WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
February 9, 2006

Finally a week of Winter weather! That 15-below zero was sure nice to see again. So now that it was here, I hope we don't see it again until next Winter. OK, OK!I didn't want to see the cold snap, but if this is all we see this Winter, we should be fishing in the open water of Rainy River by mid-March. One thing for certain, I hope the cold goes faster then it came. Now that we are only two weeks out from the Ray's Sport and Marine Boat show, the thoughts are getting more and more on those open water days. If you're interested in seeing the new lineup of boats and motors and all of the electronics, stop in at the Rainbow Inn on February 24, 25, and 26th. No better time then now to use the tax refund for the down payment on that new boat!

With the first true cold Winter mornings of 2006, the fishing action sputters but after a few days of consistent weather it again became a bite of hole-hopping. The target throughout the last few weeks again was the jumbo Perch of Winnie. It seems the best actions are coming from the 28-30 foot of water in the main basin. The area that we and many other agnlers are concentrating our efforts is the North and West part of the deep basin.

The Walleyes of Winnie have flat out moved into another world. Reports are slow at best. With most of the mid-lake structure filled with small baitfish, the Walleyes are more than full and with the slow Winter metabolism, they are more then tough to come by.

The hot bite for Walleyes continues to come from the well known waters of Mille Lacs. I have not made the trip South, but a number of anglers that I have talked to say it is the best Winter Walleye and Perch fishing Mille Lacs has ever produced. So if you are looking for something just a bit different, Mille Lacs should be a trip worth making.

Red lake is finally starting to report some signs of life. I am hearing a few good Crappie reports coming from the Rogers area on the South end of the lake. This bite should continue to improve as we head towards those longer late Winter, early Springs days.

Even with the recent cold snap, please use extreme caution on many of the local lakes as it seems that some of the lakes are now just getting enough driveable ice. Most of the larger lakes like Winnie, Pokegama, and Bowstring are driveable, but those smaller deep lakes continue to be questionable.

See ya out there,

Sean Colter
www.seancolter.com
member of the NMLOG's