fishing reports Yellow Lake Fishing Reports near Webster, WI

[mrg]

is there no snow cover there? only have like 12 inches of ice here in the hayward area.

[Guest]

There is some snow but not a whole lot. A couple of inches here and there.

[mrg]

been working on gilmore lake in minong . not much snow there either. easy to drive around.

[MNVikesFan]

Hi All-

We're new to Yellow Lake. To date I've only accessed the ice from our place on the west side by 4 wheeler.

Superbowl weekend we have a group of guys coming up to fish and watch the game. Some want to access the lake by car\truck. From recents posts with 20-24 inches of ice, thickness shouldn't be a concern.

Just had a few questions for the group regarding access and driving on Yellow Lake.

What options are there around the lake to access the ice by car? I guess North and West side of the lake would be most convenient from our place, but would be interested in all options people know of.

Also, last I was up there was open water at the landing by the Yellow Lake Lodge. is that still the case? Is this safe option, being that it's near the bridge?

Final question. Other than the obvious open water areas, are there any areas on the Lake that one should be concerned about thin ice, when reports around the lake are between 20-24 inches?

Looking forward to getting up there, catching some fish and having a good time.

Thanks-

Jeff

[DonBo]

Doubt the landing at the Lodge is ever safe because of the water flowing into Little Yellow, though I've never been there in the winter.

There is public access next to Ike Waltons on the north side and at Jeffries Landing on the east side. South Shore Resort may grant access for a fee? Been years since I went out of there.

Other than where the river flows in, and out, the rest of the lake should be safe.

[MNVikesFan]

Thanks Don! We'll stay away from the Lodge access and keep to those others you mentioned. Much appreciated.

Jeff

[Guest]

The south side where the river comes in is a no-no, the public landing by the lodge is never safe either. You can get on by Ike's or in Jeffries. If you go into the bay by Jeffries really shallow, then there's a big spring to watch for. But it sounds like you guys won't even be in that area.

Good luck!

[budboy]

Anyone been out on little Yellow gonna fish it sat for panfish any help would be great. Never fished it before

[Yellow EPJ]

Well between hockey games I was able to make a trip to Florida with my parents, brother, uncle Baba and Nana. We caught Sea Trout, Sheepshead, Lizzard Fish, Drum, Mango Snapper, Pig Fish, Mullet and maybe a couple others from shore. We then went out on a charter and caught some great Red Grouper, Amberjack “Reef Donkeys” and other baitfish such as squirrel fish! I might get out today on Medicine Lake after practice and am fired up about a sleeper trip to LOTW in mid-march! Other that, I am looking forward to getting back to Yellow in Late March to catch some Perch sight fishing, see if we can get some Crappies in transition and help my two brothers catch the fishing itch. Don’t even get me going about Walleye opener as it is on like Donkey Kong……

[DonBo]

I first saw those pictures and thought "he didn't catch those on Yellow".

Nice to get away this time of year, hopefully I'll have some pics of saltwater fish next week too.

I also plan on getting up there for some late ice crappies, and for the first time in years I won't be turkey hunting on the opener, so I'll be up that weekend for sure.

Bring on that open water!

[Guest]

Sight fishing for perch on yellow? Good luck I guess. Going to Yellow this Saturday to round out the walleye season. Other then that I've got some late ice trips to Yellow, Webster South Dakota, and Mille Lacs coming up. I am getting big time excited for muskie season though.

[Ogaa_Persuit]

Whitefish in Yellow?

I had a question for you guys. On another site I've seen 2 posts, both from this winter, about Whitefish on Yellow. One was iced and one was lost at the hole. I never knew these fish were in Yellow Lake. Have any of you guys ever landed one? How prevalent are they in Yellow?

Thanks!

[DonBo]

Yep, whitefish, or tulibes, or whatever they're called. Pretty common catch through the ice.

[Ogaa_Persuit]

Thanks Donbo. A tulibe is another common name for a cisco, a similar fish to the whitefish but quite a bit smaller, different jaw shape as well. Do you know which is in Yellow?

Are either caught in the summer?

[Sinker]

I have caught maybe 3 or 4 over the years while ice fishing on Yellow. Usually they were suspended and I thought they were crappies. Good fighters and big eyes. Always thought they were tullibies. Never caught one during open water but I did catch a sheepshead last fall. Surprised me. Good Luck.

[Guest]

They're not whitefish. Whitefish and tullibees are different species as the whiteys get bigger and taste better than tullies. But yes there is tullibee/cisco in yellow. They'd be hard to target in Yellow though because there's no definite deep holes so they just roam the basin and it'd take quite a bit of holes to find 'em out there.

