Today’s Grand Rapids Ice Fishing Report brought to you by Tom Neustrom, professional fishing guide and professional fishing industry represetative. Owner of MN Fishing Connections. Book your 2022 Fishing Guide Trip early!
The winter chill has reinforced its grip and continues to provide good opportunities for ice fishing and other winter activities. Lots of snow continues to have Grand Rapids a destination for visitors to the area for numerous things to do. Ice fishing on area lakes has been good depending on the species you are chasing. Panfish seem to be the most pursued and there are so many lakes to try.
Trout season has opened and there are numerous trout lakes that have nice opportunities for Rainbow, Brook, Brown and even Lake Trout. Most of these trout lakes are accessible through foot travel only and they can be a bit of an adventure to get to. Except for the Lake Trout lakes, there is no live minnows allowed on designated trout lakes. Contact the Grand Rapids area DNR Fisheries office and get a list of the trout lakes and species available . They are all stocked lakes and finding out what is in the lake you intend on fishing can be a big advantage.
A few of the lakes in the Grand Rapids area that provide excellent opportunities to catch trout are Caribou( Rainbows and Lakers), Bluewater and Sherry’s Arm on Pokegama(Lakers), Tioga Mine Pit (Browns and Rainbows), Erskine, Lucky and Kremer (Rainbows and Brookies). All of these lakes require a trout stamp that would be applied to your current fishing license.
Except for waters that provide lake trout, most of your panfish tackle will work for trout on most all of the lakes. Light monofilament line such as 4# because of the clear water that is found in nearly all of the mentioned lakes. Small baits like a Northland Forage Spoon with several Euro larvae or a couple wax worms can coax the most finicky of trout to bite. Many times the softer tip rod is part of the equipment that is crucial to feeling a delicate bite. Other times when fishing lakers, you may need a stouter rod because of the crushing strike that can take place and they are much bigger than other species. Trout can be found throughout the water column so good electronics can be key to finding and catching active fish. The Humminbird Helix 7 Ice is a great unit in winter and can dial you in to roaming trout.
Trout fishing can be a lot of fun and many of the lakes you will fish are secluded and you may never see another angler the entire day. Just another example of what Grand Rapids offers in the winter for a different angling experience.