Let the ice fishing begin! We’ve started seeing folks come through for bait and out ice fishing on the really small lakes that locked up early. These are the desperate and brave anglers who are willing to go out on as little as an inch and a half, which we can’t recommend.

Ice thickness throughout the area varies greatly, and a drive around to check out some lakes will show you that. As always, use extreme caution in the beginning of the season. Spud as you go and keep your eyes and ears open. Things will be much safer soon given the weather we’re expecting and as long as we can avoid a big dump of snow, we go a pretty perfect set-up for a great season!

Hard water walleye fishing has just started. Since it’s still a little too iffy (as of this writing) to get to the deep holes yet, we’re seeing action in the shallow weeds. So far, so good. Shiners under a tip-up or jigging a rattle spoon are a great way to start the season.

We haven’t heard from the Northern anglers yet, but give us better ice and you will see a lot of people fishing the deep weed edges for these guys. Look for the greenest weeds you can find and settle in for some fun fights.

The same as above can be said of panfish. We’ve heard of some bluegill being caught in the shallow weeds, exactly where we expect them to be at this time of the year. They’re always a safe and fun way to start the season. They should stay in those areas until mid-winter when they usually move deeper. When jigging for these fish in the shallows try both pulsing the jig and dead-sticking to see what’s working at the moment.  If you’re wanting to try live bait, most people are using waxies, but we’re starting to see some going with crappie minnows now, too.

Now’s the time to get all of your equipment in working order because as of right now, it looks like we have another great ice fishing season ahead of us.  It’s not going to be long before we see plenty of people out on the lakes, but right now it’s still peaceful and quiet. Be careful out there and take the extra time to use that spud to check ice as you go – a little extra caution at this time of the year is never a bad idea.

Good luck and good fishin’!