Minnesota guide Brian Brosdahl gives his latest Lake Winnie fishing report and his latest report on the Rainy River on March 13th, 2024.
Lake Winnie Fishing Report: 3-13-2024
The ice is fading fast in Northern Minnesota.
The shorelines are beginning to go on a lot of lakes and you need to use extreme caution if you plan on heading out.
Be cautious near any areas that had cracks or pressure ridges. Those places have soften up and most of them have open water. Lakes like Winnie, Cass and Leech have a lot of spots with bad ice and open water.
There are still some lakes that have decent ice. We’ve found anywhere from eight to thirteen inches, but the top six inches is beginning to honeycomb.
I would not recommend going out, but if you I would recommend foot travel only, checking the ice as you go, and packing the proper ice safety gear.
Panfish: Lake Winnie Fishing Report
Overall the panfish bite has been really good. On lakes that have ok ice bluegills, crappies, and perch are biting small jigs paired with plastics or wax worms.
They can also be caught on small spoons tipped with livebait.
The panfish have definitely moved to their late ice spots. Look for fish on shallow flats and in shallow bays.
Some crappies and bluegills can be caught in extremely shallow water. Look for those fish in less than five feet of water.
Anglers can expect this bite to continue until the ice is gone.
Burbot/Eelpout: Lake Winnie Fishing Report
It has been difficult to get to the spots, but on the few places you can access eelpout are biting well. There has been some good daytime activity and it is only going to get better.
Spoons tipped with a couple minnows continue to be the best bait.
Rainy River
The Rainy river is starting to open up. Anglers can get out on the Birchdale access and more of the river is opening up each day.
Walleyes and sturgeon can be caught throughout the day. As more of the river opens up the fishing is only going to get better and bigger fish will continue to show up.
