NORTHERN MINNESOTA — “You do what?”
This response is typical of people in other parts of the country, who are sometimes dumbfounded by ice fishing in Minnesota. The methods are vast, from old-school (using an overturned white bucket as a chair, for example) to modern (a portable pop-up tent or a mini motorhome fully equipped with kitchens, flat screen TVs and holes in the floor).
No matter the approach, the goal is the same: to pull in a limit of fish and enjoy some time in nature.
Though normal for Minnesotans, many folks “down south” find it hard to believe roads are plowed on lake ice and trucks are driven across frozen lakes to fishing holes.
Ice fishing is part of the yearly tradition for fishing guides Jeff Sundin and Keith Holtan. Jeff Sundin is our Early Bird Fishing Guide on KAXE, bringing weekly fishing tips to listeners.
Keith Holtan is a Brainerd native who has been a fishing guide in Alaska for over 20 years. (He’s also KAXE Morning Show host Heidi Holtan’s big brother.)
The winter of 2023 is proving to be a great one for ice boating and ice skating, but the ice fishing season is a bit slow. Jeff and Keith discussed gear, new laws for trash on ice and current conditions on Red Lake.
Ice conditions in December
On the KAXE Morning Show, Jeff said about conditions in Itasca County, “The ice just keeps getting better. It doesn’t seem like it should be, but it gets just cold enough at night. ... The ice holds up during the day.”
He hadn’t been out ice fishing yet as of Dec. 7 — he’s still hunting for deer. But he saw an initial rush on the ice followed by a sudden drop-off as the unseasonably warm temperatures approached 50 this week.
Keith’s already had a trip to the Big Bog on Red Lake, a shallow lake known for having some of the hottest early bites for ice fishing in the country.
"I met up with some friends from Duluth and there were six of us and we fished pretty hard,” Keith said. That day, they got their four-fish limit of walleye, but he reported slower fishing earlier in the week.
Keith has ice fished North Long Lake north of Brainerd most of his life, and this winter is no different.
Keith’s family moved to Brainerd in 1977, so he’s comfortable understanding the ice conditions.
“I’m not first anymore,” he said. “There were people fishing for at least four days before I decided to go out.”
Jeff says Itasca County had an initial frenzy, but as of Dec. 7, he hasn't heard or seen of much fishing yet.
Editor’s note: Since our conversation with Jeff and Keith, the temperatures have dropped again and snow has covered many area lakes. Ice fishing will be ramping up soon.
Ice is never 100% safe
The DNR does not measure ice thickness on Minnesota lakes. Your safety is your responsibility. Check ice thickness at least every 150 feet.Safety on the ice
As the discussion continued, Jeff and Keith described their cautiousness about driving and recreating on frozen lakes.
“I notice the older I get, the less likely it is that I’m going to jump on a snowmobile and go someplace by myself, because I don’t want to get stuck unless there’s somebody to help me pull that thing,” Jeff said. He’s hoping for a cold snap before the snow comes, saying, “If we already have 12-13 inches of ice, at least we’ve got a chance of making it through without the horrible slush problem.”
Keith, too, is cautious. “I’m with you there. The slush that has been on and off the last few years has been really bad in the Brainerd area, and I too am older and I don’t need to go out in that.”
Keith has seen people on ATVs on lakes like Round in the Brainerd lakes area, but he says it’s a little too thin for him to go out on with a vehicle.
Jeff agreed with Keith. “That’s where you have to apply the Jeff Sundin 12-track rule ... wherever there’s already a dozen tracks out there, then you can go.”
KAXE Staff Phenologist John Latimer has been enjoying the ice lately, including ice boating on Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids. There was plenty of ice, but also open water visible still on the lake.
“We had an experience like that on Rainy Lake. The report was that they were catching some nice northern pike up there, so we headed to a spot I was familiar with, from fishing in the summer,” Jeff said.
Something made them stop and check the ice thickness before they got to their spot.
“We drilled a couple of holes right by the truck and there was 2 feet of ice. And we walked maybe 100 yards and there were 7 inches,” Jeff said. “You got to really be careful, and especially this time of year, we’re right on the verge.”
