Even with this recent run of warmer weather, the Bemidji to Red Lake to Grand Rapids area of Minnesota is experiencing dropping water temps due to decreasing overnight temperatures.
“Water temperatures are in the mid- to high 30s and some lakes are in still in the low 40s,” says ice fishing guide, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl.
“My guess is fishable ice will be here a week or two later than normal, but given that water levels were lower over the past year due to a lack of rain, the lakes that normally wouldn’t freeze as fast, are going to freeze quicker.”
Bro says the challenge will be water clarity during the first- to early-ice period.
“With no runoff, the water’s going to be super clear, so you’ll have to adjust your tactics for that,” adds Bro. “If you can find lakes with a little more stain—which are going to be more clear this year than in years past—I would consider trying those during the early ice period.”
Red Lake Forecast
“I think the early bite on Red Lake is going to be great. There’s an overabundance of perch fry in the lake—and a lot of the lakes around here—so my guess is there’s going to a very good start to the ice season with lots of fish caught.”
Typical for Red, as soon as anglers can walk out—and then take ATVs—the bite will produce lots of fish, but it will get a little tougher as the time passes because with the presence of so much young perch, the fish don’t have to work very hard to feed.
“You’re going to need all the tricks in your arsenal,” continues Bro. “Bring everything from standard Buckshot spoons, to Glass Buck-Shot Spoons, and definitely some of the new red-colored Super-Glo stuff that’s out now. Glow red is always a go-to on Red Lake, but I wouldn’t overlook perch pattern baits, too.”
On Red, Bro often fishes smaller spoons—1/8-ounce and even a bit smaller—the treble tipped with a dorsal-hooked fathead. “Sometimes finesse is key on Red. You just drop the spoon and barely shake it—and wham, you catch ‘em! The key will be to stay on fish or wait them out on a travel route.”
Leech & Winnie
“I guess if I had to pick another high-probability early-ice lake, it’d be Leech Lake, where I think the bite is going to be really good. There will be lots of fish pushing the slot size, but you’ll find both eaters and some photo-takers, too. That’s the nice thing about Leech.”
As far as Winnibigoshish (aka “Winnie”) goes, Bro says the lake is full of walleyes just about touching 18 inches.
“This fall we caught a lot of 17 7/8” fish that are still growing because they’re still eating. There was a crazy amount of food in Winnie this year. So expect Winnie walleyes to be actually heavier and fatter for their length than many surrounding lakes. They’re really stout fish, and I think anglers will be pleased to see the robustness of the fish based on their gorging on the plentiful perch hatches.”
General Crappie Fishing Outlook
Bro thinks that the crappie fishing in the Bemidji to Red Lake to Grand Rapids area will continue to produce for ice anglers this season.
“I think there’ll be a good bite, because there are good numbers in the lakes, and there are still some big ones to be caught. As far as finding ‘eaters’ in the 10- to 11-inch range, ice anglers shouldn’t have much of a problem,” notes Bro.
“And I think the crappie fishing on Red Lake will be even better than last year. Once you find them, the trick will be to stay on them and pick away at fish, so I’d go lighter in presentation and experiment with colors to trigger them.”
Talking general locations on Red to find crappies, Bro says he likes fishing the edges of roads and pressure ridges. And then, in evening and night you’ll see groups of them coming through, too, in other areas almost randomly, made easier if you have forward-facing sonar, which can help speed up the process of finding disbursed and roaming Red Lake crappies any time of day.
“Besides the presence of eaters, the thing about Red Lake crappies is we’re really starting to see bigger fish again—fish in the 12-, 13-, and 14-inch class. And you could catch a 2-pounder for a photo, you just don’t know!”
