I love Minnesota, and I love all of the different fishing opportunities found here throughout the year. I have already had a great ice season, but I'm looking forward to a lot of fantastic late-ice trips......I am still wanting to make a trip for Lake Whitefish again, a couple more Catfish trips with an incidental Lake Sturgeon, maybe a Lake Trout trip (that would be awesome), a Cisco trip for sure, and maye some late-late-ice Crappies and Bluegills. Also, Lake Superior may get some walkable ice soon around Duluth and Loopers and Cohos are on the menu. Too much to do! I feel bad for you Southern folks who don't get to ice-fish! ~andy

Where are you going for Lakers? Ever try Grindstone? I am hoping to make a trip to Grindstone before ice out.

Yup, the best time of the year to ice fish is right around the corner. I love ice fishing in March. By far ALWAYS my best time of the year on the ice. And then by mid to late March, its time to start thinking open water again.

I agree, this is a pretty cool state to fish.

You gotta love ice fishing in late March. The snow melts off making getting around easy, holes don't freeze up, you can fish in a t-shirt, and most of the species become increasingly more active. I especially look forward to some late season action for big pike and white suckers.

I have so much I want to do before the ice melts too. I would like to get the lake trout off my back. I long to yell looper on!!!The stench of tullibees is stuck in my brain. A trip just for whitebass is in the works. And to end it all site fishing for panfish in late march early april.

andy your post hit the nail in the head. I know hunters have this same quandary in the fall, as primarily an angler, I have the same issue in the spring as well. Late ice is always a blast, though sometimes I am too paranoid for my own good and get scared of bad ice.

This year the battle for me will be between the tullibee bite, and the sucker run.

I love ice fishing in a tshirt! The only issue I've ever run into is when your 8" hole actually becomes 10" while you're sitting on the ice...maybe then its time to leave!

I'm looking forward to some good times on the ice and hope it lasts...seems all to often the ice turns bad before I have a chance to chase everything on my list.

it always seems like I have to go out of town for the weekend, during the last weekend of "good" late ice. When I come back, it is all honeycombed and junk. Hopefully I can avoid that scenario this year...

any burbot andy???.

Only been ice fishing once and it was a blast. I would love to try it again.

Ugh...one more reason to hate NJ. Last to freeze (if ever) and first to thaw in the spring. Sure thats great for all the eagles, woodcocks, and virginia rails looking for an easy place to winter. I've never ice fished before and since i got a ton of ice gear for christmas i've been dying to go but nothing is freezing this winter (its almost 60F right now). I guess Al Gore is right.

Yep, Andy, we were really struggling yesterday when it was 77 and sunny. You guys have it so much better.

Wow 77 degrees......we won't see a temp that high here for probably 3 months! I still wouldn't trade weather with you. It was 31 degrees yesterday, and I was driving my truck around with the windows down it was so nice. I hope to get a trip in in the next couple of days before we dip back down to highs below zero again. ~andy

DAMN! I sure do miss living in MN. You natives familiar with a little town known as Hastings? Close to the border I beleive, and the Mighty Mississippi runs right through it. I moved to OH at age 8, and I was really too young to get into the great fishing oppurtunities at that age...bummer!

Ah, Hastings. You didn't know how good you had it. Right by the Mississippi, with the great St. Croix and Minnesota Rivers close by and the Cannon, Rush, Kinnickinic, Zumbro, Red Cedar, Vermillion, and Willow within an hour's drive. What a great place to grow up.

Very True. I really do miss growing up there and driving over the big blue bridge everyday on the way out of town. Hell, I didn't even mind the weather. Last time I went fishing in MN must have been when I was around 8 or so with a cane pole, jigging wax worms for bluegills in a pond in chaska...ahhh good times