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icefishing lakes?

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Gander Mountain - Fishing Gear

Last Visit: 06/19/2013 02:32AM
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catfish72

12/04/2011 01:37AM

hey I am going to be heading out of Ely on the 18 of dec. through the 21st on a camping and icefishing trip to try to catch a few walleyes. I was thinking of maybe heading out to lake one or two and check out the burn or into big moose, or gabbro or somthing similar as far as distance of travel goes.(I will be solo) any one have any Ideas as far as good lakes and fishing goes? I welcome any suggestions on this one.

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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The Great Outdoors

12/04/2011 07:45AM

Call and check on ice conditions before you depart. Small lakes have ice on them, larger ones do not.
There doesn't appear to be any super cold weather moving in, and the ice may not be as good as it should be. Of course, that can all change.
As of today, you'd need skates to travel the lakes. You still may for your trip, but heavy snowfalls could put a lot slush on the lakes, making travel extremely dangerous to impossible.

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fitgers1

12/04/2011 11:22AM

I've done some superb northern ice fishing on Wind Bay of Basswood. If the ice allows, go from Moose, portage to Wind Lake and then to Wind Bay.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson...and...“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

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catfish72

12/04/2011 01:31PM

hey thanks guys! I am going to check Ice conditions before I leave. I am not interested in falling through. I want to stick to smallish lakes if Ice is not favorable on the bigger ones. If all else fails I may just head into grassy for some panfish. that wind bay sounds interesting,How long is that trek? Is there any good fishing in wind lake?

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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Stoplis

12/04/2011 08:05PM

Hey Catfish, are you planning to have a base camp somewhere not too far? Or you;re going to be just in and out on the lake? I want to go ice fishing there too, don't know where and how. SO just wondering how people do that? My buddy told me when he goes BWCA in winter they don't make basecamps they just walk and then sleep in the bags even without tents.

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The Great Outdoors

12/04/2011 08:35PM

quote fitgers1: "I've done some superb northern ice fishing on Wind Bay of Basswood. If the ice allows, go from Moose, portage to Wind Lake and then to Wind Bay."
Moose Lake was still open today.

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catfish72

12/05/2011 12:49AM

hey Stoplis yes I am a base camper. I have done that sorta thing sleeping under the stars, and its fun for what it is, but it does not leave much time for fishing. On short solo trips I pretty much try to get to where I want to go on the first day and set up camp. and then go fishing from there.I have a pretty good setup,9x9 canvas tent with a wood stove. mostly its sorta I am fishing or cutting wood for the stove. It works out great for me. the tuff part is finding the fish.

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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Stoplis

12/06/2011 10:16PM

Well... I didn't think about the stove. That's right if you have a base camp you've got to have fire. Ok now I got so much to think about again. Any pieces of advice for a new guy? Do you use fishfinder? What type?

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walleye_hunter

12/07/2011 07:26AM

quote Stoplis: "Well... I didn't think about the stove. That's right if you have a base camp you've got to have fire. Ok now I got so much to think about again. Any pieces of advice for a new guy? Do you use fishfinder? What type?"

Most people, myself included, use a flasher in the winter. Vexlar and Marcum are probably the two most reputable brands. Mine says Gander Mountain on it, but it was made by Marcum for Gander. Most of the ice fishing I do is for trout but I have learned one trick over the years; if you are using a flasher and marking fish that will not bite, turn it off. My theory is that fish can feel that thing bouncing off them and walleyes in particular don't like it. Also, don't be afraid to try bigger baits if a little jig and minnow are not getting the job done. Sometimes a jigging rapala can trigger some bites during early ice.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18

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fitgers1

12/07/2011 07:45AM

quote The Great Outdoors: "quote fitgers1: "I've done some superb northern ice fishing on Wind Bay of Basswood. If the ice allows, go from Moose, portage to Wind Lake and then to Wind Bay."
Moose Lake was still open today."

Still open??

