I'm feeling pretty good. Starting tomorrow, it looks like 10 days of good ice melting weather...

So I booked my permit for May 17 (I have other obligations so I have to miss the actual opener.)

I've never fished so close to ice out. I'm pretty excited...

MA,

Three years ago, we launched the week before Memorial Day. As we took the left onto the Gunflint Trail, we saw snow still in the diches. We were a little worried, but had called some local friends in the Grand Marais area prior to our departure. That year was my best year fishing to date in the BWCA.

I am heading in on Memorial day and I have been nervous as well! You are really pushing the envelope going in on the 17th. I'm sure the fishing will be excellent at that time! Especially if you are looking for Lakers :)

Where you headed to? I'm taking a group up as well over the memorial day weekend.

I will enter at Seagull. I will basecamp on Seagull or Alpine.

SweetBerryWine: "...
Three years ago, we launched the week before Memorial Day. As we took the left onto the Gunflint Trail, we saw snow still in the diches. We were a little worried, but had called some local friends in the Grand Marais area prior to our departure. That year was my best year fishing to date in the BWCA. "

Tell me more...

What did you catch and how did you catch them?

Right now, I'm thinking of just trolling shad raps or husky jerks about 1-3 canoe lengths from shore

I haven't been there, we are going into trout lake entry. Not sure with Basecamp as of yet depends on ice out.

Our group will also be putting in on Seagull and base camping on Alpine the Memorial Day weekend. The lakers being that accessible are really getting me excited about the trip, More than I was already.

Caught in one hour last opening day. Two limits.

This was opener 2013. All the lakes in northern MN still had ice on most, if not all the lake. Opening day the only open water to be found was moving water in the rivers/inlets and I absolutely crushed on both Saturday and Sunday on two different bodies of water. We had to finagle our boats around ice free shorelines to get to the inlets. It was amazing fishing.

I went to the Basswood River 2 weeks later and hammered the walleyes, and got my biggest BWCA pike to date....


Great time of year. Good luck!

-Eric

Fishing opener (19th) in Quetico... !!! I'm hoping Pickerel is mostly ice free by then..

Those pics oughtta get em fired up.
Sweeeeet!

I’m heading in June 3rd. Can’t wait.

Also headed in on Memorial Day weekend....let's get to melting some ice!!!

WilyMinnow:"
This was opener 2013. All the lakes in northern MN still had ice on most, if not all the lake. Opening day the only open water to be found was moving water in the rivers/inlets and I absolutely crushed on both Saturday and Sunday on two different bodies of water. We had to finagle our boats around ice free shorelines to get to the inlets. It was amazing fishing.

Great time of year. Good luck!

-Eric"

Where were the walleyes then? Prespawn? Base of waterfalls?

Where were the walleyes then? Prespawn? Base of waterfalls?"

Prespawn. All the fish were still filled with roe and milt. Most of the fish were tucked up tight to shorelines at the base of rapids in 2- 6 feet of water. Some a tad deeper in some 10 -12 foot holes.

Disclaimer: All the fish we kept in the pictures were males. All the females were released, including the bigger 26'' walleye and pike in the picture. Gotta remember some basic fishing ethics and be responsible in conditions like that with late ice out, a handful of fisherman all going to town on prespawn fish can have an impact on smaller waters, especially if your keeping the big prespawn females before they have a chance to deposit their eggs. We were the only ones crazy enough to fish those spots that weekend, so fortunately the fish were relatively safe from over harvest that weekend.

Normally I don't keep more fish than I can fry for myself and family in one sitting, but we had a massive fish fry for several families Sunday night, was delicious!

How would be sm bass fishing be on Memorial Day weekend this year? Still in deep water? Any thoughts?

Driftless: "How would be sm bass fishing be on Memorial Day weekend this year? Still in deep water? Any thoughts?"

Depends on water temps at that time. If things stay the same with an extremely late ice out, they will probably still be deep in most lakes. Fish north sides of lakes that tend to heat up faster during this time of the year due to being more exposed to the sun than any other area. Also concentrate where warmer water from a smaller lake is flowing into a larger, colder lake. Look for transition areas outside of the typical spawning areas in about 10 feet of water if the temps are starting to rise.

Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...

MA,

Trolling holds true when searching a new fishery, but in early spring your best spots are shallow moving water. We fished for Walleye and used Slip Bobbers with cambered red #4 hooks. We fished 20'-30' off of the moving water and had great success. In spring, I will first locate where water is entering the lake on my map. These spots will often be near portages, so be prepared to see the occasional crew. Start fishing at these points, as they are a great indicator of where the fish are during the spawning cycle.

We fished in roughly 12' of water. The water entering the lake will be cooler, and the shallower areas the water is entering is typically warmer. This makes for a great spot for opportunists like walleye.

We also had great success using/jigging 1/8oz-1/4oz jigs tipped with a leech or artificial Gulp! minnows. In an ideal world, I would bring minnows, but I hate dealing with the added hassle of keeping them alive. Leeches in early spring can ball up in the cold water, so bringing a box or two of crawlers may be a smart choice as well.

Thanks Mike!

SweetBerryWine: "MA,

Trolling holds true when searching a new fishery, but in early spring your best spots are shallow moving water. "

+1

You could troll between areas of warmer water...
When water temps are below 55F I pay as much (or more) attention to the temperature as the depth. And, SweetBerryWine is correct that areas of warmer water can usually be predicted from the map.

"Distance from shore" doesn't seem to be very important to the fish. For lakers in the early spring, camp by warm water with access to the main lake and fish dead bait. I've camped on main lake islands but then caught them trolling in warmer bays. I've camped on warm bays that were almost cut off from the main basin and had to troll the basin. The combination of warm water and access to the main lake is key. I've caught them 40 yards from shore on bait, and I've caught them 10 yards from shore on bait (same campsite, different years).

If you don't like the weight of a fish finder, trying bringing a thermometer.

Tyler W: "...
If you don't like the weight of a fish finder, trying bringing a thermometer."

I do take a depth finder. But I'm open to also taking a thermometer. What sort of unit would you recommend?

This what I have been bringing on spring trips. It works well and it's very interesting to see exactly what temp the eyes start to get active. Was on Kawish River in 2013 with water temps from 37-39F and it was very difficult finding active fish from canoe. Last day the temp got into the 80'F- the water temp went into the low 40's and we caught eyes that night.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...




"

Let's keep this going!!!

Mad_Angler: "

Tyler W: "...
If you don't like the weight of a fish finder, trying bringing a thermometer."

I do take a depth finder. But I'm open to also taking a thermometer. What sort of unit would you recommend?"

First, check to see if your depth finder has temperature. Ice fishing style units usually don't, but most boat style depth finders do. The overall accuracy of the thermometer isn't too critical (as a water quality technician that is hard to say...) because you are looking for relatively warmer or cooler water. The downside to depth finder thermometers (or ones in protective cases) is they take a long time to respond. If you paddle through a warm small bay faster than the thermometer responds you'll miss the difference.

My favorite thermometer (of all time) is the Comark KM14. I use it in my kitchen, I use it brewing, I take water temperatures with it fishing and in the BWCA. It is waterproof and ultra reliable. I am the kind of person who checks the calibration on their own thermometers and that one has always been on.

The upside to the Vexilar deptherm is that you can get a reading at depth. If I was going in July you bet I would have already ordered one of those... But if you are going in May/ early June you won't need to check the temperature at depth. And, you should have a good (waterproof) kitchen thermometer anyway...

I am so obsessed with water temperature that on an August lake trout trip I bought an indoor/ outdoor digital thermometer and spliced on 50' of wire. Then I checked its calibration vs a lab thermometer and added a 4oz sinker to the end. I took one temperature profile to determine the thermocline was at 30'. Which, was sort of academic because that was the only depth we marked fish at...

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...




"

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







"

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...





"

Moose lake web cam still shows a fair amount of sun-reflecting white stuff on it. I count 54 permits taken for entry on or before Friday May 11, just over 2 weeks away!

