Grand Rapids Area Fishing Report

Grand Rapids, Minnesota Area Fishing

This week’s fishing report is brought to you by Grand Rapids, Minnesota fishing guide Jeff Johnson. Jeff will be highlighting local fishing opportunities in the Grand Rapids area every week. If you are interested in booking a trip with Jeff, you can reach him at 218-259-8893.

Crappie fishing in the north woods has remained one of the most stable bites for anglers throughout the years. This year is no exception. Crappies' location in the winter months make them an easy target. Most anglers with today’s technology can find a school of crappies, and then begin implementing tactics to get them to bite. Some days are easier than others, but with a little bit of try and a little bit of luck, crappies can provide even young anglers an awesome introduction into the sport.

By Saturday evening temperatures in the Grand Rapids area finally broke free and allowed many people an opportunity to break free from the cabin fever that was beginning to set in. I think the cold had the biggest impact on the children over the past week. No recess, no outside activities in general, made it a tough week for every parent and every educator. My son Duncan pictured with the nice crappie, was one child in particular who needed to get outside and explore.

Duncan loves the action of perch fishing and the shallower water that we usually find ourselves in makes the overall fishing experience a little bit easier. I explained that for this evening trip,we would be targeting crappies, and it was not about catching, but about the adventure and enjoying some outdoor time together. I could tell he was a little bit skeptical about my plan, but we pushed forward. This was also going to be a brand new spot that left myself a little skeptical of the outcome. 

Holes drilled, bobber set, snacks in hand our evening crappie adventure began. It didn’t take long for the first few biters to show themselves, and a few were also lost during our ungraceful hand-offs that have plagued my son and I over the years. But, before long Duncan’s bobber disappeared down the hole and low behold a nice adult size crappie showed up. I could tell by the look in his eyes, that success was not something we would be searching for the rest of the evening, it was already had.

The overall action remained pretty slow, but enough fish chose to play to keep us engaged. The smaller tungstens that have played a huge role for me over the past few years found themselves in the bottom of the fish house. Large tungstens with plastics, or plastics and wax worms worked much better. The old school bobber rig and minnow gave way to the biggest fish of the night, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I had some of my old frostee glow jigs tied on. I know it’s been awhile, but it brought back some good memories. The bigger tungstens and plastics made those stale marks on the graph show some kind of movement. 

Overall, many memories were made, and a great fish fry was had the following day. One mistake also led to an interesting find, but that’s for another time. Get outside with the kids when you can and remember patience, patience, patience. Success doesn’t always have to mean a pile of fish at the end of the day.

Lake Winnie Fishing Report

Today’s report is brought to you by Grand Rapids, MN fishing guide Jeff Johnson. Ice fishing on Lake Winnie has remained steady since the start of the ice season. Perch fishing continues to be the primary focus during the daylight hours. The temperatures that we have had in January have allowed anglers to get outside and hole hop. The mobile angler is having more success on average than those who are camping out in their houses for the day. Shallow flats in the 6-8 ft range have led to larger perch overall. These fish are very nomadic though. When a hot hole is found, it is extremely important to be efficient with your approach to capitalize on the school.

Perch talkers loaded with wax worms, minnow heads, full minnow bodies, or plastics are extremely versatile and work well when you are fishing fast and needing to capitalize on the fish below you. Perch talkers work great for walleyes and pike as well. Large schools of perch can also be found on 11-13 ft flats as well. These depth ranges have led to more walleye bites as well, during primetime hours.

The Pines Resort on Lake Winnie offers a great access point to Tamarack Bay. The road system will allow anglers to have easy access to spots in Tamarack Bay. Anglers who are willing to get off the main road systems via snowmobile, utv, or atv can often find flats that have not received as much pressure and often lead to better quality fish. Large drifts on the lake can make travel a little difficult. Visibility of these drifts is poor. It is important to take it slow.

There are still open dates, for those that are wanting to book an ice fishing trip this winter. Please feel free to send me a text or give me a phone call at 218-259-8893. Our guide service can accommodate large groups as well. Anglers only need to have their valid MN fishing license and appropriate clothing for the day. The rest is taken care of. Anglers are also allowed to bring their own gear if they would rather do that.