The hot bite has continued during the past week. We've weighed numerous nice crappies, with the biggest being 1# 12 oz. just yesterday! We're continuing to hear the best action out by Center and Pillsbury reefs. Waconia Bay has also pumped out some good fish. Find good weeds around 9 to 14 feet of water for the best chance. Along with the crappies, the sunfish have been biting well too! Expect plenty of action, but some sorting will need to be done.
If you're targeting northerns, we're getting most reported catches off of small to medium suckers in the same areas as the sunfish and crappie bite. Since it's warmed up the past few days, we're hearing anglers having some fun catching largemouth bass, while tip-up fishing for northerns! Not your typical winter catch, they generally bite best when temps reach 32 plus degrees.
We're still hearing that the walleyes are biting well, although size has still been desired. We're getting plenty of reports of smaller walleyes (10 to 14 inchers) and big walleyes (over 20 inch). We're missing the good mid-range sizes most anglers want for the deep fryer. We recommend setting up 12 to 15 feet of water off of weeds, in quieter areas away from the large groups of houses. Jigging with fatheads seems to be working best, although set-lines with shiners has worked well for those spending nights on the ice.
The ice has continued to build this week. There is a little more variance in thickness due to the little snow we had from earlier. Where the snow is undisturbed, you will find the least ice, although it is still a strong 12.5 inches. Where the snow has been packed down, you will see ice ranging from 13.5 to 15 inches. There are no new issues to report, and we're very pleased with quality of the ice.
With the action being so good, we've given away numerous prizes to those who have weighed their fish in our Free Ice and Dice game! The prize giveaway goes on until mid-February, so be sure stop in and get in on the fun!
Our Rental Fish Houses are ready to go! Call (952) 442-2096 to make are reservation. We'll have the heat on and the holes drilled for you. Plenty of fish are waiting to be caught!
We'll see you on the lake!