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walllee

12/07/2011 12:54PM

Big moose would be an excellent choice.Got a few spots on the gps if you are interested.

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Basspro69

12/07/2011 08:13PM

quote walleye_hunter: "quote Stoplis: "Well... I didn't think about the stove. That's right if you have a base camp you've got to have fire. Ok now I got so much to think about again. Any pieces of advice for a new guy? Do you use fishfinder? What type?"

Most people, myself included, use a flasher in the winter. Vexlar and Marcum are probably the two most reputable brands. Mine says Gander Mountain on it, but it was made by Marcum for Gander. Most of the ice fishing I do is for trout but I have learned one trick over the years; if you are using a flasher and marking fish that will not bite, turn it off. My theory is that fish can feel that thing bouncing off them and walleyes in particular don't like it. Also, don't be afraid to try bigger baits if a little jig and minnow are not getting the job done. Sometimes a jigging rapala can trigger some bites during early ice." Now I truly know you know what your doing, I thought only me and my ice fishing buddies knew that trick with the walleyes. Its funny how the sonar bounce doesn't affect other species that much but it does walleyes, and not surprisingly Brown Trout dont like it either .

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein.

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Basspro69

12/07/2011 11:13PM

Since were sharing, if you put 2 or 3 wax worms on the back hook of the jigging rapala, its amazing how big a difference that can make when the fishing slows down.

" I want to know Gods thoughts , The rest are details " Albert Einstein.

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catfish72

12/08/2011 12:21AM

hey thanks everybody for the info! to answer stoplis, yes I do bring a flasher. I use a vexlar mostly but I bought a marcum ice troller this summer and I am going to try that this winter. also I agree with walleye hunter its very important to turn off your flasher if fish are being finiky, though I have had days when the walleyes are slamming and it did not matter if my flasher was on or not. my other advice would be. Do not be afraid to move around till you are marking fish and if you are jigging, dead stick a minow with a slip bobber or a tip up a few feet away. If they are not responding to the jigging often they will grab that minnow. most of the time if there is good light I will just use a plain red hook on the dead stick or a small glow bead if I am fishing at night or dusk. I should mention if you are fishing at night keep the light levels from your lantern to a minimum if you are fishing shallow.maybe 20 feet or less. often times during early ice walleyes at night will be shallower than you think. as far as my trip goes I am going to have to wait it out. I here there is very little snow cover up there? witch is going to make pulling my 9 foot toboggan across land not very fun, and of course ice conditions will also play a role. its a interseting paradox. no snow will make better ice and, getting snow will make travel better. As an after thought I gave the ranger station a call today to see about the burn and they said lake 1 and 2 are closed also bog lake. I have cought a good number of fish icefishing there fishing Bog. if anyone has the means I recomend it.

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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catfish72

12/08/2011 01:48AM

Hey wallee, I would love to get those spots on big moose from you. I am no wisard on the computer but I have a GPS. If you want to E mail me the cords I could try to punch them in.

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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PINETREE

12/13/2011 09:20PM

If for some reason you end up in town in Ely Shagawa has a lot of walleyes.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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Stoplis

12/15/2011 06:29PM

Do you guys use flashers on open water? Is there any way to rebuild them somehow and use in summer while drifting or trolling in the canoe? And flashers are different, is there something light and something that can be reliable and work long enough for 3-4 days trip? Thanks for your advices guys. Terrible itch to get out there and fish now!

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catfish72

12/16/2011 03:18PM

hey yes I have used vexlar (flasher) on open water. the trouble that you run into is that with transducer hanging over the side is that its not in a fixed position. this sorta makes reading it difficult and unreliable. Depending on the type of canoe you are in you can put some water in the bottom of the boat and set the transducer flat on the bottom and read through the bottom of the boat. this works pretty good. I think there is a few threads on this site that discuss this stuff in more depth. check them out. I hope you get out on the ice soon and catch some fish.

"seek the roots not the fruits"

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