Minnesota Fish Tales Fishing Report
The Most In-Depth Statewide Fishing Report in Minnesota!

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BATTLE LAKE
- Ben's Bait & Tackle
Bennet or Craig Stich, Junction of Hwy 78 and 210 (218-864-5596)

2-1-12-Ice conditions are great with 15-20 inches of ice. There are a few heaves on some lakes that you should watch for. People are driving trucks and 4-wheelers out. Walleyes are biting on Ottertail and Silver in 15-25 feet of water and on West Battle in 20-40 feet. Angler are using a mixture of jigging with fatheads or set lines with sucker minnows or golden shiners. Northern pike are biting on sucker minnows North Turtle, Ottertail, Fiske in 15 feet in the weeds. Crappies and sunnies hitting on West Battle and West Lost, 17-24 feet, suspended. Using waxworms or crappie minnows. Perch going on West Battle and Ottertail in 10-15 feet jigging with fatheads.

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BEMIDJI
- Bluewater Bait & Sports - www.bluewater-bait.com
Mark Cook, 136 Peaceful Meadows Ln., Hwy 197 South on the Hwy 2 Junction, (218-444-2248)

2-1-12-Area lakes have 16-20 inches of ice with people driving out everywhere. For walleyes, try Bemidji off the rock piles on the north end off the State Park in 18-24 feet. Walleyes also biting on Plantangenet, Wolfe, Andrusia, same depths. For panfish, try Kitchi using waxworms or crappie minnows. Crappies are in 5-7 feet suspended off the bottom. For sunfish use waxworms on Grace. Perch are biting on Bemidji off of Cameron in 24-28 feet.

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BLACKDUCK AREA
- Timberline Sport & Tackle
Carl Adams, Junction of Hwy 71 and Blackduck Lake Rd. (218-835-4636)

2-1-12- Ice is in great shape. We have 20+inches on area lakes. On Blackduck anglers are catching nice perch a few walleyes, shallow bite, less than 10 feet. Big jumbo perch are hitting if you punch holes and move around. Decent panfish bite on smaller area lakes, also try Rabideau and Pimusche, 10-20 feet of water. Many anglers are stopping in before they head to the great bite that is happening on Red Lake and Lake of the Woods. Stop in for details.

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CHISAGO CITY
- Frankie's Live Bait and Marine - www.frankies.net
Brad, Corner of Hwy 8 and CR 77 (651-257-6334)

2-1-12- The ice is in great shape, with 16+inches. Anglers are driving out and there are roads plowed on most lakes. Good panfish bite. Crappies hitting on the north end of North Center from 3 pm to dark from Hillcrest Resort of off Nelsons Island. Or try South Lindstrom in front of the hospital, or the middle of Chisago in deep water over the mud, 23+feet. Sunfish bite going on the far south end of Chisago from the A frame to Co Rd 83. Pike biting on tip ups/sucker minnows on Chisago and Little Green. Little Green also has a great evening crappie bite. Fast action, you will have to weed throught them to get some big ones. Work off the mouth of the channel in 12 feet of water.

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CROSBY
- Oars-N-Mine Bait and Tackle - www.oarsnmine.com
Jesse Williams, 22640 Hwy 6 N (218-546-6912)

1-1-12-Area lakes have been busy and anglers have been finding plenty of action. We have had a major upswing in fishermen targeting pike and they're reports have been very good for both numbers and quality fish. Most are running suckers or shiners under tipups and are catching the majority of their fish around or on big weed flats in 7 - 11 FOW. A few lakes worth noting are Lower Mission, Crooked and Nokay. Walleye reports slowed somewhat from last week but there are still some fish being caught on Farm Island, Serpent and Rabbit; look to the base of the weedline (16 - 20) or the base of those breaks in 22 - 26 FOW. Lindy Frostee Spoons and Rattl'n Flyer Spoons have dominated the jigging bite when tipped with a minnow head while the majority of the deadstick fish are coming from rainbows rather than shiners. Lots of guys are targeting panfish as well and reports have been good overall. Bay, Perry and Milford have all been kicking out some crappies while the bluegill bite has been best on some of the smaller lakes.