Good luck.

[Guest]

Fished yellow yesterday and holy cows...if there was another 1/2" of ice, I would've needed an extension. There's almost 40" of ice up there. It's gonna take a while to get rid of that. Little to no snow in the area will help though. I was also able to catch a nice fat tullibee.

Good luck

[Ogaa_Persuit]

Fished yellow yesterday and holy cows...if there was another 1/2" of ice, I would've needed an extension. There's almost 40" of ice up there. It's gonna take a while to get rid of that. Little to no snow in the area will help though. I was also able to catch a nice fat tullibee.

That pic isn't showing up for me, Can anyone see it? How big are the cisco's?

[Guest]

Yeah the upload didn't work. They range in size I remember from seeing them in the die off a few years back. Most of the ones that died though were the older and weaker specimens. The one I caught was 17" inches roughly and around 2lbs. It was just by luck while fishing crappies in the middle of no where I saw him suspended. I doubt you'd have a lot of luck targeting them though. They're roamers in that lake and there's no where that's a pronounced deep spot to hold so they're wherever they want to be. Theoretically if you want to have success targeting them, you's have to cut a ton of holes and that's not fun at all with 38"-40" of ice.

Good luck.

[Ogaa_Persuit]

Do you have a picture of the Jaw? That sure looks like a whitefish.

Thanks for the clarification that you just caught one. Your original post (and my quote before you edited it) said that you really got into them. That would normally mean, to most people anyway, that you caught quite a few.

[DonBo]

Tell the difference: Cisco, Lake Whitefish, and Mooneye

Both the Cisco (Coregonus artedi) and Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) are found in Lake of the Woods and other lakes in Minnesota. Ciscos are commonly caught by ice anglers, while Lake whitefish are occasionally caught. Both fish make tasty tablefare.

Many anglers have a difficult time telling the difference between the two species. They each are identifiable as a member of the Trout/Salmon family by their body shape and adipose fin. The main distinguishing feature is their snouts. The Lake Whitefish has a snout that overhangs the lower jaw.

The lower jaw of the Cisco extends up to or beyond the tip of snout.

Cisco are also commonly called tullibee or lake herring.

Lake Whitefish can grow to larger sizes than Cisco. The Minnesota state record Cisco weighed 5 pounds, 11.8 ounces, and was caught in Saint Louis County. The Minnesota state record Lake Whitefish weighed 12 pounds, 4.5 ounces, and was caught on Leech Lake.

Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) are similar in appearance to cisco and lake whitefish. Mooneye are characterized by having large eyes. They are one of only two members of the Mooneye family, the other being the goldeye.

You are most likely to catch mooneye while fishing the Rainy River, or near the mouth of the Rainy River in the Pine Island area. Mooneye are often caught by anglers using flies, especially during July when mayflies are hatching in the Rainy River. The Minnesota state-record for mooneye is one pound, fifteen ounces. That fish was caught in the Minnesota River in Redwood County.

[muskyvic]

Do you have a picture of the Jaw? That sure looks like a whitefish.

Thanks for the clarification that you just caught one. Your original post (and my quote before you edited it) said that you really got into them. That would normally mean, to most people anyway, that you caught quite a few.

[Jarrid Houston]

Good stuff Donbo, I have caught all 3 species (not often). I can see how they can be misidentified because they all look similar. My experiences are Tullys in the waters of Northern MN, Whitefish in Lake Superior, and Mooneye in St. Croix / Apple River areas...

[Guest]

Sorry about the misunderstanding fellas...worded it wrong. However no I did not get a pic of the jaw. But what's in Yellow is definitely Tullibee. I looked at the jaw on the one I caught and I can confirm it was a tully. Heading to Mille Lacs tomorrow in the early am. With a little luck I'll hit Yellow for the last time the following weekend.

Again sorry for the misunderstanding. Good luck out there.

-Zander

[Guest]

I was up at Yellow again this weekend. The ice is deteriorating fast. The access by Ike's is getting really sloppy. After today I'd say walking only. Once you get out to the weedline the ice is really bad. It's all dark and wet. Might not even not even be good for walking after these next few days. The access by Jeffries is all wet and muddy. You can get an ATV through there but again, after today it'd be iffy. That weedline is causing problems making the ice really sloppy and weak. I must warn, there was a couple holes that opened up where the road used to be out in front of Jeffries that were about 2ft across. Be a day wrecker getting stuck in one of those.

Good luck,

-Zander