Ice Fishing Is In Full Swing...

Around Guides Choice Pro Shop we are very busy getting ready for the sport show season, consequently it has been awhile since I have had time to update what is happening with the fishing. We have had a lot of snow on top of ice that was not very thick. When the snow came we had only 3 to 6 inches on most lakes. The heavy snowfall coupled with day time temperatures in the upper twenties and today in the thirties, has created a good amount of slush on the ice. Several of our customers have come in complaining about it.
The ice is now 6 inches to over a foot on some lakes. They are driving on Thunder Lake in Three Lakes for over a week now. We don't recommend driving on the lakes at this time. They are way to thin to hold a bunch of vehicles.
The walleyes have been biting very well. Look for them on the hard bottom outside of the weed flats near a drop off or hard bottom edge. Use jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head or tip ups with medium shiners or medium sucker minnows. The are being caught in 3 to 15 feet. The hottest bite is on the Eagle River Chain and the Three Lakes Chain. On cloudy days the bite can start as early as 2 pm. Most of the consistant action happens as the sun hits the tree tops and up to an hour after dark.
Crappies are biting well on some of the lakes on the Three Lakes end of the chain as well. They are being caught with small tear drop jigs and crappie minnows.
Northern Pike are also active hitting large and medium shiners on tip ups. They are being caught in 4 to 15 feet of water at the edge of weed beds.
Since Northerns are sight feeders they are biting best during the day with most the action coming on sunny days.
Not many fisherman are going out solely for panfish yet, no reports on them biting well at this time.
We are supposed to get rain the next two days. If that happens, it could be very messy. We are supposed to go into the deep freeze again after the rain goes through on Friday. This should help tighten up the lakes.

Only a couple of weeks until the Chicago Musky Show at Harper College, we will see you all down there!

"Ranger" Rick