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DULUTH
- Marine General - www.marinegeneral.com
1501 London Road, on the edge of Lake Superior (218-724-8833)

2-1-12-The walleye hot spot is out in the Harbor with 6-8 inches of ice as of Feb 1. Anglers are running Buck Shot Rattle Spoons or a Lindy Rattlin Flyer tipped with a minnow head in 8 feet of water. Colors such as red, chartruese in 1/4, 1/8 oz best. Demon jigs with a full minnow have also been producing fish. The inland lake crappie bite has slowed a little. Ice is good on smaller area lakes.

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ELY
- Babe's Bait and Tackle - www.babesbait.com
500 Kawishiwi Trail, Ely, MN, first business on the left as you are entering town of Ely from the west on Hwy 169 (218-365-6930)

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GLENWOOD
- Fish On Bait & Sport www.habitatnow.com
Kyle, 201 S Franklin St, 2 blocks south of stoplights in Glenwood (320-634-3667)

1-4-12- GOOD ICE ON MINNEWASKA!!  Thru the warm and cold, Minnewaska ice has held up very well.  Most reports are in the 8 to 11 inches of ice and it is good ice.  We are not seeing many vehicles out on the ice but a lot of ATVs.  There are many fish houses in the 10 and 12 ft lenght as well as several 14 and 16 footers.  The panfish bite has been up and down with some reporting really good bites and other not so good.  We highly recommend moving around drilling holes until you find the fish...and then start fishing.  The time spent in scouting should really improve your results.  Minnewaska is a great panfish lake and it is hard not to catch some good eating fish.  A lot of bass and pike being caught!  Walleyes are also varied in reports...some doing very well and others not so well.  Definately good ice to give it a try!  We will have all the favorite bait on hand as well as a full line of tackle...along with advice and destinations to try.  Also stop by or email us for access and lake conditions.  We also have the "Habitat Outlet Store" well stocked with some of the most diverse and high quality food plot and native prairie seeds for habitat development.  Many people planting "fall food plots" right now.  Also visit the Habitat Outlet on line at www.HabitatNOW.com for all your spring and fall habitat needs.  Fish On! 

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HACKENSACK
Swanson's Bait & Tackle - www.swansonsbait.com
Jim Tuller, Hwy 371 on the north end of Hackensack (218-675-6176)

1-26-12- We really made some ice over these last few cold snaps.  We're looking at 16-20 inches on most areas.  Should be in pretty good shape most everwhere unless you're driving a larger rig.  The main thing to watch out for are the ice heaves; they have been particularly bad this year due to the weather we've had. Overall the fishing has been pretty good.  Though it's slowed down in some areas, it has picked up in other areas.  The common thread we've been finding is that the fisherman that are changing it up from what HAD been working are finding what IS working and fish are being caught.  This is coming primarily in depth and location changes.  So far there is no magic depth we've been finding, move around and find the active fish! Specifically, walleye are still coming through up on Leech, and a few on Woman and Winne.  Perch have slowed down a little, but they are still doing ok.  Panfish are picking up on most lakes, especially the evening crappie bite.  Also we are getting a few reports of tulibee getting caught as well.

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KABETOGAMA-NAMAKAN
- Gateway Store kabfishingreport.com - gatewaygeneral.com
Phil & Ellen Hart, US Hwy 53 & Co Rd 122, 30 miles south of Int'l Falls-Canadian border (218-875-2121)

2-1-12-WOW – what a winter, snow, ice, mild temperatures, it doesn’t get much better for sports enthusiasts or fisher persons.  Good clear ice 22”-26”, 15” of snow, mild slush on the lake, conditions to suit everyone.  The ice road from Kab to Ash River is allowing anglers opportunities for good access to some nice winter fishing locations. Pike waters near and around Spunge and Moxie Islands with closer access to Daily, and Mud Bay, well known pike waters.  Further to the East anglers are having success for walleye, perch and saugers at 26-32’. Island reefs and both the mouth of Blind Ash Bay and Ash River, have been favored locations.  Glow in dark jigs using a fall minnow or just the head makes a good winter presentation for anglers. Spearing folks using live decoy suckers and still having success as the season end gets near.  Come on up North,…to enjoy the Winter!! 

