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Honey, Pack Those Bags
(And Don't Forget Your Long Underwear)
by Mark Dorn
Getting bored with those same old winter fishing haunts with the high temps, higher prices, and catchy names like "Cabo," "the Keys," or "the Gulf?" Some of the best winter fishing action--we're talking walleyes--may be just a hop, skip, and a fathead from your front door.
Fishing for walleyes through the ice has been a long established tradition in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus much of Canada, where winters are long and walleyes abound. Minnesota's Lake Mille Lacs, for example, traditionally holds between 4,000 and 7,000 ice-fishing houses during the annual January aerial census, with houses ranging in size from small portables to cabin-size shelters sleeping eight or more anglers.
As the walleye range expands, however, so have winter walleye fishing opportunities. All across the northern tier of states, from the St. Lawrence River to western reservoirs in Montana and Wyoming, and north throughout Canada, the pursuit of walleyes is growing. A representative sample of guided fishing opportunities to assist in planning your winter getaway includes:
Put-in-Bay, Ohio--How about an island getaway? Put-in-Bay, Ohio, nestled on South Bass Island, offers just that. Charter Captain Pat Chrysler offers guided ice-fishing for walleyes on Lake Erie. Safe ice usually begins early in January and can extend into March. Last year's exceptionally cold winter, however, extended the season from early December into mid-March.
After arriving at Put-in-Bay via Island Air Lines--sounds downright tropical--Pat meets you at the airport, and you travel to the fishing grounds via four-wheeler and sleds. One- and two-person gas-heated shanties with bait and rods provided (you furnish the lures) offer a comfortable day on the ice for $65 per angler. Given Lake Erie's healthy walleye population, limits often are possible, and action is almost a certainty. The largest fish last year was a 12-pounder.
Back on shore, accommodations vary from motels, to bed and breakfasts, to condominiums ($40 to $100 per day for lodging).
Pat Chrysler, 419/285-4631; Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce, 419/285-2832.
Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota--Known as the "walleye factory," 200-square-mile Mille Lacs is situated in the middle of the Gopher State. Ivan Burandt has guided the ice scene since 1979, booking walleye trips from mid-December through the mid-February season closing, and then targeting perch until early April. He uses four-wheelers and portable houses early, switching to a four-wheel drive vehicle when the ice allows. Daily cost for two is $200 (add $50 for each additional angler), which includes all equipment, transportation to the fishing grounds, and fish cleaning at the end of the day.
Early-ice to mid-January usually is prime time for walleyes, while jumbo perch tend to provide action as the walleye bite diminishes. Mille Lacs is situated 100 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and commercial flights are available into nearby Brainerd, Minnesota. Lodging options are numerous.
Ivan's Guide Service, 320/532-3261; West Shore Resort, 320/532-3629.
Lake Oahe, South Dakota--How about a western reservoir like Lake Oahe in South Dakota? Guide Denny Palmer, out of Mobridge, is just beginning to build a winter clientele. Angling pressure is light on this fine fishery, where $100 per day per person buys you transportation to the spots--four-wheelers, switching to vehicles as the ice thickens--and all the necessary equipment.
South Dakota allows four lines per angler through the ice. Palmer usually sets out three tip-ups per angler while you jig for walleyes with the fourth line. Early morning, late afternoon, and low-light hours usually provide the best action from mid-December to April.
Denny Palmer, Morest Motel, 605/845-3668; Mobridge Chamber of Commerce, 605/845-2387.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin--Another Great Lakes opportunity. In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail pro Dale Stroschein plies the Green Bay side of the Door County peninsula for trophy walleyes during the short ice-over period, which usually begins in mid-January and extends to late March. He offers fixed and portable houses. Fish from daybreak to sundown with all equipment and transportation provided at $75 per angler per day. Local lodging in all price ranges is available. Stroschein's personal best, a 13.76-pounder, came on a late winter outing 2 years ago. Trophy northern pike and brown trout are targeted as the season progresses.
Dale Stroschein, Wacky Walleye Guide Service, 414/743-5731; Door County Chamber of Commerce, 414/743-4456.
Bay of Quinte, Ontario--Ontario's Bay of Quinte just might be the trophy walleye capital of the world at first-ice. Fish in the mid- to high teens are common. Some real brutes migrate into the bay from Lake Ontario in fall, wintering and feeding on a wealth of baitfish throughout the ice-fishing season. The large, flat bay averages only 15 feet in depth, with good early-ice fishing near Hay Bay, Long Reach, Deseronto, Big Bay, and Belleville.
Glen Hales, Belleville, is typical of the many ice guides working the Bay of Quinte region. He'll fix you up with a portable shelter and provide access to hot fishing areas for the Canadian equivalent of what U. S. ice guides charge for similar services. Non-guided fish house rentals also are available throughout the region.
Glen Hales, 613/962-4935; Trenton Chamber of Commerce, 613/392-7635.
Fine options throughout the North Country exist to counter the harsh winter, from the Bay of Quinte, to the prairies of Alberta.
To persuade your spouse to go, get creative, like, "Honey, I booked a vacation for the islands," (Lake Erie); or "Let's go to that place with the French name," (Mille Lacs); or "Sweetie, how about the two of us going to Hawaii (Oahe) this winter?" Get the picture?
If you like to fish for walleyes, give winter fishing through a hole in the ice a try.
Copyright 1997 In-Fisherman, Inc.
