Top Destinations On Ice

Mille Lacs Lake, a 26-mile-wide bowl, has two ice-ups. The first occurs from early to mid-December, when water over inshore structure locks up. Another ice-up takes place between late December and early January, as midlake areas harden. The first intrepid anglers to reach the many mudflats (submerged plateaus that top out at 20 to 28 feet) find solid fishing for walleyes that many days average over 5 pounds. But lack of snow cover in recent years makes walleyes spooky.

“One angler I know was using a split shot with a minnow on a #4 hook right on bottom and doing very well,” Simpson says. “Another good tactic is to lay a spoon with a struggling minnow right on bottom. Walleyes were combing bottom a lot last year. The night bite with glow spoons was hot, too. When the midlake ice hardens, Yo-Zuri Live Minnow Jigs and Northland Fire-Eye Minnows were producing with a traditional lift, drop and pause.

“We never know what the slot-limits will be. Popping a lot of fish can be no problem, but you never know how many you can keep. Right now the slot is 14 to 16 inches, with one over 28 inches. But just a few weeks ago, you could keep anything under 20. It changes constantly, and the Minnesota DNR tailors it to the amount of pressure and to the estimated population and harvest taking place.

“Mille Lacs is amazing. It keeps pumping out fish. Just when you think the big ones should be tapped, you get into a flurry of 8- to 10-pounders. It’s like the pheasants in South Dakota. You hope for the best, expect the worst, and it’s often better than you ever imagined.”

Lodging, shack rentals, and information: Guide Ivan Burandt, 320/532-3261; McQuoid’s Inn & Guide Service, 320/ 676-3535; Meleen’s Holiday Sports, 320/532-3717; Eddy’s Resort, 800/657-4704; Tutt’s Bait & Tackle, 612/692-4341; Steve Felegy, Guide, 651/270-3383; Mille Lacs Area Tourism, 888/350-2692, Millelacs.com.

Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan

Saving the best for last, early and late on Last Mountain Lake, Saskatchewan, probably provides your best odds for pulling a 12-pound walleye through the ice. It’s possible on Bay of Quinte, Lake Winnipeg, Tobin Lake, and even on Erie, but the odds are best on this remote lake less than 30 miles north of Regina.

“Lots of people iced 8- to 12-pound walleyes last year,” says Greg Prokopetz of Pokey’s Tackle in Regina. “I have a picture in the store of a guy holding a 13-pound walleye with a 9-inch tulibee sticking out of its mouth, so walleyes are putting on the feedbag pretty intensely at that point, especially near an area we call the Stone Wall. On the hills north of Grandview Resort, you see an old stone foundation. Big walleyes stack up in there massively and will be there right at first-ice, which is generally around the first week of December. When we have 3 inches of ice, you can get on these fish in 5 feet of water. Anywhere from 5 feet down to 20 feet or so, big walleyes are crawling all over the place. They begin to move deeper with any fishing pressure at all.

“This summer was very hot, so things may set up late,” he says. “Perch and pike fishing are both very good, especially early in the season. Little Arm Bay has big pike at first-ice, with walleyes available around the same areas. Late in the season, just before spring break up in March, walleyes move into Little Arm thick as thieves. People use Hawger Spoons, Swedish Pimples, and other spoons tipped with minnows.”

Trees and hills on one side and flat farmland on the other surround the lake. “If you have a northwest wind, it can get pretty ugly,” Prokopetz says. “Nobody is guiding up there yet, during winter. But you can expect extremely big fish early and late in the season. This is the best lake up here if you’re looking for a 12-pounder through the ice.”

The place to call for information about lodging, tackle, and current hot spots on Last Mountain is Pokey’s Tackle in Regina, 306/359-1910. Try to stay on the main roads. And don’t forget that winch we mentioned.