January 24th, 2023

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - As unusually warm temps continue, unusually slow lake trout fishing also continues. While anglers continue to see good numbers of trout, they have been reporting that lakers have been very uninterested in their presentation. Anglers seeing the best numbers have been fishing close to very sharpe dropoffs, in 40-60 feet of water.  Small bucktails in the 1/2oz or smaller and small spoons have been accounting for the majority of fish caught. 

Stream trout - Rainbows continue to be active and continue to be caught on shallow flats. Dead minnows layed on the bottom has been very effective, but small spoons and jigs tipped with wax worms has also been effective. While not the easiest thing to do, deadsticking your waxies or dead minnow has been the best technique for catching trout. 

Panfish - While these unusually warm temps have been bad for trout, it seems to have panfish thinking it’s spring and fishing for crappies and sunnies has been unusually good for this time of the year. Anglers have been finding both in there deep wintering holes. Waxies or minnows, tipped on a jig has been very effective on them. Shallow weedlines have also been productive, but for best results look to deeper water.  

Young angler grins ear-to-ear on BWCA ice near Ely, MN, January 24 2023, cradling a massive northern pike by the jaw. Long, spotted body stretches out with yellow fins, snow dusting the fish and ice under gray skies, distant pines on the horizon – classic winter pike slam! These ambush predators hit hard on tip-ups that time of year. Gets you pumped for more BWCA northern pike, lake trout, or walleye ice action!