Get out of here ice.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






"

Wow. It took 6 days just to melt the snow from the Seagull dock... I hope the lake ice goes a lot faster than that!

I just checked the MN DNR's Lake Ice out website (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html) and the only data point for 2018 is Lake Pepin.

So.... basically the only lake that is ice free is a wide spot on the Mississippi River.... with 17 days before the opener....

I think everyone with entry permits for the week of the opener can start to panic anytime now.

Tyler W: "I just checked the MN DNR's Lake Ice out website (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html) and the only data point for 2018 is Lake Pepin.


So.... basically the only lake that is ice free is a wide spot on the Mississippi River.... with 17 days before the opener....


I think everyone with entry permits for the week of the opener can start to panic anytime now. "

I find this very hard to believe. The lakes in Madison Wisconsin lost their ice about a month ago. It seems that some lakes in southern Minnesota have to be open...

Mad_Angler: "

Tyler W: "I just checked the MN DNR's Lake Ice out website (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html) and the only data point for 2018 is Lake Pepin.

So.... basically the only lake that is ice free is a wide spot on the Mississippi River.... with 17 days before the opener....

I think everyone with entry permits for the week of the opener can start to panic anytime now. "

I find this very hard to believe. The lakes in Madison Wisconsin lost their ice about a month ago. It seems that some lakes in southern Minnesota have to be open...
"

I stand corrected. The MN DNR site also has a satellite view. You can clearly see ice on even the most southern lakes...
sat view

This may help put things in perspective. A pic of my local lake today (lake Waconia west metro)(April 24) . The latest ice out date recorded was May 1 1941 , that's 7 days away , it just may set a new record

Mad_Angler: "

Tyler W: "I just checked the MN DNR's Lake Ice out website (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ice_out/index.html) and the only data point for 2018 is Lake Pepin.



So.... basically the only lake that is ice free is a wide spot on the Mississippi River.... with 17 days before the opener....



I think everyone with entry permits for the week of the opener can start to panic anytime now. "

I find this very hard to believe. The lakes in Madison Wisconsin lost their ice about a month ago. It seems that some lakes in southern Minnesota have to be open...
"

I live in SW Minnesota, 8 miles from the Iowa border and the Iowa "Great Lakes" of Spirit Lake and Okoboji. On Monday (4/23) I was shore fishing one of the lakes that had about 30 yards of open water and the CO stopped by. He stated as of that afternoon the 3 main lakes still have 20+" of ice and folks were still ice fishing that day. We still have lots of ice down here.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







" "

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






"

A little bit of open water..

I drove up I-35 on Wednesday . Albert Lea on the Minnesota Iowa border was 90% frozen. Really surprised me. Most of the smaller ponds and lakes were open..

Mother nature is really pissed about something...

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







" "

Anyone have any ice thickness reports?

SammyN: "Anyone have any ice thickness reports?


"

Broken ice down here. 2" to 3" thick

Mad_Angler: "A little bit of open water.."

That’s water on top of the ice. Don’t worry though, it’ll freeze up nicely tonight.

Walley_huntr: "

Mad_Angler: "A little bit of open water.."

That’s water on top of the ice. Don’t worry though, it’ll freeze up nicely tonight."

It already did...

AmarilloJim: "

SammyN: "Anyone have any ice thickness reports?



"

Broken ice down here. 2" to 3" thick"

Well played!

Mad_Angler:Right now, I'm thinking of just trolling shad raps or husky jerks about 1-3 canoe lengths from shore"

1-3 canoe lengths from shore might be the only open water in the entire lake :-)

What route are you hoping to fish?

pic from today , lake Waconia will be setting a new record for the latest ice out date in 3 days , breaking a 77 year old record !

Last weekend there was 30 inches of ice in Isabella

Bahahahahaha

Snowbank day permit may 12th and 13th then stuart river to iron for the week starting may 14th...... Will i have water to paddle?

murphylakejim: "Snowbank day permit may 12th and 13th then stuart river to iron for the week starting may 14th...... Will i have water to paddle?
"

12th would be very doubtful.

