It was a very successful trip up to Red Lake this early ice season! Lots of quality fish caught using a variety of tactics. We stayed at Mort's Dock (our go to place over the past 4 years!) where we stayed in our Ice House on shore. They were letting ATVs and Side by Sides out as they had around 8-10in of ice on the lake.
We were able to stay away from pressure as most of the crowds were fishing that 8-10ft depth range, we ventured out as far as we could on the ATV (about a mile and a half from the access) and were able to catch a number of 16in+ walleyes in that 11.5 ft - 12ft depth range.
The bite was consistent throughout the day with flurries of walleye coming in every half hour or so. With Red Lake not having much of any structure, we find it best to find a spot to set up in the depth we want (trying our best to avoid the pressure) and just let them roam through rather than spend valuable fishing time jumping from spot to spot. We find that if we are in the right depth, they eventually come to us at some point!
Best Tactics
Depth
11.5 ft - 12 ft
Set Lines
Shinners produced the most fish and the largest fish
We used just a small plain orange hook and they seemed to love it
Jigging
The lures that produced the most fish for us jigging were:
Slab Rap - Purple/Pink (with rattles)
Glow Jig tipped with minnow head (specifically Fish Daddy LED Spoon)
Walleye caught on a Fish Daddy LED Spoon
You can find their lures here: Micro LED Spoon | Fish Daddy Outdoors
What I like about their LED lures over others we have used in the past is they are reusable (you can turn them on and off), they flash and are SUPER bright in the water.
Overall, it was an amazing first trip to kick off the ice season! Stay tuned as we will continue to post updates on ice conditions on Lake Minnetonka along with our tips and tactics on different lakes to help get more fish on the top side of the ice for you this year!
Always remember, check your drag-
Brett & Brit