Lake Winnie Fishing Report

This week’s report is brought to you by Grand Rapids, MN fishing guide Jeff Johnson. Jeff provides ice fishing guide trips on Lake Winnie, as well as other lakes in the Grand Rapids and Deer River areas. For those wanting to book a trip with Jeff, you can reach him at 218-259-8893. 

 Anglers in the region were treated to the first real cold front of the winter season. Temperatures in the region began falling as of Friday evening, and many lakes received a break from the heavy angler traffic they have been receiving. Many anglers on the big lake are experiencing a tougher bite overall. The fish seem to be scattered and when they are found, only small bite windows are appearing. Capitalizing on these small windows throughout the day can lead to a decent bag of fish still. 

Most anglers are still needing to approach the lake with a multispecies approach, and they cannot be afraid to take what is given. A guaranteed evening walleye spot might produce good action for bigger perch, while proven perch spots are randomly kicking out nice walleyes and pike. The cold temperatures over the weekend and heading into this week will for the most part keep a lot of the angling pressure down. I am one that is thankful for this, and I do hope that this week provides a bit of a reset on the lake. Everyone needs a good nap once in a while, and if you have been familiar with Lake Winnie over the past few years, she never seems to sleep. 

An old but very effective rig has led to more bites than many other gadgets, gizmos, and thingamajigs over the past week. The tried and true split shot and plain hook can lead to more bites on a slow day. Don’t waste your time on draining the vexilar battery either. Tipping the rig with different size fatheads throughout the day is the most technical you will have to get. Simply drop the rig to bottom and lift up slightly. Personally I like to hole hop with this rig, and I don’t carry a rod holder system with me. You can usually find a sweet spot for the reel to rest on the ice while the tip of the rods is able to move without having much resistance. Let it sit and let the rod give you all the information you need. Give it a few minutes, rinse and repeat a small distance away. Unlike all of the jigging spoons a person might utilize, this rig will not call that many fish into you. Making small moves to holes nearby cannot be overlooked. There is something about this rig that brings me back to my youth, before the world got so crazy. Everyone needs a little break from screen time as well.

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.