Over the past week we have been fishing the smaller lakes in the Mille Lacs area. There is safe ice on these smaller lakes but always put safety first when going out until we get some good cold weather. Spud bar, ice picks, etc. We have been finding a solid crappie bite in medium-depth basins, 24-26 feet of water. Using Active Target to locate school, then picking them apart with jigs tipped with minnow heads. We have been finding crappies of all sizes using this set up. 8 inches to 14.75 inches.
Best tip would be to locate an area you believe the fish are in, drill a large pattern of holes, then let the area settle down for a few minutes. After that, start hole hopping and using live imaging to locate the schools.
Bruce Jean
www.rainylakeguiding.com
www.millelacslakeguiding.com
www.voyageursnationalparktour.com
763-238-7507 cell