This is an extract from an article by Vince Meyer writing in Brainerddispatch.comThough most people’s ice fishing gear still sits in a corner of their garage, some enthusiasts have opened the new season.
“They’re catching some nice northerns on North Long, some panfish and a few walleyes too,” said Sherri Wichter of S & W Bait north of Brainerd. “The 371 bay has three to five inches, and Molly Lake has four inches.”
Wichter said she weighed a 9 pound, 8 ounce northern pike Sunday night. It was the biggest fish brought into the shop so far this winter, she said.
Another target for early-ice enthusiasts is South Long Lake, where panfish are being caught on the southwest part of the lake. Tim Brastrup, DNR area fisheries manager in Brainerd, said he called around Monday to find out what was going on but that he heard few positive reports.
“I heard the locals are trying to get out on Whitefish Lake where the Pine River comes in but so far they can’t,” Brastrup said. “Mille Lacs doesn’t have a scrap of ice yet. My niece lives near there and she said there’s not even any skim ice near shore, and that’s unusual.”
In a normal year ice fishing in central Minnesota gets started around Dec. 1, but as Brastrup said, “What’s normal nowadays?”
When Tom Jones, DNR large lake specialist in Aitkin, was contacted for ice fishing news he said, “There isn’t any. I’ve heard some of the smaller lakes have from two-and-a-half to three inches of ice, but I’ve also heard they’re still fishing from boats on Mille Lacs. I talked to a guy who caught 12 on Friday and three were in the slot.”
Jones said a local rule of thumb is that most lakes are safe to fish on “two weeks after Hickory freezes over.” Located near Aitkin, Hickory is a 197-acre lake with a maximum depth of 32 feet. It froze over Friday, Jones said.
“I hope people don’t get too anxious,” he added. “Make sure the ice is safe. Give it a couple extra days before you start driving out there.”
Ice fishermen are reminded that a new law this year says any fish house left on the ice overnight must be marked with reflective material at least two inches square on each side of the house. The 2-inch size requirement is the size of the round reflectors available at most hardware stores.
Another new rule is that the exterior letters on the fish house that identify the owner must be 2 inches top to bottom. In the past the letters had to be 3 inches top to bottom. But the pockets on many manufactured portable houses are so small that cramming a 3-inch driver’s license number into the pocket made the letters almost illegible.
