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Fishing Report & Trail Conditions

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    FISHING REPORT

    grand rapids ice fishing report

    Weekly Ice Fishing Reports Brought to you by: Sam Westensee

    3-10-2026

    We still have plenty of ice around the Grand Rapids area, and most lake accesses are holding up fairly well. Truck travel is still possible on many lakes, though there’s quite a bit of water sitting on top of the ice. Fishing pressure has been fairly light lately, but anglers who are getting out are still finding some success.

    Bluegills have pushed shallow in many areas and are being sight-fished in water as shallow as five feet. Target weed beds near traditional spawning areas and you should be able to locate fish. Crappies, on the other hand, are still holding deeper and have been a bit tougher for many anglers to get going.

    Pout fishing has also been solid. Fish are being caught both during the day and after dark. Look for the steepest breakline you can find and fish it with a heavier jig tipped with fatheads.

    Rainbow trout action continues to be excellent on stocked lakes in the area. The best bite has been in shallow water from sunrise through mid-morning. Wax worms and euro larvae have both been producing well. The most consistent lakes lately have been Taylor and Kremer.

    Photo: Reid Johnson, Eelpout

    ICE FISHING GUIDES :

    Grand Rapids Guide Service
    Lyle Unger
    218-259-7140

    Northern Drift Outfitters
    Jeff Johnson
    218-259-0354

    Wings and Walleyes
    Reed Ylitalo
    218-259-0354

    Bros Guide Service
    Brian Brosdahl
    218-340-6051

    Ice Fishing Safety

    Trail reports...

    Haypoint Jackpine Snowmobile Club

    2-20-2026 We have been made aware of quite a few trees down on our trails. Use caution riding and if possible move them off to the side. We are getting to them as quick as we...

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    Bushwackers Snowmobile Club

    2-20-2026 The trail is groomed from Deer River to the taconite trail and from Deer River to the Squaw Lake trail. The groomer had some mechanical issues on the way back from the Squaw lake trail where the trail crosses highway 46. It is still there but off the trail. Please be aware when traveling...

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    38er’s Snowmobile Club

    2-20-2026 We groomed the Suomi yesterday & it came out great. Only a couple of sleds over it so the set up should have been really good. We’re grooming the Clearwater today…. Safe sledding...

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    Marcell Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club

    2-18-2026 We have got some snow! Guys from the club are making a concentrated effort to get this all packed down and cleared as soon as possible. Mike, Dirk, Ed, and our friend Erick Lindbeck will all be out in our grooming trucks all through the day and I would imagine into the nighttime. Our...

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    Greenway Snowmobile Club

    2-20-2026 The crews got out and got most of the trail system groomed this week. There is a chance the groomer will be going from Warba to Jacobson tomorrow, so if you’re out that way, be...

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    Buschwacker’s Trail Report

    2-20-2026 The trail is groomed from Deer River to the taconite trail and from Deer River to the Squaw Lake trail. The groomer had some mechanical issues on the way back from the Squaw lake trail where the trail crosses highway 46. It is still there but off the trail. Please be aware when traveling...

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    ITASCA CROSS COUNTRY SKI TRAILS REPORT​

    We want to thank the Northern Lights Nordic Ski Association, Itasca County and the MN Department of Natural Resources for working together to keep the 198KM of cross country trails in Itasca County well groomed and maintained. This year’s cross country ski season is going very well! While there isn’t a lot of snow, the groomers have done a great job with what Mother Nature has given them. We update these reports once a week – by Thursdays, just in time for the weekend. Come for cross country skiing, stay for the cozy lodging, new places to eat & drink, live theater performances, live music, art walk, seasonal events, cultural & historical experiences, and additional unique winter wonderland outdoor experiences.

