Mid-December Ice Fishing Help

[Doop]

Hello Guys,

This December I have the opportunity to take my dad on an ice fishing trip. He and I haven't ice fished together in over 20 years. He used to take me out all the time when I was a kid...NOW IT'S TIME TO RETURN THE FAVOR!

I was thinking about going to LOTW...but South Dakota seems like a good option too. We would be tip up fishing for northerns...so a lake that has some biguns would be awesome...a few walleyes and perch mixed in...mainly after big pike. Anyone have any suggestions?

[whitewolf6647]

Anyway, I don't remember exactely what I posted before but the jist of it was. I think I put a link to Tobin lake and that's why it got deleted. Not to steer you away from SD, but if you're looking for truly big pike through the ice you may want to check out Tobin Lake Saskatchean, or the Red Lakes here in MN. Those IMHO are going to be your best bet for bigger sized northerns.

[harvey lee]

I would contact Jonny P on Upper red Lake for some true trophy pike action and the walleye action is also very good.

http://outdoorswithjonnyp.com/

[Doop]

Whitewolf....what did I do wrong?

[rundrave]

you didnt do anything wrong. the admin edited Whitewolfs post and was not referring to your post

[AceintheHole]

URL is the place to go walleyes, big crappies and huge pike.

[DonBo]

How about Devils Lake in NoDak. Sounds like a sure bet to me.

[Rost]

There are some really good lakes that get hot in the NE SD region in December.

My dream trip for december would still be Lake of the woods though!

[icehousebob]

Last winter, I made one trip to Upper Red and three trips to NE South Dakota. Both are good, but the variety of lakes and fish species in SoDak is sure fun to experiment with. I have a Red Lake Crappie on the wall and I'm shooting for a monster SoDak Perch to go beside it. If you're traveling that far, use your time wisely and hire a guide, no matter which area you choose.

[Doop]

i'm going to go with your guys' recommendation on URL....thanks guys! i've fished there a few times and had success on crappies...walleyes were off limits at that time though. always set out tip ups and have never had a flag. I may have to recruit Jonny P's help!!!

[Doop]

whitewolf....did you ice fish Tobin or was it open water?

cost is definitely an issue...trying to keep it affordable.

[whitewolf6647]

I've never fished it but I know a few people that have and I have seen their pictures of some of the fish they got out of there. NICE NICE NICE!!! All of it was ice fishing also.

[Doop]

If gas wasn't so high right now...Tobin would definitely be an option.

[AugieAngler1010]

In addition to crappies and bluegills all over a pound, I did get this guy out in SoDak last winter. 4lb test, Jason Mitchell "panfish" rod. I fish URL every winter, but it's a totally different experience out in SoDak. Both are really fun and offer different things.

[Outdoors Junkie]

I would contact Jonny P on Upper red Lake for some true trophy pike action and the walleye action is also very good.

http://outdoorswithjonnyp.com/

My family own three cabins in Waskish. This past summer my uncle and his friend used JonnyP and caught a mess of fish that day. We have fished URL hundreds of times over the last 30 years and Jonny P taught my uncle a lot about the lake and where and how to fish the lake. I would recommend him in a heart beat.