Well we started out hunting for Walleyes on Clearwater. Now this is not an easy task on Clearwater this time of year, the fish are moving around alot. I talked to other fishermen out there and found out that many have yet to get on the Walleyes. Thursday was a nice day to move around and try and find the Walleyes, and that is exactly what we did.
cb2 and I were using the Lowrance Ifinder Map & Music with the LakeMaster chip to choose our locations and depths before we even started drilling holes. Our first spot was in 27 F.O.W. which was not looking very promising, we made a quick adjustment to 34 F.O.W and within a half hour we were seeing the Marcum LX-5 lights flicker, showing signs of life under us. We turned and focused on the Marcum VS-250 which showed that there were Walleyes below us and they were showing interest in our baits. But not enough to bite! We were using a mini mert with a fathead and a glow hook. With a fathead down, one Walleye turned into 3 Walleyes within minutes after the first. cb2 kept his bait down as I was focusing on making a switch to my firetiger Go-Devil tipped with a minnow head. About 5 minutes into the jigging of the Go-Devil with little interest I reeled up and switched the head to a entire minnow and 3 minutes later first walleye out of the hole.
It was a small one and was released to be caught again..
This morning I headed back out to the same spot. Set up in 34 F.O.W. I focused on the other day. Sure enough! The VS-250 showed Walleyes still in the area. I again dropped a minnow on a glow hook and jigged a Go-Devil with no response. I then opted to pull the glow hook and switch it over to a red hook and that was the trick that urged them to strike. Again today only caught one walleye but saw a number of them. They are biting very light as well. If it was not for the camara I would have never known I had a fish on. The bobber did not even twitch before I set the hook and brought this one up threw the hole. Another releaser as well. Not much in size yet but have seen bigger down there with little luck of hooking one..
As for ice/weather/traffic conditions on the lake,
Ice is 12 to 14 inches thick, but not of good ice. Calculating the bad ice at 50% of strength and the good clear ice there is only 9 inches of ice strength.
The weather this morning was wicked, winds out of the west made it very hard as a single person out there trying to set up a portable. When I thought I was all set the house would blow over. Made for a very hecktic set up. Not alot of snow on the ice either for banking so had to put up with alot of wind blowing underneath the shelter sides and corners. With the winds we are recieving on the lake today there wont be much snow left at all on the lake, a lot of it is blowing accross with the wind.
The traffic on the lake today the 27th is pretty heavy alot of vehicles out there moving around. Not to many houses shifting spots today, most likely due to the weather. Houses are still grouped on the 50 foot hole and now the Northern hole as well has started its grouping. This is the biggest sign that there are fish present in those areas. The evening bite is said to be the better bite, but I have been having better luck mid-mornings..
What is the best way to access the lake? By the public landing or by the bait shop?
Thanks!
Nice report Glen! Sounds like your geared up well .Good luck in that 34 ,hope ya nail em!
Scanman~
Welcome to the site,to answer your question on the best path of access, people are using both public and the 3.00 fee access of B.J’s I personally use B.J’s for the rivers open,and there is a heave near the entrance of turtle bay.
But they have a trail broke thru over at McBrides thru the woods to the lake but I like to limit my chances and think safety first and pay the three bucks…
Great report
Never fished that area before, might have to hit you up for a free tour 
Congrats on making it on the field staff
Thank you Jesse,
Anytime you can make it up this way I will gladly take you out there and see what we could do as a team..
Today I had Hardhitter out there as well but have not yet heard back from him on what he did. I know he was heading to the Northern hole after I left but that may have changed after he dumped his cell phone down the hole..
Thanks for the report and pics Glenn. Very nicely done with the explaining of all the different changes made to see what the fish wanted that day. Too many times its too easy to just sit still and keep using what worked yesterday or last week but isn’t working today. Its nice to see explained what a person sometimes needs to do to find out what the fish want so you can catch fish and see the proof of it working.
Thanks, Bill
Great report Glenn. Any word on the crappie bite? I can remember some great days out there growing up.
Thank you guys,
Mike I am heading out tomorrow morning for some crappie action. Yes I am turning my back on the Walleyes for ONE day. I have to find out how the crappie action is doing for myself out there.
Should have a report tomorrow for you guys on the crappie bite…I know the pictures will be a bit more impressive then the Walleyes I have been encountering. Not to grip about Clearwater Walleyes but this winter kinda spoiled myself with multiple trips to Mille Lacs.After those trips it is kinda hadr to catch something worth bragging about on any other lake..
