Outside temperatures are finally dropping to below zero many nights and ice is being made twenty four hours a day. Within the last week we’ve had the rest of the bigger lakes completely ice over. Ice thickness is not necessarily even across lake. Rivers, lake current, springs, and weather can turn safe, fishable ice into unsafe ice overnight. Check the ice thicknesses when traveling across or onto new ice. The following are ice reports from lakes in the Park Rapids Area:
• Fishhook 4”-7”
• Crow Wing Chains 3”-6”
• Long Lake 2”-5”
• Portage Lake 6”-10”
• Potato Lake 1”-2”
• Big Mantrap Lake 2”-6”
• Twin Lakes 4”-6”
Walleye- Coasting over 8’-12’ feet of water in and along weed beds looking for easy prey to swim by. Anglers have been heading onto most lakes with the Bemidji made Kenkatch™ “Slim Slam” tipped with either rainbows or shiners.
Northern Pike- Swimming through the thicker weeds up shallower in 5’-10’ feet of water looking for smaller fish. Tie on a Northland “Super-Glo Kahle” hook to your tip-up or dead stick and pair it with a bigger sucker minnow for your best chances on hooking the wall hanger!
Sunfish- Schooling in 5’-10’ feet of water along and in the weeds sunfish are seeking cover from predators such as northern. Snap on Venoms new “Nite Bite” Glow bobbers along with a VMC “Waxy Jig” baited with either a crappie minnow or wax worm for the dream team ice setup!
Crappie- Out in 8’-16’ feet of water in and along weed lines. To sort through the smaller crappies tie on a Lindy “Rattl’n Flyer Spoon” paired with either a minnow head or wax worm for best luck!
Report by Josh Severtson of Smokey Hills Outdoor Store
(Ice chunk from Fish Hook Lake over 14 feet of water 12/27/2015 pictured)
