Fishing Report
When is the best time to go fishing? Here in the north woods, every day is the best day. Our area contains a wide range of lakes with varied depths, shoreline structures, and a wide range of fish species. Seasoned anglers know success requires patience and a willingness to try different techniques. If you have a youngster in the group, they will most likely catch the biggest fish - it always happens. So, maybe no technique is a good strategy too. For those interested in learning about lake structure, water quality, or creel surveys, we encourage you to visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lake Finder page. Area lakes will either be found in St. Louis or Lake County. Minnesota Fishing Regulations
February 17th, 2026
Steven Renneberg
***Fishing Report***
Lake Trout- Lake trout continue to cooperate with the majority of anglers this last week. Red/white, chartreuse and white bucktails, tipped with a gulp minnow, continue to out-produce all other baits for anglers. Reports of lake trout being caught during the overnight hours continue to come in, but the key for success at catching lakers during the overnight hours has been to be on or very close to areas where eelpout are actively spawning. Minnows near the bottom have been key here. Key depths remain 30-50ft of water.
Stream Trout- Rainbows and Splake continue to be a popular choice for anglers as reports of some great fishing continue to keep coming in. Both rainbows and splake are being found out in water ranging from 35-70ft of water. Both are being caught anywhere from 5-30ft under the ice by anglers. Small pink, white, or chartreuse jig or spoon, tipped with a wax worm or dead minnow, remains very effective.
Walleye- Walleye anglers reported success over the last weekend. Small suckers continue to be the bait or choice for the anglers reporting the best success. Mud flats in 18-25ft of water continue to be the best areas to find active walleyes. White and perch-colored jigs, used on a deadstick or tip-up, have been the way to go. Remember that walleye season closes this Sunday, 2/22.
Pike- With another warm weekend, anglers were out in force trying their luck for trophy pike. Some real giants were caught, too! Medium to large sized bait, such as frozen herring and smelt, fished under a tip-up, was extremely popular. Large pike were found in classic pike locations like shallow weedbeds and river mouths. Remember that Pike season closes this Sunday, 2/22.
Panfish- Crappies were a popular choice this last weekend as the area enjoyed spring-like temperatures. Overall, crappies cooperated with anglers. Crappies were being found in 25-35ft of water. Crappie minnows, tipped on a small jig or a white soft plastic, were very effective for anglers. Some large sunfish were mixed in with the suspended crappies, but more often than not, the big sunfish were glued to the bottom and wanted a wax worm tipped on a small jig.
Eelpout- As we near the peak spawning time for Eelpout (next full moon) anglers have been out in force scouting out their favorite eelpout locations. Anglers new to eelpout fishing should be looking to river mouths, sunken islands, or large flats, in 10-35ft of water, near deep water to find eelpout. Bright, glowing jigs, loaded up with chunks of fresh, dead minnows, herring, or smelt, are really key to getting bites. The best bite is during the overnight hours, but as we get closer to peak spawning, the bite will continue throughout the day.
Whitefish- Walleye anglers have been reporting that whitefish are now showing up on their graphs during the day. Small, panfish-sized jigs tipped with small crappie minnows, wax worms, or soft plastic bait have been getting bites. White remains a popular choice, but red has also accounted for a handful of whitefish. Large mudflats in 20-30ft of water have been the best areas to look for the roaming whitefish. Whitefish are coming in about 5-15ft off the bottom.