Once the lakes are covered in snow, it’s easy to think the whole lake is fine, since near the shore or in a shallow bay you may have 8-9 inches of ice.
“That’s where you have to apply the Jeff Sundin 12-track rule ... Wherever there’s already a dozen tracks out there, then you can go.”Jeff Sundin on safety on frozen lakes
“But when you start heading out towards the mid lake basin, you can find where the water stayed warmer longer, and it didn’t freeze up at the same rate,” Jeff cautioned.
Bait
Both Jeff and Keith say getting bait isn’t an issue in the winter.
“People buy simple minnows, fatheads, crappie minnows, wax worms,” Jeff said. “I'm more likely to go out with a little container of wax worms than I am to even bother bringing minnows anymore these days. And depending on the situation, soft baits, plastic baits, artificial.”
Keith hasn’t had a problem with getting the bait he wants in the Brainerd area either, where most people are looking for rainbows, fatheads and wax worms.
Remember to dispose of unused bait in the trash, or if you want to keep it, refill the bait container with bottled or tap water. This helps prevent the spread of invasive species. It’s illegal to release bait into a waterbody.
Are fishing spots the same in the summer and winter?
Depending on the lake, the best fishing spots may vary from summer to winter.
"It really depends on the lake and certain kind of structure the fish will go into, in the wintertime,” Jeff said. He tends to look for softer bottoms in the winter, whereas he’s always looking for a nice rock pile in the summer.
“Red Lake has got some really good-looking rock piles on it, and you get out there in the summertime and you can catch fish on the rocks. But if you go in the wintertime, you don’t want to be on them,” Jeff said. “You want to be off to the edges of them, where the bottom gets a little bit softer. Most of the insects, you know, that gravel substrate is where they spend all their life incubating.
“And so, in the winter, you don’t have these gigantic schools of minnows floating around where the fish are chasing the live minnows.”
Jeff says if you can find bug hatches, you’ll usually find better places for fishing.
New trash laws on frozen lakes
The Minnesota DNR reminds frozen lake users that a new law went into effect July 1. This law states, “It is unlawful to improperly dispose of garbage, sewage or wastewater on the ice.
Anyone using a shelter, motor vehicle or other conveyance on the ice may not deposit trash or waste outside unless the material is:
- In a container that’s secured to the shelter, motor vehicle or conveyance, and
- Not placed directly on the ice or in state waters.”
The DNR says those using a wheel house need to look for public dump stations to drain gray and black water tanks.
Fishing guides Jeff and Keith agree with the new law, but actually think it could be more punitive than a $100 fine.
“If you want to make a whole group of people look like pigs, you just allow 3 or 4 pigs to be in that group and it makes everybody look bad,” Jeff said.
He thinks peer pressure works best. “Better to talk about what’s right and what’s wrong,” Jeff said, explaining that a hand on someone’s shoulder as a reminder works better. “It’s an attitude, everything’s an attitude.” He also thinks some of the trash is inevitable, in snow conditions.
Keith agrees with Jeff and added that on his recent trip to Red Lake, he wasn’t happy to see sunflower seeds lined around some of the fishing holes. He’s also seen some cans on the ice on North Long Lake already as well, but adds, “Stuff falls out once in a while.” He spends some time when the snow melts picking up garbage and sometimes finding good stuff.
“Heaters, tip ups, tackle boxes,” he said, “There’s a lot of little treasures that get lost out there.”
Jeff reminds folks everything left on the ice, from sunflower seeds, cigarette butts, and anything you brought out on the lake in your body, must get packed out now, according to law.
Gifts for anglers this holiday season
Finding presents can be hard! Jeff says get the things that people always want, but they don’t like to buy. He suggests higher end fishing line and points out that anglers generally buy themselves the hot new lure.
“It’s the odds and ends, the things you don’t really think about,” Jeff said. “A nice fingernail clipper is something I’m always looking for.”
Keith reminisced about his annual ice fishing gift from his dad from an area fleet store. “Sinkers and there’d be swivels, but then there’d be Swedish pimples and jiggle whoppers and bobbers.”
Both Jeff and Keith are fishing guides April through October. Jeff leads trips in Northern Minnesota and Keith provides guiding services on the Kenai River in Alaska.