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LAKE OF THE WOODS
- Lake of the Woods Area Tourism Bureau - www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com
Jenna, near Junction of Hwy 11 and Hwy 172 in Baudette, (1-800-382-FISH)

2-1-12- Fishing is still great.  Anglers have to be a bit more skilled as we can see the fish on the electronics but have to tease them into biting. 32’ with a plain hook and minnow seems to do the trick as well as your favorite jigging spoon. There is a good share of suspended walleye and these fish are a good 26+ inches. Bringing electronics is recommended if it’s a trophy you are after. 16-18’ is seeing some nice action early in the morning and late in the evening as well. We’ve now got just over 2 feet of ice! Things are shaping up nicely! Up at the North West Angle a mix of shallow and deep waters is needed for the most action. Early morning and late evening 17-21’ and mid day in 27-29’ has proven successful. Using anything that glows for walleye and sauger has worked. Fishing has slowed a bit just south of Oak but still bringing in limits. The crappie bite continues to be strong! The snowmobile trail up to Oak Island is in good shape. Watch out for a few pressure ridges along the way. The continuous fluctuation in temps is causing pushing and pulling of these ridges so caution is advised. The land trail remains closed and we continue to do the “snow dance” (a modified version of the rain dance) in hopes of a nice covering!

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LAKE BENTON
- Veire's Mini-Mart - Visit our Facebook Page
Dave, 117 E Benton St, corner of Hwy 75 and 14 (507-368-4204)

2-1-12-Lake Benton has good ice, 16-18 inches. The walleye bite is best bobber fishing with a minnow in 7 feet of water. Anglers are catching 14-17 inch walleyes on Benton. Perch Lake is giving up good numbers of perch. Bobber fishing with minnows best. LQP has a good crappie bite in 16-18 feet of water on a bobber/minnow.

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LEECH LAKE
- Anderson's Resorts - www.andersonsleech-lake.com
Tim, (1-800-516-0077) (1-800-516-0077)

2-1-12-Great Ice, little snow and lots of perch = great getaway to Leech Lake. Spoon jig and Minnow head is all you need! They are all over so pick a spot, drill a few holes and start fishing! Iif you do not start catching within 20 min  move,  it will not take long to find perch. Then all you have to do is weed out the small ones and plan a fish fry. Walleyes are going strong also but twilight bite is the only for sure bet. Red glow seems to be the best bait. Pike are also going strong, not a lot of people fishing them, but if you want to have fun, pull out the tip ups  and get a card game going in the fishhouse and have a blast! There is something wonderful about seeing the flag up and wondering what is there. Come enjoy Leech Lake with us and remember open water / opener is not that far away!  Check with your buds and try us for opener! Tim

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MILLE LACS
- Chris Kuduk's Guide Service - www.kuduksguideservice.com (320-630-1761)

2-1-12-A great bite on Mille Lacs Lake, anglers are getting out to the mud with ATVs and snowmobiles. Sherman's producing fish. Dickie's Liberty Beach has roads plowed to get out. You can also get out of Northstar Resort. Anglers are having luck fishing the rocks, evenings from 3-10 pm. Ann, Knife, Shakopee, Platte, Sullivan are producing sunfish.

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MILLE LACS
- Jeff Hanson's Guide Service - www.hansonguideservice.com McQuoid's Inn/Lindy Tackle Fishing Report (763-477-8553)

Call Jeff for an update!

