Minnesota guide Matt Johnson gives his latest Minneapolis fishing report on January 31st, 2024.
Minneapolis Fishing Report: 1-31-2024
It is the end of January, but it sure feels like March out here in the Twin Cities area.
Most of our lakes in the Metro Area have ten to twelve inches of ice. With our recent warm weather this past week our ice is getting soft.
If you do plan on heading out onto the ice make sure to check as you go and practice ice safety.
The fish have been biting well for those anglers that have been getting out.
Bluegills
The bluegills have been biting pretty good. We haven’t found many fish in their typically mid-winter spots.
We’ve been finding a lot of fish on the edge of the deep basins. Focus on depths between twelve and seventeen feet of water.
Some schools of bluegills can also be found in the shallow weed beds in less than ten feet of water.
A 1/32-ounce gold and green Clam Pinhead Pro Spoon has been our best bait for bluegills.
If the spoon isn’t working switch to a small tungsten Dropkick jig paired with a Maki plastic.
Crappies: Minneapolis Fishing Report
Look for crappies to be mixed in with the bluegills.
Similar to the bluegills we’ve been finding a lot of crappies on the edge of the deep basins. Focus on depths between twelve and seventeen feet of water.
There are still some fish in the deep basins, but they are moving extremely fast and hard to stay on top of.
Again our best bait has been a Pinhead Pro Spoon in the Perch Halo color.
Largemouth Bass: Minneapolis Fishing Report
Anglers can catch numbers of largemouth bass in the shallow weed beds.
Focus on those weed beds in less than fifteen feet of water.
Minnows on a set line has been a great way to target them. You can also catch them jigging Clam Tikka Mino’s and the Clam Tikka Flash.
Northern Pike
Northern pike can be caught in the same weed beds that the largemouth bass are using. Set lines with medium sized sucker minnows or shiners are working great.
Focus on depths between five and fifteen feet of water.
A few fish can also be found out on the edges of the basins chasing the schools of panfish.
Walleyes: Minneapolis Fishing Report
Walleyes can be caught after dark and during primetime hours early in the morning and late in the evening.
Focus on points and weed lines. Set lines paired with a minnow seem to be the best options, but a few fish can also be caught on jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head.