I was on snowbank in early May 2008 (late ice out - but not as late as 2018). Had to skirt around the edges of the lake to avoid the ice and get to my portage.

Canoeing on a huge lake which still has quite a bit of ice is fairly risky/dangerous. One night while on Kek, a huge sheet of ice from the main body broke loose and had us pinned in our cove for much of the day :-)

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






" "

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







" "

It's happening!!!

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






" "

Mad_Angler , i hope mother nature shines on you for your trip(pun intended) , but keep in mind even when this small bay is open the rest of seagull especially the west still may not be navigable. tight lines , Shock

shock: "Mad_Angler , i hope mother nature shines on you for your trip(pun intended) , but keep in mind even when this small bay is open the rest of seagull especially the west still may not be navigable. tight lines , Shock"

Shock, I understand. This is a shallow, protected bay that faces almost directly south. The rest of the lake will be quite a ways behind it.

But it is fun to see progress being made. It will be above freezing for all of the next 10 days. I'm willing to bet that Seagull will be clear for my trip on May 17. It does give me more confidence since I am actually going a little after the opening...

a friend of mine is also going in on the 17th or 18th ? seagull lake ,
on an encouraging note , my brother has a place on boot lake (north of park rapids) all thou not a big lake but deep and did open up today !!!

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







" "

Wow. Look at the sun and the blue water.

I would like to fish off of that dock right now!

So when is the spawn going to get going this year? Temps on the Kawishiwi between 40/41 right now.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






" "

The bay at Seagull Outfitters just got a big split with open water towards the middle...

The three of us living just north of Houston suffer from the 3 can not's.

Can not change our vacation.
Can not control the weather.
Can not give up hope.
We are leaving on the 10th and getting to Seagull on the 11th. Keep the good news going Mad_Angler.

Mickeal: "The three of us living just north of Houston suffer from the 3 can not's.


Can not change our vacation.
Can not control the weather.
Can not give up hope.
We are leaving on the 10th and getting to Seagull on the 11th. Keep the good news going Mad_Angler.


"

Mikeal,

Always have a plan ‘B’ but I dont think youll need it! Good like to you all, and enjoy!

Mickeal: "The three of us living just north of Houston suffer from the 3 can not's.


Can not change our vacation.
Can not control the weather.
Can not give up hope.
We are leaving on the 10th and getting to Seagull on the 11th. Keep the good news going Mad_Angler.


"

You will definitely have some water a week from now. But all of Seagull may not be open.

Maybe ask Deb about the Granite River loop. It is also very nice and should be more likely to have open water than a big deep lake like Seagull.

I was there in 2013 when half of the lake was frozen, hoping that is what we see when we get there.

Here is a photo of the same bay shown on the Seagull webcam, but showing more of the lake. It was taken on May 4th. A lot of ice melted that day with highs near 70.

There is a long way to go, but some promising weather! A few high highs and some high lows!

Mickeal: "I was there in 2013 when half of the lake was frozen, hoping that is what we see when we get there."

yes 2013 we moved our trip back a week and i recall we still saw some floating icebergs on seagull. as we headed to jasper and we couldn't keep the lakers off our lines !

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






"
"

You are right about that shock. Got more trout bites than bug bites that year.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...







"
"

This is great ice-out porn

CityFisher74: "This is great ice-out porn"

I LOL when I read that...... :)

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...






"
"

I love that the main lake looks like it is getting slushy already.

It looks like the main ice sheet on seagull is moving. This morning, it seems to be further away than it is now.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...








"
"

It's OVA', Baby!!!
Load up the boats!!!!

mvillasuso: "It's OVA', Baby!!!
Load up the boats!!!!"

yup. Main lake of Seagull is almost ice free...

I have a buddy who is fishing guide out of Ely. He just texted me a pic of walleyes in full spawn right now. They are shallow, and everywhere. He said the opener is going to be sick. That’s a good thing. Go get em boys and girls! I’m up in 3 weeks.

