Week 2 of 2025 and we are rolling. The ice-cold weather that has blanketed the Northland is doing its job and making for great ice production.
We have just started to hear of a few vehicles traveling onto some smaller shallower lakes. As usual, please check your ice and take things slow. Doesn't hurt to check in with local bait shops, resorts and guides to get the latest word on the street — I mean, on the ice.
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Most inland waters have now started to see the formation of ice shanty villages or what some may call "community holes." With the continued winter subzero temperatures, we expect to see said villages grow. We will probably also see an influx of travelers over the next several weeks trying our area's luck for some fish. The point is, ice fishing is here and will be busy for the foreseeable future.
The only real downfall is we have little to no snow cover on many waters, so snowmobiling has not been a great form of transportation. I know I won't run my machines on bare ice because I don't like relying on scratchers to keep the sliders lubed. Honestly speaking, snowmobiles are made for snow, not ice.
Let's dive into this week's good fishing report:
Lake Superior finally has some fishable ice in the areas of Ashland. Foot travel has been the way to go, but ice conditions are getting better every night. As we stand, ice is stretching from south of Washburn and over toward the northeastern corner of Ashland. Thickness is ranging around 4-8 inches depending on where you go, but as mentioned check, check and then check some more. Any avid Lake Superior ice angler will tell you, never want to relax on the safety protocols when fishing the Gitch.
As for the bite, we have been flirting with some good perch bites in the Ashland area. This year we are seeing several great-sized jumbos, which is a great sign. In conjunction with the perch, we have been getting a good mix of pike whitefish, a few splake trout and the occasional brown trout. This last weekend we even tangled with a mudpuppy. If you don't know what a mudpuppy is, look it up.
Most bites have been in the 15-25 feet of water using a variety of smaller bright-colored spoons tipped with a Lake Shiner head. Make sure to swing into the great River Rock Bait Shop or Anglers All to get the latest updates on ice conditions as well as what you will need for bait/tackle for the bay. We are pumped to be back on Lake Superior.
St. Louis River has had a decent bite this last week with good walleyes being caught over expansive flats. Bite windows are the deal now, as well as slowing down presentations and not emitting any noise. Fish are very spooked now that the big holiday rush of anglers took to the waters. Our best bite has been away from crowds in less popular sections of the estuary.
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We have been getting fish to go on rigging raps and rattling traps over 6-9 feet of water. Dead sticks are turning out a few fish, but still sitting and waiting for fish to swim by is the better option. In the back bays, anglers are getting a few panfish in the form of perch, crappies and a few sunnies to commit. Best tactics will continue to be spikes or soft plastics tipped on a small tungsten. Again, avoiding pressured areas will be best for new pods of less pressured fish.
Inland fishing has been the deal for busy consistent bites. Starting with pike, bass and the occasional walleye, we have been getting some good mid-morning to late-afternoon action on set-lines.
In Wisconsin, where we can have three lines per person, has been a great advantage for more bites.
In Minnesota, of course, it is the two-line rule, so you have to choose if you want two tip-ups or one tip-up and a jigging rod. In Minnesota waters, I usually elect for the ladder (one tip-up or dead stick and one jig rod). In either case, setting out active shiners in the bottom third to halfway down the water column has been best. Targeting areas just outside weeds will continue to be a good spot.
For panfish, concentrate on soft substrate mud and use your electronics to find the fish. As we move further into winter, this will become more and more of a choir.
For walleyes, anglers will want to be looking toward early morning bites and later afternoons, and into early evenings. Setting up on mid-lake structure and sharp breaks is the thing to do now. I prefer a UV glow Northland Rattling Spoon tipped with a minnow head.
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