    Mount Itasca– Thursday
    January 15, 2026: 2″ new snow, groomed the whole system and set tracks except on upper biathlon trails and connecting to Grant-in-Aid. Grant-In-Aid trails are packed and tracked. CXC races this Saturday and Sunday. Biathlon side will be closed for races, but Grant-In-Aid side will have mostly open trails. (Bob Conzemius)

    Suomi Hills – Sunday
    January 11, 2026 : Groomed and track set North Suomi trails this morning.
    Surprisingly turned out quite well with the lack of snow we have had. Track set looked pretty good. The deer have ripped up a pretty good area digging for acorns on the Balloon Lake loop, so watch that area where the steeper hills are. While out there watch across the deep ravines and lakes and you will most likely see deer on the other side. I watched deer in two areas.
    (Dale Juntunen)

    Minnesota Power
    Saturday January 10, 2026: Skate was not groomed. Bummer because it would have been fast. Some sticks/debris. Classic looked fast and was groomed.
    (Erika Kuehn)

    Alder Pond – Friday January 9, 2026:County groomer reported he had packed twice, so I thought it would be perfect for skate skiing. But last week inch of fresh snow and the melt down left catchy crust for skate skiing. Classic skiers made their own tracks in the one inch of snow over the packed base. No bare spots, just fast snow! Pretty daunting on the downhill behind the outhouse. I did not go up, not wanting to come down! (Catherine McLynn)

    Legion Park Trail
    – Wednesday January 7, 2026:The Legion Trails were recently groomed with consistent coverage and excellent glide today. The snow was not softening yet. Classic trail is mostly intact. (Jeff Pesta)

    Stoney Ridge – Wednesday January 7, 2026: County groomer reported that he had packed trails a week ago and there was a skiff of fresh snow over the base. Lots of moose tracks!
    (Catherine McLynn)

    Robin Baker Blueberry Hills – Wednesday January 7, 2026:  The trails look like they were groomed just prior to the recent freezing mist phenomenon. There is a solid base and the glide was excellent, no melting happening today. A machine tracked classic track was not deep, but it is very functional. This trail was the most fun during my tour of local trails today.
    (Jeff Pesta)

    Sugar Hills – Wednesday  January 7, 2026: Fantastic firm fast flat corduroy. Periodic scattered overall easily avoidable small twig debris. Widest have seen trail groomed. Could easily use good skis but if highly particular might not want to use best skis. Huge kudos to groomers – amazing conditions! (Chip Tabor)

    Wabana – Wednesday January 7, 2026: The trails have had some fairly recent grooming with a mostly  skied in classic track. Lots of stubble poking through the base. Not a quality training site, but a very scenic place to enjoy with old classic skis. (Jeff Pesta)

    Cowhorn – Wednesda January 7, 2026: Skied Boomer Blue [multi-use trail] today and considering what they had to work with, the trail is in very good shape. A few sticks and leaves poke through the track, but barely enough to mention. This and the regular Cowhorn ski trails appear to have been tracked yesterday and the tracks set up very well. Hope it doesn’t melt too much in today’s sunshine. I used B skis, but good skis would probably be fine. (Dave Kooda)

    Portage Park – Sunday January 4, 2026: Skied the outside loop. The tracks looked to be in good shape. The skate area was not groomed but was good. Lot of loose snow by the ball fields but solid base under. Didn’t find any bare spots or debris. (John
    Segari)

    Trout Lake – Friday January 2, 2026: The grooming looked pretty fresh with only a few other skiers before me on the south end. North of the estate footprints were on the trail and in the tracks at times, but not too bad. Thin snow cover but no issues using B skis. With just a little more snow, good skis would probably be just fine. Two sets of tracks south of the estate and one set of track north of the estate. I did not ski Doan lake, but it looked a little more rustic. Thanks for grooming! (Jonathon Rulseh)

    Forest History Center
    – Friday December 19, 2025: For the 2025/2026 ski season, we will not be grooming our ski trails. This is due to a construction project which is blocking all through-access to our trails. Our hope is that we’ll be grooming again for the 2026/2027 ski season. (Bryan French)

    Big Ridge – Wednesday December 17, 2025: Trails haven’t been groomed in a while. There are some areas on the farther trails that have set ski path but mostly has multiple tracks.
    Since the warm weather on Tuesday the trails are hard packed snow with some open areas. Deer beds and animal tracks on further trails that disrupt the trail entirely. (Kara Clifton

    Golden Anniversary – Thursday December 11, 2025: State groomer reported trails have been packed but not tracked. With recent new snow, should be fun to make your own tracks. (Catherine McLynn)

    Amen Lake – Wednesday December 10, 2025: Groomed Amen Lake and Suomi trails. Still some rough spots, but overall quite skiable. The deer are having their way out there, especially under the oaks. (Randy Zupan)

    Mountain Bike & Fat Tire Bike Trails Reports

    We want to thank the Grand Rapids and Itasca Mountain Bike Association who keeps the mountain bike and fat tire bike trails well groomed and maintained. The volunteers have a wonderful passion for the sport which shows through their well groomed and maintained trails. Enjoy winter fat tire biking at its best through the winter wonderland of a forest that wraps around Tioga Pit Lake. This very scenic area presents beginner to intermediate level trails to ride in the winter.

