Ice Fishing Report for January 6th

Back with some good news from the ice!

The ice is looking good even after that first dump of heavy snow. As we talked about in the last report, we were hoping that the slush would freeze up during the cold snap. We got lucky as the wind blew off most of the top layer of snow and that provided the slush more exposure to the cold weather causing it to freeze.

When you head out to most lakes, they will still have a decent snow covering but not too much were driving would be difficult. You’ll find a couple of inches of non-clear ice which is the frozen slush. But below that you will find a nice thick layer of clear and strong ice.

In the Park Rapids Area most lakes are averaging about 15 inches or more. Fishhook and Portage Lake are both around the 15 inches but some areas there could be less or more. Other lakes like Big Sand are still a little behind on how much ice there is. So, make sure you check the ice before you head. If you see a large, plowed road and a lot of big houses with trucks already on the ice you should be safe to drive. But check if you are unsure.

Over in the Detroit Lakes area the ice is a little thicker from what we are finding. Cotton Lake has close to 20 inches and others have about that 16-to-20-inch range. Most of the popular lakes over there have plowed roads going out. So, a little bit of travel to the West and you’ll find some thicker ice.

Find the humps, islands and sharp break and you should find the fish! Load up on those minnows and wax worms and go out and catch some fish! Happy Fishing!