Where should I plan this years Ice Fishing trips to.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Little back ground. I live in NW Iowa.

Have Ice fished these main lake attractions.

1.Upper Red

2.Winni

3.Devil's Lake

4.Waubay (and area)

5.The Iowa Great Lakes

Was thinking of maybe trying

1.Lake of the Woods

2.Leech Lake

3.Mille Lacs

4.Superior

5.Otter Tail

Anyone with input would help. I've heard Mille Lacs wasn't to hot the last few years.

[crappiebuster]

How was ice fishing at Devils? I was there this spring we pounded em on six mile. Buncha walleyes and some crappies in the trees. 1 perch the entire trip even with 10 guys fishing. Guess theyre hard to track down during open water.

Going to URL in early Janruary and was thinking about hitting Devils lake or Lake Winnipeg sometime after that.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

How was ice fishing at Devils? I was there this spring we pounded em on six mile. Buncha walleyes and some crappies in the trees. 1 perch the entire trip even with 10 guys fishing. Guess theyre hard to track down during open water.

Going to URL in early Janruary and was thinking about hitting Devils lake or Lake Winnipeg sometime after that.

The first day, we caught a few walleye, then limited out on pike, and came close to our limit on perch. Overall the Devils lake trip was fairly good. I liked to fish it but it's a fairly long drive, and can't bring myself to drive all that far when there is plenty of good lakes that are much closer. Was a great experiance though. I do like Upper Red lake better though.

[Mike Stark]

Lake of the Woods.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Lake of the Woods.

Give me some insite to your comment.

[Mike Stark]

Lots of walleye and lots of BIG walleye.

check out Wigwam Resort. I stayed up there last winter with my folks and had a blast. They stay on top of the fish at Wigwam.

[maros91]

I would go to Lake of the Woods. If you can't catch a walleye there you shouldn't be fishing at all. Always had a good time there. I would also try Mille Lacs in March and go after some jumbo perch. Always fun when you hit the big schools. It's one after another.

[Ryan_V]

Mille Lacs has been slow the last couple years. If you work for them, you can find them. What kind of fishing do you do?? Run and gun with portables or hit the sleeper and crack open a bottle of whiskey? (I prefer the second)

Lots of different structures/areas to try on Mille Lacs, depending on your transportation and time of year you are there. If it's fish you're after, I'd head further north than Mille Lacs. I have a perm on mille lacs and haven't gotten much lately in the winter, although, like I said, I get there, warm the house up, throw in some movies and hit the juice!!!

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Mille Lacs has been slow the last couple years. If you work for them, you can find them. What kind of fishing do you do?? Run and gun with portables or hit the sleeper and crack open a bottle of whiskey? (I prefer the second)

Lots of different structures/areas to try on Mille Lacs, depending on your transportation and time of year you are there. If it's fish you're after, I'd head further north than Mille Lacs. I have a perm on mille lacs and haven't gotten much lately in the winter, although, like I said, I get there, warm the house up, throw in some movies and hit the juice!!!

I tend to do both of what you said.

[GRAND DAD]

I guess If I were driveing all that way, I would rent a sleeper on Red for the night bite and sleeping and Bring a portable and hit Lake of the woods during the day.

[Go2fish]

Big Eyes - Mille Lacs numbers can be tough but some real piggies

Numbers - Lake of Woods I have rarely seen over 14 inchers in winter

Eaters - Red plus bonus giant pike.

[GRAND DAD]

Big Eyes - Mille Lacs numbers can be tough but some real piggies

Numbers - Lake of Woods I have rarely seen over 14 inchers in winter

Eaters - Red plus bonus giant pike.

Wow You must be fishing in the wrong spots on Lake of the woods, Granted you will catch a lot of dinks, I had times last year that my family and I would have our limits in about 2 hours all nice keepers and a couple of 13 inch perch. I had one morning that I actully had to pull up my lines so I could calm down and have a smoke, HAHAHA Thats fishing. O the ice can't get here soon enough.

[Eric_Kruger]

not far from red theres a little lake called blackduck, best perch lake i have ever fished, and nice sized ones as well.....

WE normally do a big trip to one of the big lakes up north, but this year i think we a leaning to finding a smaller town with alot of lakes within 20 or 30 miles and setting up base camp in town and just jumping from lake to lake...... Just another option to consider

EK

[harvey lee]

I would without a doubt check out Wigwam resort on LOW's or another great p[lace is Woody's resort on Rainy Lake.

[herefish101]

A good day on Red, is like a slow day on Lake Of The Woods. LOTW, is the best fishing i'v ever experianced outside of the Boundry Waters Canoe Area.

[CRAZYEYES]

If you only get a big trip or 2 a year go to lake of the woods. I can only remember one sleeper house trip where we didnt catch well over 100 fish in the last ten years. The last 2 years somebody has gotten a sturgeon at night. The other nice thing is the fish keep 9 to 5 bankers hours up there so there's action all day. I recently found a tally list from last year during christmas and 2 of us caught 174 walleyes and saugers in 2 1/2 days.

[luv2fish]

Sorry to get a bit off topic, but a question about lake of the woods. We go to Red every year with 2 or 3 of our own houses. Each year we talk about LOW, but never do it. Are there resorts at LOW that cater to people with their own houses (plow roads, etc)? Or are most of the places up there dealing with their own houses?

We are highly motivated to get up to LOW this year, just need to figure out logistics...

[GRAND DAD]

Most of them all cater to wheel houses, you pay for a road pass just like Red, I prefer to go out of Morris point very close fishing so you don't have a long way to go I have a very big house and pull it with a 4 wheeler as soon as they let houses out same with Zipple bay but you have a little farther to go seeing you have to cross a river ( or bay what ever you want to call it) and then a sand dune to get to the fishing and they all plow roads , but Zipple and Morris point are the only two I have gone out of.

[fiskyknut]

Typical LOTW 14 incher caught and released last Friday!!

[Northlander]

LMAO Fisky! I wish I would have seen that 16"er then.

[LeeMB]

No one has mentioned Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba. The number of good size fish is good and excellent trophy potential.

[Mike Stark]

Lake Winnipeg is an awesome fishery. I hope to get back that way this winter.

[mr_jman]

LOTW is still my preferred location to ice some walleyes. Planning to make another trip up there again this winter! I've had good and bad days up there, but when its good it is REALLY good! Don't forget your gold plated jigs!!!!!

[grasshopper]

I wouldn't waste mine time on URL. Blackduck or straight to LOW.

[schmitty3]

I would definetly say LOTW. The last few years the fishing has been unbelievable. After all it is the walleye capitol of the world.