Hot Fishing times on Mille Lacs last year… ?

We didn’t get there for early ice. We were there mid and late season, including the last weekend before resorts started pulling shacks from the warm weather. If I recall, 10am – 4pm was basically a Dead Sea. Maybe a bit here and there. Once 4:00 hit, a rattle would pop off and it’s be go time. With decent hits throughout the night.

We have a trip scheduled the first weekend in January, and if its like last year… it’s going to be sketchy right up to that weekend. In fact Red Door got their shacks on the ice the Thursday of our trip, we ended up at Leach because we needed a sure thing. This year we are thinking of sticking to mille lacs either way. But that could mean sleeping on short and walking out with popups during the day.

Fishing is fishing right? But what do you guys remember about the day time hits last year on the lake, early January which last year was basically early (sleeper) ice.

Dark Early morning and evening / dark if stationary. If you feel like being portable and getting some exercise you can find them in the mud deep. There is also the chance to find perch and having a good afternoon.

Bring portables and hit a local panfish lake in the afternoon if you are worried about dead time.

crappieguy wrote:

We didn’t get there for early ice. We were there mid and late season, including the last weekend before resorts started pulling shacks from the warm weather. If I recall, 10am – 4pm was basically a Dead Sea. Maybe a bit here and there. Once 4:00 hit, a rattle would pop off and it’s be go time. With decent hits throughout the night.

We have a trip scheduled the first weekend in January, and if its like last year… it’s going to be sketchy right up to that weekend. In fact Red Door got their shacks on the ice the Thursday of our trip, we ended up at Leach because we needed a sure thing. This year we are thinking of sticking to mille lacs either way. But that could mean sleeping on short and walking out with popups during the day.

Fishing is fishing right? But what do you guys remember about the day time hits last year on the lake, early January which last year was basically early (sleeper) ice.

First light and last light is for sure the time to be pounding holes. But, I did well during the day as well. The weather played a good part on those days I did well during the daytime as it was overcast,foggy, and maybe a weather system moving in. The day’s that were sunny were not as good but still caught fish. I used to have a permy out of Red Door and remembered they were usually one of the last resorts to get houses out due to the ice conditions. Hope this helps.

As others said sun up and sun down times and nighttime is the hot bit. BUT don’t rule the daytime out either.

During the day I am hole hoping, and did just as good during the day more often than not, than I did in the evenings out there. I have learned though that if you want that bite its work! drilling tons of holes and moving till you find those fish. A lot of the time i am off in the abyss off the flats searching for them. And when I found the fish it was a lot of fun. During the evening though, I start to work back up the breaks and on top of those flats. I personally like early season before it becomes a zoo. I won’t fish by other people either. I get away from the crowds. I am usually by myself for the most part.

Most resort permies are located at the top of structures, which is good for primetime and night bites which makes up most of the “active” times of walleyes. You’ll get your fronts and low light conditions as mentioned where they’ll move back up and you’ll catch fish but it’s not the rule.

In sunny conditions most will move deeper, and many times not all that far from those perms. Or in the weeds…. Typical walleye fishing, follow the fish movements.

Funny you ask this on this forum. Not knocking your post and of course some valid responses, but here is an IDO TV episode that was filmed last year just about the time you plan on going. As you would imagine, James Holst and Will Roseberg present a very informative clinic on their approach, strategy, and some great walleye catching on the episode. Everybody watch now…

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/videos/mille-lacs-walleye-s11e06/

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Funny you ask this on this forum. Not knocking your post and of course some valid responses, but here is an IDO TV episode that was filmed last year just about the time you plan on going. As you would imagine, James Holst and Will Roseberg present a very informative clinic on their approach, strategy, and some great <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye catching on the episode. Everybody watch now…

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/videos/mille-lacs-walleye-s11e06/

My question/post go a lot deeper then what’s on the surface. it’s an annual trip and the entire group aren’t die hard fishermen. Some of us are ok with the pop and hop, others aren’t.

it’s more fodder for trying to see if we need to have a solid backup plan, i.e. a guaranteed sleeper farther north.

In my opinion you can catch fish all day on Mille Lacs. However, it’s not like LOW or Red where you can rent a house and just pull fish out of the same hole for hours and hours on end. Typically your early morning or evening spots will wane a bit before/after, and hole hopping is required to stay on the fish.

I’ve watched this video before… I could watch this countless times.

Get’s me jacked for our trip, sleeper or not. The other guys will just have to deal with it!

I expect that you will be fine by the first week in January. It is very rare that there isn’t enough ice for the resorts to get out by New Years.

IMO the risk of trying to time it early is well worth is as the fishing is best earlier in the year.

If it’s anything like I expect fishing will slow down during midday but there will still be fish caught. If you aren’t able to stay mobile during the day make sure to put out iFishPros or tip-ups as active fish will be roaming around and the more you can spread out the better your odds.

Will

Will Roseberg wrote:

If you aren’t able to stay mobile during the day make sure to put out iFishPros or tip-ups as active fish will be roaming around and the more you can spread out the better your odds.

With some not so die hard fisherman and hopefully no arctic conditions, a bit of flag watching next a grill might be what the Dr. ordered.

I’m also taking a trip to Mille lacs Jan 5 we booked a sleeper … hoping there’s enough ice