Ice fishing was looking up last week but the recent dumping of more than a foot of snow has ice anglers looking to be creative.  Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON.  He says ice anglers are still figuring things out but right now it is tough to get around lakes.  Schmitt explains people locally were just starting to drive on lakes but now there are no road systems and ice depths can be a bit sketchy.  He says he was on a local lake recently that had 15 inches in one spot but just 9 in another.

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Schmitt indicates a 4-wheeler and trailer can't make it through the snow on lakes without roads plowed.  He says a snowmobile with tracks would be a way to get around.  Schmitt believes there will be more slush developing underneath the snow.  He says windy days could help to move some of this snow around but that isn't in the forecast.

Northern Minnesota did not receive the large amounts of snow that Central and Southern Minnesota received this week so Schmitt says the Longville/Hackensack area and north of there could be great locations to go ice fishing this weekend.

Schmitt explains the recent snow is a setback for Central Minnesota ice fishing but ice anglers find a way.  He says there will be some trails made and ice fishing locally is far from over.  Schmitt says fishing is good once you get to the spots on the lake you want.  He prefers fishing walleyes and panfish and explains in the podcast the best ways to catch those fish.

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

 

 

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