Minnesota guide Brian Brosdahl gives his latest Buzz Bite Report on the ice conditions in Northern Minnesota on January 4th, 2024.
Northern Minnesota: 1-4-2024
With the recent warm snap in Northern Minnesota some of the smaller lakes lost some ice, but our bigger lakes are doing well.
Stay away from areas with current and any inflows or outflows. Ice near those areas is unsafe.
Winnie, Red, Leech and Lake of the Woods have staked trails on the safe ice. I recommend calling the resorts before you head out.
For those anglers that plan on heading out you can expect a good bite. Walleyes, northern pike, crappies, perch, and bluegills are all biting.
Look for bluegills, northern pike, and largemouth bass in the shallow weed beds. Focus on weed beds between five and fifteen feet of water.
Sucker minnows on tip-ups have worked great for the bass and pike. Bluegills can be caught on the Northland Tungsten Gill-Getter Jig paired with a wax worm.
Look for crappies in the mid-depth basins. Large schools of crappies can be found in the basins anywhere from twenty to thirty feet of water.
Small spoons or tungsten jigs paired with plastics have worked great.
Look for walleyes on points and reefs during low-light periods. A buckshot spoon tipped with a minnow head has been producing.
Perch, Wonderbread, and any glow color has been the best options. It’s also worth setting some tip-ups. Large fathead minnows have been working.
Look for perch on the shallow sand flats on Leech, Cass, and Winnie. Small spoons or tungsten jigs paired with a minnow head will catch plenty of perch.
If you do plan on venturing out onto the ice in Northern Minnesota please use extreme caution and make sure to have the proper safety equipment.
- Brian Brosdahl
