What to Know About Ice Fishing This Weekend in Central MN

The extreme cold weather has slowed ice fishing traffic on Minnesota lakes.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.  He says interest in ice fishing has faded due to cold weather and a stagnant bite.  Schmitt explains when temperatures are consistently below zero or even in the single digits, it's just tough to move around.  He says he's been seeing people pull their wheel houses off lakes already.  Schmitt is optimistic pan fishing will be good in March when the weather is expected to warm up.

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Only 2 weekends remain to fish walleye this winter in Minnesota aside from Lake of the Woods where walleye fishing can take place until April 14.  Schmitt says the last couple of weeks typically is good walleye fishing.  He indicates walleye reports have been slow.  Schmitt says if you are looking for walleye this weekend locally, great options include the Horseshoe Chain of lakes, Rice Lake, Koronis, Clearwater and Osakis.  He says it is a short feeding window for walleye and suggests fishing during low light periods of the day.

Catfish Fest is returning to the chain of lakes in Richmond this weekend after a year off last year due to warmer than normal weather conditions.  The event will take place February 14 at 3 p.m. to Saturday February 15 at 3 p.m.  He says participants can bring their fish house on the lake and even spend the night.  Schmitt says they will have food trucks, tents set up and musical entertainment one night.  Cedar Island Lake is the centerpiece of the event but all the lakes on the chain can be used.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, it is available below.