    Tioga

    3-24-2026 Hi All, I spent three and a half hours on the trails today. The trails are soft in a lot of parts and snow and ice still cover a major portion of each trail. PLEASE stay off them. A couple people have been out and caused damage to them that will need a few...

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    TIOGA | 03/02/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: TIOGA Date of Report: 03/02/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: Ahh. Spring is in the air. For the next week, the temps will be way above freezing, so please stay off the trails during these times. Early mornings and midnight rides may not harm them. Studded tires will likely be...

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    Tioga | 02/26/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: Tioga Date of Report: 02/26/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: Grooming happened again this evening. With tomorrow’s warm weather we are asking you to a stay off the trails. Today’s visitors were hard on the trails as tire pressures were not low enough. Also had one rider when temp was...

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    Tioga | 02/25/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: Tioga Date of Report: 02/25/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: In the last two days, all the normal trails have been groomed and have set up well. Riding should be great! If it warms up as the forecast states, please find something else to do. Thank...

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    TIOGA | 02/21/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: TIOGA Date of Report: 02/21/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: Trails and haul roads received some trail love this evening. Check them...

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    TIOGA | 02/11/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: TIOGA Date of Report: 02/11/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: As the weather warms and the wonderful sun shines on us, we request you stay off the fat tire trails. Even though the forecast calls for a high of about 28 degrees, the sun will make the trails vulnerable, and...

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    TIOGA | 02/08/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: TIOGA Date of Report: 02/08/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: I believe the trails are in great shape at this point. Please refrain from being on them tomorrow as it is supposed to warm to 30+ by 9:00, then the forecast calls for rain. Tuesday should be better. As usual,...

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    Tioga | 01/30/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: Tioga Date of Report: 01/30/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: All trails at Tioga Recreation were groomed last night. Please be mindful of your tire pressures. Check your back trail. If you are leaving ruts or spinning going up hills, please let out some more air. Thank...

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    Tioga | 01/26/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: Tioga Date of Report: 01/26/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: Trails groomed today are as follows: Gurley Flynn, first half of Ruby Slipper, Iron Powers Run, Greenway Rough Rider, Iron Lady, Thrillseeker, Tioga Party, Flying Carpe', Veda's Free Press, Gears Knob. Also groomed most of the haul...

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    Tioga Recreation | 01/17/2026

    Club Name: GRIMBA Trail Name: Tioga Recreation Date of Report: 01/17/2026 Trail Conditions & Grooming Report: With what little snow we had in the last few days, I decided to groom tonight. All trails with the exception of Good Vibrations, No Place and Seven iron Men were groomed. Most haul roads were also groomed. There...

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    Snowmobile rentals...

    R&R Rental
    Grand Rapids Location
    20760 US-169
    Grand Rapids, MN 55744
    (218) 999-7368

    CROSS COUNTRY SKI, BIKE, & SNOWSHOE RENTALS

    Ardent Bicycles

    951 NW 4th St, Grand Rapids, MN 55744
    218-999-5470
    www.ardentbicycles.com

    ATV/OHV Trails

    Typical dates for Itasca ATV Trails are May-October 31. Open dates in the Spring are as following, but keep in mind that wet conditions may change the opening dates:

    April 1st – Alborn/Pengilly, Blue Ox, Thistledew

    May 2nd – US Forest Service Alvwood/ Squaw Lake, Island Lake Connection

    May 15th – Wilderness Wheelers and B&B Connection, Balsam, Little Moose, UPM Blandi

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

    If you are looking for paved bicycle trails, then the Mesabi Trail that runs from the Mississippi River to the Boundary Waters is for you. This trail is over 100 miles long. Most of the trail is interconnected by a well maintained paved trail. The trail starts at the Itasca Fairgrounds in Grand Rapids and runs to Ely, Minnesota. There are over 20 trailheads where you can access the Mesabi Trail, so if you want to ride just a portion of the trail you can do that. There is a Mesabi Trail Shuttle Service that is available in the event you want to travel through several communities and are interested in lodging options as well. Learn More HERE.