Glenn how’d you like the I-map and music. How would it compare to the H2O??? Thanks for any input neighbor
Shrum, I could help you out there as we have one of each in the family now. (Thanks Wade and Jolly Ann!) They are a horse apiece as far as the unit itself goes. It still shows you all the same contours as the H20. There are a few different menu options as all. Both are great units! I know Wade only has a few left of that unit.
Yeah Chris would have a better idea for this is my first handheld but I dont know what I would do without it now that I have it. Lastnight I sat in my livingroom and was surveying Clearwater and was checking structure where I was going to find Crappies today. The spot I chose while sitting here in the warmth of my house put me right on top of the Crappies and these were not small crappies either these were some nice ones with big humped foreheads.Just failed to throw something at them worth eating..
I use the Ifinder M&M on a daily basis and many times each day. The cold weather has not affected it either.. Hope this helps…
If you are in the market for one serious talk to Wade I could not beat his prices and he got it to my door the second day after ordering. I got it the Friday of the GTG slapped in some batteries and am still using the same batteries.
Thanks for the input guys, I’ll be contacting Wade
Glad we could assist….
Nice report Glenn
with the mountain range under clearwaters surface where does a personstart
Skinner~
Welcome to the site…
Well to answer your question it all depends on the fish you search to go for. The easiest way to know of a starting point is knowing the fishes daily feeding routine. Do they feed in the deep or do they feed in the shallows and move deep afterwards? What time of day do they move about to feed? It is somewhat simple once you have an idea of the fishes routines.
Or you can take what I call the lazy way to fish but will get you fish most of the time. That way is go to the local bait shop walk in and ask where are the fish biting? They usually will get you close to an area that has been producing fish. But they dont have all the answers,sometimes you just have to go out and start using your electronics your auger your own judgement and hunt these fish down. Like for Walleyes right now everyone says well this time of the year it is hard to find walleyes. Not really I found them yeah it took some leg work but I am on them,nothing real big YET but I am in the 12 to 16 inch size ones but seen bigger down there..
have you been seeing the eyes on a camera? we need to get a way to post video clips.
Andy~
Yes I have had a number of Walleyes on camara it is amazing at one point we had over five on camara. Scott has advised me the best way to get some video footage of these type of outstanding acts of nature. But the one I will always miss is not getting a video of the northern attacking the sunfish right in front of our eyes watching the monitor..That is a memory I will take to the grave with me..
i really wish we could have gotten that on tape. would have been awesome!!!
Glenn,
Do you ever target the east side of the lake during the winter? All your reports seem to be coming from the western basin. I fish the lake quite a bit and mainly target the east end. If you are ever interested in giving it a try let me know. Matt
Matt~
Because of the ice conditions this year,I have not ventured over that way YET! I have alwys been skeptical of the ice on this lake and the paths one takes to get to the eastside. I know I can venture down the snowmobile trail from pleasant to Clearwater, but the amount of houses I have seen on the eastside is telling me that the fish may not be there. Years previous the Eastside has had a large amount of houses as well but this year there may be a dozen over there and they are wide spread and moving around alot.
I will gladly take you up on your offer to fish that side though just let me know when you will be in the area and ready to start our hunt..
Was on the east side from about 4:30 until 7:30 this evening and picked up 4 walleyes with the biggest at 14.5 inches. The other 3 ranged from 7-12 inches. All were released for another day. Pretty slow night, but at least I was able to wet a line! Glenn, I live in Becker so I am not to far away. I usually try to get out a few times a week, but it sounds like we have a pretty serious cold front moving in for the weekend. I probably won’t go again until next Tuesday afternoon if it warms up a little bit. Had to be close to 18 inches of ice where I was at. I have been out a few other times in the last couple weeks and have seen at least 14 inches in every spot I have fished.
Matt~
you give me a time and I will meet you out there next tuesday then.As for the ice it should be a bit thicker over there I have been fishing outside the river so my ice conditions are going to differ from across the lake.But it is the heaves one has to deal with coming from the westside going to the eastside..Thats where it gets dangerous.. But as I stated about the trail..
But you set the time and I will be there…
I owuld have been out there tonight but Briank gave me his virus the other night talking to him.. Not feeling the best today…