Pic from today. In full spawn mode.

temps in the mid 20'sF this AM-- very near record cold lows for I-Falls (24F in 1996) and HIB -- 23F in 1963. (those with reliable records as ELY does not). This will not help lakes that still have ice on them. Imagine it's close to 20 along the border-----

WhiteWolf: "temps in the mid 20'sF this AM-- very near record cold lows for I-Falls (24F in 1996) and HIB -- 23F in 1963. (those with reliable records as ELY does not). This will not help lakes that still have ice on them. Imagine it's close to 20 along the border-----


"

At dawn, it sorta looked like Seagull had a thin layer of ice. But now it is clear again...

Mad Angler,
I’ve enjoyed your optimism on this thread. I didn’t think the Gunflint Trail would have this much open water by fishing opener. You seem to have willed the ice away.

scat: "Pic from today. In full spawn mode.


"

Was that on a river? You don't need to give us the GPS coordinates...

According to Smitty's there is some Ice left on Snowbank this morning. I suspect a few larger lakes will have ice for the opener and spawning walleyes in the next two weeks.

Mad_Angler: "Look at this... The ice is just flying off the Seagull dock...








"

"

Fishing opener looks like grand central station. Boats everywhere...

but there going in the wrong direction.

shock: "but there going in the wrong direction."

You got that straight.........I think I will hang out here in South Florida for a while longer where its in the low 80's until its safe ;-)

mastertangler: "

shock: "but there going in the wrong direction."

You got that straight.........I think I will hang out here in South Florida for a while longer where its in the low 80's until its safe ;-) "

STRAIGHT TO THE DOCK LOL , i'm sure the west end was still locked up but this up coming week , seagull-jasper-SAk will have some very good lake trout fishing , wish i could be there :(
soak that dead bait while at camp ;) run #12 XT , will get the job done. practice CPR on those nicer lakers ;)

scat: "Pic from today. In full spawn mode.


"

Awesome photo. Approximately how long will Canoe-country Walleye typically be in spawning locations?

That’s a good question. Also, I’m not sure where my buddy took that pic. He guides on Birch Lake, fishes in the Kawish river and another in which will remain nameless. I’ll attach a pic from last year opening day from said unnamed river. Caught in one hour.

He said he will send me pics from this year. I called him a lucky dog. Gets to be a fishing guide in Ely for a job. Talk about sweet.

CityFisher74: "

scat: "Pic from today. In full spawn mode.



"

Awesome photo. Approximately how long will Canoe-country Walleye typically be in spawning locations?"

The females are literally in and out within a day, maybe 2. The males will hang around for weeks.... As for dates- that depends on the type of water (river vs. lakes) and water temps. But a general lake in the BW this year will likely have males with "milk" for at another week to maybe 2 weeks.

"The females are literally in and out within a day"
if not over night , i've been fortune enough to do some BW trips during full spawning activity , and i have never caught a pre spawn female ,
seen many walleyes right at my feet during the spawn but all males , the only bigger females i've seen were carcasses after an eagle snatched them and ate them right there.
1 pocket of spawn i saw going through the jasper falls was about 6'X6' and more scattered pockets that were smaller but deep in eddy falls.
once the females do there thing , the suckers will start moving in to feast on the spawn and if the lake has whitefish a great time to catch and EAT them, they usually hang out in the deeper water at the base of the moving water just sucking in spawn that floats past them.
caught some on the tinyest piece of plastic that would still fit on a hook , sat our canoes side ways from the falls and just picked up and lift and let line out with the current and boom whitefish , and whitefish is spectacular eating out of the clean cold lakes of the BW ! old pic of this.

That is a classic pic Shock. Love the hats and their bulk. If I'am if going to wear a hat in the BW with my buddies or alone, I'am going to wear a HAT and not some deflated Metrodome thing people wear now days in public. Kind of like that line from the movie Fletch--- "He is actually 6' 5" with the Afro 6' 9".."

This is my buddy Wally. He’s a guide out of Ely. Was out of River Point Resort on Birch Lake, but now is more independent I gather. Great guy if you like nice people and catching fish. I’m not saying where these were caught, but some nice wilderness walleye fatties in there. 2 more weeks for me!