WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
November 20, 2008

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So with deer season behind me, now it is time to get back to reporting and I am excited as the lakes are finally showing signs of early season ice. Hopefully everyone had a good hunting season, but now its time to get back to fishing :)

With another Minnesota deer season coming to a close for those rifle hunters and many of the area lakes beginning to show those first signs of ice, many of anglers are starting to get the itch to get back to feeling that pole bend.

Ice conditions are showing that many of the smaller lakes in the area are locking up for the Winter months ahead. Most of the larger lakes in Northern Minnesota are finding some ice along the shorelines, but far from being ice covered. As overnight temperatures continue to push into the low teen and even single digits, we should see some good ice fishing early this year compared to the last few seasons.

Some of the best ice fishing each year comes from the first few weeks to a month of the first fishable ice. With the large populations of catchable fish in many of the area lakes, I will go out on the limb a little and state that we should have an excellent ice season again here in Northern Minnesota.

Early ice fishing destinations are ones that many can discuss but some of the best lakes in the area are right here in the Grand Rapids area. Winnie is one that attracts anglers from not only the state or Midwest, but from all parts of the US. Winnie is an extremely healthy fishery right now. We have very good numbers of fish that are in the protected slot and even better numbers of those year classes that can be brought home for the fry pan. I would expect to see a nice run of those Winnie perch as we did find good numbers again in the 9-10 foot range during the Fall. The crappie fishing should again be productive on Winnie and Cutfoot for those in search of the panfish.

From now until fishable ice arrives, one can start preparing by getting those Vexilars charged up and make sure those Vexilar batteries are holding a solid charge. One can tie up those ice reels with some new line. Keep in mind the winter fish have a tendency to be more picky, so keeping that line as light as possible should increase the activity on a daily basis. Pulling out that fish house and making sure the mice didn't eat to much of the house during the off season will make for a much warmer first outing, along with making sure those heaters are working properly. After getting through all of these things, it never hurts to fill that auger and while making sure it runs, check the blades to make sure they are laser sharp.

Once the gear is ready, one can get some great tips from the world of ice fishing by logging on to www.icefishingtoday.com and check out some great tips and tricks that will increase your knowledge of the techniques and equipment.

So with the ice fishing season coming quickly, no better time then now to prepare for those trips and enjoy the outdoors during the next season.

See you on the ice with a Vexilar,

Sean Colter
member of NMGL
seancolter@seancolter.com