WHERE DO YOU WINTER FISH?

[Outfitter17]

Alot of memebers have posted where they fish in the summer, I was just wondering where you guys take your winter trips?

What is the main focus of species in the winter?

Does it differ from the main species in the summer, if so why?

Do you like the adventure of snowmobiling out to the camp/resort then snowmobiling to your fishing holes or do you like to drive your truck to the cabin and have the camp transport you out to your fishing destination and back for the day?

I prefer bass/walleyes in the summer, but lakers in the winter.

[waterbound]

I usually fish Minnetonka for walleyes, but I usually make a trip up to Mille Lacs for at least one weekend. Usually I'm trying for eyes or crappies but I will throw out a tip-up for pike while I'm jigging sometimes. In the summer I am generally stuck to shore so I fish for whatever I can catch from there, but it does change to targeting walleyes once the ice is on. Most of the places I fish I'm able to drive right to the fish so I don't need to worry about having a resort drive me out.

[bgreen82]

im sure plenty of people switch up the species based on the fact that muskies, bass, catfish etc. are extremely hard to ice, at least in the metro area. for me, my favorite species to target for both seasons is crappies, and in the winter northerns also. still yet to ice a walleye. hopefully mille lacs trip can cure that disease.

[JigginIsLife]

um i do some fishing durring the summer but not as hard as i do ice fishing. species switch from bass in the summer (even though i catch quite a few during the winter) to walleye, perch and crappies. i would say main focus depends on the lake, but mostly walleyes if they are in there.

I take most of my trips to LOW and Jamestown Res (seeing i live in moorhead) and a few to leech and my cabin (11th crowwing, near akely.) would love to go to URL but dont really know anyone.

And honestly i just really love the fact that hey anyone in the world can jump in a boat in water and go out and fish NOT everyone can say they drove thier Jimmy out on a lake and walked around on water all day long, and i totally love the fact that everyone is much MUCH nicer on a frozen lake than on a soft water lake.

[Lure Lightning]

I fish chisago lakes for panfish and some eyes. Mille Lacs a few times for eyes. Hit Red Lake and LOW on a trip for crappie walleye action. Devils Lake ND for a weekend trip for Eyes, Perch and Pike. I also hit some wisconsin lakes that are close to the border for mixed bag.

[CrowRiverRat83]

I mostly ice fish on Mille Lacs, I have a perm house there. It's just too comfortable in there to want to go out in a portable! Ha ha. But summer I'm mostly stuck on shore, so the rivers are my best choice. Fishing for cats and roughfish, they are the easiest to catch and some of the best fighters.

[pikerliker]

I ice fish the south central area of the state (Mankato, Faribault, Waterville,etc) as I live in the area. I usually take one trip to a big lake up north with my dad and boys. We've hit LOW a couple times, Red, Devils Lake ND, Brainerd area. I like to target walleye's but I'm rarely successful. Otherwise I'm looking for panfish and the occasional pike on a tipup.

~piker

[BrdHunter01]

Summer: stricktly eyes all season

Winter: craps and eyes

Eyes: An annual trip to Mille Lacs (at least once even though ice fishing that lake is tought) and a few trips out to the alex area since its not to far away

Craps: stick around my area as some good opportunities exist

[Esox_Magnum]

Eyes in the spring, muskies from opener till close, eyes or whatever bites in the winter. All my fishings done in Iowa with the exception of a weeks trip to Vermilion MN for muskies in August.

[LeeMB]

I fish lake winnipeg and the lower part of the Red river for 'eyes, and make a trip up to Gods lake in northern Manitoba for Lakers.

[jigginjim]

I like catching crappies and walleyes during the winter as well as during open water season. Although sunfish and perch can make for some fast action, tip-up for pike when you would like to relax, which is no relaxing there's fish to be caught.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'll call myself a creature of opportunity. I fish for whatever feels like biting. I do the brunt of my ice fishing in SW MN cuz that's where I live. Every year some buddies and I take a trip to URL to get away from the job/wife/life for a weekend. Going to hit the Burntside bash for the first time this winter. Hopefully toss in at least 2 other trips to northen lakes sometime this season.

