Ice conditions improve; Ice Castle returns

It’s been a good week up here, with ice conditions getting better and no huge changes in weather. So far, this winter has been pretty uneventful and while we would like to see some more snow, the ice is great. With the lack of snow, spikes are a necessity out there! We’re seeing 12 to 15” throughout the area, and snowmobiles and UTVs out in many locations.
While we’re now seeing some vehicles on some lakes, we’re also seeing some of them going through the ice. As always, no matter how you get out there, be careful and check the ice from location to location, even day to day.
Walleye fishing is holding up very well throughout the area. We have had daily reports of decent fishing on the Chain and some fish are good size. The basic patterns are the same: evening and late afternoon success pretty consistently, in the 10 to 15” range, with tip-ups baited with shiners or sucker minnows. We’ve heard from a number of anglers that after dark was the best time in the last week, so plan to stay a little later than you may be used to. Find some green weeds at the edge of a drop-off to set up for the earlier fishing, and then make a move to shallower water in the evening. The fish are moving back and forth daily for feeding, spending days deep, then moving shallow to hunt. We’ve seen jigging for walleye starting to be really effective. Vertical jigs with a minnow head seems to be the ticket for these anglers.
Northerns have been hitting well on tip-ups fished in the weeds — and the deeper the better
for the weeds. Large Shiners are working great, and the anglers using them for walleye are also getting a lot of Northerns, too. These fish will also move shallower in the evenings, right along with the walleye.

Panfish action has been very good for crappies and perch, in particular. The crappies are in deeper water right along with the walleyes, but you’ll be best served searching vertically for these fish right from the start as they will suspend anywhere in the water column close to the structure. We’re seeing great action with large rosie reds under tip-downs or at the end of a jigging rod. The perch are hanging in the mud flats next to weeds. Bouncing a waxie-tipped jig or spoon off the bottom can be an effective way to get their attention. If you’re not finding panfish while jigging, don’t be afraid to try a dead-stick presentation with a small spoon and a minnow hooked through the back.
We’ve had some interesting conditions on the ice this year, as it’s been fantastic for skating on many lakes up here — something that isn’t possible with a lot of snow. But now that we’ve had our fun with that, we’re ready for some big snow. We got a bit this last weekend, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone up here who would complain about another 6 inches or more in the near future.
The Ice Castle is back this year, too, and we’re so grateful to our Fire Department and all of the many volunteers who put in countless hours to make it possible. If you’ve not seen it yet, a trip to Railroad Street in downtown Eagle River is worth it. It’s a fun winter tradition to see returned after a couple of years of absence, where the ice didn’t get thick enough to harvest and the weather didn’t cooperate. Check it out while you can!
Good luck and good fishin’!