and ask the resort if they could point out some sketchy spots. I’ll have a helix 7 up with me and a LOTW chip in it to help with navigation, so I think the plan will now be to transpose the marks on the map into waypoints on the electronics.

I assume the neck down areas are pretty easy to notice. Hopefully there’s enough traffic on the lake to see where others have passed safely.

Looking forward to this new body of water! I’m from Ottertail county so I’m used to smaller glacial lakes. This should be a new challenge, but that’s why we’re giving ourselves 8 days to figure it out.

I know that you posted this months ago, however I frequently fish Star lake as I live nearby. Lots of structure to target walleye, and I frequently hook into some monster crappies while fishing for them. I caught a 14.5 inch crappie while pulling a spinner with a nightcrawler in 24 feet of water off of a relatively steep break off shore where some cattails met with a hillside. This was back in July. I’ve seen many nice crappies come out of the lake but I’m not exactly confident on locating them intentionally in the summer. Ice fishing is a little easier, as there are some nice deep holes you can target and multiple sprawling weed flats.

I hunt East of Isle, 16 miles north of Mora and I did not see any sign of rut activity this weekend, apart from seeing bucks in daylight. I messed up on a nice 8 point opening morning that came through very calmly. He was just eating twigs and moving at a moderate pace. Definitely was not in pursuit of anything. That evening a basket 6 pointer came through that I decided to pass on. He hung out with me for a little over an hour. He even bedded down at one point 35 yards from my stand. My neighbors shot two bucks opening day and neither of theirs were chasing does and their necks weren’t swollen and their foreheads weren’t red. Also, none of the does I’ve seen have been very worked up like they were being chase. Every deer has seemed very relaxed. Is it possible we are still off of peak rut East of Mille Lacs? Or have the amount of bucks I’ve seen just been too small of a sample size to judge the rut? Either way, I’m hunting straight from this Friday 11/9 until season close on the 18th… Hoping to get another shot at a nice deer.

Thanks Joe! I’ve been reading through the forum occasionally for awhile now and haven’t felt the urge to post until I saw a thread that was somewhat relevant to me.

I truly believe Ottertail County and the surrounding area is one of the prime fishing destinations in the state. You probably can’t get thick into the walleye and crappie like you can on LOTW, but you can still catch more than enough for dinner! My unpopular opinion is that it’s better than the Brainerd lakes area. As a matter of fact, I recently quit my job in the twin cities to move back to the area. Doesn’t get much better than this!

The DNR did test netting on North Lake Lida this year and there was not a single walleye, perch, or cisco caught. There seems to have been a sudden and dramatic walleye decline on the north side of that lake. I fished it multiple times for walleye this summer and caught 2 when in summers past it wouldn’t be uncommon to limit out… either I was very unlucky/bad and the DNR surveys are wrong, or something bad is going on. I’m from the Pelican Rapids area and the walleye status on that lake has been a big topic of conversation. It is still an elite crappie fishery, as the 11 inch minimum continues to promote a large size structure. I frequently can pull out 5 or more 13+ inch crappies each night. Shoot me a PM if you’d like to hit the ice sometime.. I enjoy hitting the smaller bodies of water in that area stretching from Pelican to DL to Vergas and Perham. I really enjoy catching fish while being one of the only ones on the lake!