[pushbutton]

year round i mainly fish for panfish, with that you always get the inevitable bass, nordski and eye that are also fishing for them. my favorite spot is a 36 acre environmental puddle that holds 1lb gills, and a ton of 4-5 lb bass, and 8-10 lb northerns. always fish it alone and never tell people, never walk off the lake with fish, and only fish it about 10 times a year as not to attract attention.

[marshmallow]

Some of my expensive trips are Red,Bowstring,L.O.T.W. Leech,Winnie.. Going to try Devils Lake for the first time this winter..I also fish Annandale area quite often..Hutchinson area is also in the equation.. Alexandria mid season..

[traveler]

Hopefully a saltwater trip to Mexico... Cabo or Mazatlan.

The north shore for open water casting for kamloops rainbows.

Red lake for crappies and now mostly walleyes.

Maybe a trip thrown in to LOTW or brainerd lakes area.

Inland stream trout lakes along the Gunflint.

[bk_MN_iceman]

Mainly River fish in the summer for eyes and carp/cat for the smoker.

Winter - Locally - Around New Ulm (Lake Hanska, Sleepy Eye, Clear, St. James etc...)

Few trips every year - Green Lake (spicer), Mille Lacs, Trying Leech this year

[L_Cappo]

lotw 4 days a week

[Outfitter17]

Sounds good guys, but with almost 46,000 reg. users, there must be more guys doing trips than the few guys that have responded.

[Fred_Bear]

lotw 4 days a week

You lucky s.o.b. I get 2 trips up to that area a winter and its my favorite fishing of the entire year. Other than that my fishing season consists of pretty much every day of my 4 week holiday break. About 75% fishing crappies and sometimes getting after some eyes at dawn and dusk. Wish I lived closer to some good perch waters!

I fish everything but cats and rough fish during open water. Used to be mostly crappies but last summer transitioned more to bass and skies.

[mr_jman]

I usually get up to LOTW once a winter and having blessed myself by going to college in both Ely and Bemidji, I still know people in both locations and like to try to get to at least one (Usually Bemidji) of these areas during late ice season!

[wplatehunter]

I get up to LOTW once a year and fish a lot around Ottertail County. Fishing for walleye and panfish.

[sodajerk]

In the spring and summer my fishing is mostly fly fishing for trout on the streams here in SE MN. Once in a while I'll take the kayak out on some of the lakes, ponds and reservoirs with either the fly rod or spinning gear and go after panfish, bass, pike or whatever is in the mood to bite.

In winter I usually take the clam out once a weekend after trout, pannies, crappies, bass, and occasionally put out a tip-up for pike. Sometimes I hit Lake Pepin looking for walleye/sandpike too.

Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 lakes (actually more than 15,000) but the southeast part of the state sure got stiffed on that deal. I have to drive 25-30 miles one way to get to fishable ice. Goodhue and Wabasha counties have no lakes that aren't part of the Mississippi River flowage, and Olmsted county has no natural lakes at all, only man-made reservoirs.

On the rare occasions that I get over to Faribault, Mankato, or up by Willmar for family stuff, I'm envious of all the nice looking lakes I see every few miles. Wish there was more of that around here.

[peerchking]

I mainly fish lakes in kandiyohi co. but I'll take a couple trips t LOW and URL and also leech and I go to devels lake about every two years. walleye-perch-panfish

[NoWiser]

Usually Leech for early ice walleyes and perch, and late ice perch. Panfish around home when I get a chance, and Ontario for Lake Trout, and last year, giant crappies too. Good times up there for sure!

[labguy]

I fish Rush Lake at least half a dozen times each winter- Crappie heaven if you have a pink or orange jig and some eurolarve. Also I get at least one trip north. Last year was Upper Red, this year is LOTW January 6th. Can't wait!