Tips to Catch Fish in Central MN This Weekend
Cooler weather this week and a lack of snow is playing a role with ice fishing this weekend. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says ice conditions were not adversely affected by the warmer, rainy weather last week. Schmitt indicates central Minnesota lakes still have 9-12 inches of ice, which was where we were last week. He says a lack of snow on the ice has led to very slippery conditions so he recommends ice cleats. Schmitt believes all locations on lakes are available to fish. He encourages a "check as you go" for ice depth if you are unfamiliar with the lake you are fishing. Schmitt says ATVs are on the ice on Central Minnesota lakes and he expects larger vehicles to be on the ice more often starting next week.
The great start to the ice fishing season has been much needed for those working in the industry. Schmitt says bait shops view this season as the best since the COVID-19 years of 2020 and 2021. He says there is a lot of people ice fishing in Central Minnesota right now.
Schmitt indicates the best times to catch fish are low light times of day. He explains with the lack of snow cover fishing early and late in the day will likely yield the best results. Schmitt says when fishing for walleye the low light times of day are especially important. He suggests looking in 8-10 feet of water along weed lines for sunfish, crappies and walleye.
To catch walleye Schmitt suggests jigging with one line and a bobber stick with another. He says a lot of times they'll hit the jigging spoon and bobber line. He is still using sucker minnows. If you are looking for panfish, he suggest Tungsten jigs, and smaller spoons. The best lakes for walleye in Central MN include the chain of lakes near Cold Spring and Richmond, Rice Lake, Koronis, and Clearwater. Schmitt says fishing in northern Minnesota has been great with positive reports from Winnie, Red, Leech, Mille Lacs, and Lake of the Woods.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News, it is available below.