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LAKE MINNETONKA
- Wayzata Bait & Tackle
Tim or Bob, half mile west off I-494 on Hwy 12 (952-473-2227)

2-1-12-Ice conditions range from 3-16 inches on area lakes. Anglers driving out on ATVs. Minnetonka, Medicine and Sarah are producing panfish, working for them, hit and miss. Sunnies biting on the north side of Sarah. Pike have been hitting on Medicine.

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MISSISSIPPI - ST. CROIX
- Turk Gierke, Croixsippi Guide Service www.croixsippi.com (1-800-929-1801)

1-18-12- The ice on the St. Croix River is forming well. I continue to be a walk on angler as the ice is 8 to 9 inches and unsafe for vehicle driving. Fishing for crappies has been steady. I have not had a lot of non stop action but enough where all trips so far this season have resulted in a good meal of fish in 3 to 4 hours of fishing. Reading the sonar keeps the pace moving as the fish actively chase your bait. In addition to active fish, there are light hitting ones with a “whiff” hookset by yours truly on a bait steal. Then mix in a slab coming to the hole and the overall action keeps the time moving quickly. The size of the crappies is impressive 75 percent of all fish I have caught this year have been keeper sized crappies above 9” in length. Two trips ago I landed a jumbo 14” crappie that upon hookset I thought was a white bass or walleye. The white bass are also running large. Actually the white bass always run large on the Croix and are a dime a dozen at 15 to 16”. White bass move in packs and the sonar turns a bright red mass 6 to 10 feet high, here doubles are common. Ice cold winter white bass when cleaned properly are fantastic. I recently filleted crappies and white bass, fried them up in a beer batter, served them hot to two 14 year old boys and they, unsolicited preferred the white bass over the crappies when asked which they prefer. I agreed with them. White bass have and enormous lateral line and reddish meat between their skin and meat. For great eating fish cut out the white basses lateral line and shave off the red meat, fry whities fresh and there will be nothing left but crums!. By the way the shore lunch brand beer batter is a winning fry mix on sale at Fleet Farm for under two bills. I am doing most of my catching with jigging spoons and minnows, I am employing some bobbers, and dead sticking. I like to work fish on the sonar as it is my favorite style of presentation. Depths are 38 fow and over the soft basin of the Bayport area. The fish do roam. I however do find crappies relate more to structure and flow than the white bass do.

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WACONIA
Mase's In Towne Marine - www.intownemarina.com, Cindy, corner of Lake and Elm (952-442-2096)

1-21-12-We opened up our access for vehicle traffic yesterday. While we are finding very good ice in many locations, between 11 to 13 inches, we still have the dangerous areas on Center and Pillsbury Reefs to watch out for. We also are continuing to deal with active springs on the lake. We are doing everything we can to mark any spots we come across, but it's impossible to cover every square inch of the lake, and therefore we can never guarantee ice. We highly recommend that you do your exploring during the day and not at night. Please stop in to the marina to see our map of areas to avoid that we have come across. If you find something of concern on the lake, we ask that you help us by marking the area as best as you can so others can avoid it. We're excited to see people come out to Waconia to get the bite on! If we help each other, this should be a safe and happy rest of the winter for all of us that have waited so long to enjoy it! Don't forget to purchase your ticket online for the Adrian Peterson All Day Blizzard Blitz, which benefits the Starkey Hearing Foundation. The Fishing Contest takes place from Noon to 3 pm on Sunday, February 19th. Adult tickets cost $25 and Kid's tickets cost $15, if purchased online. If you choose to buy your ticket at the entrance the day of, Adult tickets are $30 and Kid's tickets are $20. There are several Children's Activities that will be going on from 10:30 am until 3 pm, located on the ice. We at the In Towne Marina are excited to be the Official Weigh Station for this event again. We look forward to seeing you on the lake!

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WINNIBIGOSHISH
- Walleye Visions - www.mnfishingconnections.com
Tom Neustrom, 21622 Airport Rd, Grand Rapids, tom@mnfishingconnections.com, (218-327-2312)

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